Easy Apple Crisp

This is a good dessert for get-togethers as it is easy to make it in bulk and tastes good hot or cold. It calls for 4 cups of apples, and will work best with a mixture of differing tart ones.

Still, it tastes fine with canned apples or peaches or the like.

1. Turn on the oven to 375.

2. Peel, core and slice 4 cups of apples and put them in a dish. I've used pie pans, various casserole dishes, and other things. As long as it is deeper than a jelly roll pan, and the apples aren't stacked too high, you should be fine.

3. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons lemon juice over them.

4. Cut up half a stick of cold butter into smaller pieces and throw them into a bowl. Salted butter is fine here. If you use unsalted, you're going to want to throw in 1/4 teaspoon of salt later.

5. Into the butter bowl add 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and a teaspoon of cinnamon.

6. You want to mash these together until you get something that looks like cornmeal.  A pastry blender works well for this, but you can use a couple of butter knives in tandem or a fork. Fingers will do as well, but you have to be careful not to work the butter too much; it might make things oily.

7. Sprinkle the crumblies on top of the apples, and throw the whole thing in the oven for about 30 minutes.

You're done. Pull it out whenever the color looks good to you. None of the ingredients are dangerous to eat raw. I think the stuff tastes best when it is fresh from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Pork Chops with Apples

I've neglected pork for far too long on this here blog. No more!

The following recipe is for 1/2 inch think pork sirloin chops. Loin chops will also work. Chops of differing sizes will work to some degree, just adjust the cooking times as necessary. Trichinosis isn't is common as salmonella, so under-cooked pork isn't as scary as under-cooked chicken.

Still, I don't want you bothering me with your hospital bills.

I imagine most people have most of these ingredients in their kitchen already. Maybe you need to buy the pork chops and the apples.

1. In a large ziplockish bag, mix 2 Tablespoons flour, 2 Tablespoons cornmeal, 1 tablespoon dried rosemary (crushed between two spoons), 1 teaspoon of salt and a bit of pepper.

2. Put 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and 2 Tablespoons butter in a frying pan, and heat to medium high.

3. Right as the butter starts to smoke, cook pork chops. It will take between 10 and 15 minutes. You only want to turn them once, so wait about 6 minutes before you do.

4. The pork should be nice and brown. Move it to a dish and keep it warm. Put a lid on it, or foil or an upside-down plate.

5. Now dump 2 apples cut into wedges into the same oil in which you cooked the pork. Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over them.

6. Cook for a minute, flip them, cook for another minute.

7. Garnish the pork with the apples, either on the platter or on individual plates.