Homemade Apple Turnovers!

Jim requested that I make these and to be honest I was a little intimidated when he told me what he wanted. Apple turnovers sound hard and time consuming. I hoped on the Internet and started to do some research. After looking at a few recipes I started to realize that these wouldn't be hard at all. The key is the puff pastry, now you can make you own but the dough is super temperamental and is hard to work with so I opted to buy the pre-made kind.  Here's what else you'll need....

INGREDIENTS

• ONE PACKAGE OF FROZEN FILO DOUGH
• 4 APPLES OF YOUR CHOICE (I LIKE GRANNY SMITH)
• 1C BROWN SUGAR
• CINNAMON TO YOUR LIKING
• 1 TBSP CORN STARCH
• 1 TBSP WATER
• 1 EGG
• 2 TBSP BUTTER
• SUGAR IN THE RAW (OR ANY KIND OF LARGER GRANULATED SUGAR)

Pre-heat oven to 400F degrees

 Start off by peeling your apples and slicing them into small cubes. As you slice them you can put them in a bowl of cool water with a little lemon juice so they don't turn brown. Once all four of your apples are cut, grab a skillet and put on Medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan and add the apples (make sure apples are not super wet if you did the water bath), add your Cinnamon to your liking and let cook for 2 minutes.

Next add in your brown sugar. In a small bowl mix the corn starch and water together. Add the cornstarch mixture to your apples and mix well. This will make the liquid in the pan thicker and more of a sauce. Cook this mixture for another 2 minutes and then set aside.

Grab your Filo dough and take out one of the sheets, lay it out flat and cut into 4 equal squares. I strongly recommend that you keep the other sheet of filo in the fridge until you are ready to use. If it sits out and warms up, it becomes this sticky, gooey mess and it's super hard to work with. 

Now your ready for apples! Grab a spoon with slats in it, so the liquid can drain out. Spoon in the apples to the middle of each square of dough. Fold the dough over itself on the diagonal to create a triangle. Make sure that you seal the ends by pressing down on the edges with your fingers or a fork. (I did both to make sure that I sealed them all the way). Take out your other sheet of dough and repeat these steps. You will have 8 turnovers all together.

In a small bowl or cup crack your egg, but only put the white of the egg in bowl. add a small amount of water to your egg whites and mix. You just made an egg wash! Brush the egg mixtures onto the tops of your turnovers. Finally Generously sprinkle your raw sugar on top of the pastries. 

Bake at 400f degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and then enjoy. 

 Let me tell you, these bad boys are impressive. Our friends couldn't believe that I had made these.  I am still getting compliments on how good they were. If you can spare a half hour of your day to making these, you will be the talk of the town! I also made a batch for Jim and I and stuck them in the freezer and we just grab 2 in the morning and put them in the toaster oven for a minutes and they are super good!

Have a great day! See you tomorrow!

Champagne Cupcakes

These turned out so good. I loved the strong champagne flavor accompanied by the sweetness of the frosting, it made a really good combo. 

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup Champagne
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup champagne

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 to 5 drops red food color 

Makes 18-ish cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Bake for 20-25 minutes until a tooth pick pulls out clean.

Enjoy champagne while you wait!!!

Let cool on rack completely, then ice. I chose to adorn with some white candies that reminded me of bubbles. ENJOY!!!!

Happy Friday everyone! Have a good weekend and I will see you on Sunday. 

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Adventures from the Farmer's Markert

While the morning air was crisp and the sun not yet scorching, we wandered over to the farmer's market to pick up some weekly produce. I am trying to broaden my horizons by trying a new item every time we adventure to the market. The bright colors and good spirits make it an awesome place, this morning in particular. I got a good variety of stuff and with that being said I will share some of my finds this morning...

The flower man is always so pleasant. With a thick Spanish accent he always tells me how great of  selection I have made and names off the species I have chosen. Oh the flowers. This is my weak spot. I love the way that flowers make a room pop, I love the vibrant colors, the smell, how each flower is unique and I love how happy they make people. This morning I chose, Snapdragons, Mums and some giant Lillies. Only one of the lillies bloomed, which means all week long my arrangement will transform into something new. 

 From a distance I saw a small frail woman in the middle of a booth, surrounded by brightly colored bobbles. I am a trinket person. If you have a knick knack, I am all about it. So I demanded that we rush over and check her out. With a crooked smile and large glasses she greeted us and also slightly judged (we totally look like hooligans). I saw this ring and knew it needed to be mine. Most of her jewelry consisted of blown glass beads, I instantly saw the bright orange of this ring and loved it. for a mear $7 dollars it was mine. She made sure that we were stealing anything else and gladly put on my new purchase and waddled away. 

There are so many fruit and veggie stands to choose from and most have the same things. I usually end up going with the people that seem the most friendly. This morning I grabbed some green beans, a red onion some white peaches and my adventure food of the week.... drum roll...... lemon cucumbers. This new veggie of the week is round like a lemon and has seeds like a cucumber inside with you cut into it. The flavor is a little   tangy like a cucumber and doesn't have that sharp crispness. It's a little more mellow flavor but I think it will go really well in cucumber and onion salad.

 We also got some bagels and a croissant with raisins and custard in it. We sat on the messy deck with the puppies (Lucky and Frankenstein) and enjoyed breakfast. It was still cool and the trees were shading the morning glare. All in all it was a great morning and I loved seeing all the new things and spending time with my handsome husband and my two darling dogs.