There are tons of recipes out there for Baked Apples, so I’m certainly not reinventing the wheel here, but I did try my own take on a Fall classic. The original recipe came from Real Simple magazine, using nuts, brown sugar, and butter. I jazzed it up with some raisins, cinnamon, and a topping of caramel sauce. This would also be great with walnuts and dried cherries or sliced almonds and dried apricots, but I decided on chopped pecans and raisins. You could also substitute cardamon or ginger for cinnamon. Use firm apples that are good for baking such as Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Northern Spy, or Braeburn.

8 large apples, such a Braeburn
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/3 cup raisins or other dried fruit
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt  
4 tbsp butter
caramel sauce or topping

Preheat oven to 400F

Rinse apples in cool water and pat dry. Using a melon baller, scoop out core of apples leaving about 3/4 inch at the bottom.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, nuts, raisins, cinnamon, and salt. Spoon mixture into each apple. Top each apple with 1/2 tbsp butter. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until apples are tender. Sprinkle water on the apples if too dry.

To serve, cut apples in half and drizzle with caramel sauce.

Shown below, drizzled with caramel sauce:

Now that we’ve covered the basics in Baking 101, here are some more tips & tricks for the beginner baker (as I am one myself).

To avoid eating the dough or batter, try chewing sugarless gum or popping a mint before you start baking. Brushing your teeth before hand also does the trick.

Know the different between a big mistake (using 1 tablespoon of baking powder instead of 1 teaspoon) and a small mistake (using milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet). Small mistakes, or “alterations,” as I like to call them, can actually help you discover a new twist to an old recipe. Try swapping out ingredients, like butterscotch chips instead of chocolate or dried cranberries instead of raisins to give a recipe a new spin.

Don’t panic! Take your time and pay attention to details. Everything will be fine, but when you are rushed, you are more likely to miss a step or key ingredient in the hustle.

Presentation is nice, but it’s not everything. Don’t let the pretty pictures in your cookbook discourage you. What matters is that a cookie tastes good, not that it’s perfectly shaped.

Store butter away from other foods (usually there is a specific drawer or shelf in the refrigerator). Butter can absorb other smells and flavors from food in the refrigerator.

When making cookies, typically you will combine wet ingredients separate from dry ingredients, and then combine the two. When combining wet and dry ingredients, add the dry ingredients a little at a time to prevent drying out the batter.

Most recipes call for large eggs, so if the recipe does not specify what kind of egg to use, this is a pretty safe bet.

And finally: don’t forget to turn the oven off when you are done!

This deliciously intense recipe comes from another Camilla V. Saulsbury book called Brownie Mix Bliss. As the title suggests, this book is full of great recipes that use a box of brownie mix and some extra ingredients to create an easy and tasty batch of brownies that is anything but boring.

Much in the vein of Cake Mix Cookies, these recipes are fairly simple but with big results. Here is my first attempt from the book, a spicy mixture of espresso, dark chocolate, cayenne pepper, and (of course) brownie mix. Don’t be scared by the cayenne pepper…it is bold, but goes well with chocolate and coffee flavors. Add a cinnamon-flavored glaze, and this Aztec-inspired recipe is sure to knock your socks off!

1 1/2 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 box (19.5 to 19.8) traditional brownie mix
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 (1 oz) squared bittersweet or semi-sweet baking chocolate, finely chopped
Cinnamon Glaze (see below)

Preheat oven to 350F (325F for a dark-coated metal pan). Coat the bottom of an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, dissolve espresso powder into vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, combine brownie mix, melted butter, Stir with a wooden spoon just until the dry ingredients are moist. Stir in chopped chocolate. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge of pan comes out clean. Do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack.

Spread Cinnamon Glaze over brownies while still warm. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Cinnamon Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 tsp cinnamon  
1 1/2 tbsp melted butter
3-4 tsp milk

Combine sugar and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter. Add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring well, until a spreadable glaze forms.  

A small update to a classic side dish, this recipe adds just a touch of sour cream to golden potatoes.

1 1/2 lb golden yukon potatoes
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream

Rinse and scrub potatoes and cut into chunks. Place potatoes in a large stockpot and cover with about 1-inch water. Bring pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 25-30 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Drain water and add butter, milk, and sour cream. Using an electric mixer, beat for 3-5 minutes over medium speed, until potatoes are light and fluffy. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve with gravy of your choice.

This recipe pairs pork with red wine, fresh rosemary, garlic, and red onions. Adjust the proportions according to the size of the pork tenderloin. I used red cooking wine, but you could also select your favorite red wine. Please welcome another Jenn Original Recipe.

1 large (4 to 5 lb) or 2 small (2 lb each) pork tenderloins
2 tbsp olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp minced garlic
5-6 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 medium red onion
2 pkg whole mushrooms
1 1/2 cups red wine or red cooking wine
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp warm water

Preheat oven to 400F

In a large roasting pan, rub olive oil and minced garlic over pork tenderloin. Top with fresh ground black pepper and pour 1/2 cup of red wine over pork. Roast, uncovered, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, roughly chop onion and strip leaves from half of the rosemary sprigs. Rinse mushrooms and toss with chopped onion and striped rosemary leaves. Arrange around pork and pour remaining 1 cup red wine over pork and mushrooms. Top pork with remaining rosemary sprigs.

Continue to roast 25-30 minutes, until roast is done but still slightly pink and tender in the center. Baste with pan juices and wine occasionally. Remove from oven and let stand 10-15 minutes.

Remove whole rosemary sprigs from pork. Thinly slice pork and arrange roasted mushrooms and onions around pork slices. Pour pan juices into a small saucepan or serving bowl.

Combine cornstarch and warm water, whisk into pan juices. Serve sauce with pork and mushrooms.  

Shown below, with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli: