Jenny's blog: "good stuff to eat"

* Active Time: 20 minutes * Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes INGREDIENTS o Filling o ½ cup sugar o 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour o ¾ tsp ground cinnamon o 1/4 tsp each ground nutmeg and salt o 6 Fuji or Gala apples, peeled, cored and sliced ½ in. thick (8 cups) o 1 pkg (15 oz) refrigerated ready-to-bake pie crusts o ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream o 2 tsp sugar o 3 Tbsp maple-flavor pancake syrup PREPARATION 1. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on middle oven rack. Heat oven to 400°F. Have a 9-in. pie plate ready. 2. Filling: Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Add apples; toss to coat. 3. Line pie plate with crust as pkg directs. Add Filling, tucking in apples to fit. Top with remaining crust. Gently press edges together, turn under and flute or crimp if desired. 4. Brush crust with some of the heavy cream; sprinkle with the sugar. Cut 4 slits on top of pie to vent. 5. Bake on the foil-lined sheet 1 hour or until apples are tender when pierced through a slit, juices bubble and crust is golden brown. (If top browns too quickly, drape pie loosely with foil.) Remove to a wire rack to cool. 6. Shortly before serving: Beat remaining cream and the pancake syrup in a medium bowl with mixer on high speed until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted. Serve pie at room temperature with the cream. Planning Tip: This pie is best the day it’s baked, but it can be refrigerated up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature to serve.

* Active Time: 30 minutes * Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes INGREDIENTS PREPARATION 1. You'll need a 9-in. pie plate. Place one oven rack in lowest position. Place a square of foil on rack to catch any drips. 2. Line pie plate with pie crust as package directs. Flute or crimp edge. 3. Streusel Topping: Mix flour, sugar, walnuts and apple pie spice in a medium bowl. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture forms moist, coarse crumbs that will clump together easily. 4. Filling: Peel, halve and core apples. Cut in 1/8-in.-thick slices by hand (or with the slicing disk of a food processor). Place in a large bowl, add lemon juice (to prevent browning) and toss to coat. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl, sprinkle over apple slices and toss to coat. 5. Heat oven to 450°F. 6. Layer apple slices in pie shell, mounding them higher in center. Gently press mound to compact apples. Pat and press the topping mixture evenly over apples to form a top crust. 7. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and loosely cover pie with foil. Bake 45 minutes longer or until a skewer meets a little resistance when center of pie is pierced (apples will continue cooking after pie is removed from oven) and topping is golden brown. To serve warm, cool about 1/2 hour on a wire rack or let cool completely. Pie will sink a little. It's best on the day it's made, but you can keep up to 4 days loosely covered at room temperature.

* Active Time: 20 minutes * Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes INGREDIENTS Cookie Crust 24 chocolate cookie wafers (we used Nabisco Famous) 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1/3 cup orange marmalade Filling 10 oz semisweet chocolate, broken up 3 tubs (8 oz each) mascarpone, at room temperature 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar 3 Tbsp orange liqueur or orange juice 1/4 tsp salt 1 large seedless orange (optional) PREPARATION 1. Crust: Heat oven to 350ºF. You'll need a 9-in. pie plate. 2. Pulse cookies in processor until fine crumbs; add butter and process until blended. Press mixture evenly into bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake 12 minutes; cool on wire rack. Spread marmalade over cooled crust. 3. Filling: Microwave chocolate in glass bowl, 15 seconds at a time, stirring, until melted. Gently mix mascarpone, sugar, liqueur and salt in large bowl just until blended (do not stir too much or mixture will curdle). Fold in melted chocolate until no white streaks remain. 4. If desired, put ½ cup chocolate mixture in small ziptop freezer bag and snip off a tiny corner; reserve for garnish. Spread remaining chocolate mixture in cookie crust. Chill at least 2 hours until firm. 5. Garnish: Cut orange into 1/4-in.-thick slices. Drain slices on paper towel, cut each slice in half, twist ends and arrange on pie. Pipe little dollops of reserved filling on orange twists to help secure. Serve at room temperature.

Ingredients: Serves 8 as a main course * 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil * 4 pounds country-style pork ribs , cut from rib end * Sea salt and freshly ground pepper * 8 cloves garlic , smashed and peeled * 2 jars or cans (24-ounces apiece) Italian tomato puree (passato di pomodoro) * 1/2 cup pickled chilies , such as cherry peppers * Basil leaves , for garnish (optional) Preheat oven to 325°. Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add oil, and heat for 1 minute. Meanwhile, season ribs with salt and pepper. Add ribs, working in batches (don't crowd), and brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic to last batch and brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove ribs and garlic; set aside while draining excess fat from Dutch oven, then return all to the pot. Add tomato puree and season with salt and pepper to taste, then add enough water just to cover ribs. Cover and transfer to oven. Braise until meat is tender, 2 1/2 hours. Add chilies and cook for 30 minutes more. Transfer ribs to a platter. Ladle sauce and chilies over ribs. Garnish with basil; serve.

Ingredients: * 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine * 3/4 cup chopped onion * 1 can black beans * 1/4 cup taco sauce * 3 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce * 1/2 tsp. garlic powder * 12 corn or flour tortillas (flour are easier to roll) * 5 tsp. chili powder * 1 1/2 cups low-fat, shredded cheddar cheese * 1 bay leaf * 1/4 tsp. pepper * 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey Place butter in a 1 1/2-quart glass casserole. Microwave at high setting for 1 minute, or until melted. Add 1/2 cup onion. Cover and microwave at high setting for 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomato sauce, chili powder, bay leaf and pepper. Cover and microwave at high setting 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Crumble ground beef or turkey into a glass casserole dish. Add 1/4 cup onion. Microwave at high setting for 3 minutes. Stir to break up meat. Pour or drain off excess fat from meat. Stir in refried beans, taco sauce, salt and garlic powder, and set aside. Wrap a stack of 6 tortillas in plastic wrap. Microwave at high setting 1 1/2 minutes or until soft. Repeat for remaining 6 tortillas. Place generous portion of meat mixture on each tortilla and roll up. Pour half of the sauce into bottom of a glass baking dish. Place filled tortillas seam side down into the sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas. Cover with wax paper or plastic wrap. Microwave at high setting 9 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with cheese. Microwave at high setting for 2 minutes more, or until cheese in melted. Serve with shredded lettuce, reduced-fat sour cream and spicy salsa!

Ingredients: Makes 4 Servings for Sauce * 2 pints (5 to 6 cups) blueberries * 2/3 cup honey * 1/2 cup ketchup * 1 jalapeño pepper , seeded and minced * 1/2 cup chopped shallots * 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger * 2 tsp. fresh lime juice * 1/2 tsp. dry mustard for Meat * 2 one-pound pork tenderloins * Salt and freshly ground pepper To make sauce: Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 45 minutes. Divide sauce between 2 bowls. Set aside. To make meat: Preheat grill to medium. Season pork with salt and pepper. Sear, turning to cook all sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Brush with half the barbecue sauce, turning frequently, until pork is thoroughly glazed, about 10 minutes more (a meat thermometer should read about 150°). Set aside and let rest 5 minutes. Carve crosswise; serve with remaining barbecue sauce.

Pesto: * 4 cups fresh basil leaves * 4 cups Italian parsley springs * 4 large cloves garlic * 1 1/2 cups olive oil * 1/4 tsp. salt Roasted Chicken Salad: * 1 cup diced Roasted Chicken * 1 cucumber , peeled, seeded and diced * 2 cups mixed greens * 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts * 1/2 lemon , juiced * Parmesan cheese * 1/4 cup sliced black olives * 1/2 pound farfalle pasta * Handful pomegranate seeds To prepare the pesto: Chop basil, parsley and garlic in a food processor. Slowly add olive oil and keep chopping. Add salt. To prepare the chicken mixture and final dish: Place Roasted Chicken, cucumber, pine nuts, 1 Tbsp. of pesto and olives in a bowl and mix together. Cook pasta until al dente. Add 2 tablespoons of pesto to the pasta and mix well. Top off with 2 cups of mixed greens and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Add the chicken mixture to pasta and toss. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and pomegranate seeds