Apple Pear Crisp

Warm fruit crisps are the perfect dessert for cool early winter nights. While I love baking pies, a crisp is a 'quick pie'.

• 6 cups of a combination of peeled and chopped apples and pears
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp flour

1. Wash, peel and chop fruit.
2. Melt together butter and honey. Pour over fruit and stir to coat.
3. Stir together cinnamon and flour. Stir into fruit until fruit is coated.
4. Place this mixture into a well buttered pie plate.

Crumble Topping:

• 3/4 cup quick oats
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter

1. Stir together dry ingredients.
2. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until the size of peas.
3. Sprinkle over fruit mixture.
4. Bake in 375º oven for 35-40 minutes, or until fruit is tender when poked and juices are bubbling, and crumble is golden crisp.

Rice Rolls with Peanut Sauce / gluten free

I love these rolls. They are easy to make and can be served as an appetizer or as a side to a good bowl of asian soup.
The quantity depends totally on how many you want to make, just adjust the amounts of filling accordingly. I will give you the ingredient list I used. I made the entire package of rice rolls for a larger gathering but you certainly can make it in smaller amounts as well.

You need:

• 1 package of rice roll wraps found on the shelf in the asian section of your grocery store.  They come in two sizes, but I prefer the large ones, it is easier to work with
• bowl of water for dipping the rice wraps

Filling options:

•  shredded chicken or cooked shrimp (optional)
• cucumbers, julienned
• carrots, julienned 
• red peppers, julienned
• Rice Vermicelli, cooked
• green onion, cut diagonally in 1/4"-1/2" slices
• bean sprouts
• cilantro leaves or parsley

1. Dip the dry rice wraps into water for a few seconds to soften
2. Lay on a large plate.
3. Fill with small amounts of filling.

      4. Tuck in two sides and roll the opposite sides together.

          5. Try to roll them tighter than in this picture. It holds together better.

Serve with the following dipping sauce.

Gluten Free Dipping Sauce-

• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar or lime juice
• 3 tablespoons gluten free soya sauce (in Canada VH brand)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey 
• 1 teaspoon asian garlic chili paste called sriracha (1/2 teaspoon chili flakes work fine if you don't have sriracha)
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons water or lite coconut milk

Peanut Dipping Sauce 2, NOT gluten free :

From the Thai Pizza posted earlier

• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (regular is fine too)
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons of fresh ginger, minced
• 2 garlic, minced 
• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soya sauce
• 1 teaspoon sriracha (asian garlic chili sauce) or chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2-3 tablespoons water

A Few Great Gadgets from Judy's Kitchen...

It's Saturday...a good day to share a few kitchen tips and tricks.

There's nothing sweet about opening the container of brown sugar and finding a rock-hard mass that requires a pick to break it apart.  Some years ago, I was told to put a slice of apple in the container of brown sugar to keep it soft.  That works...but after awhile the brown sugar tastes a little like apples.  Earlier this year, while snooping around in a kitchen shop in Barkerville, B.C. I found a little 'brown sugar disc'...guaranteed to keep sugar soft! 

I have been testing it for some time now...and it does the job well!  No more hard lumps of sugar on our porridge.   Simply soak the clay disc for 15 minutes and pat dry.  Add to the brown sugar, which is best stored in a sealed container. Mine can be found in a yellow Tupperware container from ages past!  Enjoy soft, lump-free brown sugar for months!

Something else that I quite like are the silicone lids that I picked up at the 'street fair' in Palm Springs last year. Since then I have seen them at kitchen shops in various shapes and sizes....and also found some that are stretchy and made to fit over everything from a juice glass to a half a watermelon.

Also called 'splatter guards'...they are perfect for topping your bowl before it goes in the microwave.  No more covering of dishes with plastic wrap and burning one's fingers when trying to remove it.  They seal on all smooth rims and create airtight seals for reheating and storing in the fridge. My set has five sizes...which nest for easy storage.  I recommend them! 

If you have a favorite kitchen gadget that you would like to tell us about...or a kitchen tip or trick to share...today is a good day for that.  Leave us a comment with your tip.  If you do...you will have entered your name in the draw for a brown sugar disc.   I will publish the winner's name right here at the end of this post on Monday, November 24th.

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Thanks to all of you who shared your favorite gadgets and kitchen tips.  There are several that I plan to check out soon!  And the winner is....Elsemieke Wishart. Please leave your contact info in the comment section, and I will get your brown sugar disc out to you shortly!