It’s Fall and this is the most perfect dessert while apples and pears are abundant . Baked with brown sugar and oat topping served warm with vanilla ice cream and it’s perfection on a plate. This is what I did and it really is pretty easy and not very technical for those of you who want to bake a great dessert but don’t want to fuss with cakes and frosting etc. and special equipment. Most perfect!!! Can be made ahead of time and even frozen .

Can easily be cut in 1/2 for a much smaller gathering. You can even put into small ramekins and bake like that for individual servings.

Delicious Dessert.

Ingredients:

Fruit Mixture:

3 ripe firm pears peeled, cored and thinly sliced

3 apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced

3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

3/4 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

2/3 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

*Vanilla ice cream for serving — obviously optional but in our house it’s a must

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I spray a 9 – 10 inch deep dish pyrex type of dish or any baking dish you like — set aside

In a large bowl combine pears, apples, orange juice, sugar , flour , cinnamon and vanilla — All the fruit mixture ingredients

Dump all the ingredients into your prepared baking dish.

Make the topping in a separate bowl . Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add in the melted butter and stir until combined, using your clean fingers crumble the mixture over the fruit. You’ll want to press some of it together to form clumps.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until topping is golden brown, and fruit is tender and it is bubbling all around the edges.

Serve warm with ice cream.

*I put into oven when we sat down to dinner and let it cook so it was ready for dessert. Let it sit for awhile to set.

You can also make ahead and then just re-heat for 45 minutes to an hour . I cover with aluminum when re-heating.

Enjoy!!

Yes that’s right I used Maple Syrup, Dijon Mustard and Mayonnaise in this recipe. Baked at a low temp for the first 20 minutes then a little higher for the last 5 minutes. It was delicious and perfectly cooked and melt in your mouth kind of goodness. Sweet and Savory served over rice with a vegetable or green salad. We love Cilantro so used it here but if you hate it just omit it.

Kick up your weeknight meal game with this recipe or save it for guests.

This is what I did for the two of us and I had a piece left over for lunch the next day which tasted wonderful cold.

Ingredients:

1 lb. skin on Salmon Filet — I used 1 large piece ( see photo) ask the fish store to cut it from the center so all the same cooking time, otherwise the end pieces may get more well done.

12 sprigs of fresh cilantro if you’re using

2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise — I use regular mayo not sure if this will work with fat free but low fat should be fine

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Remove salmon from refrigerator and let it sit out for a bit so it’s not ice cold–

Heat oven to 325 degrees

I grabbed the bunch of cilantro sprigs( about 12 sprigs) by their stems and sliced off the leaves, then I cut the stems crosswise and sliced stems into small pieces and saved the leaves for garnish

Transfer cut stems to a small bowl and stir in the maple syrup, dijon and mayo — mix well

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place salmon on baking sheet and sprinkle with Salt and Pepper skin side down. Slather the sauce over the top of Salmon.

I cooked Salmon at 325 degrees for the first 20 mins . Then I raised the heat to 350 degrees for the last 5 minutes.

Bake until a paring knife slides into the center with only a little resistance. It should be pink but not raw. Salmon does continue cooking for a little bit once it’s removed from oven . Be careful not to over cook. All ovens differ a bit so you may want to check on it.

Top with fresh cilantro leaves and you can squeeze a little lemon on it as well.

Perfection on a plate for dinner and lunch the next day.

This is one of those perfect sheet pan meals easy to assemble and delicious to eat. Although I usually make this recipe on the stove-top I decided to experiment with it in the oven and all on one pan. Since I used white meat chicken breasts I cooked for about 13 minutes because you want to make sure not to dry out the chicken which is pretty easy to do. You can use dark meat chicken — thighs ( skinless and boneless ) if you prefer . I may use them next time out. Just make sure you spray the sheet pan with cooking spray and really spray or you’ll have a hell of a time cleaning that pan. It’s very tasty served over any rice you’d like or no rice , I used brown rice this time.

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I have to say this is a perfect any-night meal.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

6 Tablespoons Honey

2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

3 minced garlic cloves

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

2 Bell Peppers cut into chunks ( see pic) I used a Red and an Orange but you can use whatever colors you like

1 Red Onion, cut into chunks ( see pic)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks ( use thick breasts) or use boneless skinless thighs –thighs will definitely be less dry

1 cup cashews — I used roasted unsalted cashews don’t use salted ones you can also use raw unsalted cashews

Chopped fresh scallions and sesame seeds for topping — you can toast the sesame seeds in oven for about 7 minutes if you’d like or in a toaster oven — totally optional

*Rice — optional — any rice you like

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees

In a bowl , whisk together the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, sesame oil , garlic and ginger

Place the peppers and onions on sprayed rimmed baking sheet and pour 1/2 the sauce over it and mix it well.

Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

Place the chicken in a bowl with the remainder of the marinade.

After the first 15 minutes, remove baking sheet from the oven , move vegetables around so there is room for chicken , add the chicken and the cashews.

Roast until the chicken is cooked through– 12-15 minutes depending on the size of your chicken.

Toss everything together on the sheet before serving.

Serve over rice and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds.

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It’s pretty hard to believe that Rosh Hashana the Jewish New Year will be upon us in 2 weeks. The first night of the holiday is September 6. Yom Kippur is September 15 -16.

It’s still summer and hard to wrap your head around it but before you know it it will be here. I know it’s always too early or too late but this is very early.

Maybe a good opportunity to do an outside Holiday Dinner and certainly break fast outdoors would be lovely. And maybe use some delicious salads to lighten up the menu since it is still Summer. Some roasted veggies would also be a perfect addition.

Once again I will write up a list of recipes for you to check out and one by one I will try and post as many as I can for you.

Enjoy your families and have a Happy Healthy New Year from our house to yours. Remember if you have any questions get in touch either through this website or my instagram or facebook — DM me and I will try and get back to you as soon as possible. I will also be posting Rosh Hashana recipes on Cooking with Candi. Check out my instagram for daily posts.

Shanah Tovah

Recipes:

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Un- stuffed Cabbage — I highly recommend this delicious main dish — pretty simple to make and beats trying to make stuffed cabbage but tastes just as good.

Happy New Year Brisket— Brisket is always a winner and this one never fails

Chicken Marbella— probably one of my most favorite Chicken Holiday Dishes

Honey Roasted Chicken— equally delicious and a little different flavor

Old School Meatballs— yummy Sweet and Sour meatballs sure to please whole family

A Noodle Pudding from Ellen-– another delicious kugel from an old friend and great cook

Another Noodle Pudding from Marcy — this one’s excellent if you’re looking for a kosher non-dairy kugel

Noodle Pudding with Apricot Nectar— probably one of the best kugels of all time

Noodle Pudding from Julie— delicious as well

Mushroom Barley-– check out this delicious side dish — everyone loves this all year round

Kasha Varnishkes— a crowd favorite and an old school recipe — perfect comfort food

Julie’s Honey Cake— another winner from a great cook

Grandma Sally’s Mandel Bread-– also from a friend and a wonderful recip

Applesauce and Raisin Cake — sweet and delicious as your new year should be

Don’t let the Apples go Bad Cake-– simple and delicious perfect for the Jewish New Year

An easy side salad for the lazy hazy last days of Summer and really good anytime of the year. White Beans from the can which is always in my pantry works to make this an easy simple delicious side salad. You can add some arugula or just serve alongside any protein and it’s perfection with simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. can white beans such as cannellini, rinsed

app. 5 oz. small cherry or grape tomatoes , halved

app. 5 oz. small mozzarella balls such as cilliegine which is available in most grocery stores in an 8 oz. container. You can also use any good quality fresh mozzarella torn into bite size pieces.

1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves , I like them cut up

2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed —

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste

2 Teaspoons good – quality balsamic vinegar, plus more if needed

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, cheese and 1/2 the basil. Gently toss together.

Add the olive oil and season the salad with salt and pepper. Gently stir to combine.

Drizzle the salad with the balsamic vinegar and top with the remaining basil and taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Add a drizzle or so more of oil and vinegar if needed.

Enjoy!

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Melted Chocolate and Toasty Marshmallows!!! This is a hit for your next party or just for your family. Who says it’s only for camping out? This was made in the oven very quickly and came out perfectly delicious and perfect all year round.  A few minutes in the oven and a few minutes to prep and you have a delicious most fun dessert to serve. Serve it with graham crackers or graham cracker sticks and watch it disappear. You can also mix it with peanut butter chips for a little bit different spin on S’mores. All I can say is yum!

Ingredients:

app. 1 regular size bag of  chocolate chips, you can use semi-sweet, milk chocolate, peanut butter chips or any combo.

Marshmallows- start out with a whole bag — you’ll probably use 3/4 of the bag –you can use minis or the large ones but I just used regular sized this time which are readily available

Graham Cracker Squares–for dipping

I used an 8 inch cast iron skillet– it makes for a great presentation and it cooks perfectly– just be very very careful with serving it because skillet will be very hot — careful supervision with this one

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and spray the cast iron pan with cooking spray ( this will help with clean up)  Pour the chips you’re using in an even layer on the bottom of the skillet.  Bake for3-4  minutes or until chocolate chips are melted . Watch closely because you don’t want to burn. Using an oven mitt –remove the skillet from the oven and stir the chocolate around  then cover the top with the marshmallows completely. Bake for another 4-5 minutes or until marshmallows are browned on top. ( see photo)  Serve immediately with graham cracker squares —only tip is to be very careful , because the dip and the pan will be very hot!!!! you’ll have to supervise with little ones and even some of the over anxious adults. You can let it rest for about 4-5 minutes before serving. But it should be served hot.

*if you don’t have a skillet you may use another oven-safe baking dish like a 9×13 pyrex would work . Chocolate does melt more evenly in cast-iron skillet and it retains heat better. 

*you can adjust the amounts of chocolate and marshmallows to your liking, and the size of the skillet. Some of these photos show the jumbo sized marshmallows which will work just as well or you can cut them in 1/2. 

*use whatever kind of chips you like, and any kind of marshmallows you like — mini marshmallows work well here too.