Oh man, do I love me some Thanksgiving.  Its easily my favorite holiday, in fact some years I squeeze a second thanksgiving in around February just cause.  This year was pretty quiet for us, we spent about 8 hours of the day scouring our old apartment, so in preparation for this, I made our thanksgiving dessert last night.  And since it was just the two of us, I thought I’d whip up a batch of apple crisp that could be easily reheated in single servings.  Good choices were made.

Cinnamon Apple Crisp
Serves 8: Makes a 13×9 pan, or 8 12oz ramekins

3.5 lbs granny smith apples, about 8, peeled and cored
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup flour plus 1 tbsp
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat your oven to 425°.  Butter your baking dish (or ramekins).

Start by prepping your apples.  Peel and core your apples, then slice into 1/4 inch thick slices.  I like to then halve these, because I prefer smaller, bite sized pieces of apples in my crisp.

In a large bowl, mix together the apples, brown sugar, 1 tbsp flour and cinnamon and stir to coat evenly.  Pour into buttered baking dish, or evenly distribute into ramekins.

In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup flour, white sugar, oats, and salt.  Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a course crumble.  Top the apples with the crumb mixture.  Go ahead and heap it on there.  It’ll cook down once it hits the oven.

Pop that crisp into the oven for 20 minutes at 425°, then reduce the temperature to 350° and continue baking for another 30 minutes until the apples are tender, the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown and delicious.

Let this cool for atleast 15 minutes, then top with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream and dig in.

I mixed together two recipes to concoct an apple crisp that has all the right components.  The brown sugar creates a really gooey filling, and offers a nice balance to the extremely tart granny smith apples, rather than using a sweeter apple in the mix.  I personally don’t think it’s a crisp unless the topping contains oats, but if you’re not a fan, you can remove them entirely, and up the flour to a full cup.  But seriously, don’t.  The oats add a wonderful al dente chew to the crisp topping, contrasting the soft velvety apples.

And the other great thing about the single serving ramekins, you can keep them in the fridge and then pop them into the microwave for 2 minutes and they’re as good as if they just came out of the oven.  Happy Thanksgiving and Enjoy!!

This is a recipe from my charming cousin Constance who lives somewhere there’s actually seasons. The first time I tried it, she had made it as an entree for the feasting vegetarians at a family holiday dinner. The best part about the recipe is how flexible it is, but I was super impressed with how inexpensive and filling it was for a dinnertime meal for 2. She sent me her bare bones recipe and her blessing for experimentation and this is what it evolved into in my kitchen. Onto the recipe!

Constance’s Stuffed Acorn Squash

1 acorn squash
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (about 1 cup uncooked if you’re making it for the recipe)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 small onion, small dice
1 apple, peeled, small dice (i like fuji)
1 rib celery, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp brown sugar
Fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
1 cup grated colby jack cheese
1 egg, beaten

Preheat your oven to 350. If you don’t have pre-cooked rice, start by cooking it and set aside to cool.

Split your acorn squash in half (I prefer lengthwise, some people prefer horizontally). Scoop out the seeds and place facedown in a microwave safe dish with a few tbsps of water, and cover tightly with syran wrap. Microwave 10 – 12 minutes until the flesh is fork tender.

Very carefully, scoop out the flesh of the squash, leaving the skin intact. This is a delicate and very hot process! Mash up the flesh and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the oil and butter until melted over medium-high heat. Saute together the onion, celery, and apples until they begin to soften and become translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute an additional 2 minutes until the raw flavor cooks out. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the rice, the contents of the skillet, the flesh of the acorn squash, all the seasonings, almonds, raisins, breadcrumbs, and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Give this mixture a taste, and season accordingly. Then add the beaten egg and mix again. Make sure the mixture is not too hot or the cheese and egg will begin to cook too soon. Divide this mixture in half and fill the empty squash skins, then top with the remaining cheese.

30 minutes later… mmmm golden brown and delicious. The squash makes the filling rich and creamy and oh so tasty. ENJOY! And don’t forget to experiment to your tastes, this recipe is as forgiving as it is delicious! THANKS CONSTANCE!