fall Archives - The Man, The Chef, The Dad

Tag: fall

September 18, 2019

Humpday Update 09.18.19: The Return of the Hump/dates

Been forever since I’ve done one a Humpday Update for here! Let’s see if I remember how this goes. Life’s been crazy like always so I guess these would be great to keep things organized for the blog’s sake. Ok, let’s see if we can …Read More….

Humpday Updates, The Man

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October 19, 2017

The Wife’s Sunday Dinners: Sweet Potato Gratin

Winter is coming… But first is fall, baby! Best season ever! Don’t sit there and start trying to think of reasons why it’s not, you’ll just be wasting your time. You could think about winter and the pretty snowfall and cozy nights by a fire, …Read More….

The Chef

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August 10, 2016

Pork Chops with Rum Apple Glaze

Alright, it’s been a while, so why not give you guys a recipe?!

Fall is coming. And if you haven’t checked your calendar recently, it’s coming ridiculously fast. It’s almost September! So I’m going to try and get the jump on some fall flavors here because let’s be honest, there’s nothing better than fall flavors.

I still haven’t made anything worthwhile in the kitchen. Every time I make something small like banana bread or just regular dinner, I fear for when I do go to blog something. It’s the lighting! The lighting in our kitchen now is soooo… so.. meh. But anyway, here’s a little something I made a while ago when we still lived in North Carolina.

Pork and apples is one of those combinations that you can’t ignore. There’s nothing fancy about it, they just go good together. The flavors mend and compliment each other and it’s just yummy goodness. Combine it with some brown sugar and cinnamon and a few other spices and rum and boy, oh boy.

I prefer to grill the pork chops because, well, the same reason why I prefer to grill anything. For the flavor. But if you have to, searing in a pan and finishing in the oven works just as good. For the apples I’m almost positive I used Braeburn, which you can say is our house apple. Though I’m sure you can use your favorite with no problem as it will bring your own twist to the dish. As far as the rum glaze goes, you could easily omit the good stuff if it’s not your cup of tea. It adds another level of flavor but it’s mainly because I had it on hand and thought it’d be good. Because, you know, I’m Puerto Rican and it’s my natural thought process. “Hmm, now what is it missin… *snaps fingers, pulls out bottle of rum*”

All that said, let’s go check it ou…. what? Oh, me? No, nothing. Just getting to the recipe. No, no history on the pork chop or back story on what apples mean to me. I’m just trying something new here and getting to the point (WINK WINK).

Pork Chops with Rum Apple Glaze

3 each – Apples
3 tablespoons – Butter
1/2 cup – Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon – Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon – Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon – Rosemary
pinch of Salt and Pepper
pinch of Ground Cloves (optional)
1/4 cup – Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup – Dark Rum

Pork Chops – seasoned with at least salt and pepper

Notes:

I like to season my chops with dried thyme, as well. Just sayin’.
You can peel the apples and dice them into uniform shapes if you could spend all day in the kitchen and you’re trying to impress your significant other or something. But here, ain’t nobody got time for dat. So I just cut them so they’re generally the same size and I left the skin on. I know, I’m a monster. Culinary school me would have cursed today me out.
I didn’t have cloves at the time but I’m sure it would’ve been awesome.
If you have a light rum it’s all good. Aaaaaaaaaall goooooooood. *takes a sip*
I love cinnamon, can you tell?

Ok, so what’s first?

First, we’re cutting the apples. You want to get the core out of the way because who needs that? Then you want to get them to the same size.. more or less.

Get the butter going in a nice sized pan over medium-high heat, and once it’s melty get the apples in there.

Sauté for a few minutes till they’re heated through.

Then go ahead and add the brown sugar, along with the spices and the herbs.

Once it’s all coated, add the liquids and simmer for a few minutes while stirring.

You’re looking for the apples to still have somewhat of a crunch to them. Not too much though. On the other hand, you don’t want them too soft that they’re mush. I know, I should be less cryptic. You would think I knew how to explain myself better by now.

So when you think they’re done, go ahead and slide them off the heat and let them sit there for a bit. Just let them mellow out and relax in the rum… like some of us tend to do. See? I knew you’d understand. While they’re sitting there, don’t be envious, get the pork chops going!

Season your chops and get them cooked. Again, on the grill or in a pan.

Either way, it’s fine. As long as they’re cooked.

When they’re done, there’s nothing much left to do but….

Yup. It’s as glorious as it looks.

Make sure you scoop up some of the sauce and pour it over the chops.

Cutting into it, letting the sauce soak into the meat. Getting a bite with some apples, all dancing like it’s a rave going on in your mouth.

Yeah, it’s pretty damn good.

And that be that. See? Nice, simple, impressive. Who said fancy stuff takes too long? I did something similar once with a mango salsa I made on a pork tenderloin. I couldn’t tell you which one I liked better because mango and pork is equally amazing. But pork and apples with rum? C’mon now. Plus, summer is coming to a close mighty fast. Best to get out there and say sayonara to it the right way.

Hopefully I could find some other pictures I haven’t posted yet. They should help in this desperate drought of food posts here. Until I figure out how to get to cooking in here, at least. But until then..!

Adios.

The Chef

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November 2, 2015

Pumpkin Doughnuts with Salted Caramel Glaze

Doughnuts! I love doughnuts. Like, looooooove em. There aren’t many things I wouldn’t do for a doughnut. Seriously, when I tell you I’d inject them into my veins, I hope you believe me. The science is there, it’s been done before by great men… Even …Read More….

The Chef

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October 30, 2015

Caramel & Chocolate Apples

So yeah, we’re at the end of October. If you haven’t caught on, I usually start my blog posts with a reminder of how fast time flies. It’s not my fault! Whenever I start writing something, the first thing I do is look at the date. …Read More….

The Chef

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October 29, 2014

Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

I Put a Spell on You

Alright, so If you’re doing Halloween remotely right, there are very good odds you have already, or will be carving up a pumpkin very soon. And when you’re in there, getting elbow deep in pumpkin guts, you may or may not know about the treasure hidden inside these orange globes of fall goodness. So allow me to shed some light.

It was 2 whole years ago (yikes) when we not only carved our first pumpkin, but I roasted seeds for the first time. If you go back and read that post by clicking here – which you should since it’s a great recipe and has more info on roasting – you’ll see I attempted and failed miserably (I’ll never forget that heartache) to make the seeds I’m sharing with you today. So it was good to read that again and feel like I won a battle I’ve lost in the past. Show me a mountain now and I shall climb it!

Ok, that’s pushing it. But still! Show me pumpkin seeds and I will roast them!

But… Before we get into the roasting, allow me to dump some pumpkin patch pictures on you.

For the first time, despite my wife not being crazy about Halloween, we ventured out an hour and a half to a farm where you can pick pumpkins, get lost in a corn maze, and take a hayride.

We only did the patch because we weren’t planning on making it a day long event. And it’s a good thing too because if everything else was anything like the pumpkin patch, we would’ve been even more disappointed than we already were.

There were 7 acres I think of pumpkins to pick, but there were only about 4 or 5 good clusters of pumpkins to choose from. And even those had all dented backs or cracks in the bottom.

I know, the back is the back. But I get all Clark Griswold when I choose a pumpkin so I wasn’t having any imperfections. The Perez Family Pumpkin should be the greatest pumpkin you’ve ever seen!

This is Lucas claiming his pumpkin and pushing his brother away, not wanting him to touch it.

Ha, no, unfortunately, we did not buy a pumpkin so big we needed to strap it to the roof of the van.

In fact, after combing the patch and not being happy with anything, we chalked it up as a loss and headed back home.

We stopped at one of those roadside pumpkin places by the wife’s job similar to the Christmas Tree corner emporiums. Turns out they had a bunch of great pumpkins and they were priced so well we got 2!

Brought them home, cracked one open, and here we are! Seeds!

Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups – Pumpkin Seeds, cleaned and dry
2 tablespoons – Butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon – Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 teaspoon – Cinnamon
1 tablespoon – Brown Sugar
pinch – Salt

1 tablespoon – Butter, melted
1 tablespoon – Sugar
1/2 teaspoon – Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tablespoon – Sugar
1/2 teaspoon – Pumpkin Pie Spice
little less than 1/4 teaspoon – Nutmeg, freshly grated

Notes:

Woooooo, looks complicated, huh? Looks like a lot? Well, it’s a hell of a lot more than the last seed recipe which was only olive oil and salt (simple is the freaking best). But even though it doesn’t look it, this is fairly simple and just a little time consuming.
I have 3 separate batches of sugar and spices there, each one should be added at the designated time. Think those logs Doc threw into the train’s firebox to get the fire hot enough to get the train up to 88mph.
Go ahead, ask me what I’m talking about and see how fast I unfriend you.
Judging by my overall success with this recipe, I wonder what happened the first time I failed at it. I think it was just throwing everything in there and baking at a high temp. Roasting pumpkin seeds is like driving a ’59 Impala: Low n’ slow.
If you’re not a fan of Pumpkin Pie Spice, first off, who the hell are you?! And second, you can replace it with more cinnamon which I’m sure will be great.
If you’re not a fan cinnamon, then what the heck are you even doing here?!

Alright, let’s roast some seeds!

Set the oven to 325. Assuming you already extracted the seeds from the pumpkin, and separated them from the guts, it’s time to clean them. So put them in a big bowl of water and stir them up and swoosh them around. You’ll see the seeds float to the top and the stuff you don’t want sink to the bottom.

Next, get a baking sheet and line it with parchment and give it a spray with non-stick. Put the seeds on an even layer and put them in the oven for 10 minutes, while taking them out halfway to stir them up. While they’re in there, melt your butter.

You’re drying them out here and making it easier for whatever you’re going to put on them to stay on them.

Once they’re out put them in a bowl, and on top, pour the melted butter, and sprinkle the first round of seasonings. Give it a good stir.

Spray the parchment with non-stick again (I wasn’t playing this time, I took no chances), and put the seeds in a single layer.

In the oven they go for 7 minutes.

Take them out and put them in the same bowl you used before. Give them round 2 of the butter, sugar and spice. Stir it up. Spray the parchment again (yeah, again!) and put the seeds back in a single layer and pop them in for another 7 minutes.

Notice the change in color!

When they come out this time, you’ll probably have to give the parchment a wipe down thanks to the insane amount of non-stick I’m telling you to dose it with. Sorry, I’m traumatized, give me a break. Get the seeds back in the bowl and give them the last round of spices and sugar. Stir them up and back on the parchment they go. Same routine, but this time go for 12-14 minutes while stirring them halfway.

Use your instincts though. If you need to take them out sooner, you gotta do what you gotta do. But this awesome color is what you’re looking for.

And that’s it. You should have some nicely spiced up pumpkin seeds! Don’t get me wrong, there’s still something about the salt and oil ones that make them just perfect, but these liven up the party just as good.

Here’s to hoping your pumpkin carving ends with a nice pile of these babies in your hands! Hope everyone stays safe! Happy Halloween!

Oh, and if you’re curious and not following me on Instagram, here is the bearer of these seeds, the first of two pumpkins we’re carving!

And yeah, I know. I totally nailed the symbol on Spidey’s chest.

Adios.

The Chef

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October 1, 2014

Bacon Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies with Maple Buttercream Frosting

Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I haven’t seen you guys since National S’mores Day! That was like 3 weeks ago right? I’m terrible at math, let me see how ma… whoa! That was almost 2 months ago!? How’s it going! What’s happenin’!? How’s the weather?? Ok, fine, I’ll cut …Read More….

The Chef

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October 6, 2013

Pumpkin Swirl Shutdown Brownies

Due to a lapse in government funding, this blog will not be updated until further notice. Please accept a picture of these awesome Pumpkin Swirled Brownies as consultation for any inconvenience this may cause. Ok, fine. I’m not funded by the government. Can you believe …Read More….

The Chef

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September 9, 2013

Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Flobots – White Flag Warrior

I know we’re more than a week into it but seriously, freaking September?!

I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s the age we live in now where the world is at our fingertips, but when I was a kid a year felt like a year. On top of that, the month of December felt like a year too. I mean, should I be like retail stores and start with my holiday posts now? Just to stay caught up and relevant?

Tally this one up as my first fall post. The cinnamon swirl easily brings this banana bread to the top and the cinnamon streusel is what pushes it over the edge. Throw in chocolate chips for good measure and you’ll get the perfect pairing to your Pumpkin Spiced Latte.

Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (slightly adapted from a blog who got it from another blog who got it from Sandwich Hoss)

Bread:

4 each ~ Bananas, over ripened, smashed up
1/3 cup ~ Butter, melted
3/4 cup ~ Brown Sugar
1 each ~ Egg
1 teaspoon ~ Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon ~ Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon ~ Salt
1 1/2 cups ~ Flour
3/4 cup ~ Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup ~ Walnuts, chopped (optional)

Cinnamon Swirl:

1/3 cup ~ Sugar
1 tablespoon ~ Cinnamon

Cinnamon Streusel:

2/3 cup ~ Brown Sugar
1/4 cup ~ Turbinado Sugar
1/2 cup ~ Flour
1 teaspoon ~ Cinnamon
4 tablespoons ~ Butter, cold

Notes:

Like all other banana breads, you’ll need a loaf pan for this.
I don’t know if you’re a regular at banana bread, but if you’re not, here’s a tip – Always use over ripened bananas. Those are the bananas that look like this or even blacker:

Stop smacking your forehead, it’s ok. You didn’t know, you just thought they were bad so you always threw them out. Well now you know.
And knowing is half the battle.
Why are ripened bananas always used? I’m glad you asked! Well besides the fact that they have anti-cancer qualities and a much higher level of antioxidants, over ripe bananas are almost always favored for baking. Their starch content has converted to sugar so the banana flavor has been heightened and it’ll be a much sweeter taste rather than a bitter one from a green or regular yellow banana. Not to mention they’re easier to mash up.
I made the streusel first. It doesn’t matter the order, but it gave me something to munch on while making the rest of it.
Oh come on, don’t judge me. I know I was basically eating butter but heck, you try to only have one bite.

Alright, let’s go bananas.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

Turn your oven on to 350 and butter and flour the loaf pan.

For the streusel mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon together then use a fork to cut in the cold butter. Remember, the colder the butter the better. You’re looking for.. well you’re looking for something that looks like streusel. Set it aside when you’re done and try not to eat it all, Paula Deen.

For the swirl, just throw the sugar and the cinnamon together in a small bowl and mix together. Set it aside too.

For the bread batter, mash up the bananas nice and good and add everything to it except the flour. Mix it till it’s all together and once it is, add the flour and mix until just combined. If you still see a small clump of flour or two it’s ok. Overmixing will cause the bread to be rubbery and nasty thanks to all the gluten you developed.

From here, add the chocolate chips as well as the walnuts (if you’re going to use them) and fold them in. When incorporated, slowly pour half the batter into the bread pan. On top of that, sprinkle the swirl mixture.

I made this once after I did it for this post and I tried to double the swirl because you know me and cinnamon. Yeah, it was like a banana bread and cinnamon swirl sandwich. The two halves were slipping and sliding, the entire loaf was one big mess. It was one of those things you just don’t like to admit ever happened and no matter how hard you try to forget you know deep down inside you really truly messed something up big time. And then the salt in the wound when you tweet or post on G+ that you’re making it and then people expect pictures afterward. The one time you wish someone wasn’t paying attention…

Anyway, you got the swirl on there, next, again, slowly pour the second half of batter on top of the swirl mixture. Once that’s done, if you have any more streusel left that you haven’t eaten, go ahead and layer it on top.

Pop the pan in the oven for a good 50-60 minutes. Try and find a naked corner with no streusel so you could poke it with a toothpick to make sure it’s done. Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before you try to take it out of the pan.

And that be that. This is my first banana bread recipe I’ve posted on here but I’ve made a couple in the past. Needless to say, this one is clearly the best I’ve ever made. There’s chocolate, a thick ribbon of cinnamon, and streusel. Freaking streusel! I love that stuff! When I die I want to be buried in streusel.

Streusel all the things!!

Now excuse me as I go stock up on canned pumpkin.

The song – White Flag Warriors by Flobots. For obvious reasons

The Chef

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