Not A Single Fork

Happy Halloween Everyone!

It's my favorite and for fun, we decided to go a different route, kinda, and talk about a recipe for something that most people just buy at the store (and we can certainly understand why that is).

Caramel Apples!

Travel back in time as I describe how much fun I had trying to make caramel apples for the first time and then how Natalia tried making cake pops...once.

In spite of our inauspicious beginnings, we are breaking down how you can make caramel apples (if you really want to) and not lose your shit. The best recipe I found was from Sally's Baking Addiction. Now we all know, I am no baker nor do I aspire to be but I really like Sally's website. She always has good suggestions and has plenty of followers who make her recipes and comment on what worked and what didn't. The bottom line is: you can't use those pre-wrapped caramels, you gotta make your own and it's not that hard. You can do it (again, if you really want to).

Here's her recipe, if you don't want to leave us. Lots of helpful hints included so read to the end.

Homemade Caramel Apples

★★★★★ 4.6 from 64 reviews

Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 15 minutesTotal Time: 1 hour, 15 minutesYield: 8-9 caramel apples

Learn how to make real homemade caramel apples with this from-scratch recipe. For best success, watch the video tutorial, read the post, and review the recipe before beginning.

Ingredients

8–9 cold apples1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) heavy cream1 cup (240ml) light corn syrup2 cups (400g) packed light or dark brown sugar1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 60g) unsalted butter, at room temperature1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Prep the apples: Rinse the apples with water, then wipe completely dry. Removing the slippery waxy coating will help the caramel seal to the apple. Remove the apple stem and insert a caramel apple stick about 3/4 down into the apple.Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (preferred) or grease the pan with butter. Caramel usually sticks to parchment or wax paper.Make the caramel: Combine the heavy cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and salt in a 3-quart heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Do not turn the temperature up or down– keep at medium the entire time the caramel cooks. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the butter is melted. Once melted, brush down the sides of the pan with a water-moistened pastry brush and attach a candy thermometer to the pan, making sure the bulb is not touching the bottom of the pan (as you’ll get an inaccurate reading).Without stirring, let the mixture cook and bubble until it reaches 235°F (113°C). Some readers have been cooking to 240°F (116°C) and saying the caramel sticks much better to the apples that way. Stick with anywhere between 235°F – 240°F. Reaching this temperature should take about 15 – 20 minutes, though don’t use time as your guide because it depends on your stove. Don’t be alarmed if your caramel is taking longer, just use the candy thermometer as your guide. The temperature will heat up slowly, then move quickly, so keep your eye on the pot. Once at 235°F – 240°F, remove caramel from heat and stir in the vanilla. Avoid over-stirring which can create air bubbles in the caramel (and then on the apple). Allow caramel to cool for 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened. If caramel is too thin to coat apples, let it cool and thicken for 5-10 minutes longer.Dip the apples: Holding the caramel apple stick, dip the apple into the warm caramel,

Continuing on our journey to breakdown recipes and harvest fall, we now attack the pumpkin. Not really attack it but we are cutting it up in one way or another.

In this episode, we do spend some time sharing the pumpkin carving that I did with my kids but we're mostly into the cooking of pumpkins. And, yes, a pumpkin is just another variation on winter squash that originated in northeastern Mexico and the southern United States. The oldest evidence - pumpkin fragments dated between 7,000 and 5,500 BC found in Mexico. So, actually, all kinds of winter squash (especially, pumpkins) have been around for a really long time.

Isn't it interesting that, for the most part, we don't know what to do with one besides make a jack o'lantern? Or buy the puree in a can?

So...we are coming to the rescue! In case, you want to do more than carve it, watch it mold on your front door step, or better yet, have some errant teenager throw it as far as he/she/they can and watch it explode on the concrete. Those days are over, my friend. We are talking you through not only a Baked Stuffed Pumpkin but a soup and a risotto recipe. Since the risotto recipe is one we teach in class, it is widely available so you're getting it below. Or, you can always go to our RECIPES page on the website to find even more recipes and then class info, pictures, etc., etc.

Here's the recipe...you're welcome.

Pumpkin Risotto with Goat Cheese and Dried Cranberries

Serves 4

4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 onion, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 cup Arborio rice

¼ to ½ cup white wine

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

½ cup crumbled goat cheese

½ cup dried cranberries or cherries

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the stock and pumpkin over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cover and keep warm.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large heavy sauté pan. Add onion and cook over medium heat until the onion is soft. Add rice stirring to coat with butter until grains are almost translucent. Add wine, cook and stir until it is completely absorbed. Begin adding stock, about 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until it is completely absorbed then add the next cup of stock. Continue this process until the rice is tender and creamy but still slightly al dente.

Remove rice from the heat, add Parmigiano, half of the parsley and dried cranberries. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining parsley and goat cheese. Serve immediately.

If you are one of those who like to hit the high points, I've listed some for your casual listening pleasure. Of course, what we really want you to do is invest about 30 minutes of your time in the entire episode to get the full effect.

And, by the way, we're back in the "proper studio".

06:55 - Eating pumpkins

08:30 - Baked Stuffed Pumpkin, the recipe breakdown

16:13 - The critical element of stuffing

20:17 - All in with @inquiringchef on Instagram

23:35 - Did you know Candace hates soup?

25:20 - Baking a pumpkin pie

26:25 - What is a silpat?

31:00 - Risotto variety

Don’t forget, you can find us all over the place now!

Listen on your favorite podcatcher, we’re probably there, even on Alexa! We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play and, of course, here, AND, you can take us on the road anytime you like!

How about those Winter Squash? Intimidating for some. They look weird or they skin is hard and basically, you have not idea what to do with them.

So...what do you do? Just buy the diced butternut squash in the produce section? NO! You can DO this! Listen to this episode and you will become a winter squash master...well, maybe not a master but you'll be able to practice to become one, okay?!

We're going to tell you about acorn, butternut and even spaghetti squash in this episode and yes, I'm going to hit the high points below. At least, I consider them high points. You will also get a recipe that I just made up on the spot, right here.

The fancy, schmancy recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is on the Patreon site for patrons-only so if you want this delicious soup (and I hate soup but I like it), you'll have to become a patron, sorry! Membership has its privileges, right? I've included the Become A Patron button in case you're interested. If you're not, ok. You'll have to be satisfied with this one I'm pulling out of you know where.

Become a Patron!

And, after this episode, we were able to move back into our "recording studio" because the pecans have finished falling from the neighbor's tree that hangs over my bedroom. We apologize for the ups and downs of the sound quality and effects and who knows...you might enjoy them.

But first, a recipe:

Soy Glazed Acorn Squash Rings

Serves 2 – 4

1 large acorn squash

2 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp soy sauce (I use Bragg aminos because I like the flavor better, not because I care about gluten)

3 tbsp maple syrup (doesn't have to be expensive maple syrup)

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375°. 

Cut both ends off the squash, clean out seeds and strings and discard.  Cut squash into 1 –1 ½ inch wide rings.  There should be at least four slices.  Brush each squash slice on both sides with oil and place on cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake squash for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, combine soy sauce and syrup.  Baste squash rings with soy sauce mixture.  Continue baking another 15 – 20 minutes basting with sauce every 5 -10 minutes until the squash is fork tender and glazed.

But wait, there's more! Episode highlights but we hope you listen to the whole thing...it's not even 30 minutes!

02:15 - Natalia explains what a bully stick is

04:49 - All the squashes

07:20 - General descriptions, storage, actually good information

10:45 - How to acorn squash

18:05 - The butternut

20:55 - Roasting, cutting, peeling

22:58 - Spaghetti squash and my opinion, again

25:54 - The problem with spaghetti squash, among other things

Don’t forget, you can find us all over the place now! Even though there was a bit of a glitch trying to publish the last episode, we are back!

Listen on your favorite podcatcher, we’re probably there, even on Alexa! We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play and, of course, here, AND, you can take us on the road anytime you like!

We love and appreciate you guys. Keep listening, hang in there.

The Wursts and Wieners

We're so glad to be back! Sorry for the hiatus but we have a really good excuse or at least, explanation. We've got SO much going on!!

From social media to photos to online videos...we've got it all so STAY TUNED.

In fact, this season (Season 8, btw) is going to be a big tease for what's to come in January. In the meantime, since we're heading into the holidays and we've pretty much overdone talking to Turkey Hotlines and telling you what we like to do for the season, we thought you might like to hear some specific recipes and actually break them down for you.

Not everyone, in fact, probably no one, even a really good home cook, approaches a recipe the way a "professional" does. So we're here to help you out. We're hoping it helps you out!

Starting with October and all the fun fall foods that go with that month of harvest and beer and oh yeah, brats. Really any and all sausages. We're going to give you a recipe here and then the other recipe, well, it's going on our Patreon. So if you're really dying to get that second recipe...click below and you can check it out. If you don't want to do that, we still love you, just not as much. Just kidding!! We LOVE ALL you guys!!

Become a Patron!

I'm not giving away everything on this episode. You've got to listen and don't you want to because you've missed us so much!?

Here are some highlight times and then after that, the recipe for Kielbasa (or any sausage) with Warm Potato Salad.

01:30 - Shoutouts to our Marketing Team

04:15 - What are we talking about?

07:30 - My "particular" way

10:55 - The recipes begin

11:46 - Kielbasa

18:30 - Let me tell you what I would do...

22:20 - It's all about the water bath

26:05 - I'm creative!

The Recipe - Adding my comments below (if you're interested)

Kielbasa (Sausages) with Warm Potato Salad

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian pork sausages

1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

12 ounces pale ale beer

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, halved

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add sausages and cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add beer, potatoes, and 2 cups water; season with salt and pepper and press to submerge potatoes in cooking liquid. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Transfer sausages to a serving platter and keep warm. In a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar, and parsley. With a slotted spoon, transfer potato mixture to dressing (reserve cooking liquid) and toss to combine.

Return pot to high heat; boil cooking liquid until reduced to 1 cup, about 12 minutes. Return sausages to pot and cook until heated through, 2 minutes. Place sausages and dressed potatoes on serving platter; drizzle half the sauce over top. Serve sausages and potatoes with remaining sauce alongside.

Candace's Comments (for what they're worth)

So,

Not A Single Fork, Season 7, Episode 9

A final word (or two) about this season of gadgets.

Natalia was being really nice and letting everyone off the hook. Not quite sure what's gotten into her but okay...she's not usually so nice. She's usually busting balls.

So, we provide you a little recap, let you have your gadgets and say a few things about our personal favorites and not so favorites.

Here comes the end of Season 7.

We, of course, will be back after a month or so. We're going to take some time to work on Season 8's topic and not just throw another holiday season at you. We really do put some thought into the info we provide...even though it doesn't always sound like it! We do have a good time talking to you guys (and each other).

In the meantime, Natalia celebrated her 40th birthday yesterday so please share your birthday wishes or condolences.

If you have a minute, please take a look at our Patreon page and consider becoming a member. You don’t have to sign up but it’s easy to check it out and see what we’re talking about. We’ve got a lot of fun offerings for members that you won’t get to see, experience or have anywhere else.

Become a Patron!

Don’t forget, you can find us all over the place now! Wherever your favorite podcast listening place is, we’re probably there, even on Alexa! We’re on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play and, of course, here, but you can take us on the road anytime you like!

We love and appreciate you guys. Keep listening, hang in there.

Not A Single Fork, Season 7, Episode 8

"Tell Us A Food Story" was a highlight of our podcast seasons. We heard many moving and also very entertaining stories about what food means to people. One of those people interviewed was one of my dearest friends from high school who (at the time) has gone in his career to achieve great things. And, as if things couldn't get greater, I discover through the Facebook grapevine that he is a finalist for a PULITZER PRIZE! Well, we couldn't let that go so we wanted to reprise this very memorable interview with Roy S. Johnson who can now add Pulitzer Prize finalist to his credits. Please enjoy A Story Teller's Food Story from Season 4.

Food is friendship.

Interestingly enough, our next interviewee has been the only person to share this sentiment with us. It is a sentiment that we echo wholeheartedly and in fact, could go so far as to call it our “mantra”. In food we find a common place and Lord knows, we need a common place right now.

Roy Johnson is a storyteller who fashions words into vivid, “as if you were there” experiences. Experiences that neither you nor I will likely ever be a part of. An accomplished journalist whose credits include Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, Men’s Fitness and any number of TV appearances, most recently as part of the docu-series, The Last Dance that chronicled the rise of Michael Jordan, Roy has defied tradition.

After 30+ years in New York, Roy now lives and writes in Birmingham, Alabama. Our interview, as a consequence, was done via computer with us in the kitchen studio and Roy in his home kitchen (one of his favorite spots). He loves to cook and views it as another creative outlet for himself and likes to see that in others. When in a restaurant, he is comfortable asking the chef to simply create something for him. He has also ended up with things on his plate that he wasn’t quite sure that he ordered.

Roy Johnson has been my friend for 50 years. Yes, I said it, 50, count ‘em years. Until I did the math, it certainly didn’t seem like it could possibly be that long but there it is.

Roy and I went to school together. It was the end of the 60’s when we met and he was and still is one of the bravest people I know. An African-American in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he chose to attend a basically all-white school albeit a fairly progressive one (but not as progressive as I thought). At that time, Holland Hall was known as the “pink” school in the hills as in “pink-o” and if you’re too young to know that reference…its meaning today is: a person who holds advanced liberal or moderately radical political or economic views; back in the 60’s and early 70’s, it simply meant, communistic. I think if my mother had known that (maybe she did but I doubt it), she would have yanked me out of there so fast it would make your head explode. I include this as a way of saying, yes, at school, we tried our best to be progressive with open hearts, minds and opportunities but we were still immersed in the white privilege that exists today.

So I’m quite certain only those very close to Roy understood the challenges he faced at that time. I know I didn’t understand and he was my friend. But he never allowed the long hours and the hidden and not so hidden prejudice and racism to get in his way or hold him back. As soon as he graduated, he headed to Stanford University and never looked back.

Roy took the road less traveled by, and yes, that has made all the difference. *The interview begins at 09:19.*

Follow Roy on Facebook by clicking right here and who knows, maybe he'll make your head explode!?

And, you can read many of his recent articles here. I can promise you’ll be reading some of the best writing around.

And, we're back!

Me from the undisclosed, secret location and Natalia from Florida.

We couldn't think of a better way to "celebrate" our return than featuring one of our favorite fans, Tiffany Z.

Tiffany and her mom not only come to lots of our cooking classes but they have both been ardent followers of our podcast, including being members of the Patreon Club! And, if you're curious about joining Patreon just click here Become a Patron! and you'll be taken to that magical land.

Anywho, Tiffany took the time to send us a lengthy email/comment with links to her favorite gadgets. They range from a super special garlic "press", although I wouldn't really call it a press in the true sense of the word. It's actually a lot better, in my opinion...to a bench scraper which to me is a tool and not a gadget so I give it a big thumbs up!

As usual, we had a lot of fun in this episode sharing Tiffany's insights into her world of gadgets.

Hope you enjoy it, too!

We're still on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify and all your other favorite listening places. Please subscribe, rate, and review us.

Keep listening as we wind up this season with a tribute to one of our friends who has been recognized for his achievement and we were lucky enough to interview him for our Tell Me A Food Story season.

As always, thanks for listening! Love you guys!!

Not A Single Fork, Season 7, Episode 7