Strawberry, Goat Cheese and Pickled Apple Avocado Toast

If you could see beyond the borders of any of these photos in this post you would see our house is getting pretty chaotic. We've just sold our house and we're in the process of making a move to San Antonio, Texas next month. We're definitely excited but I detest even the thought of moving and so I can't wait for all of this to be over.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Sausage Filling



 

How quickly the time goes. I feel like we were just enjoying the last days of Summer and now here we are prepping for another Thanksgiving. We haven't had snow here yet so at least I can be Thankful for that. And good food. I've been surrounded by some amazing food the last week or so, from restaurants and friends to trying some new recipes in my own kitchen. It's so amazing to see what people with so much more talent than I have can do with some simple ingredients.

Apple and Rosemary Stuffed Pork Chops

I was walking through Costco yesterday trying to decide what I wanted to make for our Sunday dinner this week when I came across these beautiful pork chops. We haven't had pork chops in a long time and I'm not usually a big fan because all I can typically find are the thin little pork chops in the grocery store. These ones were about two inches thick and even though they were boneless, which is usually another strike, they looked perfect.

Baked Apple Dumplings

Let's do Fall right this year. That means lots of apples and pumpkins. So let's start with apples this week and then I'm going to have an awesome pumpkin recipe coming up next.

We're going to take an apple and make it anything but healthy. As in, even though there's still some fruit in this, there's no way it can be described as anything but, hide in your closet and eat two of them and love every second of it, indulgence.

German Pancakes

This is one of the first recipes that I ever made consistently as a kid. I remember I had the recipe written on a small note card and I would even take it with me when I stayed over at a friends house so that I could make it there. I'd be the star of the show even at 8 or 9 years old.

The ingredients are so simple but combine them and bake and an amazing transformation takes place. The batter rises up out of the pan at each corner creating gigantic crusty crests and then tender dense bread in the center of the pan. It's impressive as you pull it out of the oven but you've got to act fast, it quickly deflates in just a few minutes.

Four Layer Gourmet Caramel Apples

My wife would like 100% of the credit for this creation. And for something this amazing, she deserves it. This isn't exactly a recipe I'll be sharing with you but it's a fun treat that you can create with the kids help and it makes a great gift for the upcoming holidays!

Four layers you ask? Absolutely. Caramel, Butterfinger, Chocolate and Candied Peanuts. When she first described what she wanted to make, I thought  she was a bit crazy, and I honestly didn't think it would be as good as she was imagining that it would be. Butterfinger layer is one thing but then adding peanuts on the outside? I thought it might just be too much. And maybe it is, but it was pretty amazing.

Smoked Salmon Chowder

You knew I was going to post another smoker recipe right? It's like when you got a new toy as a kid and couldn't stop playing with it for ages. Well, this is my new toy, and all I can think about is new ways to try smoking things. I bought the book Smoke and Spice and have learned a ton just reading through it in the last week. Looks like it's got some great recipes to try out.

Polish Sausage with Smothered Cabbage and Mashed Potatoes

It's buffalo week with Virtual Potluck! Ever cooked with buffalo meat or sausage? If you haven't you're going to have lots of recipes to try out now. Visit our host blog to see join in the potluck!

This buffalo came to us directly from The Buffalo Guys. The thing I liked most about the buffalo meat is that it's lower in cholesterol and fat than other comparable meats. These buffalo are happy guys out roaming free on the range and no fillers or other nasty stuff to get in the way. The flavor is great and we used all of them in a variety of ways. Hot dogs went into some Mac and Cheese for  the kids, Andouille sausage went into a Jambalaya and the Polish Sausage went in to the dish I'll share with you below.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Loin with Roasted Apples

Imagine taking ground pork, wrapping a pork loin around it and then wrapping more pork around that.  If you've seen the October cover of Bon Appetit, you've already seen this trifecta of pork and if you're willing to put in a few hours of work, you can experience the amazing dinner that we just finished up for yourself.

Emeril's One-Pot Blogger Party: Seared Scallops

I've got an interesting past with scallops. I love almost any type of seafood but for years I thought that scallops were the exception. I had scallops once ( I can't even remember where now) and they were the most disgusting, rubbery thing I had ever tried. For years I avoided them, blindly assuming that all scallops were the same. Then I was brave and at a nicer restaurant I gave them one more chance. They were divine. Perfectly seared, almost creamy in the middle, and I was in love. I've had them many times since but they are one meal I've never attempted at home. Until now.

Apple Turnovers

Today's post is a continuation of my Puff Pastry post from earlier this week. Now that you've spent over 9 hours creating your pastry dough, it's time to make something amazing with it! These Apple Turnovers are a great dessert to make although you can make numerous different things utilizing puff pastry. They're best served warm out of the oven and have the flakiest perfect crunch to them with a lightly sweet apple center.