by syaffolee

Recipe Craziness

Cooking is only fun when I have free time and when I can’t think of anything else to do. Last minute potluck parties are bad because I can never think of what to make. Besides, it also means that I have to go out and buy stuff. I usually don’t have enough food in the house to feed twenty people.

So after going through many recipes, I decided on some things I found in the magazine Bon Appétit. Yes, I know this is a stupid yuppie magazine, but I was getting desperate and at least it had pictures so I had some vague idea how the recipes should turn out. That said, I took some major liberties and altered the said recipes–due to laziness, ingredients I couldn’t find, and ingredients I didn’t have the stomach to put in.

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Potato and Cucumber Salad

2 large cucumbers
5 lbs. golden potatoes
6 tablespoons white vinegar
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup mint, finely chopped
1 cup thinly sliced onion
8 radishes, thinly sliced
3/4 cup mayonnaise

Note: Except for the number of cucumbers, I estimated everything else. I would guess it would serve 10 to 12 people, if you don’t have many other dishes.

Dissolve the kosher salt into the vinegar. Thinly slice the cucumbers and add the salt-vinegar mixture. Let the cucumbers soak in this solution overnight. Meanwhile, peel and cut up the potatoes and boil them. Do not cook them over 30 minutes or they will get mushy! Drain potatoes and let them cool. Once the cucumbers are done soaking, drain them, and mix them in with the potatoes along with the onion, radishes, and mint. Add some pepper. Finally add the mayonnaise and mix well. It can either be served refrigerated or at room temperature.

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Apricot Apple Pie

Topping:
1/2 cup grape nuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled margarine

Filling:
1 1/2 lbs. apricot preserves, halved
1 lbs. apple filling
5 tablespoons of sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Note: I also estimated everything here except for the margarine. I bought the crust (9 inch, deep dish) instead of making it from scratch because I didn’t have time.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. For the topping, add all the ingredients except the margarine. Cut up the margarine and add it last. Mix until everything is on the verge of forming moist clumps. For the filling, add apricots, sugar, cornstarch, and almond extract and mix. Add to the crust. For the next layer, add the apple filling. Now add the topping and bake the pie until the topping is brown and the filling is bubbling. I recommend putting a tray beneath the pie when you’re baking it because the liquid part of the filling tends to leak out.