Cookin' with Martha~ Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake

I have eight million apples at my house.  Sooo...some apple baking was definitely in order.  I have about 10 lbs of apples that I picked yesterday, plus about a dozen MacIntosh apples that I bought about two weeks ago that have definitely seen better days (so clearly that equals eight million).  Since I am on a Martha kick I went online and found this recipe, Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake.

Here's how Martha says to do it:
Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
2.In a large bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and eggs. Whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients just until combined (do not over mix). Using a rubber spatula, fold in apples. Spoon batter into a 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan, and smooth top. Bake until a tester inserted in cake comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes; invert onto rack to cool completely.
3.Make the Glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar and enough water to form a thick yet pourable glaze. Set rack with cake over a piece of wax paper (for easy cleanup); drizzle cake with glaze, and let set before serving.

Here's how I did it:
I pretty much followed the directions except for the following:
-The recipe called for Granny Smith apples, I used MacIntosh.  I think the Granny Smith might be a little better since they are a little less mushy and more tart.
-I also made a little extra glaze, I like it sweet:)
 
 

All in all this was a great cake.  I especially liked that it had some crunchy cinnamon bits near the edges.  I think it would be divine served warm with ice cream or whipped cream!

Cookin' with Martha~ Smokey Beef Tacos

I am a huge Martha fan and haven't tried a recipe of her's I haven't liked.  Just today I tried a new one and again, I was not disappointed!

Martha's Slowcooker Chicken Chili Tacos have been part of my cooking repetoire for about a year now.  They are delish!  Sooo...when I came across Martha's Smokey Beef Tacos I just had to give them a try.

Here's how Martha says to do it:
Ingredients
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 cup ketchup
8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 3 pounds), excess fat trimmed
16 corn tortillas (6-inch), lightly toasted

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, stir together chiles, ketchup, 1 cup water, garlic, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2.Cut beef into 4 equal pieces. Add to pot, and turn to coat. Cover, and bring to a boil; transfer pot to oven. Bake, covered, until beef is fork-tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
3.Transfer beef to a bowl. With a large spoon, skim off and discard fat from cooking liquid. Shred beef with two forks; moisten with cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve beef with tortillas and desired toppings.
4. To soften the tortillas and give them a quick char, toast them directly over a low gas flame using tongs (or use a dry skillet on medium heat).

Here's How I Did it:

I pretty much followed the directions except for the following:
-I have no sweet clue about cuts of beef and I couldn't find anything that said "chuck beef roast", so I used some other cut...boneless blade roast or something...not sure...I also have no idea if it was anywhere near three pounds, it was the perfect size to fit in my slow-cooker so I bought it.
-I was in a rush this morning and I didn't have time to chop up 8 garlic cloves so I just threw in some garlic powder.  I have no doubt that the real thing is better but I was in a time crunch.
-Also I didn't measure anything.  I just guestimated and threw it in there.
-I also didn't cut the beef into four equal pieces.
-As I already mentioned I used my slow cooker instead of the oven.  Turned it on low and cooked it for nine hours (8 would have been fine but I had a mishap with my car and it took an extra hour to get home).  If you want it to be done quicker 4 hours on high should be just fine.


Martha suggested to serve the following with the tacos Avocado-Red Onion Relish, Corn-and-Tomato Salsa and Cilantro-Lime Crema.  If I were going to have company over I would go through the trouble of making those toppings.  However, since it was just little ol' me...I just topped mine with cheddar cheese, sour cream, PC Jalapeno Passion Fruit salsa (which is to die for!) and chopped avocado.

All in all it was a delightful and simple dinner.  When I was taking the beef out of the slow cooker it was so tender that I had a hard time even picking it up with my forks.  The first attempt ended with the beef falling back into the slow-cooker and the cooking liquid, which was a little greasy, splashing all over my shirt!  So I got out my trusty apron and continued without further incident.  The flavour was great...I am not a huge lover of chipotle flavour but the subtle smokey flavour was just right. 

There is nothing better than throwing a bunch of ingredients in the slow cooker, heading off to work and coming home to a delicious dinner.  I ate three of these bad boys and have plenty left over!