Microplane Zester/Grater

I have a new favorite kitchen tool- the Microplane Zester/Grater. I've been considering buying one for a long time, because I've seen it used on so many cooking shows, but then I thought do I really need another kitchen gadget? Finally I decided to it buy it, and I am glad I did. It grates cheese so easily I can't even believe it. I've used it on parmesan as well as cheddar. It makes wispy ribbon like shreds of cheese. And I can't believe how easy it is to use. I wish I had bought one a long time ago. I think I am going to get some of their other graters now as well. It is so much easier than using a box grater. I give this product an A+!

Baked Manicotti with Meat Sauce

Today I made "Baked Manicotti with Meat Sauce" from the October/November issue of Cook's Country. It was very similar to a previous manicotti recipe I made from America's Test Kitchen. America's Test Kitchen is a cooking show on PBS. The people that do the show are the same ones who publish Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country. I used to subscribe to Cook's Illustrated but found it was a little too gourmet for me. Cook's Country is a little more down to earth. I do sometimes get frustrated with the recipes from these sources though, because sometimes it seems like they add a lot of unnecessary steps. Every once in awhile I try a recipe of theirs that is wonderful (like Oven Fried Chicken), but quite often I end up feeling like they weren't worth all the work. This recipe falls into that category. It wasn't horrible, but I just didn't love it. The flavor just wasn't that great. And I think some sugar added to the sauce would have been a good addition to cut some of the bitter/acidic tomato taste.

I've decided I like lasagna better. For one thing it's faster because you don't need to soften the noodles, then roll them up with filling. And it just seems to taste better.

Crockpot Applesauce

Today I made applesauce in the crockpot- a recipe I got from Diane and it was INCREDIBLE! I will be making this all the time. It was so easy, and so much better than store-bought, and doesn't have any garbage in it like high fructose corn syrup. Here is the recipe from Diane:

• 8 to 10 large tart apples (Macintosh or granny smith) cored, peeled, and cut into chunks *I used about 6 Honey Crisp and 2 Golden Delicious as that's what I had in the house
• 1 cup sugar *I used more like 3/4 cup
• ½ cup water
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon *I didn't measure, just dumped some in

Combine apples, sugar, water and cinnamon in a slow cooker; stir gently. I also added a splash of lemon juice. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until apples are tender. (I cooked them 1 hour on high and 3 hours on low because I started them later in the day, and I think my crockpot runs hotter than it's supposed to so things don't need as long to cook.) At the end of cooking time I mixed them well with a whisk to mash them up. I would recommend using less sugar than called for because you can always add more at the end of the cooking time if necessary. You can eat this hot or cold!

Italian Hummus

I've been wanting to try homemade hummus, as I've heard it tastes so much better than store-bought. So I tried this recipe from Rachael Ray for "Italian Hummus". I did make one big substitution which was I used the traditional chick peas rather than the white beans. I did not use any of the optional garnishes but next time I definitely will because I think it would only enhance the flavor. This came out really really well though- delicious. I served it on crusty baguette. I will definitely make this again.

Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

I just tried a recipe for "Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing" from Cook's Country magazine. I can't find the recipe online, besides here where you need to pay to view it. It called for crumbled stilton, sour cream, mayo, cider vinegar, pepper and garlic powder. It wasn't that great and I won't make it again. It doesn't even come close to the Royal Pheasant's blue cheese dressing- which I still can't find any recipe that even comes close to that. The Royal Pheasant was my favorite restaurant in Buffalo that went out of business after NY passed the smoking ban in restaurants. I really wish I could find someone who knew what the Royal Pheasant's recipe was...

Jalapeno Bacon Wraps

This is yet another recipe from Heather, that is one of my absolute favorites. Basically it's this recipe, but here is exactly what I do, as learned from Heather. You will need regular block cream cheese, center cut bacon, and fresh jalapenos. Wash the jalapenos and cut them all in half. Wearing gloves, use a spoon to scoop out all the seeds. You need to wear gloves because if you don't your hands will be burning for hours later (trust me I know!). And whatever you do, don't touch your face or anything while you are deseeding the jalapenos! Fill each half of jalapeno with cream cheese, then wrap from end to end with bacon, securing at one or both ends with a toothpick as necessary. Grill until bacon is crisp and jalapenos have cooked. These are absolutely delicious! I made them last night and would like to some time try baking them instead, because I find that often the bacon gets crisp but the jalapeno isn't cooked enough and still incredibly hot. Also these are a little difficult to grill just because usually the grill flares up due to all the bacon. Using center cut bacon- which has less fat and more meat- helps but I still find they flare up quite a bit. So next time I am going to try baking these at a high temperature, or broiling them- to see if the jalapeno ends up cooked a little better, and therefore not quite as hot.

Baked Potato Soup

Made this recipe for Baked Potato Soup from Taste of Home last night. I also added some shredded carrots. Next time I would use a little more bacon and maybe add corn as well and leave out the basil. But overall this was good and I will make it again.