BFD - September '11

I know, Fall isn't here yet but it's still apple season in my book. Since it's not OK to serve apple pie for breakfast (ahem), I decided on apple turnovers to welcome fall and melon smoothies to say good-bye to summer.

Apple Turnovers
Melon Smoothie (or Melon Slushie)
Crispy Hash Browns

I love apple pie and since apple turnovers are basically like mini apple pies, I knew I couldn't go wrong. In preparing the apples, I did not add honey or lemon juice. I sauteed the apple chunks in a pat of butter and cinnamon sugar. It took less than 10 minutes to get them tender. I then put them in a covered bowl and put them in the refrigerator until I needed them. Since I didn't use puff pastry I guess I can't complain that they weren't tender and flaky. They were still good, just not what I wanted. Next time I'll splurge and get puff pastry.

OK, let's be honest: the melon smoothie sounds gross because no one thinks of putting melons in a smoothie. At least I don't. And truth be told, I didn't exactly make a smoothie. I used the ingredients from this recipe to make a melon slushie. Bear with me. I have a Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt/Ice Cream maker. I thought it would be a good idea to puree the melon with the sugar and lime juice and then pour the puree into the ice cream maker to make a slushie. And you know what? It was a darn good idea. It was cool and refreshing. I think a frozen watermelon puree would be good also.

For the potatoes, I decided that it was time to make some good old fashioned pan-fried hash browns. I love pan-fried hash browns, I really do. It's just that they are a pain to make. I think what I need is a large electric skillet just for these hash browns. All in all, a little disappointment mixed with a pleasant surprise.