Dinner

Cold and snowy - still - so MORE SOUP ! 

Back to that k+b favorite 

Lidia Bastianich's Minestrone

And were delighted that our neighbor Karin AND Fletcher the wonder 

Gorden Setter

Neil made a cheese tray

 All of the out of doors is a wine cooler

 It really is good soup, perfect for a night like tonight

Just some salad and bread -

Fletcher had to pee

 but then kept a watch over everything

THIS was a real fine, and will become a go too staple for me .

Ina Garten's Old Fashion Apple Crisp

Ingredients

5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the topping:

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish.

To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.

Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.

Really very easy - I followed the recipe except I only had three pounds of apples. It worked out just fine. I did not use all of the topping, but should have - it is just wonderful. It does need to cook the full hour, if not longer.