So I was reading the back of a package of Seventh Generation toilet paper, which makes an interesting statement: 

“If every household in the U.S. replaced just one 4-pack of [toilet paper] with 100% recycled ones, we could save: 

• 988,200 trees
• 2.5 million cubic feet of landfill space …
• 356 million gallons of water …”
• etc.

Now I have a standing agreement with friends and family; we don’t buy gifts. We all just seem to buy what we want over the course of the year anyway, so it’s just wasteful and stressful to do so. Instead we try to have a nice dinner together, or the like. 

But I am also a very green-conscious person, so I started thinking about it. What if I purchased all the non-recipients on my list a 4-pack of toilet paper? While folks may not go out of their way to buy recycled tissue, certainly they would use it once they have it in their home. I might make a small dent!

I quickly shared my thought with Steve.

“People would think you’re weird,” he said, “Besides, people are pretty particular about what they [use as toilet paper].”

True, but it made me think. It is quite a luxury in the realm of the human condition to have the ability to be particular about your toilet paper. 

It’s hard for me to come up with original content right now—I am completely overwhelmed with homework. So, for the time being, I’m hoping a few recipes will suffice.

This one pretty quick and easy. And don’t be afraid by the title, you certainly can down-grade the spice level. My biggest recommendation is, do not replace the butter with something healthier. Two tablespoons of butter hardly amounts to much when the recipe makes 16 servings and any substitutes kill the rich flavor. My other suggestion is to take the time to find some really good dried chilies and crush them yourselves right before use. It sure beats the hell out of those red pepper flakes you get in a jar.

2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
4 tbsp flour
3 c chicken stock
2 tbsp chipotle puree
1 tsp dried chile peppers, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
salt to taste

Melt the butter in large saucepan. Add garlic and onions and cook until soft and translucent.

Add flour and mix well, then pour in chicken stock and simmer, stirring until thickened.

Stir in spices and simmer a bit more until well blended.

Remove from hear and puree the mixture in a blender until smooth.

Salt to taste.

We like to serve this sauce over shredded chicken breast, black beans, and sometimes some rice on a tortilla. A little cheese on top and some more sauce and we throw it in a 250° to melt. After we remove it, warm and bubble, we toss on a dollop of sour cream and some chopped green onions.

So very good, and a nice kick to boot.

This dessert is always an autumnal hit. I found a stock apple crisp recipe several years ago and started tinkering with it to get the best flavor. The secrets that make it so tastey, imo, are:

1. lemon juice—you don’t need lemon juice to make apple crisp, but as with all fruits, it tends to bring out the sweetness;
2. raisins—once again, unnecessary, but I like the added dimension;
3. letting it set in the oven—I just started doing this and it really stews the apples to a gooey perfection.

I’ve often thought of experimenting with additional spices, but there’s just something pristine about simply cinnamon.

Filling:

2 lbs. tart apples
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Peel and slice apples. Mix together cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Add apples and raisins. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss everything until well coated. Pour into a lightly-buttered baking pan.

Topping:

1 1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt.
1/2 c. butter, softened

In a bowl, blend flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt together. Cut softened butter into chunks. Using a fork, combine with flour mixture until large clumps are formed. Crumble over the top of the filling.

Bake in a 375° oven until crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Turn off heat and crack oven door, leaving set for another 15 minutes or so. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce.