Chef's Kitchen

Apples are abundant during fall. The chilly weather invites me to turn on the oven and make something warm and comforting. Apple turnovers are a perfect fit; there's nothing better than the aroma of apples and cinnamon wafting through the air.

Instead of traditional puff pastry, sour cream makes the dough easy to mix up. Still, this dough needs to be chilled a couple of times in order to produce a wonderful puffy and flaky pastry. To make the process easier, you can split the chilling steps over a few days.

Kitchen Tips:

• Be sure to cut the apples into small pieces. The larger they are, the harder it will be to fold the dough over them.
• Once the turnovers have been formed, you can freeze them to bake later. Freeze them on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes, and then put them in a Ziploc bag.
• Variations: bits of cheese in the filling or on the pastry, adding a bit of cardamom, nutmeg and ginger to the filling, or jam for a homemade Pop Tart.
• Try and make a tight seal to prevent the filling from oozing out.

Is this a dream, or is this reality?

Introducing the chocolate chip and Mars bar cookie that encloses a double-stuffed Oreo.  The classic chocolate chip cookie has been taken to a whole new level. I call this the Alexander McQueen of cookies.

This 'Cookie within a Cookie' is guaranteed to leave your taste buds in shock and awe. Feel free to spin a top to double-check if you're dreaming.

Preparation time: 20-25 minutes
Cooking time: 12- 15 minutes (Depending on the thickness of the cookies)
Recipe Makes 10-12 Cookies (Depending on how monstrous you make them)

Chocolate Chip & Mars Bar Cookie Dough

3/4 cup softened unsalted butter
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks of Mars Bar, chopped
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
A generous  dose of vanilla extract (I always double what recipes call for; in this case I added about 1 1/2 tbps of vanilla extract)

Filling

A few days ago, I went for a run after about a year without regular gym activity. A laughably impressive mile was ran before I sounded like a chronic smoker marching up the Grouse Grind, panting and wheezing. I may or may not have coughed up a lung and left it in the grassy field; it was dark and I couldn't see that well through foggy glasses.

In any case, stronger efforts are to be made toward a more balanced life. I decided to forgo making a New Year's resolution this year, only to allow myself to slack for another month and make a Chinese New Year's resolution, of eating healthier and getting more exercise to become quick like a bunny. If anybody finds that lung and traces it back to me, I'm going to have to be able to run away.

Many people dread the idea of eating healthier and exercising. Today's recipe will show you that there's an easier way to reach that goal than taking spoonfuls of bland, nasty gruel while doing one-armed push-ups as an army drill sargeant berates you. Using flavourful ingredients and balancing your meal so that it is filling, satisfying, and contains all food groups, is what will ensure that you feel energized, rather than deprived.

Christmas and Hanukkah are now in the past, but with New Year's coming up, the holiday crunch is still ongoing. If you're hosting a party, sharing a dessert, or want something cozy and sweet to nip into for the next few weeks (or the next year), here is an easy, delicious, and healthy recipe that is great to have at home by yourself, or keep stashed in the cupboard to bring along as a gift for any occasion.

Fruit butters and spreads are fantastically versatile. Serve them with desserts, breads, cheese and crackers, pork chops, crepes, pancakes or muffins, or even use them as substitutes for apple sauce or oil in cake recipes.

Hints of cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla warm up this treat and will make you want to pull on some flannel PJs and a fuzzy blanket. All of the sweetness in this recipe comes from the fruit, without added sugar, and you can use a variety of apples if you like. I used 4 gala apples, 8 spartans, and a mix of kalamata and calimyrna figs, but you can use any variety on hand.