Apple Bonanza!

I've been well-supplied with fresh apples since midsummer, thanks to a couple sets of very generous Maucks. I've frozen them thinly sliced with cinnamon-sugar for Diane's apple pie, and I've made apple cake and this week, I tried strawberry applesauce. Both are de-lish and worth sharing. I used tart apples for the cake, and Red Delicious for the applesauce.

Grandgirl's Fresh Apple Cake from Georgia
by Paula Deen

I've never seen a recipe title this long, OR so many positive reviews from Food Network.com users: 531 reviews with a 5-star average rating. If you've got apples, you've got to try this one.


Ingredients

Cake:
Butter, for greasing pan
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease a tube pan.
For the cake: in a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, orange juice, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract; and mix well. Fold apples, coconut, and pecans into batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours.

Shortly before the cake is done, make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan, stir in the sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda, and bring to a good rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the hot cake in the pan as soon as you remove it from the oven. Let stand 1 hour, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Applesauce
by Dave Lieberman

This one is very easy, and a flavorful change from regular applesauce. Last time I made homemade applesauce, I made it plain with cinnamon, and Claire didn't care for it too much. This one got her approval, though! Beware: I didn't get the heat high enough for a while, and had to cook it longer. It's okay, just make sure you add water to keep the sauce from getting too thick.

Ingredients
3 pounds McIntosh or other apple of choice (about 9 apples)
10 large frozen strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon allspice

Directions
Peel, core and slice apples 1/4-inch thick. Place apple slices in a large saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until a sauce consistency, about 45 minutes. Use a potato masher, if necessary, to break up any lumps, but leave slightly chunky.

Breakfast Cookies!

Marking my spot for something I want to try. this Sounds yummy!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Carson came home last weekend after going to Ashlyn's birthday party with about 40 hershey kisses. They had a pinata that was FULL of them. So, I set out to find a recipe for peanut butter cookies. Surprisingly, I had never made these. I've eaten plenty of them from time to time, but never made them. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com. I changed it a bit like some of the comments suggested (less flour and add a little milk) and they were yummy. Although, Carson started asking for a cookie everyday at about 7am. Yeah, they are already gone!

Apple Pie

I made apple pie with apples from our inlaws. Diane showed me how to make it one time and now I just remember the recipe. So, bear with me!

About 5-6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup sugar
Ummmmm, some cinnamon. Just add it until it's the right color. :)
Pillsbury pie crust (I know you can make these from scratch, but WHY?)
heavy cream

Cook the apples in the margarine in a saucepan until they are tender. I like them to sort of brown.
Add the sugar and cinnamon. Add a little splash of cream. About 2-3 tablespoons.

Pour it into a pie crust. Put the second crust on top and seal it up. Cut the little slits to release the steam. Then pour another splash of the cream on the top and smear it around. Bake at about 325 for an hour. I love my pie crust sheilds! Use one for the first 45 minutes then remove so that it can brown.

That's it!

Oh and be sure you top it with ice cream!

KIM UPDATE: It's also really good if you sprinkle raw sugar on top of the top crust!

Fun finger foods!

Last night, Matt and Kim Mauck came over to watch America's Got Talent (weak!), and we had a fun finger foods dinner! I served Crash Hot Potatoes (which I love--have made them four times now I think!), Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps, and Fried Asparagus. YUM!

The chicken recipe is courtesy Paula Deen, and you wrap chicken chunks in bacon and then dredge it in a mixture of brown sugar and chili powder. FYI: I thought the dredge mixture needed a bit more flavor after I made it the first time, so I added seasoned salt and lemon pepper.

The fried asparagus is a fun way to eat veggies--dip the asparagus in a very sticky beer batter, and then deep fry. Serve with Ranch dressing to dip!

Sweet squash casserole!

I should have posted this a little earlier when it was the peak of squash season, but my mother-in-law is still giving me some from her garden, so maybe you can still use this. It's from one of my favorite little cookbooks, Requested Recipes from Granny's Pink Rose Tea Room. This lady used to operate a cute little tea room in her Victorian-style home. I went there once, and everything she served was so different from the kind of stuff you usually eat, but so delicious!

Ingredients
2 lbs yellow squash: cooked, drained, mashed. (I dice three or four medium-sized squash and boil for 6 minutes, then mash with a fork in the colander. Just a rough mash will do.)
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped (I sometimes leave out the peppers and onions if I don't have them on hand; it's still great!)
1/4 cup butter (If you don't do the peppers and onions, you won't need the butter either.)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (Here's where the sweet comes in!)
4 eggs
1 t. seasoned salt
1 pinch plain salt
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
Topping: 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Saute onions and pepper in butter. Put cooked, mashed squash in casserole dish. Mix milk, brown sugar, egg, salts, and cheese, and pour over squash. Make sure onions and pepper are cool before adding them to the casserole (I have scrambled my eggs before--when I didn't have any back-up ingredients to start over, and had to strain out all the scrambled bits. Not pretty.)

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until the center doesn't jiggle anymore. Melt butter and add bread crumbs, and bake for 10 more minutes.

This is great as leftovers!

Hot Crash Potatoes!

These were delish! I made them with home grown potatoes from my in-laws garden. Super easy as well.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

It was a hit!

The bread turned out delicious! Although, I did the recipe wrong. I put 1/2 C cornmeal in with the dough and you are supposed to only use it on top as you pull it out of the bowl. Anyway, it still turned out good. I'll be doing it again and maybe even for pretzels like Jen suggested.

Bread

I am off to try this super easy recipe for bread.
http://amazingtrips.blogspot.com/2008/04/speaking-of-dough.html

I didn't want to write down the recipe so, I thought I would just link it here. I'll let you know how it goes!

Molten Lava Chocolate Cakes

Here's a Paula Deen recipe that is great for special occasions! I made them for Jay and I for Valentine's Day. It's similar to the Chili's molten cake, with a liquid inside! I have no idea how the chemistry works; you don't inject anything, it just turns out firm on the outside and "molten" on the inside. As Paula would say, it will make you want to slap your mama! I made them in a muffin tin, and those are smaller than the called-for 6oz custard cups. Take a couple minutes off the bake time if you do this; mine could have stood to be a bit more molten. I also did not use the orange liquer--not something I have around the house, or really want to make a special trip to the liquor store for!

Molten Lava Cakes

6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange liqueur

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

Mocha Frappuccino

I'm pretty sure no one checks this blog anymore so this is more for my reference. I've been wanting some of these from Starbucks but at $4 a pop that is just ridiculous.

Starbucks Frozen Frappuccino
From: Top Secret Recipes: Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits, and Shakes
by Todd Wilbur
(Plume; February 2002; ISBN: 0452283183; PB)
Cookbook Heaven @ Recipelink.com

It was in 1995 that Starbucks stores started selling this frozen drink, one of the company's most successful new products. The Frappuccino is blended with strong coffee, sugar; a dairy base, and ice. Each one is made to order and each one is guaranteed to give you a throbbing brain freeze if you sip too hard. The drinks come in several different varieties, the most popular of which I've cloned here for your frontal lobe-pounding; caffeine-buzzing pleasure.

Make double-strength coffee by measuring 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per cup (serving) in your coffee maker: The drink will be even more authentic if you use Starbucks beans and grind them yourself just before brewing.

Makes 2 "Grande" Drinks

COFFEE

* 3/4 cup double-strength coffee, cold
* 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 1 cup low-fat milk
* 2 cups ice

1. Make double-strength coffee by brewing with twice the coffee required by your coffee maker: That should be 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per each cup of coffee. Chill before using.
2. To make drink, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until ice is crushed and drink is smooth. Pour into two 16-ounce glasses, and serve with a straw.

CARAMEL

For this version, add 3 tablespoons of caramel topping to the original recipe and prepare as described. Top each glass with whipped cream and drizzle additional caramel over the whipped cream.

MOCHA

For this version, add 3 tablespoons Hershey's chocolate syrup to the original recipe and prepare as described. Top each glass with whipped cream, if desired.

Two great breakfast-on-the-go recipes!

Sorry faithful readers; it's been too long! It's not that I haven't been cooking; it's just that finding the time to write about it has become significantly more difficult, as I'm sure you can imagine. Audrey has a good reason, also.

With Claire and having to be at work 20 minutes away by 7:50, I rarely have time to sit down and eat breakfast. Here are two great recipes that you can make up ahead of time and keep in your freezer (I put them in individual Ziploc bags, and then in one big Ziploc bag, to prevent freezer burn and them from sticking together.)

This first one is not so healthy, but absolutely delicious! I got it from an issue of Oklahoma Today. Some Oklahoma bed-and-breakfast serves these scrumptious muffins:

Cappuccino Muffins:

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1 cup milk
2 T. instant coffee
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir coffee granules into milk into the coffee is dissolved. Add butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients; fold in chocolate chips. Bake muffins for 17-20 minutes at 375 degrees.

This next one is a pancake that's so hearty and sweet, you can just heat it up and eat it plain, no syrup or butter. (But they're outta this world fresh out of the frying pan with warm butter and syrup!) I got it from the American Profile newspaper supplement.

Oatmeal Pancakes
Make this mix and keep it on hand: Trust me, it's way better than Bisquick!

4 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup instant nonfat dry milk
3 T. baking powder
2 T. cinnamon
5 t. salt
1/2 t. cream of tartar.

Then when you're ready for pancakes, add these ingredients to make 10 pancakes (for just Jay and I, I halve these amounts, but for a freezer portion, I do the whole amounts):

2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
2 cups pancake mix
1 cup water

Yum!

Paula Deen's Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

I made this great banana pudding recipe for our Pannell family Easter get-together, after first trying it at Diane's house, of course! Like all PD recipes, this one is rich! With shortbread cookies instead of good ol' Nilla Wafers and an 8-oz package of cream cheese, this stuff is delish! Note: Our Wal-Mart didn't have Peppridge Farm Chessmen cookies, so I used Lorna Doone shortbread cookies, and they tasted great!

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top. In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Paula Deen's Hot Fudge Sauce

This is the Mauck family's new obsession, as Diane has recently gotten hooked on all things Paula Deen, and made several batches of this delectable, addictive sauce for her kids. Paula serves it on homemade chocolate cake, but we keep a jar in the fridge and heat some up and spoon it on top of vanilla ice cream about every other night!

1 (4-ounce) bar German chocolate
1/2-ounce unsweetened chocolate
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

Melt the 2 chocolates with the butter in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir in the powdered sugar, alternating with evaporated milk and blending well. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Serve slices of cake topped with warm fudge sauce.

Homemade Hamburger Helper!

I make this meal once every couple weeks, or whenever I have about a cup of cooked hamburger meat in the fridge or freezer, and only about 20mins to have dinner on the table.

1 cup cooked hamburger meat
1 cup uncooked rotini or elbow macaroni noodles
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup hot water
1/4 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. oregeno
Salt and pepper to taste
A couple handfuls of sharp cheddar cheese

Combine all but cheese in a large skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until noodles are tender. Remove from heat, sprinkle cheese on top, cover until cheese is melted.

Serve with a green veggie and some bread, and voila! Meal in less than Rachel Ray's 30 minutes!

Coconut Cream Angel Cake

I honestly did not get a single bite of this dessert, but that is GREAT when it's the dessert I take to a church lunch! Ask Jay: As ridiculous as it might sound, I judge myself based on how many servings are taken out of my potluck dishes. A wiped-clean dish after a church meal makes for a happy me, and that was the case yesterday with this dessert! I think I know the secret to making a hit dessert for our church though: pies, pudding-type desserts, and anything that resembles a coconut cream pie. This dessert incorporates a little of all of them, but is way easier than a coconut cream pie. I would even compare it to a coconut cream bread pudding, as the angel food cake kind of soaks up the pudding/ice cream combination.

Coconut Cream Angel Cake


INGREDIENTS

1 prepared angel food cake (8 inches), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1-1/2 cups cold milk
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant coconut cream pudding mix
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted

DIRECTIONS
Place cake cubes in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. dish. In a mixing bowl, beat milk and pudding mixes on low speed for 2 minutes. Add ice cream; beat on low just until combined. Spoon over cake cubes. Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with coconut. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12-15 servings.

Let the freezer cooking begin!

I am going to do something different for when the new baby comes. I hope to have my freezer stocked with meals ready to thaw and heat. I have a wonderful friend that works full time with 3 kids and she does this monthly. I am going to try to double recipes that I make over the next few months and freeze a portion to have when I don't have time to cook. Phylliese has some wonderful recipes that she let me borrow that work great for freezer cooking. The first one was a BIG hit.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna

makes 3- 8X8 pans
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C. chicken broth
1 lb. lasagna noodles (no boil required kind)
1/2 lb. shredded ham
1 T. dried parsley

Sauce:
1 C. butter or margarine
3/4 C. flour
3 C. milk
2 C. heavy cream
1 1/2 C. chicken broth, reserved
1 C. grated parmesan cheese

Cook chicken in pot with 1/2 c. broth and enough water to cover breasts. Cool and cut into bite size pieces. Save broth.

Make sauce: melt butter or margarine. Add flour. Cook and stir slowly. Add milk, cream, and reserved broth. Cook until boiling, stirring constantly. Add cheese and parsley.

Grease 3 8X8 pans. Spread a little sauce in the bottom and layer noodles, sauce, chicken, and ham. Repeat 3 times ending in sauce. I sprinkled a little more parsley on the top for looks.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes until bubbly.
Wrap tightly with press and seal and put into a 1 gallon freezer bag. Label with date and directions. Thaw frozen lasagna when ready and cook for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees until bubbly. ENJOY!

Pecan-Crusted Salmon

I fix salmon about every week, and this recipe from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking (precursor to Simple & Delicious) is definitely a keeper! Easy enough to make for just Jay and I, but fancy enough to serve for company. The sweet AND savory coating with the rich pecan crunch is delicious!


Pecan-Crusted Salmon

From Quick Cooking

INGREDIENTS
4 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each)
2 cups milk
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
2 teaspoons pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
Place salmon fillets in a large resealable plastic bag; add milk. Seal bag and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes; drain. Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, combine the pecans, flour, brown sugar, seasoned salt and pepper. Coat fillets with pecan mixture, gently pressing into the fish. In a large skillet, brown salmon in oil over medium-high heat. Transfer to a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 4 servings.

Restaurant-style sweet and sour chicken

I tried out a new recipe last night from my latest issue of Simple & Delicious, and it was just that! Not the healthiest choice, but delicious! Jay even had some for breakfast this morning, if you can believe that! I served it with a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies (we like the VIP Mandarin style: peapods, broccoli, mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrot slivers) and some quick fried rice. I didn't add carrots and pineapples to the sauce, just 'cause I was tired of standing at the counter after slaving over Valentine's candy for my spoiled-rotten sweetheart after I got home from work!

Classic Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

INGREDIENTS
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
Oil for frying
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

SWEET-AND-SOUR SAUCE:
2 jars (10 ounces each) sweet-and-sour sauce
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained
Hot cooked rice

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the flour, water, egg, baking powder, sugar, salt and pepper. In an electric skillet, heat 1/4 in. of oil to 375°. Dip chicken into batter. Fry in oil, a few pieces at a time, for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the sweet-and-sour sauce, carrots, green pepper, onion and pineapple. Cover and microwave on high for 4-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve chicken and sauce with rice. Yield: 4 servings

Weird recipe, great brownies!

I found this one in a Christmas Gooseberry Patch cookbook Diane loaned me. These Graham Cracker Brownies taste kind of like Hello Dolly bars, but without nuts and coconut; just chocolate! They're chewy and rich, and blow away boxed brownie mixes in flavor. Plus, super-easy to make, and made of the kind of ingredients you usually have on hand anyway. Here it is:

Graham Cracker Brownies
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (have a kid bust 'em up for you for fun!)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
Dash salt
1 t. baking powder.

Mix it all together, spread it in a square baking dish, and bake at 350 for 30-35 mins!