French Apple Cake

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• Servings: 6-8

  Prep Time: 20 Minutes

  Cook Time: 40 Minutes

  Total Time: 1 Hour
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• Ingredients :

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling over cake
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used Mexican vanilla)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 baking apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I like Honeycrisp, Fuji or Granny Smith) (3-1/2 - 4 cups chopped)
• Confectioners' sugar (optional), for decorating cake
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• Instructions:
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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch springform or regular cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. If using a regular cake pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease again.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a handheld mixer with beaters, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, aboutt 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a tome, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla and milk.  Don’t worry if the batter looks grainy at this point.  Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped apples.  
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and even the top.  Bake for 35-40 min, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow the cake to cool on a rack in the pan.  Using a fine sieve, dust with confectioners' sugar (if using). Cake can be served warm or room temperature, plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Meatloaf

This was a recipe I found online and it sure was delicious!

I added extra veggies and spices listed below

Ingredients :

1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 egg

1 onion, chopped

1 C milk

1 cup dried bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

*Optional: I added diced green pepper, 2 jalapeños, 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons hamburger seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon parsley flakes

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

⅓ cup ketchup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, onion, milk and bread OR cracker crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 9x5-inch loaf pan, or form into a loaf and place in a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a separate small bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Mix well and pour over the meatloaf.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour.

Fresh Peach Jam

This jam recipe was found online,  I gave it a try with some fresh peaches and it turned out delish!

Ingredients:

    

    1 1/2 C fresh peaches peeled and diced

    2 T lemon juice

    2 T powered fruit pectin

    1 1/2 C granulated sugar

Instructions:

    In a medium saucepan, add peaches, lemon juice and pectin; mash peaches with a potato masher.

    

    Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.

    Once boiling, add sugar and stir until well combined.  Bring jam back to a boil, stirring constantly at this stage so the sugar doesn’t burn.  (For smoother jam, use a immersion blinder at this stage to process mixture until smooth.

    Once the mixture returns to a boil, let it boil for 4 minute, stirring constantly.

    To the the doneness of the jam, dip a spoon into the hot mixture and pull the spoon straight up.  If the Jam mixture runs off in a "liquidy" stream, then reduce the heat and simmer until the jam mixture drops off in dollops.

I needed to cook my jam for an additional 10 min on medium/low for a thicker consistency.

Let jam cool on the counter and transfer to an air tight container and store in the refrigerator.

Honey Mustard

Delicious dipping sauce!  

Honey Mustard

Ingredients:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate 

Everything Bagel Seasoning

This seasoning is great!  We use it in a lot of main dishes.

Ingredients :

2 T poppy seeds

1 T white sesame seeds

1 T back sesame seeds

1 T plus 1 t dried minced garlic

2 t flaked sea salt or coarse salt

Instructions:

In a small boel, combine ingredients.  Store in a sealed jar or container.

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CRANBERRY SAUCE OAT BARS

• This is a yummy recipe!  You must try it.  So delish!!
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• Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 + ½ cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup cranberry sauce

1. DIRECTIONS:
2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
3. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together butter with brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add rolled oats, flour, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.  Continue to mix until full combined.  The mixture will resemble crumbs.
4. Transfer the 3/4 of the mixture into a 9-inch square baking pan, and firmly press it in to create an even layer on the bottom. Spread cranberry sauce on top.
5. Crumble and Sprinkle the remaining mixture evenly on top of the layer of cranberry sauce.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until lightly browned. Place on a wire cooling rack to cool down and cut into 9 even squares.

Perfect Brown Rice

The recipe was found at www.saveur.com.  The rice turned out great without it sticking to the bottom of the pan!  That's a win for me!

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 cups short, medium, or long-grain brown rice (depending how much rice you want to cook)
• Kosher salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds. Bring 12 cups water to a boil in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over high heat. Add the rice, stir it once, and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Pour the rice into a strainer over the sink.
2. Let the rice drain for 10 seconds, then return it to the pot, off the heat. Cover the pot and set it aside to allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes. Uncover the rice, fluff with a fork, and season with salt.

Gingerbread Brownie Bars

 

If Christmas was a flavor, these Gingerbread Brownie bars would be it.  They are so delish and we are going to make this a Christmas tradition!

Ingredients: 

1/2 C Butter melted
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 t vanilla

1/3 C molasses 

1 egg

2 t baking soda

2 C flour

2 t cinnamon 

1 t ground ginger

1/4 t allspice

1/4 t nutmeg

1/4 t salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray 9x13 baking pan with Pam or use Crisco 

In a large bowl, combine butter, sugars.  then add vanilla and molasses and beat until creamy, about 1-2 minutes.  *the batter does get thick

Add the egg and stir until incorporated 

Add the dry ingredients and mix until dough is well combined.  It will be thick, like cookie dough

Spread the dough with a spatula evenly into the prepared baking dish.

Bake 20-25 minutes and let cool

Cool completely before frosting and cutting into squares.  Add some Christmas sprinkles on top!  Enjoy!

Autumns 15th Warrior Cat Birthday Cake

Autumn requested to design and decorate her own cake this year.  Her cake was inspired by the Warrior Cat Book series that she is reading.  Autumn drew the cat pictures and we printed them off at Costco.  The different symbols represent the different clans.  From left to right: Thunder Clan, Shadow Clan, Wind Clan and River Clan.  Autumn's favorite is Wind Clan.  Autumn did a fantastic job on her birthday cake!

Apple Crumble Coffee Cake

 

When you have leftover apples from the tree, this is a great way to use those delicious apples.
This recipe is so delish!  Definitely a keeper.

Dry Ingredients:
 
2 C Flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder 
3/4 t baking soda

Crumb Mixture:
1 C pecans chopped
1/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C sugar
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon 
3 T butter, melted

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 C butter, room temperature
1 C sugar
2 large eggs 
1 !/2 t vanilla
1 C plain yogurt or sour cream
2 apples, I used golden delicious

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9/13 pan with butter

Whisk flour, sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl. Set aside. 
Combine pecans, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, cinnamon, and melted butter in a bowl. Mix until pecans and sugar are thoroughly coated with butter.

Cream butter and sugar together in another bowlwith a spatula until well blended. Add 1 egg and whisk until mixture is smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in second egg until thoroughly incorporated. Add vanilla extract and yogurt; whisk together. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients; whisk just until flour disappears. Do not overmix.

Remove cores from apples. Cut across into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices. Stack up a few slices, make 1 cut down the center, and dice across into cubes. Add to cake batter, folding in with a spatula until just combined.  Make sure apples are cut small so they will bake nice with the cake.

Spread 1/2 of the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Scatter 1/2 of the crumble mixture evenly over the top. Top with the rest of the batter in dollops. Spread carefully to evenly distribute, trying not to disturb the crumbs. Top with the rest of the crumb mixture. Press crumbs into the batter very gently.

Bake in the center of the preheated oven until a toothpick or bamboo skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before slicing and serving.

Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken

We tried this with our rapid cook George Foreman grill and the chicken tasted delish!  I liked some extra Dijon mustard to dip my chicken in.  





Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 Tablespoon garlic salt
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 10 chicken tenders)
• Sauce:
• 1/4 cup mustard
• 1/4 honey

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a bowl or bag, combine your Dijon Mustard, honey, Olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and parsley until fully incorporated. Add your chicken breasts or tenderloins.
2. Let marinade for 4-8 hours in the fridge.
3. Heat grill to medium heat, place chicken on the grill and cook on both sides for about 4 minutes or until juice runs clear.
4. In a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup yellow mustard and 1/4 cup honey. Drizzle over chicken before serving.

NOTES

You can also use about 10 chicken tenders in place of the chicken breasts.

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Blackberry Jam

 I love homemade jam, and this is a super quick and easy jam that anyone can make.  We were lucky to get fresh blackberries from a neighbor and the jam turned out delish!

Ingredients:

            4 C blackberries

            3/4 C sugar

            2 T cornstarch 

            1/2 t lemon juice

        Directions:

            Mash blackberries in a saucepan with a potato masher.  Stir in sugar until juices form; place about 1 T blackberry juice in a small bowl and stir in cornstarch.  Pour cornstarch mixture into saucepan.

            Bring berries to a boil, stirring often, until jam is thickened, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Stir in lemon juice.  Transfer jam into glass jar and refrigerate until chilled.

           

Zucchini Pizza Crust

There is a first time for everything and this was one of them.   I decided to give it a try!   The zucchini crust had a good flavor and the pizza was delish!

INGREDIENTS

3 

medium zucchini, or about 4 cups grated zucchini

1 

large egg

2 

cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. 

dried oregano

3 c. 

shredded mozzarella, divided

1/2 c. 

grated Parmesan

1/4 c. 

cornstarch

kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. 

pizza sauce

1/4 c. 

pepperoni

Pinch red pepper flakes, for garnish
Basil, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425º and line a baking sheet with parchment. On a box grater or in a food processor, grate zucchini. I use a salad shooter to get rid of the excess moisture out of the zucchini vs using cheesecloth or a dish towel which is more messy.

1. Transfer zucchini to a large bowl with egg, garlic, oregano, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, and cornstarch and season with salt and pepper. Stir until completely combined.

1. Transfer “dough” to prepared baking sheet and pat into a thin crust. Bake until golden and dried out, 25 minutes.

1. Spread pizza sauce over crust then top with remaining mozzarella and pepperoni. Bake until cheese is melted and crust is crispy, about 10 minutes more. Garnish with red pepper flakes and basil.

SESAME HONEY CHICKEN LETTUCE CUPS

NO COOK-PREP, GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, SKILLET MEAL -- SERVES 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic (about 1 clove)
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
On cooking day: 1 head iceberg or butter lettuce.
Other optional toppings: shredded carrots, finely sliced cucumber, sliced green onion, crispy rice noodles

FREEZER PREP:
Label a new gallon-sized freezer bag.
1. Add sliced chicken + cornstarch into gallon-sized freezer bag. Shake bag until all sides of chicken pieces are coated. Seal bag, removing air.
2. In a small bowl (or place directly into quart sized freezer bag) combine honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes.
Add to labeled bag the sealed chicken with cornstarch bag and sealed sauce bag. Seal bags together and freeze.

 COOK IN WOK OR LARGE SKILLET:  3-4 tbsp vegetable or canola oil to a wok or large skillet and heat on high. Add chicken into wok and stir-fry, separating pieces and stirring constantly until the majority of the pieces have some golden or crispy edges on them, about 4 minutes. Add sauce, and cook, stirring constantly for about 1-2 minutes until sauce is boiling and slightly thickens. Serve in lettuce cups and top with additional toppings if desired.

Slow cooker Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 (12 Oz) bottle of Chili sauce
1 (16-18 oz) jar grape jelly
1 (2 pound) package frozen meatballs

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non0stick cooking spray
combine jelly and chili sauce in a crock pot and stir until smooth.
Add meatballs or cocktail sausages.  Cook 2-4 hours on low.
Serve over rice or with toothpicks.

FREEZER MEAL
To make this a quick and easy freezer meal, in a bowl combine chili sauce and jelly until smooth.  Add in meatballs.  put in freezer ziplock bag.  remove air and seal tight.  freeze.

Chicken Seasoning

Another recipe from my sister for a tasty chicken marinade.

Ingredients:

1 T sea salt
2 t basil
1 t rosemary
2 t garlic powder
1 t mustard powder
2 t paprika
1 t black pepper
1 t thyme
1 t onion powder
1 t parsley
1 t cumin
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Directions:

Mix all together and put some olive oil in a bag to marinate the chicken overnight. 

Grill afterwards and enjoy!

White Bread Recipe

This is a recipe that I got from my older sister.  These rolls are so delicious and quite simple to make, I would call that a "Win/Win"!

Ingredients and Directions:

5 C Milk (Can be whole, 2%, 1%)

Warm to about 95-100 degrees , or warm to the touch.  If you get too hot or too cold your yeast will not activate.  If you get your milk really hot it can actually cook the flour before you bake it.  Just get it warm to the touch.

When milk us warm, pour into Bosch and add:

3/4 C Oil (I use canola oil)

1/2 C white sugar

2 T salt

3 T SAF instant yeast

Mix together and while the mixer is working, add approximately 12 C white flour.
Add enough flour so that it cleans all the bowl expect for the very bottom while it is mixing.

Mix for 10-13 minuets 

I take mine out of the Bosch and put dough into a large bowl sprayed with Pam

Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let it rise until it begins to overflow your bowl

Take cloth off and make 5 loaves or you can make rolls

Spray cookie sheet or baking pan with Pam, cover and it the bread rise until about one inch above your bread pan.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake rolls for about 13-15 min.  Bake bread about 30-40 min (depending on the loaf pan)

When done, brush with butter on top.  Remove bread from pans and place on a dishcloth and cover with another dishcloth until cool.

HALF THE RECIPE ingredients:

2 1/2 C warm milk 

1/4 C + 2T oil

1/4 C sugar

1 T salt

1 1/2 T Yeast

Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches

A simple recipe that tastes great on a busy night!

Ingredients:

6 Chicken breasts cooked and diced

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1/2 t garlic salt

1 C BBQ sauce

1/2 C Teriyaki Sauce

1/2 t minced garlic

1/4 C lemon juice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and cook on low in a crockpot until warm, about 2 to 3 hrs.

Serve on hamburger buns and enjoy!

Flower Cake

This is a birthday cake that I made for my mom's 78th birthday.  My sweet daughter helped out with the flowers.  We used the cake tip 104, 103, and 102 for the flowers.  We then added the green leaves that made the finishing touch.  

I will share a baking tip that was given to me.  I put cut out a round piece of parchment paper to place at the bottom of the 8 inch round pan and lightly greased the sides with Crisco.  After baking, I cooled the cakes completely and put them in the fridge overnight.   When ready to frost the cakes, I took them out of the fridge and the cakes popped out of the pans and the parchment paper came off the bottom of the cakes beautifully.