Apple Crisp Pie

I don't usually make pie. Not because I don't like it, I am just not very good at it. But this recipe has given me new hope! I LOVE this pie, it is probably the only one I will ever make again, it is that good! I can't for the life of me remember where I got the recipe, so please forgive me for not giving credit where credit is due, especially with such an amazing recipe! 

Apple Crisp Pie

(makes one pie)

1 homemade or store bought pie crust (I use this recipe)

5 1/2 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples (my fav is honey crisp)

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

3 T flour

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

Topping

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 375.  Fit pie crust into the pie plate.  

In a large bowl, gently mix sliced apples, lemon juice, both sugars, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Once it is blended well, pour into the pie crust.

Prepare topping by mixing all the ingredients for the topping in a medium bowl with a pastry cutter or a fork until coarsely crumbled and all the dry ingredients are incorporated.  Sprinkle the topping over the apple mixture in the prepared pie crust.

Bake at 375 for 50 minutes. (If your crust starts to get too brown, cover just the crust with foil and continue baking.  The pie will be bubbly around the edges when it is done.  Let the pie cool (if you can).  It will set up as it cools! Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if you so desire, but why wouldn't you?!?

Roasted Tomato Marinara Sauce

I LOVE having a garden. I LOVE homegrown tomatoes. But there comes a time when all of a sudden you have 15 pounds of tomatoes ready all at once! That's when you can them!  I much prefer to have marinara sauce at the ready then just plain tomatoes.  And let's be honest, vegetables just taste better roasted! I found this recipe here.  It is simple, easy and in one afternoon I had beautiful jars of this perfect marinara sauce. All from my homegrown tomatoes!

Roasted Tomato Marinara Sauce

(about 8 cups)

10 pounds of fresh tomatoes

16 whole, peeled garlic cloves

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

6 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

2 medium onions, roughly chopped

1 T sea salt

2 t fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Get out 2 large roasting pans or 3 large cookie sheets.

Wash tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks. The core may need to be removed. Big chunks are good.  Place the tomatoes in the roasting pan.  Add garlic, oil, broth, oregano, onion, salt and pepper. Toss with your hands until mixed.  Place the pan in the oven and roast until the tomatoes have reduced by half and are starting to get a few black spots on the edges.  This should take about 45-60 minutes. Stir half way through.  If the tomatoes are really juicy, it will take longer. 

Remove pan from oven and let cool until you can handle it.  Carefully transfer the roasted tomatoes into a food processor or blender and pulse until desired consistency.  

The sauce is ready to serve. You can serve, freeze or can it.  

To can the sauce:

(You can NOT water bath this, it has to be done in a pressure canner)

Sterilize jars and fill leaving one inch head room.  Wipe the top rim and place the lid on.  We heat the lids in a simmering pot of water, be careful not to boil.  Place jars in a pressure canner.  Process for 25 minutes at 7 pounds of pressure. Don't forget to adjust for altitude.  Once the jars are processed remove from pressure canner and let them sit, undisturbed for 12 hours. 

Rosemary and Gruyere Cheese Bread

I love this artisan bread recipe!  I use it ALL the time, but this time I just wanted something a little different.  I may never go back!

Rosemary and Gruyere Cheese Bread

(1 loaf)

3 cups flour

2 1/4 t yeast

1 1/2 t salt

1/2 cup shredded Gruyere Cheese

1 T fresh chopped rosemary

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups water

Mix all ingredient EXCEPT water and oil together in a large bowl.  Add water and oil.  Stir until the dough forms a shaggy ball and all the flour is incorporated.  Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold over itself twice.  Form into a ball, cover and let sit for 30 minutes.  While the bread is sitting, heat oven to 450.  Place an oven proof, lidded pan (like a Le Creuset or Dutch oven) in the oven while it is heating up.  Once the oven and the pan are hot, place the dough seam side up into the hot pan.  Cover with the lid and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake for 5-10 minutes more or until desired doneness.  

Blender Pancakes (of the guilt-free variety)

I love a sweet breakfast! But when you are trying to eat better, there aren't that many sweet options.  When I came across this recipe, I was totally skeptical!  But thought I might as well give it a try!  So glad I did!  My kids even liked them! I am excited to have a healthy, sweet, breakfast without the guilt or added inches to my hips! I got the recipe here.

Blender Pancakes (of the guilt-free variety)

(makes about 10 pancakes)

6 egg whites

1 cup rolled oats, dry

1 cup cottage cheese

2 t sugar

1 t vanilla

1 t cinnamon

Place all ingredients into a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Cook on a heated griddle or pan sprayed with cooking spray or greased with a little butter and serve as desired.

Cinnamon Crumb Top Muffins

We have had a few snow days here is Texas and it brings out the baking monster in me!  There is no better way to spend a snowy morning than to fill your home with the smell of sweet baking goodness! When I saw these muffins they called to me!  I just had to try them, and they made our snowy day off of school so delightful!  You know calories don't count when the kids have a snow day, right?! I found the recipe here, changed it a smidgen and devoured these beauties!

Cinnamon Crumb Top Muffins

makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t baking soda

2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/3 cup oil (I used avocado oil)

3/4 cup milk

2 large eggs

The Crumb Topping

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups flour

Glaze

1/4 -1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-2 t milk

Preheat oven to 375.  Prepare muffin pan by greasing or lining with paper liners, set aside. 

Make the crumb topping by combining sugars, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk in melted butter.  Add the flour and stir with a rubber spatula until moist.  Spread the mixture out on parchment paper to dry until ready to use.  

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  In a large glass measuring cup whisk together milk, oil, and eggs. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.  Scoop the batter evenly into prepared muffin pan.  Sprinkle with the crumb topping and gently press the crumbs into the batter.  Place into the preheated oven and bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  

While the muffins are cooling whisk together the powdered sugar and the milk to make the glaze.  Drizzle glaze over the cooling muffins.  Serve while warm!

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

There is just something so delicious about a deep, dark chocolate cake with creamy cream cheese frosting! Here is my version taken from this chocolate cake recipe (P.S. its the best, ever!). It definitely deserves its own post! My favorite way to enjoy this cake is when it is super cold right out of the fridge.  It makes it extra dense and moist!

Chocolate Bundt Cake

2 cups (250 g) cake flour
1 t (6 g) salt
2 t (10 g) baking soda
1 t (5 g) baking powder
3/4 cup (69g) unsweetened cocoa
2 cups (400 g) sugar
3/4 cup (180 ml) vegetable oil (I used avocado oil, it is healthier and you can't tell at all)
1 cup (240 ml) hot coffee (I am not a coffee drinker so I used Choffy.  It is roasted cocoa beans, seriously amazing stuff!)
1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk
1/4 cup (60 ml) cream
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
2 large eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla bean paste

Preheat oven to 325.  Spray a Bundt pan with cooking spray and lightly flour.
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Add the *hot coffee or Choffy, oil, milk, cream and buttermilk and beat for 2 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla and eggs. Beat for 2 more minutes. It will be very liquid-y.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 45-55 minutes.  The cake is ready when the cake springs back when lightly touched or when a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes in the pan.  Loosen the sides and remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely. Frost as desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1- 8oz package cream cheese

1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)

1 t vanilla

4-5 cups powdered sugar

Mix together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add vanilla and enough powdered sugar to desired spreading consistency.  I like mine thick so I can pipe it on.

Glazed Donut Hole Mini Muffins

Love these mini muffin donut holes!  They are so delish! Here is where I found the recipe.  Talk about easy and fast! I did change the recipe a little, here is what I did…

Glazed Donut Hole Mini Muffins
(makes 24 mini muffins)

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 t baking powder
1 cup flour

Maple Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T real maple syrup (I didn't have any so I used 2 t maple flavoring)
1-2 T milk

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 24 mini muffin cups. Mix together the melted butter and sugar. Stir in the milk, then add the baking powder and flour and stir until just combined.  Fill the prepared muffin cups equally.  Bake for 15-20 or until the tops a lightly golden.  Cool and drizzle with maple glaze.

Glaze:
Whisk together the 3 ingredients for the glaze until smooth and desired consistency is reached.

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Meatballs

In the never ending quest to make something new for dinner, I occasionally come across a recipe that everyone in my family likes.  Ok, lets be honest, it rarely happens that EVERYONE in my family likes what I make for dinner but when it does happen it definitely becomes blog worthy!  So here you go, a recipe EVERYONE in my family likes!  Hooray for me! Here is where I found the recipe, I changed it a bit.

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Meatballs
(makes about 20 meatballs)

1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 T butter, melted
1 egg
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T dried oregano
2 t dried basil
salt and pepper
20 small mozzarella cubes (I cut string cheese into 4 or 5 chunks)

Preheat oven to 400.  In a small bowl, combine panko, butter and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese.  Mix until evenly coated with the butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg.  Add the chicken, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, basil, the other half of the parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.  Mix well with your hands.  Lightly coat a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.  Place a couple of Tablespoons of chicken mixture into each well.  Place a chunk of mozzarella into the center of each and press down slightly and then cover with the chicken mixture.  Sprinkle the top of each chicken mound with the panko/parmesan mixture lightly pressing it into the meat.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the panko is lightly browned and the chicken is cooked through.  Let it rest for 5 minutes after taking out of the oven.  Serve with noodles and your favorite marinara sauce.

*These would be great served with just marinara as an appetizer