Impossibly easy French Apple Pie

From one who is not always successful with pie crust, I decided to try this version and will do it over and over!  It was amazing!  I wish I had made two!
adapted from Betty Crocker

Filling

6 cups sliced peeled apples (6 large)

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

                    1 cup Original Bisquick™ mix (or any pancake mix)

1 cup granulated sugar

                             1 cup milk

                                                   1

                            tablespoon butter or margarine, softened

3 eggs

Streusel

1/2

cup pancake mix

1/4

cup chopped nuts (optional)

1/4

cup packed brown sugar

2

tablespoons firm butter or margarine

Directions

• 1Heat oven to 325ºF. Grease 9-inch glass pie plate. In medium bowl, mix apples, cinnamon , sugar, and nutmeg; place in pie plate.
• 2In medium bowl, stir remaining filling ingredients until well blended. Pour over apple mixture in pie plate. In small bowl, mix all streusel ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over filling.
• 3Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Store in refrigerator.

Ree Drummond's Easy Caramel Sauce

Total Time: 30 min
Yield:1 1/2 cups
Level:Easy

Ingredients
1 packed cup brown sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half
4 tablespoons butter
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions
Mix the brown sugar, half-and-half, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until it gets thicker. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat, cool slightly and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.
Fruit Cheesecake Recipes
Rum Cake Recipes
Apple Strudel Recipes

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/easy-caramel-sauce-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Carrot Cake Blondies with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

Carrot Cake Blondies

Yield: 24 bars

adapted from crazy for crust

Carrot cake meets blondies in this recipe! A brown sugar blondie made with carrots becomes the soft and gooey cross between a carrot cake bar and your favorite chewy bar. The frosting is the best part!

Ingredients

Blondies:
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 cups grated carrots (from 3-4 medium carrots)
• 2 cups flour
Frosting:
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 4 ounces (regular or reduced-fat) cream cheese, very soft but not melted
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Blondies:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Whisk baking powder, salt, and flour in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream brown sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in dry ingredients. Stir in carrots.
4. Press into prepared pan (dough is sticky, spray your hands with cooking spray to avoid it sticking to your hands).
5. Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook - the center will still be jiggly when you take these out of the oven and they will finish cooking and firming up as they cool. They stay super soft though!) Cool completely in pan before frosting.
Frosting:
6. Make sure your cream cheese is super soft. If it’s not, you can remove it from the package and heat it on HIGH in the microwave for about 10 seconds to soften it. You want it very soft but not melted.
7. Whisk cream cheese and butter together (you can also use a hand mixer). Whisk in powdered sugar. Add vanilla and cinnamon and whisk until smooth. Frost bars in pan.
8. You can eat these right after frosted and they’ll be gooey and good. Or, chill until the frosting sets and then slice and eat. Your preference!

Notes

If desired, add up to 1 cup of chopped nuts and/or raisins to the batter before baking for more texture and flavor in the bars.

Beef-Stuffed French Bread

This is an easy recipe that was perfect for my night of having to feed a child in the car between her volleyball practice, dance rehearsal, 2 volleyball games, and Play rehearsal. Instead of filling a long loaf of french bread, I actually bought large dinner rolls, hollowed them out, filled them, and baked them just like I would have with french bread, but it made it easier to have them individual servings and to travel in the car since the roll kept the filling within it.  We avoided mess, which was and is important.

adapted from: Taste of Home

8 ServingsPrep/Total Time: 25 min.

Ingredients

• 1 unsliced loaf French bread (1 pound) (or 8 large dinner rolls)
• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 slices cheese, halved (I used Meunster)

Directions

• Cut off top of bread. Carefully hollow out bottom of loaf, leaving a
• 1/2-in. shell. Cut removed bread into small cubes; set aside. In a
• skillet, brown beef; drain. Add onion, green pepper, celery,
• Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Cook and stir 3-4 minutes. Add 
• cheddar cheese soup.  Stir in the reserved bread cubes. Spread into bread shell. 
• Top with cheese. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 
• 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted. Replace bread top.  Yield: 8 servings.

Caramel Apple Blondies

These are divine!  I've doubled the recipe and am featuring it for our Homecoming guests with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!
adapted from:host the toast

CARAMEL APPLE BLONDIES

 

PREP TIME

30 mins

COOK TIME

40 mins

TOTAL TIME

1 hour 10 mins

 

Adapted from foodiecrush.com

Author: Morgan

Serves: 12-16

INGREDIENTS

• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp pumpkin spice
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup chopped walnuts, plus ¼ cup walnut halves
• 2 large firm-sweet apples (about 1 pound) peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 20 meltable caramel candies

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, brown the stick of butter. The butter is ready when it is hazelnutty in color and smell. Do not burn the butter! Remove from heat and let cool.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the cooled browned butter, both sugars, and egg until creamy and well-combined. Fold the chopped walnuts and apples in to the butter mixture. Then, add in the dry ingredients a bit at a time, folding in until just combined.
4. In your prepared pan, spread the batter evenly. Set aside.
5. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, microwave the caramel candies for 30 seconds. Remove the candies from the microwave, stir, and microwave for 30 more seconds. Stir and then drizzle the melted caramel over the batter. Top with the walnut halves.
6. Bake the blondies for 40 minutes, or until golden and set in the middle. They will stay moist and soft, but you don't want them to wiggle when removing from the oven. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then lift the blondies out of the pan by gripping the edges of your parchment paper. If you'd like, drizzle additional melted caramel on top before serving. Cut into small bars and serve.

Inside Out S'mores Bars

Mmmmm! I love s'mores when there's a larger proportion of chocolate to graham and marshmallow.  These are quick and easy and delicious!

Inside Out S'mores Bars

Yields 24

Ingredients

• 1 box prepared brownie mix
• 9 graham cracker sheets
• 18 fun size Hershey's chocolate bars (or 12 oz. of chocolate chips)
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions

• 1
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-x-13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
• 2
  1. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions.
• 3
  2.Spread half the batter in the prepared pan. Top with graham crackers (break sheet into pieces as needed to fit into pan). Place mini chocolate bars on top (leaving gaps between each chocolate bar). Sprinkle marshmallows on the chocolate bars, but do not let them touch the sides of the pan. Carefully spread the remaining batter over the marshmallows, covering them completely.
• 4
  3. Bake brownies for 25 minutes or until set. Cool completely (for best-looking bars) before cutting into bars. Enjoy!

Notes

• Brownies will keep up to 5 days stored in an airtight container.

deliciously yum! http://deliciouslyyum.com/

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup

slighty adapted from Ina Garten at the Food Network
What a perfect way to continue using the boxes of tomatoes I have ripening up in the basement!  This was perfectly complimented with quick cheese quesadillas, and a green salad. I didn't have time for anything else!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 small can tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish (or 1 1/2 T dried)
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cup fat free half and half
grated cheddar cheese for garnish


Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that's left. (I didn't discard anything)  Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons, or grated cheddar cheese for garnish.

Apple Peanut Butter Cookies

adapted from Taste of Home

I am not a peanut butter lover; however, these tasted like Autumn to me.  The apple added flavor and softness.  Perfect for a September treat!

15 ServingsPrep: 20 min. Bake: 10 min./batch

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I even used whole wheat)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup grated peeled apple

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars until
• light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the dry
• ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in
• apple.
• Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking
• sheets. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. Yield: about 2-1/2
• dozen.

Nutritional Facts: 1 serving (2 each) equals 216 calories, 11 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 14 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium,

Mom & Sons Beef Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Paula Dean's Lady and Sons Beef Vegetable Soup at the Food Network.com

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (if using chuck roast)
2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef short ribs or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds boneless chuck roast*
4 quarts cold water
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon seasoned salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
2 bay leaves
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced green beans, fresh or canned
1 cup frozen black-eyed peas
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or canned
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
Chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions
If using chuck roast, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the roast in the skillet and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the roast from the skillet and cut it into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes; discard the fat. Place the beef cubes in a large stockpot. (If using short ribs, you can put them right in the pot with no preparation).

Add the water, tomatoes, onions, dried parsley, beef bouillon, dried Italian seasoning,seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, garlic powder, black pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot; reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. If using short ribs, remove them from the pot and cut the meat from the bones, discard the bones and fat, and return the meat to the pot. Add the remaining vegetables and the macaroni and return the soup to a boil, stirring to distribute the ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper and add fresh chopped parsley. To remove excess fat from the surface of the soup, swirl a lettuce leaf around the surface—it will pick up a lot of the fat.

*The chuck roast will yield more meat, but the bones from the short ribs give the soup an incredible flavor.
**I actually used left-over steak (yes, we had leftovers because we limited the boys to only 2 pieces) and equivalent amounts of the "Better than Boullion" paste, which I L.O.V.E.-love! I loved making this with potatoes, corn, and carrots, from the garden.  Instead of black-eyed peas, I used 1 cup of dried ABC soup from the cannery.  It was closer to a stew than a soup, so I had to add water near the end since it had cooked down. Also, who has fresh parsley leaves just laying around?  Not I.  That was definitely skipped.  But with homemade whole wheat french bread, this was a delicious Monday meal.  Mmmm!

Zucchini Ranch Meatloaf

adapted from Nashville Nosher on allrecipes.com

Ingredients
 1 lb ground turkey
1 lb ground beef
1 c shredded zucchini
1/2 c diced onions
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 egg
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c plain bread crumbs
1 (1 oz) package ranch dressing mix (I used 3 T)
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c steak sauce

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Mix the ground beef, ground turkey, zucchini, onions, green bell pepper, egg, Worcestershire sauce, Cheddar cheese, bread crumbs, and ranch dressing mix until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf in the middle of the prepared baking dish.
3. Stir together the ketchup and steak sauce in a small bowl. Pour the sauce over the top of the meatloaf. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

slightly adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients

Filling

4 oz cream cheese, softened (from 8 oz package)

1 egg 

               3 

tablespoons sugar

1/4

teaspoon vanilla

Brownies

1

box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker™ Original Supreme Premium brownie mix

Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box

1/3

cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• 1Heat oven to 350ºF (325ºF for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 9-inch square pan with shortening or cooking spray. In small bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Set aside.
• 2Make brownie batter as directed on box. Spread 3/4 of brownie batter in pan. Spoon filling by tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter. Spoon remaining brownie batter over filling. Cut through mixture with knife several times for marbled design. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
• 3Bake 40 to 44 minutes or until toothpick inserted in brownie 1 inch from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. For 16 brownies, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Peachy King recipes!

My husband can't resist the roadside fruit stands and he bought a half box of peaches.  Then within 5 days, my order of 2 boxes of peaches and 1 box of pears came in.  Eeek!  So I've been trying tons of new recipes and here are a few...
 From Sally's Baking Addiction.

Peach Streusel Muffins

This is my favorite peach muffin recipe! Buttery, tender, and moist, these peachy muffins are heavy on the crumb topping and sweet vanilla glaze.

yield: 12 STANDARD SIZE MUFFINS

 

prep time: 25 MINUTES

 

total time: 55 MINUTES

Ingredients:

CRUMB TOPPING

• 1/3 cup (67g) light or dark brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon (15g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup (84g) all-purpose flour

MUFFINS

• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature preferred
• 1/2 cup (120g) yogurt*
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice  **(I didn't have any so I omitted this and it was still delicious!)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk (any kind)
• 1 and 1/2 cups peeled, chopped peaches (3 peaches)*

Best Peach Cobbler You've Ever Had

from rachelschultz.com

1 box yellow cake mix 
1/3 cup butter, softened
2  eggs, separated
30 ounces canned peaches, drained (or 4 fresh peaches, peeled and pitted--yeah, I did 8)
8 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, butter, and 1 egg. Mix ingredients until crumbly. Separate 1/2 cup of crumble for topping. Spray a 9×13 glass dish with cooking spray. Press remaining crumble into base of dish. Bake for 10 minutes. While crust bakes, slice peaches into small, 1 inch pieces. Beat together cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg, and vanilla until creamy.

Layer peaches on top of baked crust. Spread cream cheese mixture on top of peaches.

Top with reserved crumbs and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 30 additional minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Homemade Peach Frozen Yogurt

adapted from Mels Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS

• 16 ounces frozen peaches (about 4 cups)
• 1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
• 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. In the bowl of a 7- or 8 cup food processor (I used my ninja bowl), add the peaches, agave nectar or honey, yogurt and lemon juice.
2. Process until the frozen yogurt is smooth and thick, about 5-6 minutes.
3. Serve immediately if you don't mind really soft frozen yogurt, otherwise, scrape the mixture into a tupperware-type container and freeze for 20 minutes (or up to a month if well-covered).