Crumb Topped Apple Pie

Apple pie, mmmm...Apple pie brings back so many memories for me. It is my mother's favorite dessert  and so we had it quite often.  The fact that we had the best apple tree in the backyard was also a factor in the frequency of the dessert.  I used to love sitting on the board as a counterweight to the apple-peeler-corer slicer and watch my mom get the apples ready for the pies plus we got to eat all the peels.  I suppose my mom could have used a clamp but I am glad she didn't because it was a good time to bond with mom.  This is not my mom's recipe which is perfect when you want an honest to goodness simple apple pie.  But this is a variation with a crumb topping that's gives you a little different texture.    Don't be stingy with the apples, they cook down.   As always apple pie is better warm and with ice cream. 

Crumb Topped Apple Pie

Prep Time: 45 minutes + chilling
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 servings
Family Friendliness: Some kids like apple pie and some don't, that's all.

Ingredients:

1¼ c. all-purpose flour
½ t. salt
½ c. shortening
¼ c. cold water
FILLING:
5 large tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced
2/3 c. sugar
5 t. all-purpose flour
1¼ t. ground cinnamon
TOPPING:
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
½ c. sugar
¼ c. cold butter (don't use margarine it makes the crust super crunchy and hard to cut through) 
Directions: In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in the shortening until crumbly.  Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 1 to 1½ hours or until easy to handle.  Roll out pastry to fit a 9-inch pie plate.  Transfer pastry to pie plate.  Trim pastry to ½ inch beyond edge of plate; flute edges.  For filling, place apples in crust.  Combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples.  For topping, combine flour and sugar in a small bowl; cut in butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle over filling.  Bake at 450° for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350°, bake 50-60 minutes longer or until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbly.  Cool on a wire rack.

 *Tip: Handle your pie crust as little as possible and don't let it sit for a long time or else your crust will be tough. 

 

(This recipe originally came from Taste of Home magazine)

First-Prize Doughnuts

If you are planning a Halloween party, you are going to need doughnuts.  You can't have a doughnut eating contest without them and a Halloween party isn't a party without it.  These are the best homemade doughnuts that I've tried.  They take a little while to make.  But don't be afraid, they are so delicious.  You'll thank me later. 

First-Prize Doughnuts

Prep Time: 20 minutes + rising
Cook Time: 5-10 minutes
Yield: About 2 dozen plus doughnut holes
Family Friendliness: Everyone loves doughnuts, I think.

Ingredients:

2 pkg. (¼ oz. Each) active dry yeast
½ c. warm water
½ c. warm 2% milk
½ c. sugar
½ c. shortening
2 eggs
1 t. salt
4½ to 5 c. all-purpose flour
Oil for deep-fat frying

TOPPINGS:
1¼ c. confectioners' sugar

4-6 T. water
Colored sprinkles
toasted coconut
mini M&M's
chopped peanuts
edible glitter
ground wafer cookies
crushed candy bars
cinnamon or cocoa sugar
Directions: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add the milk, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt and 2 c. flour; beat until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.  Turn onto a floured surface.  Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.  Punch dough down.  Turn onto a floured surface; roll out to ½” thickness.  Cut with a floured 3½” doughnut cutter.  Place on greased baking sheets.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.  In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°.  Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides.  Drain on paper towels.  In a shallow bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and water until smooth.  Dip warm doughnuts in glaze; decorate as desired with desired toppings.     

(This recipe came from Taste of Home magazine)

Monster Cupcakes

So I haven't actually tried these yet, but I plan to in a couple of days.  I love Halloween, the food alone is just so much fun.  You can do just about anything with your food to make it fit in the theme.  You just have to dream it(or be like me and borrow other people's ideas).  I think these monsters are too cute to be scary but that's perfect for my little monsters who scare very easily.  We are going to have  a lot of fun making these! 

Pizza Shop Pizzas

Once my family settled down in our small town in Idaho we quickly realized that there was not a pizza shop around that would deliver to our door.  Once this no-fail plan for dinner in a hurry was taken off the table as an option I began searching for a pizza recipe that could replace a pizza from our favorite pizza shop.  I think that it nigh impossible to recreate the greasy, gooey, melty goodness with a crunchy  sinfully delicious crust that you get from say Pizza Hut.  But it's not good for you anyway so who wants that.  I only crave a delivery pizza every so often, and some of that is for the novelty of having someone deliver dinner to my doorstep.  So anyway, I found this recipe a few months ago and Greg and I agree that this is so far the best homemade pizza I've made.  The recipe says it make two 14” round pizzas, but I only have one round pizza pan, so I started putting them in large cookie sheets and I get two big pizzas.  I bake one for the full amount of time for dinner and then bake the crust of the other for the first 5 minutes, put the sauce and toppings on and then put it in the freezer for later.  I put it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400° or until the cheese is melted and crust is brown.  Two dinners in one, you can't beat that.  I am going to list the toppings as the original recipe states, but we aren't that fancy around, we usually just stick with pepperoni, olives and peppers.  You can put on whatever your family likes.
 

Pizza Shop Pizzas

Prep Time: 40 minutes + rising
Bake Time: 15 minutes, each pizza
Yield: 2 – 14” pizzas
Family Friendliness:  You're kidding, right?  To tell you how much my kids like this pizza my son will no longer eat the pizza at school because it's not as good as mine. 
 

Ingredients:

2 pkg. (¼ oz. Each) active dry yeast
2-2/3 cups warm water divided (110° to 115°)
4 T. olive oil, divided
2 T. sugar
2 t. salt
½ t. dried oregano
¼ t. garlic salt
6-1/2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
1 T. cornmeal
SAUCE:
1 can (14½ oz.) diced tomatoes (I mash mine a bit so it's less chunky, but do what you like)
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 T. olive oil
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
½ t. each dried basil, oregano, marjoram and thyme
¼ t. garlic powder
¼ t. pepper
TOPPINGS:
4 c. (16 oz.) shredded pizza cheese blend (I just used mozzarella)
1 pkg. (6 oz.) sliced turkey pepperoni
2 cans sliced ripe olives, drained
1 c. pickled pepper rings
1 small onion, halved and sliced
1 can (4 oz.) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
Directions: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 2/3 c. warm water.  Add 3 T. oil, sugar, salt, oregano, garlic salt, remaining 2 c. of water and 5 c. flour.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.  Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.  Punch dough down; divide into two portions.  Roll each into a 15-inch circle.  Brush two 14-in. Pizza pans with remaining oil; sprinkle with cornmeal.  Transfer dough to prepared pans; build up edges slightly.  Bake at 425° for 5 minutes.  In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients.  Spread over crusts.  Sprinkle with toppings.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crusts and cheese are lightly browned. 
 

This recipe came from Taste of Home magazine

Apple Pumpkin Muffins

Muffins in general are some of my favorite foods.  I love all the possibilities that a muffin offers.  They lend themselves to blend perfectly into any season and almost every meal.  And unlike bread they require no rising and they bake faster (although these take a bit longer than most muffins because the apples have to cook), which is just what I need when I am in a hurry, which seems like I always am.  I make muffins a lot!  These tasty morsels have been one of my two favorite muffins of all time.  They are lovely for fall with a soup or salad.  Warm out of the oven is best, but you can eat them with a glass of juice or a mug of hot chocolate as well.  The streusel topping makes a lot so you don't have to be stingy.  Enjoy!
 

Apple Pumpkin Muffins

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Yield: 22 to 24 muffins
Family Friendliness:  We all love them!

Ingredients:
2½ c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. soda
½ t. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. pumpkin
½ c. vegetable oil
2 c. peeled, finely chopped apples (I've actually stopped peeling mine.  I do not like peeling apples and I can't tell that it matters.)
Directions: Combine first five ingredients in bowl.  Set aside.  Combine egg, pumpkin, and vegetable oil.  Add to dry ingredients.  Stir in apples.  Fill muffin cups ¾ full.  Top with streusel topping.  Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes.
STREUSEL TOPPING: 2 T. flour, ¼ c. sugar, ½ t. cinnamon, 4 t. (NOTE: teaspoon, not tablespoon) butter or margarine.  Cut butter into dry ingredients.  Sprinkle on muffins.

*Tip for making quick breads, including muffins:  They should always be stirred by hand and stirred as little as possible.  If you stir them too much they will not be as soft and you will incorporate too much air in the batter causing holes and what my practical homemaking teacher used to call “chimney tops,” a pointed top that allows steam to escape and we don't want that. 

Minestrone Soup

This is also not a “new” recipe.  My mother has been making this soup for as long as I can remember.  I also remember really liking it, except that it had green beans in it, so I picked those out.  But as I have grown I have learned to enjoy the full experience.  This makes a large amount so it's good for a crowd.  I love this soup in the fall and winter and it's great with the breadsticks that I posted earlier this week.

Minestrone Soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45-50 minutes 
Yield: I am going to guess 10-12 servings
Family Friendliness:  My kids like the flavor of this soup and unlike me they like green beans so they eat this pretty well.
 
Ingredients:
1 lb. Ground beef
1/3 c. celery
1/3 c. onion
½ t. salt
1 (28 oz.) can of tomatoes (if you use whole puree them, I use diced and I don't puree them, you're choice)
1 qt. Water
2 large carrots, peeled, sliced
2(8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 c. beef broth
1 T. dried parsley leaves
½ t. basil leaves
1 t. dried oregano leaves
¼ t. pepper
½ t. garlic salt
1 can green beans
1 can kidney beans
1¼ c. mostaccioli pasta uncooked
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions: In a large pot, brown ground beef and add celery, onion and salt.  Cover and simmer over low heat until vegetables are crisp tender.  Drain.  Add tomatoes, water, carrots, tomato sauce, broth, parsley, basil, oregano, pepper and garlic salt.  Bring to a boil.  Cover; simmer over low heat about 20 minutes  Drain the beans and add.  Bring to a boil; add macaroni.  Cook 15-20 minutes until macaroni is tender.   Top each serving with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese if desired.

Holiday Sugar Cookies

I don't know about you but I can't resist making sugar cookies for every holiday.  I like that I can make them any shape for whatever holiday.  Sugar cookie dough is a blank canvas.  My sister is a sugar cookie genius and decorates them better than anyone else I know.  I am not that talented when it comes to decorating, usually I hand the frosting over to the kids with some sprinkles and let the chaos reign.  Then our sweet neighbors usually get the interesting results.  While my cookies may not always look great, this recipe ensures that they will melt in the recipient's mouth.  The addition of cream cheese in this recipe makes them tender and the butter, well butter makes them fabulous.  Did mention that the dough is so very yummy?  Let me know if you like them.  A couple of years ago I used my gingerbread man cookie cutter and turned them into mummies using white frosting and a decorator's tip.  So cute.  The sky's the limit. 
 

Holiday Sugar Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes + 3 hours chilling time
Cook Time: 8-10 minutes for each batch
Yield: Hard to say, it depends on the size of your cookie cutters.
Family Friendliness: Kids love sugar cookies, and most adults do too.

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened ( you can substitute margarine, but they are so much better with butter)
1 pkg, (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg yolk
½ t. vanilla extract
¼ t. almond extract
2¼ c. all-purpose flour
½ t. salt
¼ t. baking soda
Tinted frosting, coarse sugar, and/colored sugar, sprinkles, or whatever you can think of
Directions: In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg yolk and extracts.  Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut with a floured cookie cutter.  Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets (I like to line my pans with parchment paper.)  Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown.  Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.  Cook and decorate as desired.

 (This recipe is originally from Taste of Home magazine)

Apple Orchard Pork Roast

I have always loved a good pork roast and this one just jumped to the top of my list.  I just about dropped my fork and knife, it's that good.  It was so moist and was so full of flavor, I just looked at my husband and said, “Mmmmmm...”  I cut the recipe in half and we still had half of the half leftover, so apparently we don't eat the full serving size since the original recipe says it serves eight.  Try it now while the apples are in season.  I might skip the turkey this Thanksgiving and go for this instead.  Just kidding. I can't do that, I am just too traditional.  But try this anyway, it's delicious.  But if you're going to store your bottle of sparkling cider in the fridge don't lay it on its side or it will explode all over your fridge.  Learn from my mistake. 

Apple Orchard Pork Roast

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1¼ hours + standing
Yield: 8 servings (1 cup sauce)
Family Friendliness: All of my kids literally gave this 2 thumbs way way up. 
 

Ingredients:

1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3 to 4 lbs.)
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
6 fresh sage leaves
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
3 large tart apples, cut into wedges
2 medium onions, cut into chunks
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ c. butter, cubed
1 and 2/3 c. sparkling apple cider, divided
1 T. soy sauce
¼ c. sour cream
Directions: Place roast in a shallow roasting pan; rub with garlic halves and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Top with herbs.  Arrange the apples, onions and sliced garlic around roast; dot with butter.  Combine 1 cup cider and soy sauce; pour over top.  Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1¼ to 1 ½ hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, basting occasionally with pan juices.  Remove the roast, apples and onions to a serving platter; keep warm.  Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.  Meanwhile, skim fat from pan juices; transfer juices to a small saucepan.  Add remaining cider.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat; whisk in sour cream until smooth.  Serve with pork.      

Breadsticks

I guess technically this is not a new recipe.  I have been using it for years and it's one of my favorites.  Sometimes we just have these for dinner with pizza sauce and some green beans and a bottle of peaches, my kids' favorite meal hands down.  Obviously they are also great as a side dish.  Pair them with soups or pasta and enjoy.  Let me know if you like them.

Breadsticks

Prep Time: 10 minutes + rising time of about 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: About 20 breadsticks
Family Friendliness: Like I said, my kids love these.

Ingredients:

1 T. yeast
1½ c. warm water
2 T. sugar
½ t. salt
3 c. or more of flour
melted butter
garlic powder/onion salt (opt.)
Parmesan cheese or grated cheese
oregano
Directions: Combine yeast, water and sugar.  Add salt and flour and let rest 15 minutes.  Roll dough out on a floured surface into a rectangle.  Using a pizza cutter cut in half horizontally and then cut in strips vertically.  Take two strips and seal two ends together and twist the strips together sealing at the opposite end.  Melt about ¼ c. butter and pour on a cookie sheet.  Roll the breadsticks in the butter and place on the cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with herbs and cheese.  Let rise for 15 minutes.  Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until golden brown.    

Savory Parmesan Bites

You might want to make a double batch of these tasty morsels.  I made them for some friends on New Year's Eve and we gobbled them up.  They are crispy and creamy and like the name says, savory.  I hope you like them.
 

Savory Parmesan Bites

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 13-15 minutes or until golden brown
Yield: 32 bites
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 c. Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cans (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 red pepper, chopped
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley (or about 2 T. dried)
Directions: Heat oven to 350°.  Beat cream cheese and ¾ c. Parmesan with mixer until well-blended.  Separate dough into 8 rectangles; seal seams.  Spread with cream cheese mixture; top with peppers and parsley.  Fold each rectangle lengthwise into thirds to enclose filling; cut into 4 squares.  Place, seam-sides down, on baking sheet; top with remaining Parmesan.  Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. 

(This recipe originally came from kraftfoods.com)

Mexican Grilled Chicken Wraps

I discovered these tasty morsels this spring.  I found the recipe at Kraftfoods.com and fell in love with them.  They are easy to prepare ahead of time and then grill when ready to eat.  They are easy to double and you can reheat them on a griddle and they are just as good the second time around.  I am investigating whether or not they freeze well.  I’ll let you know the verdict.  I like to serve them with a fruit salad. 

Mexican Grilled Chicken Wraps

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes (longer if you need to cook your chicken)
Cook Time: 8-9 minutes
Family Friendliness: Most of my kids like these, my oldest girl downs them. 
Yield:  6-8 wraps

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1½ c. coleslaw blend
1 t. chili powder
1 T. lime juice
¼ c. ranch dressing
½ c. Mexican blend shredded cheese (or cheddar is fine)
½ c. chopped tomatoes
6-8 soft taco size flour tortillas
Directions: Heat grill (or griddle or frying pan) to medium heat.  Combine first 7 ingredients.  Spoon chicken mixture down centers of tortillas.  Fold sides of tortillas, then roll up burrito-style.  Secure with toothpicks, if desired.  Grill, seam-sides down, 8-9 minutes or until golden brown on all sides, turning occasionally.

Zucchini Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

Got any more zucchini lying around?  I got this recipe from a lady at church, I wish I could remember which one, but I can’t.  I think these cupcakes are so scrumptious.  Anything with caramel is a winner in my book.  That’s all I have to say. 

Zucchini Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

½ c. orange juice
3 eggs
1 and 1/3 c. sugar 
½ c. vegetable oil
1 t. almond extract
2½ c. flour
2 t. ground cinnamon
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
½ t. ground cloves
1½ c. shredded zucchini

FROSTING:

1 c. brown sugar
½ c. butter
¼ c. milk
1 t. vanilla extract
1½ - 2 c. powdered sugar
Directions: In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil, orange juice and extract.  Combine dry ingredients; add to the egg mixture and mix well, add the zucchini.  Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake at 350˚ for 20-25 minutes or until cupcakes test done.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.  For frosting, combine brown sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.  Beat in powdered sugar.  Frost.    

Ravioli Bake

Ravioli is one of my favorite of dishes at Olive Garden, but we don’t get there very often because we are usually in too much of a hurry and too hungry to wait an hour to eat.  So I make it at home.  Frozen ravioli is a little on the less than cheap side, but I buy it at Costco in a big bag and it makes it a little more affordable.  Feel free to use a generic spaghetti sauce and just plain old mozzarella to help cut down on the cost of this meal.  However, this 9x13 pan will feed us for two meals, so there’s that.  Did I mention that it take 5 minutes to put together?  Love that.  Throw together a salad and French bread on the side and dinner is d-o-n-e.  It has to cook for 45 minutes and then let it stand for 10, so don’t forget to plan accordingly. 

Ravioli Bake

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes plus 10 minutes standing time
Family Friendliness:  My kids really like this, but I fed it to other kids once and they looked at me like I was feeding them poison.  So I guess it depends on the kids.
 
Ingredients
1 (26 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained (I use a pint of home canned tomatoes, undrained)
½ c. water (I omit this since my canned tomatoes have my liquid in them.)
1 (2 lbs.) pkg. frozen cheese ravioli  (I've never been able to find a 2 lb. pkg of ravioli so I just buy a 3 lb. bag at Wal-Mart or a really big bag at Costco)
1 pkg. (7 oz.) Italian three cheese blend
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
Directions: Heat oven to 400˚. Mix spaghetti sauce, tomatoes and water; spoon 1 cup onto bottom of 9x13 pan.  Layer half the ravioli and 1 cup shredded cheese over sauce mixture.  Top with remaining ravioli and sauce mixture.   Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese; cover.  Bake 30 minutes; uncover.  Bake 15 minutes more or until ravioli is tender and heated through and the cheese is melted.  Sprinkle with Parmesan.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
(This recipe was found in a Kraft's Food magazine)

Peanut Butter Chippers

Chocolate chip cookies are my go-to comfort food.  A warm chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven seems to solve every problem, at least for a little while.  I found this recipe earlier (in Taste of Home) this year and I love it.  First, they are so delicious.  Second, they don’t make a ton so you don’t spend all day baking and eating cookies.  Third, the peanut butter makes them more than just a chocolate chip cookie.  YUM!  Let me know if you like them!

Peanut Butter Chippers    

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 11-14 minutes for each batch
Family Friendliness: I don’t know any child alive that doesn’t love a chocolate chip cookie.
Yield: The original recipe says 3½ dozen, but I must make my cookies bigger because I only get 2 dozen.  Or maybe I eat too much of the dough.  I know Mom, I shouldn’t, but I do.

Ingredients
6 T. butter, softened
¼ c. peanut butter
½ c. sugar
½ c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla extract
1¼ c. all-purpose flour (I add about ½ c. more because otherwise they are flatter than I like my cookies)
½ t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
1 c. milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet depending on what my mood is, or sometimes I mix them)
Directions: In a small mixing bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars.  Add egg; mix well.  Beat in vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake 350˚ for 11-14 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove to wire racks.   

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Mix

It’s raining here and starting to get a bit chilly.  It makes me want to curl up on my cozy couch, grab a warm blanket, a book and a cup of hot cocoa.  That sounds like bliss to me.  I honestly can’t remember where I got this recipe but I like it.  I usually just make a cup at a time, but when we want more, I’ll just make a batch in my Cocoa-Latte.  In case you don’t know a Cocoa-Latte is a little mixer that blends up your hot chocolate and heats it at the same time and then keeps it hot.  I love how frothy and hot it gets my cocoa.  I am thinking it might be time to upgrade to the larger size since my family will drink more than 4 cups of cocoa anymore.  And no, this is not a commercial I just really like my Cocoa-Latte.  As far as the recipe goes, if you don’t like the cinnamon, just leave it out.  I’ve also changed it up by changing the flavor of the creamer.  Also I wait to put my marshmallows in until I serve it, the Cocoa-Latte melts them.  Let me know if you like it!

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Mix

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: Depends on how hot you like it!
Family Friendliness: 2 thumbs up!

Ingredients:

1¾ c. instant non-fat dry milk powder
1 c. powdered sugar
½ c. non-dairy creamer
½ c. baking cocoa
½ t. cinnamon
1 c. miniature marshmallows
Directions: Mix together and store in an airtight container.  To prepare one serving mix 3 T .mix with ¾ c. hot milk or water.

Super Quick Chili

October means the soups on!  I love soups, so I am excited when fall comes and I pull out my stockpot and cook up some warm, comforting soup.   One soup in particular that I always connect with October is chili.  Chili and Halloween go together as much as Halloween and trick-or-treating.  My mom makes fabulous chili and for as long as I can remember she would always make it on Halloween and only Halloween.  The biggest stockpot that would fit on our stove sat simmering for hours as the aroma filled the chilly air.  Now I love my mom's chili but to be honest I have never found the time to make it, maybe this year, and I want chili more than on Halloween so I had to find an alternative to Mom's.  This recipe fits the bill.  It can be started earlier in the afternoon and left in a crockpot to stew, or make it right before dinner and either way, it's good.  Mom's is still better, but it curbs my cravings.  Serve with some moist cornbread, scones, or cinnamon rolls and you'll feel as if someone has wrapped you in a nice warm comforter. 

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes - 4 hours (whether you're doing in a crockpot or on the stove)
Family Friendliness:  I've had to tone the heat down in this to make it easier for my kids to eat, but to honest they mostly eat the scones, cinnamon rolls or cornbread. 
Yield: 4-6 servings

Super Quick Chili
1 lb. ground beef
1 c. onion, chopped
1 lg. clove garlic, minced
1 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. black pepper
1 t. cumin
3/4 t. salt
1 1/2 T. chili powder (I only use about 1 T. or a little less)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 c. water
Directions: Brown beef, onion, and garlic in a medium-large saucepan; drain.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for at least 20-30 minutes, but can be up to 4 hours. 

P.S. This freezes well so you may want to double it and save some for later.  Then just warm it back up on the stove.

Roasted Vegetables

It's starting to cool off outside, maybe a little to quickly, but I love fall and all the food that comes with it.  It's time to put the grill on a temporary vacation, although it still gets pulled out a few times during fall and winter.  It's finally cool enough to turn the oven on and these warm and tasty veggies are delicious with a roast or steaks.  Bonus: they are so pretty.  I think next time I make these I will put more herbs and balsamic vinegar.  So taste them and see how you like them.
 
Prep Time: 20 minutes, unless you're faster with a peeler and a knife than I am
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes, it seems like these took a little longer than that so plan accordingly
Family Friendliness: I was surprised at how well my kids ate this but my kids are pretty good about eating veggies.
 

Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:
1small butternut squash, cubed
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed (I used red potatoes)
1 red onion, quartered
1 T. chopped fresh thyme
2 T. chopped fresh rosemary
¼ c. olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions: Preheat oven to 475°.  In a large bowl (or a large resealable bag), combine the squash, red bell peppers, sweet potato, and Yukon Gold potatoes.  Separate the red onion quarters into pieces, and add them to the mixture.  In a small bowl, stir together thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Toss with vegetables until they are coated.  Spread evenly on a large roasting pan.  Roast 35-40 minutes in oven, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

(This recipe is originally from an internet recipe site, but I can't remember which one.)

Blueberry Cheesecake Flapjacks

I love love love breakfast foods!  But I am not a morning person.  I know, not a good combination.  So we regularly have breakfast for dinner.  In fact, last month I actually made pancakes for breakfast and my 3 year-old commented that pancakes were not breakfast food, but dinner food.  So whether you make these for dinner or breakfast you will flip for these flapjacks!  It's like eating blueberry cheesecake for breakfast or dinner, whichever. 

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes per batch - longer if you are using frozen blueberries
Yield: 12 pancakes (I always double the batter but you don't need to double the cream cheese mixture)
Family Friendliness: Some of my kids aren't fans of blueberries, so I leave the blueberries out of theirs, but the pancakes are still yummy without them.

Blueberry Cheesecake Flapjacks

1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
¾ c. whipped topping (I don't like whipped topping so I use real whipped cream)
1 c. all-purpose flour
½ c. graham cracker crumbs
1 T. sugar
1 t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1¼ c. buttermilk (no substitutes and don't use the powdered stuff)
¼ c. butter, melted
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
¾ c. maple syrup, warmed
Additional blueberries, optional
Directions: For topping, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and whipped topping until smooth.  Chill until serving.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, cracker crumbs, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Combine the eggs, buttermilk, and butter; add to dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in blueberries.  Pour batter by ¼ cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top.  Cook until the second side is golden brown.  Spread topping over pancakes.  Top with warm syrup; sprinkle with additional blueberries if desired.

(This recipe and photo are originally from a Taste of Home Magazine or tasteofhome.com)

Stromboli Sandwiches

Think of these as Italian sloppy joes.  I love these because the flavor is quite robust and on the crunchy Italian bread, yum...  That's all I can say about them.  I think that this sauce would be yummy over pasta.  Let me know if you like them!
 

Prep Time: 20-25 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Yields: 8 servings but can easily be doubled
Family Friendliness: The bread crust is a bit tough for kids to bite through.  But make thin slices and spread it on and then bake instead of slicing it lengthwise.  But the taste is great for kids.
Stromboli Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 lb. Ground beef
1/8 c. finely chopped onion
½ c. ketchup
½ c. tomato sauce
1/8 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 t. garlic powder, DIVIDED
½ t. dried oregano
¼ t. fennel seed
¼ t. Italian seasoning
¼ c. butter, softened
1 loaf Italian bread, halved lengthwise
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions: In a dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the ketchup, tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, ¼ t. garlic powder, oregano, fennel seed and Italian seasoning.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine butter and remaining garlic powder; spread over top half of bread.  Sprinkle ½ c. mozzarella cheese over bottom half.  Spoon meat mixture over top; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Replace bread tops; wrap loaf in foil.  Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. 
(This recipe and the photo are originally from a Taste of Home magazine)

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

This is another one of my favorite ways to use zucchini.  I got it from a church cookbook from back home.  Thank you Tammy Mar.  The warm gooey goodness of this cake with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream just seems to melt away  the stresses of the day.  It is better to eat it right out of the oven or put a piece in the microwave for a few seconds, but always with ice cream.  If you're feeling like a little more sweetness use milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.  I don't use nuts because I feel they get in the way of the gooey-ness.  Let me know if you like it!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Family Friendliness: Chocolate cake, really do you have to ask?

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake
Ingredients:
½ c. oil
1¾ c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
½ t. cinnamon
4 T. cocoa
½ c. sour milk (½ T. vinegar in a ½ c. measuring cup, then fill with milk, let sit for 5 minutes)
¼ c. margarine
2 eggs
2 c. grated zucchini
2½ c. flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt

TOPPING:
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ c. chopped nuts (completely optional)
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. white sugar
Directions: Mix all cake ingredients together and pout into a greased and floured 9x13 pan.  Before baking, mix together topping ingredients.  Sprinkle on top of cake and bake at 350° for 40 minutes.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.

 

Tomato and Cheese Focaccia

I made this a couple of weeks ago for a grown-up only dinner.  It was delicious.  The recipe calls for brie, but I didn’t want to spend a small fortune on brie, so I broke one of my own rules.  I used Monterey jack cheese because that’s what I had on hand, but mozzarella would be great too.  I also used fresh tomatoes instead of canned because well I am usually drowning in tomatoes this time of year.  The dough was so much fun to knead, it was smooth and very soft, but not sticky, a lot like play dough.  Greg and I ate almost the whole pan in one sitting.  I served it as a main dish instead of an appetizer with a Caesar salad, oh and peach crème brulee for dessert (a recipe for next year when peaches are on again).  I might have to make this again real soon because I still have a lot of tomatoes coming on.

Tomato and Cheese Focaccia

Prep Time: 20 min + rising
Bake: 25 min.
Yield: 12 servings if being served as an appetizer, 4 servings if eaten as a main dish

Family Friendliness: This is basically pizza with chunks of tomatoes, instead of sauce and the cheese isn’t shredded but cubed, so I think most kids would like it if they could get pass the chunkiness.  Honestly, we didn’t share this with the kids. J

Ingredients                                                                                (Photo from tasteofhome.com)

2½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour                                        
2 pkg. (1/4 oz. each) quick-rise yeast
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1 c. water
¼ c. plus 1 T. olive oil, divided
1 can (14½ oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. Italian seasoning
6 oz. Brie cheese, cut into ½ in. cubes (or whatever cheese you want)

Directions: In a large bowl, combine 2 c. flour, yeast, sugar and salt.  In a small saucepan, heat the water and ¼ c. oil to 120˚ to 130˚.  (The water will make the dough pretty warm.)  Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.  Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  Place a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.  Punch dough down.  Press into a greased 9 x13 baking pan.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning and remaining oil.  Spread over dough; top with cheese.  Bake at 375˚ for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is melted.  Place pan on a wire rack to cool.     

(This recipe came from Taste of Home magazine)