Homemade Apple Pie

An apple pie from scratch was a scary thought for me a while back-making dough from scratch was the scariest part. However I thought I would give it a try. I broke it down to, if it didn't work, oh well, I'm out flour, shortening, and water. Not really a big loss. However, if I succeeded, it would be much more than flour and shortening and water! It would be small source of pride, knowing that was one more thing I could cross off my list things to try.

I recently purchased a Kitchen Aid Food Processor, and not that this part is necessary, but dough making became a breeze. If you do own one, use it for this, it'll be perfect!

Homemade Apple Pie
(dough recipe from Ina Garten:Food Network)
(Pie recipe is inspired by several sources, mostly of my own measurements)

For the crust:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

For the pie

8 apples, varieties such as granny smith, fuji, or other good baking apples
1/2 cup white sugar
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
lemon juice
4 Tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, then reduce temperature to 375 degrees after pie is in oven.

Mix the nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar together. Incorporate the butter and 4 Tbsp of flour into the sugar mixture. Slice the apples into thin wedges and place in the prepared pie plate. Mound the apples high with the center of the pie being the tallest. As you are piling the apples in the prepared the plate, sprinkle some of the lemon juice and sugar based mixture between the apples.

Place the second rolled out crust over the apples, seal the edges tightly. I found a good website to demonstrate basic pie crust edging here. Create several steam holes for the steam to escape. Brush the top crust with a beaten egg and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Soup season is close to over in MN (thankfully) and warmer weather is on it's way. However, soups make an easy lunch to bring to work, so I thought of broccoli cheese soup this week! My husband liked this soup, even though it has an arch enemy in it-broccoli! I don't blame him, it's not everyones favorite veggie. I don't mind it if it's in a soup like this or dipped in a veggie dip or ranch dressing. Broccoli is high in vitamins K, C, and A and Fiber-I vow to try and like this veggie more from now on :)



Broccoli Cheese Soup (from My Kitchen Cafe)

1 3/4 cups of chicken stock
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp butter

1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
Pepper to taste

2 c. milk (1% is fine)
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. shredded swiss cheese
2 1/2 to 3 cups steamed chopped broccoli

In a saucepan, cook chopped onion with 1 Tbsp butter for a few minutes until the onion softens and begins to turn translucent (about 4-5 minutes.) Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan.

Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes.

In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken. Next add chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and steamed broccoli. Serve immediately.

Makes approximately 4 servings

Nutella Brownies

As always, our trusty Nutella has never steered me wrong. I think, for me, anytime I see Nutella in the name of a recipe, I can almost instantly assume that it will be a hit. The original recipe calls for caramel and hazelnuts, which unfortunately I did not have on hand. I tossed around the idea of making my own caramel sauce, but just decided that was to be too much work, I forged ahead without. The results were just as lovely without, however, I feel there should be a way to work in a cream cheese swirl. Let me know if anybody figures out a way to work that in :)

Nutella Brownies (Inspired by bell'alimento at Tasty Kitchen)

½ cups All-purpose Flour
⅓ cups Cocoa Powder
¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
1 pinch Salt
1 cup Sugar
½ stick Unsalted Butter
2 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
½ almond extract
¼ cups Nutella (1/4 cup Nutella, melted if desiredfor garnishing)
Nuts, if desired (I used pecans because thats what I had on hand) hazelnuts would be ideal though.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Into a mixing bowl, add your flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Using a whisk, mix together and set aside. Into your stand mixer or in a bowl using a hand mixed, add the sugar and butter; cream together. Add in eggs one at a time and mix well. Add in your vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually add in your flour mixture until it’s well combined. Batter should be thick and sticky.

Spray an 8"x*" ovenproof dish with cooking spray. Place a piece of parchment paper (slightly larger than your dish to allow for handles) inside. It will adhere to the bottom of the dish. Pour the batter in the prepared dish. Spoon the Nutella over the batter, and swirl throughout the batter using a spoon or a spatula. Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until sides are firm and center is no longer giggly.

Allow brownies to cool completely before removing. Cut your brownies to your desired size using a serrated knife. Make a small indentation with your finger into each brownie. Take your melted Nutella and drizzle over the tops of the brownies. Garnish with the nuts.

Sloppy Joes

Hi my name is Rachel, I like Sloppy Joes. This was my first try making them in how long. It was very easy, and very quick. Instead of solely using ground beef, I used what is labeled as 'meatloaf mix' from the meat dept at the grocery store. Meatloaf mix consists of ground beef, veal, and pork. I felt this lightened up the recipe a bit, and I suppose you could use ground turkey to lighten it up a bit more, but I don't like the taste of ground turkey on it's own. This recipe also utilizes a lot of pantry staples, so this is a great go-to recipe in a pinch!

Sloppy Joes (From My Kitchen Cafe adapted from Dave Lieberman)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 ½ pounds ground beef (or meatloaf mix as I used-beef, pork, veal)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2/3 cup smoky BBQ sauce (or whatever BBQ sauce is in your fridge)
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
8 to 12 sandwich rolls

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and keep stirring until the meat is coated. Add the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. You can make the sloppy joe up to 2 days in advance and reheat it over low heat or in the microwave.

M&M Cookies!!

Of all of the cookies that I can think of, I think some of the very basics are my very favorite. One of those selected few is the beloved M&M cookie! When I say this recipe pop into my email inbox, I knew this weekend I would have to try it. This cookie proved to be soo good that the base of this cookie might be used in other cookie recipes in the future. These turned out perfectly cooked, slightly chewy, a little crisp, perfectly shaped. The only change I might try next time would be to add a little more salt, I think that might bring out the flavor of the sugar, and butter, and vanilla just a little more.

When placing the candies on top of the cookie just prior to baking, don't be afraid to put them a little closer to each other than you would think to. The cookie will spread a little bit which will give them necessary space between the candies.

The recipe is said to only make twelve cookies, they are a little bigger cookies. My try at it made thirteen cookies, with the last being a little bigger than the others. A measured scoop will also help make sure each cookie is the same size and shape. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

M&M Cookies (from Joy of Baking)

2 cups of All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (*see note above)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup M&M candies (rough estimate)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one oven rack in the top one-third of the oven and one oven rack in the lower one-third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, or in a separate bowl and use a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating well until combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, and beat until just incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Form the dough into balls, using 1/4 cup for each cookie. Place six balls of dough on each lined baking sheet. Gently flatten each dough ball into a 2 1/2 circle. Gently press the candies into each cookie. Bake for 15-17 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway. Cookies are done when when they are light golden brown in color and are just set. The cookies will continue to set as they cool, be careful not to over bake.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before cooling on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Key Lime Bars

This is my go to recipe for lemon bars, yes that's right I said lemon bars. You see that's what the original recipe calls for, and any other day I would go for that, but I thought I was in the mood for some Key Lime Treats. These bars are creamy, with just enough tartness of the lemon (or lime in this case.) The crust is perfect made with the vanilla wafer cookies. This is an all round summer classic in our house, whenever I make these people often ask for the recipe and I have to point them to the Kraft website!

Key Lime Bars (adapted from Kraft Food and Family)

20 Reduced Fat vaNilla Wafers cookies, finely crushed
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold margarine
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Neufchatel cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. grated key lime peel, divided
1/4 cup fresh key lime juice
1/4 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder
2 tsp. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan; set aside. Combine wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and the brown sugar in medium bowl. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min.

Beat Neufchatel cheese and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and 2 Tbsp. flour; mix well. Blend in 1 Tbsp. Key Lime peel, Key Lime juice and baking powder; pour over crust.

Bake 25 to 28 min. or until center is set. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining 2 Tbsp. grated key lime peel just before cutting into squares to serve. Store leftover squares in refrigerator.

Tuscan Mac and Cheese Bake

I have been searching for more ways to incorporate more whole grain pasta into our everyday meals, I usually have to sneak it in to boot. My husband is a little leary when it comes to whole grain pasta (I kind of am also also I sheepishly admit.) However, this was a hit! I fessed up as we were finishing up to what kind of pasta it was (to secretly prove a point :) and he was all for it. I used the Barilla Plus Penne. A serving has 17g of protein, 360mg of Omega-3, and 7g of fiber. All of this wrapped up in a tasty and easy lunch, this cannot be beat!

Tuscan Mac and Cheese Bake (from My Kitchen Cafe)

12 oz precooked smoked chicken or turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups uncooked whole grain penne
8 oz cream cheese, cubed and softened
1 generous cup of shredded mozzarella cheese (I had about 1/2 cup mozzarella left at home, as well as a cheddar monterey jack blend, so I used a mixture of the two which worked just fine)
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tomato, seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large bowl, combine the sausage, cooked pasta, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese. In a small separate bowl, combine the flour and spices together.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter, then whisk in the flour and spices. Allow the butter mixture to cook without browning for about 30 seconds, the flour-y texture and flavor should cook out of it. Slowly add the milk while whisking/stirring, and continue to cook and stir constantly until milk mixture thickens, about 5-6 minutes.

When the mixture has thickened, slowly pour the mixture over the pasta mixture and stir to combine.

Pour into an 8"x8" lightly greased baking dish and tightly wrap with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle the tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

 

As the weather warms here in MN I was trying to get my fill of soups before the much anticipated spring makes it's first appearance. I love soups, but as the weather gets warmer, I think of them less and less. This was a lovely new soup to add to my arsenal of recipes. Be careful in the beginning to not overcook the veggies, I think I did that a little but I like my veggies a little more crisp and crunchy rather than a more cooked vegetable. I also have chosen to add some ground chipotle powder to the soup to add a little bit of a kick. This gave it sort of a southwest flair.

A chowder is typically thickened with flour and milk as it's base. There are more than a few speculations as to where the term chowder comes from. It could be French, Latin, English, or other languages. Either way, to me it just usually means good eats.

Chicken Corn Chowder (from My Kitchen Cafe)

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, finely chopped (seeded and membrane removed)
1/4 cup thinly chopped or sliced ham
3 cloves garlic, minced
28oz chicken stock
3 Tbsp flour
3 ears of fresh corn kernels, or 1 1/2 cups frozen kernels
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or diced
4 oz softened cream cheese, until almost melted
1 cup of milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Chipotle pepper to taste, ground (if using)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute celery, bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ham; cook for another 3 minutes. In a small bowl or a measuring cup, whisk the flour into the chicken stock, and then stir into the soup pot. Bring to a low boil and reduce the heat. Whisk together the softened cream cheese and the milk in a bowl until smooth.

Whisk the cream cheese/ milk mixture in the soup along with the salt, pepper, and chipotle pepper (if using.) Simmer on low until serving. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese