Apple Pie (Like a Boss)

On By sarafillmerIn Dessert, Pie

This apple pie is so, so good. I made it more traditionally with a lattice crust using this recipe: Homemade Pie Crust. The caramel-like filling was delicious, and it came together really quickly. It easily stole the show this Thanksgiving. The hardest thing was letting it cool sufficiently, but it’s well worth the wait. Recipe and photo courtesy of audreysapron.wordpress.com.

  • 2 batches of Homemade Pie Crust (or 1 if you roll it out very thinly!)
  • 7-8 small granny smith apples, peeled, sliced, and cored
  • 1 stick butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Place the peeled, cored and sliced apples in a large bowl. Set aside. Preheat oven to 425. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the 3 tablespoons of flour and mix well, forming a paste. Add the water, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla and mix well. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat to a simmer for an additional minute. Remove from heat and reserve about 1/3 cup of filling for pie crust. Add remaining filling to apples. Toss well. Pour apples into prepared pie crust, mounding slightly. Top with second pie crust (lattice design, etc). Brush the remaining 1/3 cup caramel filling over the crust. Cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil. I lightly spray the foil so it does not stick to the pie. Place the pie on top of a cookie sheet (to catch any drips) and bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 50 minutes (remove the foil the last 10 minutes to let the crust brown), or until done.  The pie is done when the crust is golden-brown and the apples are soft when pierced with a fork. Allow the pie to cool before serving. Enjoy!

How To: Buttery Pie Crust

On By sarafillmerIn Dessert, How To

This Thanksgiving I finally forced myself to tackle the one baked item I usually buy from the grocery store: pie crust. I had tried to make pie crust one other time years ago and was frustrated by how finicky the recipes all seemed. Well, this year I found this recipe and let me tell you, I will never buy store-bought pie crust again. It was flaky and buttery and amazing. So, don’t be scared by the fact that everyone always says how you need to use cold butter, ice water, minimal kneading/handling and on and on. This recipe couldn’t be simpler and will not let you down. Recipe and photo courtesy of audreysapron.wordpress.com.

  • 1 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 sticks of cold butter (12 tablespoons)
  • 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons ice water (approximately)

Place flour and sugar in a food processor. Pulse. Add about half of the butter. Pulse.  Add the rest of the butter. Pulse until the mixture turns into coarse crumbs. Through the feed tube, slowly add the ice water and pulse until the dough gathers up into a ball.  If it doesn’t after a few seconds, add a few more drops of ice water until it does. Take the dough and flatten it into a disc and place it on a sheet of floured plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before rolling.

*If you don’t have a food processor you can easily use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry mixture.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins

On By sarafillmerIn Dessert

These muffins are so, so good. I had most of a can of pumpkin to use up, so don’t be afraid to use less than a full can of pumpkin. They still came out great. I also just greased my muffin tin and didn’t bother with the cupcake liners.  Recipe and photo courtesy of thenovicechefblog.com

  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (pure pumpkin puree)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  •  8 oz cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375. Grease your muffin tin with cooking spray or line your tin with cupcake liners. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside. In large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, until there are no lumps. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter. This will not look smooth, but it will bake up much prettier. Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I liked these best at room temperature or even slightly chilled! Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

 

 

Banana Pecan Bread

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

This. Bread. I can say with the utmost certainty that this banana bread is the best I have ever tasted. It is the right amount of sweetness with a hint of crunch from the pecans and the perfect balance of banana flavor. I have tried many many different banana bread recipes and this one takes the prize. While the recipe called for 1 9×5 loaf, I split mine into two 8×4 loaves, which allowed them to cook all the way through, without overcooking the exterior. Recipe and photo courtesy of myfrugaladventures.com

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1⅛ cup sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 bananas mashed very well
  • ½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Add flour, baking soda and salt to a small bowl and set aside. Mix egg, sugar and oil and stir until well combined Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well. The mixture will be thick and dry. Next add milk, vanilla and bananas and stir until incorporated. Mix in walnuts and pour into a loaf pan or pans depending on what size you want. Cook 50-75 minutes, checking regularly until a knife comes out clean.

 

Velvet Pork Chops (aka Gravy Delivery Device)

On By sarafillmerIn Entree, Gluten-Free

I’ve been trying to break out of my boring ground beef and chicken box and this pork chop recipe is right up my alley. Simple ingredients, simple preparation and it tasted really good to-boot. The gravy makes this recipe, hence the name at the top. Recipe and photo courtesy of southernplate.com.

  • 4 boneless pork chops
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • ½ cup cream

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add pork chops and salt and pepper the tops of them. Cook until browned, then flip and salt and pepper again. Continue cooking until opposite side is brown. Pour in chicken broth, reduce heat to medium, and cook until broth is mostly evaporated, about ten minutes. Once broth has cooked down, remove chops from pan and turn off heat but leave pan on the stove eye.Have a wooden spoon handy and pour the cream into pan. Immediately start stirring and continue until the pan remnants are fully blended in with the cream and cream is warm and thick, just a few minutes. Serve chops with delicious cream sauce spooned over them.

 

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

On By sarafillmerIn Entree, Soup

As we get into fall, I’m always looking for new soups to try. When my husband got a cold he requested soup, but was non-specific as to the kind, so I found this copycat of his favorite Panera Bread soup. I was really really pleased with how simple and delicious it was. Recipe and photo courtesy of fakeginger.com

  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup red onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup carrots, diced
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 package Near East Long Grain & Wild Rice with Flavor Packet
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 3 cups water
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
  • salt, to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Melt coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook until softened. Add dried marjoram, flour, and seasoning packet from the rice; stir to combine. Add rice, chicken broth, and water; bring to a boil. Cover, lower to a simmer, and let cook for 15 minutes. Heat heavy cream and milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir into the soup. Stir in the shredded chicken. Cook about 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty French bread or baguette.

Mini Peach Crisps

On By sarafillmerIn Dessert

It’s peach season here in Colorado and my brother brought home a big bag of peaches that needed to be eaten. My favorite way to eat  peaches is cobbler, but I didn’t want to make a huge pan, so this recipe was a match made in heaven. The filling looked just like a can filling after baking, but a thousand times better due to the fresh peaches. All in all I will definitely be making these again.

For the Fruit:

  • 2 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the Topping:

  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix together the peaches, sugar and cornstarch in a medium size bowl. Divide the filling between 4 ramekins that have been sprayed with cooking spray. In the same bowl, combine the flour, sugars and cinnamon. Mix in the melted butter with a fork, the mixture will not be completely wet, more sandy in texture, but should still be able to clump together. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit, making sure to leave some bigger clumps. (I then sprinkled the tops with cinnamon sugar, but that’s completely optional) Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, then take out of the oven and rest for 15 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping.

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

On By sarafillmerIn Entree

I made these meatballs this past weekend and they were so good! Don’t let the long ingredient lists scare you, these came together really quickly. I served mine with mashed potatoes, but rice would be good too! If there are leftovers, I would recommend storing the meatballs and sauce separately. Recipe and photo courtesy of jocooks.com.

For Meatballs:

  • 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, I used Panko
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup coarse ground mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (for frying)

For Gravy

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup beef or chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • parsley for garnish

Add all the meatball ingredients (excluding the olive oil) to a large bowl and mix well, use your hands. Shape into 1 inch meatballs. You should get about 40 meatballs. Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium to high heat. Add meatballs and cook. If you’re using a large skillet all meatballs should fit in one batch otherwise, you might have to fry them in a couple batches. Cook the meatballs on all sides, add more oil if needed. Remove meatballs from skillet and set aside. To the same skillet add butter and melt. Add onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent. In a bowl add the cornstarch and beef broth and whisk. Add broth and remaining gravy ingredients to skillet, and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, sauce should thicken. If the sauce is too thick add a bit more beef broth. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. When the gravy is done add the meatballs back to the skillet and toss them around so they’re covered in the gravy. Garnish with parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

On By sarafillmerIn Cookies, Dessert

peanut butter oatmeal cookieThis cookie is a great example of a simple, yet delicious cookie. There aren’t any fancy ingredients, but it’s hearty and satisfying without being too sweet.  Even better is the fact that the cookies were mixed up and baked in 30 min. Recipe and photo courtesy of hungryhungryhighness.com.

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1 egg, plus 1 yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 cup oats (I used old-fashioned)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with Silpat or parchment. Cream together butter and sugars for about 2 minutes. Add peanut butter and stir. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla. Combine flour, oats, and baking soda. Slowly mix into the wet ingredients. Add the chocolate chips and mix. Scoop onto the cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Samoa Truffles

On By sarafillmerIn Dessert

samoa-truffles-2As I’ve mentioned before, samoas are by far my favorite Girl Scout cookie. I tried not long ago making them myself and while the result was fabulous, it was very time intensive. We’re talking almost 4 hours. So when I found this recipe for a Samoa Truffle, I hoped it would taste as good as it looked, with a lot less hassle.  Well, it was and I’ll definitely be making it again. The recipe calls for dulce de leche, but I think next time I will try Kraft caramels and see if I like that better. Recipe and photo courtesy of shugarysweets.com.

  • 7 oz sweetened, shredded coconut
  • 1 can dulce de leche (14 oz)
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
  • 2 cups Nilla Wafer crumbs (about 7 oz cookies)
  • 16 oz dark chocolate wafers or almond bark

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread your coconut into a single layer. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, flipping the coconut every 5 minutes until lightly toasted. Remove from oven. Meanwhile, heat up the dulce de leche in the microwave until smooth, usually 30 second increments. Add in the coconut, sweetened condensed milk and cookie crumbs. Stir until well combined. Drop by tablespoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.  Dip the bottom of the truffles into the chocolate. Once all the truffles have been dipped, pour the excess chocolate into a Ziploc bag and snip one corner so you can drizzle it over the tops of the truffles. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Makes 60.