Apple Bundt Cake

• Note: Make a note that this recipe actually tastes best the second day so you can make it ahead and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. Also, if you are looking for other make-ahead components, the caramel sauce can be made and refrigerated for up to a week ahead of time.
• 
  
• Cake:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 medium apples, for about 3 cups chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable or canola oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
Cream Cheese Layer:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large egg
Glaze:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla
Caramel Sauce:
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup half-and-half or whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Generously grease and flour a 9 or 10-inch bundt pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. Peel, core and dice 3 cups of apples. Toss the apples with the tablespoon of lemon juice to keep from browning. Add the dark brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla and toss to combine. Set aside.
3. Using a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the oil, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. The batter will be quite thick. Drain any excess liquid from the apples (if any) and stir the apple mixture into the batter. Don't overmix! Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese just until smooth. Add the 1/3 cup sugar, vanilla and egg and beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth.
5. Using a spoon or butter knife, make a trench in the center of the cake batter (going around in the circular shape of the bundt pan) about 1-inch deep (just scoop the excess batter to either side. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the trench. Try and keep the cream cheese mixture in a ring in the center of the cake so it has cake batter on either side around the circle. Once the cream cheese mixture is in place, use a butter knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the surrounding cake batter.
6. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (checking often as you may need to decrease or increase time based on your pan and exact oven temperature). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
7. While the cake is cooling, mix the ingredients for the glaze in a small pan over medium high heat. Allow the ingredients to come to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Pour the glaze over the cake while the cake is still in the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan before removing. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature, drizzling caramel sauce over each piece.
8. For the caramel sauce, mix the butter, brown sugar, half-and-half or cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold (or use slightly warm but not hot). If the caramel sauce has cooled in the fridge long enough to harden, warm slightly before drizzling on cake.

Soft Gingersnap cookies

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
•  3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 C white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 T water
• 1/4 C molasses
• 2 T white sugar
• melted white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
4.  Melt chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, 30 second intervals and stirring in between.  Pour into ziploc bag, snip corner and drizzle over cooled cookies.

Popeye Muffins

Popeye Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour

• ½ cup sugar

• 2 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ cup coconut oil (I've used canola as well)

• ¾ cup milk

• 1 (6 ounce) bag fresh baby spinach

• ½ cup mashed banana (from about 1 to 2 bananas, I always use 2)

• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.

• Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl: flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

• In a blender, place oil, milk, and spinach. Blend on high for about 30 seconds or until completely puréed. Add banana and vanilla; blend on low just to mix.

• Pour puréed mixture into dry mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until completely combined.

• Fill muffin cups about ⅔ full and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

Notes:

A friend sent me this recipe on my birthday (it's a good recipe for St Patrick's Day!) and we love it! We've made it about 1/2 a dozen times or so and my kiddos think it's great. The kids love that they are bright green and big and I love the moist consistency and the minimal sugar and the fact that it takes a whole bag of spinach! Awesome! 

Source (picture and recipe): http://www.dietitianbrittany.com/recipes/?recipe_id=6066773

Skillet Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

• Ground Beef (about the size of six decks of cards)-- sorry I have a hard time measuring meat
• 3 eggs (whisked)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 onion (minced)
• 1/2 bell pepper (diced)
• 3 large mushrooms (chopped)
• salt and pepper
• two cloves garlic (minced)
• tsp cayenne
• tsp chili powder
• tsp thyme
• tsp parsley
• 2 pieces of whole wheat bread
• 1/2 lemon
• ketchup

Directions

1. Saute the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic in a large skillet. Add all the seasons and spices and let it cook until wilted.
2. Meanwhile, get the thawed but raw ground beef and add it to the whisked eggs and flour.  Mush it around with a fork or your hands until mixed.  
3. Once the veggies are cooked add them into the bowl with the beef and mix.  Squeeze the lemon into the mixture too and tear up the bread into small pieces and  mix.
4. Poor the mixture back into the large skillet you used to cook the veggies, and smoosh it flat on the pan and evenly.  Cook on each side on a medium high heat.  Kind of like a hamburger.  Before you flip the first time squirt ketchup all over the top, once you flip it after five or so minutes squirt it on the new side that's up.  
5. Continue flipping Until the meat and egg is cooked.  Wait as long as you like to flip.  The longer you wait the more of a crust it will form and look more like a meat loaf.  

Notes

I made this recipe up today, and it is one of my favorite ground beef recipes.  It will feed about three adults.  It tasted pretty fresh for a ground beef dish.  I don't like ground beef much, but I've been making chicken every night for two weeks straight so we needed to change. But  I'm so sick of cream of mushrooms/chickens, and spaghetti, and lasagnas.  So it was a nice change.  LOVED the zest.  Enjoy.  

Yummy Chicken Subs

The sandwich sort of looks like this! But brighter with peppers
picture source

Ingredients:

• hoagie roll or nice soft french bread
• chicken breasts
• Italian dressing
• katchup
• Worcestershire sauce
• cream cheese
• onions
• bell peppers
• mushrooms
• provolone cheese
• salt pepper

Directions

1. Put chicken breasts in a pot or crock pot and cook on low for an hour or until just cooked through, then poor Italian dressing, ketchup, all over the chicken until covered.  Add some drops of Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cut up some cream cheese and add to the mixture too.  (about a tablespoon per .5 ounce of chicken)
2. Cook the chicken for two hours at least.  For best results cook on low for 4 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350.  Cut your bread for individual sandwiches, and also cut open and spread cream cheese on both sides of the bread, then put a slice of provolone on both sides.  Place on cookie sheet in oven for 7ish minutes?? or until cheese is melted, with bread open and cheese facing up.
4. While cheese melting in oven saute chopped onions, peppers, and mushrooms in some olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook until soft.
5. Shred chicken
6. Get bread out of oven and place onion/mushroom/pepper mixture and chicken in the sandwiches
7. Enjoy!

Notes

So we've been into sandwiches lately, and I've been making a lot that have been good, but this one was Jeff's favorite.  He asks for it all the time, so I thought I'd post it.  I made it up, and I'm bad with measurements plus our families are all different sizes, so you'll have to adjust for your needs.  But this is a good one, hope you like it :)

The Best Sugar Cookies!

Hi ladies!  So I came across this fabulous recipe the other day.  My kids love the tradition of doing sugar cookies for Valentines Day, St Patricks Day, Halloween and Christmas.  So I am always looking for a good recipe.  I knew I found my match when I saw the cream cheese in this recipe! :)  They are super yummy.  I usually double the recipe.... Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

3 oz cream cheese, softened (I use whipped)

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp nutmeg (I just do a tiny bit, only because nutmeg isn't my favorite)

Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar.  Beat in egg yolk and extracts.  Combine flour, salt, baking soda and nutmeg and gradually add to cream mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 in thickness.  Place 1 inch apart on un-greased baking sheets.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until you see shine on top of cookie disappear.  Do not overcook.  Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Asian Chicken Salad

 

Salad:

Romaine Lettuce mix

Purple and Green Cabbage

Carrots

(for the above items I have found it is easiest to buy the packaged salad mix called "field greens" it has all of those items already in it, or buy a bag of romaine and a small bag of broccoli slaw.)

Green onions

Slivered Almonds

Brown Rice Noodles

Put all these items in a bowl and mix well

Breaded Chicken (Costco) or Grilled Chicken

Dressing:

Put all items in a blender and mix until combined well.

1 Clove garlic

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup purple onion

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup veg oil

1 Tbs Poppy seeds

I usually try to make it in the morning so it has all day for the flavors to combine.

Make as side salad, or serve in warm bake at home tortillas.

*We ate this at a girls Christmas party.  AMAZING.  My new favorite dinner or lunch.  If eating with tortillas, never mix dressing with salad before.  Keep them separate so you can store salad in fridge for days. I promise, it stays good.

Croissant Breakfast Casserole

• 4-6 large croissants (day old are best)
• 1 lb Italian or spicy sausage (you may use more if desired)
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1-2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 cups grated Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Mozzarella, or a combo
• 12 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper ground pepper

Method:

Grease a 9x13 or large casserole dish. Tear the croissants into large chunks and lay in pan close together. The rolls should cover the bottom of the pan. Brown the sausage in a Teflon frying pan, drain grease and place cooked sausage in a dish lined with paper towels to collect any extra grease. Press the paper towels around the sausage to squeeze out any remaining grease. Pour the meat on top of the croissants in dish, distribute evenly. Using the pan the meat was cooked in, wipe out pan with a paper towel and place the pan back on the stove at medium high heat. Cook the chopped onion for about 5 minutes or until softened, add one tablespoon oil or butter if needed. Add spinach to pan and cook just until the spinach is wilted. Pour cooked onions and spinach over top of sausage. Top with grated cheese. Beat the eggs and half and half together in a blender or bowl. Add the dry mustard, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the rolls in the pan. Cover with foil that has been greased (on side facing eggs) and store overnight in refrigerator. The next morning, remove casserole from fridge, preheat oven to 375 and place rack in middle of oven. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then carefully remove foil and bake until top is slightly puffed and custard is set in center, about 30 minutes more. Let cool for about 10 minutes, cut into 12 squares and serve immediately with chili sauce and or salsa. Serves 10-12

Tips:-The meat may be cooked and kept in fridge for up to three days before assembling. Or you may cook meat and freeze ahead of time. Use any variety of add ins and cheese

* I made this Christmas morning.  WAY good.  I'm never making a breakfast casserole without croissants again!
 

Homemade Playdough

1 cup flour

1 cup water

2 tsp. cream of tarter

1/3 cup salt

1 TBS vegetable oil

Food coloring

Add all ingredients in kitchen aid and mix well.  Add 1 to 1 1/2 more cups of flour until desired consistency.  Store in plastic bag for weeks.


*sometimes I add vanilla to make it smell good!