Apple Pie

So I made this pie clear back in November and am now getting around to posting it. I am hoping this next year I will be able to post more recipes. This recipe blog is the first thing to go when I run out of time. Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!
This pie recipe I found in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. It was very good. The only problem making it for my little family is, I am the only one who would eat it. So I had to give most of it away to a neighbor. I used my never fail Lion House Pie Dough recipe.

Apple Pie

1 recipe double crust pie dough

6 cups thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples ( about 2 1/4 lbs) I use granny smith apples.

1 Tablespoons lemon juice (optional)

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare and roll out pie dough into two circles the same size. Line a 9 inch pie plate with a pastry circle.

If desired, sprinkle apples with lemon juice. In a large bowl stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add apples slices. Gently toss until coated.

Transfer apple mixture to the pastry-lined pie plate. Trim bottom pastry to edge of pie plate. Cut slits in remaining pastry circle; place on filling and seal. Crimp edge as desired.

If desired, brush top pastry with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar. To prevent over-browning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 20 minutes more or until fruit is tender and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. To serve warm, let pie cool at least 2 hours.

Tender Grilled Pork Chops

You will love this recipe. Pork chops can be really dry sometimes. That is not the case with this recipe. So tender and juicy. I got this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. Go visiter her blog, she has some very good recipes.

Tender Grilled Pork Chops

4 boneless pork loin chops
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon steak seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning or make your own*)

Mix olive oil, soy sauce and steak seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and pour into a one-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork chops and set the bag in a baking dish in a way that the pork chops get a healthy dose of the marinade (it may be advantageous to flip the bag over halfway through the marinating time). Marinate in the refrigerator for 3-8 hours (no more than 8). Heat the grill to medium and grill the chops 6-8 minutes per side (depending on how thick they are) until they are no longer pink in the center. Remove the chops from the grill and tent them with foil and allow them to rest for 5-7 minutes. Slice the chops in 1/4 to 3/8 inch slices across the grain and serve.

Wheat Quick Pancakes

I had to put in this picture of my son watching me take this picture. I think he would have rather been eating the pancakes. My boys love these pancakes. We used to eat Bisquick pancakes and after making these for so long we can't eat Bisquick. This is another recipe that my mom always made. Love, love, love this recipe. It is also handy because you can make the wheat quick and keep it in the fridge. I keep mine in a ziplock bag and use as needed.

Wheat Quick

by: Julie Dansie

4 cups wheat flour

4 cups white flour

1/3 cup baking powder

4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup shortening

1 1/4 cup dry milk (optional)

Mix all ingredients. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Pancakes

Mix 2 cups wheat quick, 1 egg, 2 cups water (with dry milk in the mix) or milk. ( I usually make the wheat quick with out dry milk. So when I make pancakes, I use milk.)

Waffles

Mix 2 cups wheat quick, 1 egg, 2 cups water (with dry milk in the mix) or milk, and 2 Tbsp vegetable oil.

Brownies

I have been making this brownie recipe since I was little. No matter how many brownie recipes I try, I will always come back to these. It calls for butter or shortening. I have used both with good results, I have also used half butter and half shortening. That also works. These brownies need to be frosted. I will give my mom credit for this recipe since she is the one who taught me how to make them. Thanks Mom!!

Brownies

by: Julie Dansie

1 cup shortening or butter

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Melt shortening and mix in unsweetened cocoa, set aside. Cream sugar and eggs. Then add melted shortening and vanilla. Add flour, salt and baking powder and mix. Place in greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the center if it comes out clean the brownies are done. When cool, frost with chocolate frosting.

Quick Skillet Italian Chicken

As I look at this picture I realize that it doesn't look all that appetizing. Please don't let that deter you from making this dish. It is so easy and tastes delicious. Maybe one of these days I will work on making better pictures.

Quick Skillet Italian Chicken

4 frozen chicken breasts

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup green or yellow bell pepper, chopped

14 1/2 oz can Italian style stewed tomatoes

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 12 oz pkg. Fettuccine (or other pasta)

2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup black olives, pitted & sliced

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in large skillet. Add frozen chicken in single layer & saute 3 min. on each side or until lightly brown. Add onion, bell pepper, stewed tomatoes & lemon juice. Cover and simmer 25-30 min. or until chicken is no longer pink inside. While chicken is cooking, prepare fettuccine, according to package directions. Keep warm. When chicken is ready to serve, divide pasta among 4 dinner plates. Top with chicken breasts & tomato sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and sliced olives.

Beef and Broccoli

The fam really enjoyed this recipe and it was so simple to make. I think this will be a common meal at our house. I used what ever rice I had on hand. The broccoli had a great taste from being tossed in the oil mixture. Usually my vegetables are very plain so this was a nice change.

Beef and Broccoli

2 beef sirloin or ribeye steak, 1 inch think

1 cup jasmine rice

2 green onions, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 tsp. sesame oil

2 tsp. sugar

2 Tbs. soy sauce

1 lb. broccoli florets

Place refrigerate steak in freezer for a few minutes so it's easier to slice. Prepare rice as label directs. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 1 Tbs. sliced green onion, 1 tsp. minced garlic, 2 tsp. sesame oil, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Set aside. Take steak out of freezer and cut into very thin slices. Toss into a bowl with 1 Tbs. soy sauce, white parts of sliced green onion and remaining garlic. Set aside. In a 12 inch skillet, pour 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add broccoli and cook a few minutes until tender. Drain well and then add broccoli to first bowl of oil mixture and toss. Heat 2 tsp. sesame oil in same skillet and cook beef until you like it. Stir in remaining green onions and some salt and pepper. Then stir in remaining soy sauce. Serve with rice and broccoli.

Crock Pot French Dip

Here is any easy recipe that you can put in the crock pot and forget about it. It tastes sooo good. I don't have a picture but have had so many requests for this recipe that I have to post it without. Just know that if you try this recipe you will love it! I have also doubled the recipe and made it a freezer meal. It is a great way to make this easy meal even easier.

Crock Pot French Dip

4 lb chuck roast

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 bay leaf

3-4 peppercorns

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp garlic salt

beef broth - enough to almost cover the roast.

Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours or until done. When done shred meat and place on rolls. Use juice for dipping.

Homemade Girl Scout Samoan Cookies

These samoan bars were quite good. They took some time but were pretty simple. The next time I would use less of the cookie base. It just seemed to thick to me and took away from the overall taste. I also used a bag of the carmel baking bits and they worked out fine. So if you want Girl Scout cookies any time of the year have fun making these.

Homemade Samoas Bars
Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Easy Philly Steak Sandwiches

These are very good. I used left over roast from Sunday dinner, shred it and put it in with the Au Jus. I then saute the onions and peppers and put them in with the meat right before I am ready to serve. I made the rolls from a french bread recipe I found on another blog.

Easy Philly Steak Sandwiches

1 boneless beef roast (rump, sirloin tip roast, chuck, etc.) anywhere from 2 to 4 lbs

1 green pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

mozzarella slices

1 McCormick Au Jus sauce packet

Hoagie rolls/buns

In crockpot, dissolve Au jus packet in 3 cups of cold water then add the roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours (I cooked mine about 8 hours on low before adding the peppers and onion for another hour) One hour before you plan to eat, shred the beef then slice the peppers and onions and add to crockpot. When it is finished, remove meat and veggies with a slotted spoon. Place mozzarella slices on buns and put under low broil until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Fill the rolls with the meat and veggies, then divide the Au Jus sauce into smaller bowls for dipping.

Giveaway

Deals to Meals is doing a great giveaway! You have to go check it out. They are giving away a Bosch mixer. This is of course something that I have been wanting for a very long time. I love to make bread but my Kitchen Aid just doesn't cut it. It is the smallest size they sell and I can only make 2 loaves of bread at a time. My small family goes thru 4 loaves of bread a week. My boys are still little, I can't imagine how much bread we will be going thru as they get bigger and eat even more. While your there sign up for Deals to Meals, it will make your life so much easier, and you will save yourself lots of money while adding to your food storage!

Chicken Fried Rice

This is such an easy recipe and a favorite at our house. I have also used leftover pork and it was just as good. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of butter. I have never used that much. I only use about 1/4 cup. I can usually make this recipe in 30 to 40 minutes.

Chicken Fried Rice

1 to 2 chicken breasts or 10 chicken tenders ( cut into small pieces)

3 scrambled eggs

2 carrots (finely grated)

1/2 white onion (finely chopped)

3/4 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup butter

1 to 2 garlic cloves (crushed) or 1 tsp of garlic powder

2 cups white rice (not instant)

Marinate chicken in soy sauce, if you do not have much time, mix it with chicken before cooking. In a large frying pan cook chicken in small amount of olive oil, add carrots and onions and saute until clear.

Add frozen peas and cook until soft

In a separate pan cook rice then add to the mixture.

In another pan, scramble three eggs, chop finely and add to mixture

Melt 1/2 cup butter, add crushed garlic cloves to butter, stir and add to mixture

Mix all together well, add soy sauce to taste.

Thai Beef & Noodles

I have neglected this blog for long enough. I had a hard time cooking while I was pregnant. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things and get cooking again. We have been eating really good lately because my mom was here, then Scott's mom, and neighbors and friends have been bringing meals. We really have been spoiled since Bryson was born. The following recipe is one that Scott's mom made while she was here. Scott liked it so much he said, " you should take a picture for your blog." So here it is. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Thai Beef & Noodles

1 lb 1 inch thick sirloin steak

1/4 cup dry sherry

1 1/2 Tblsp. soy sauce

1 tsp ginger minced

1 tsp garlic minced

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper pods crushed

2 cups Ramen noodles or linguine

1/4 cup chopped green onion tops

Marinate steak in mixture of sherry, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and pepper pods. Save Marinade

Cook steak in large skillet on medium high heat for 12 - 15 minutes total, turning once.

Remove steak from skillet and keep warm.

Prepare noodles.

dissolve 2 tsp cornstarch in 1/4 cup water. Mix with reserved marinade. Boil this mixture in skillet for 1 minute until thickened. Add noodles to this sauce and stir.

Serve sliced steak on top of noodles. Sprinkle with green onion tops.