Flat Apple Pie

Instead of a regular apple pie for our
"first date anniversary," I tried Pioneer Woman's
Flat Apple Pie. Most of the juices ran out,
but other wise it was pretty good, and a little faster
than making regular pie.

Week 54(ish)

Friday - Mexican "Flatbread" Pizza (I'm sure the biscuits are full of junk, but I need fast and easy.) We'll have them without the hamburger meat - just refried beans and toppings.

*edit - Maxwell's quote during dinner - "I can't believe I like this!" He ate a ton.

Saturday - Beef Taquitos, black beans (?), chocolate cake with chocolate frosting

Sunday - hamburgers and fries

Monday - Southwest Pasta Salad

Tuesday - Pizza

Wednesday - Black Bean Tacos (like this but in taco form)

Thursday - Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes (didn't get to these last week, so we'll try again)

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes

Tried this recipe tonight, and I think it will be keeper.

Rebecca's Chocolate Caramel Delights

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup melted butter

Mix together. Put half of the mixture in an ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile,Heat these together until melted:

14 oz bag caramels (about 48)
1/2 cup whipping cream

When flour/oatmeal mixture if finished baking, take out of the oven and sprinkle with
12 oz bag milk chocolate chips

Top with melted caramel mixture.

Sprinkle remaining flour mixture on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

This is from my friend Jenny's mother, Rebecca. They are sooo good.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

from Sunset Magazine, October 2006
original recipe, here


Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter with sugars until smooth. Beat in egg, peanut butter, and vanilla until well blended.

2. In another bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, oats, baking soda, and salt; stir or beat into butter mixture until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Spread dough evenly in a buttered 8-inch square baking pan. Bake until pale golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a rack about 10 minutes, then cut into 12 pieces. Let cool completely.

Banana Bread

2/3 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups flour
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup mashed ripe bananas
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional - we leave them out)
chocolate chips
cinnamon and sugar

Place butter in medium bowl.
Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (It would be a good idea to stir those dry ingredients together and then add them to the butter, but I sometimes skip that step.)
Add bananas and half of the buttermilk.
Mix till moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed.
Add the rest of the buttermilk and the eggs.
Beat for 2 more minutes.
Fold in nuts (if you choose to use them) and chocolate chips.
Bake in two 9 x 6 x 3 loaf pans for about 35 minutes.
Sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar.

Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.

Notes: If I don't have buttermilk on hand, I often use sour cream or a mixture of sour cream and milk (about a 1/3 cup of each). Or, you can put a little less than one TBSP or so of lemon juice in a measuring cup and add milk to make 2/3 cup. The texture of the bread will be thickest and richest with the sour cream; the milk alone will be the least rich.

From my Mom and Grandma

Pamela's Christmas Toffee

Ingredients:
1 cup of butter
½-cup brown sugar
½ cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of your favorite nuts (I like almonds in mine)
1/2 package of chocolate chips

Prep:
On the bottom of a 9x13-glass pan, spread a light coat of butter and ¼ cup your favorite nuts. Also, have a small bowl of ice water ready to test your toffee.

The toffee recipe needs constant attention and stirring for about 10 minutes. In a heavy saucepan, add butter and sugars and melt on high heat. Once the butter and sugars have melted and started to boil, the toffee will go through 4 stages.

Stage 1: butter and sugars are melted, but not mixed. Keep stirring.
Stage 2: Butter and sugars are mixed and start to cook. Keep stirring.
Stage 3: Butter and sugars are bubbling. Keep stirring.
Stage 4: Butter and sugars change color, slightly (from light tan to dark tan) toffee looks almost like taffy, it becomes smooth not bubbly. Keep stirring and start to test for hard crack.

Hard Crack: Hard crack is when you take a small piece of toffee and when it hits ice-cold water, it sizzles. This is when the toffee is done! (Better Homes and Garden's New Cook Book says that hard crack is 295-310 degrees - if you want to use a candy thermometer)

Pour toffee evenly into buttered 9x13 pan, do not spread or stir, just pour directly from saucepan. Sprinkle with your favorite chocolate chips on top,the hot toffee will melt the chips in a few minutes. With a spatula, spread the melted chips over the toffee and sprinkle with your favorite nuts.

Allow toffee to completely cool, break apart with a knife and enjoy!

Marie from Make and Takes linked this recipe here. The original link is right here.

I love toffee, and with Marie's assurance that this recipe was NOT difficult, I made it the day she linked the recipe. It was pretty quick and easy, and we loved it! I'm making more today.

5 Minutes in Heaven or Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

1 yellow cake mix with pudding
1 sm. pkg chocolate instant pudding (or use 3/4 of a large box like i did)
1/2 C. sugar
3/4 C. vegetable oil
3/4 C. water
4 large eggs
1 C. sour cream
1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine the first 3 ingredients.
Stir w/ fork or wire wisk to remove large lumps.
Add remaining ingredients except chocolate chips.
Stir until smooth.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour into greased/floured bundt pan.
Bake @ 350 for approximately 1 hr.
Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack in the pan.
Remove from pan and cool completely.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve!

I wanted to try this so badly that I finally bought a bundt pan. I've found bundt recipes before and thought about making them, but in the end, I was always to cheap to buy the pan, so I'd move on to a new recipe. This one looked too good to pass up (and I'm glad I didn't). I saw it here and she linked it from here. It also sounds a lot like this recipe, so if you don't want to buy the bundt pan, you can try it in a crock pot. :)

I feel a little funny about posting dessert recipes here, this IS supposed to be a dinner blog.
Oh well. Once you decide what to have for dinner, dessert should be easy. :)

Grated Apple Pie

Joyce's Pie Crust
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
ice water

Use a pastry blender to combine butter, shortening, salt and flour.
When mixture forms little balls (resembling peas), add water
a little at a time until dough reaches right consistency.
Separate dough into two parts, flatten to discs,
wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until filling is ready.

Flour clean, dry surface.
Roll out one section of dough to desired size.
Place in pie pan, trim dough to edge of pan.
Roll out second section of dough.
Place on top of pie filling.
Trim edges, then crimp.
Poke holes in the crust to vent
(or cute out shapes before placing top crust on pie).
Handle pie crust as little as possible to avoid a tough crust.

Pie Filling from Kneakers Bakery as seen on ABC 4

3 cups grated apples
(Kneaders recommends A-Kane, I like the ones
from our tree, Pink Ladies, or Granny Smith)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP cornstarch
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
optional: 1 TBSP butter

Blend sugars, cornstarch, and cinnamon.
Grate apples, then incorporate into sugar mixture.
Add maple syrup and lemon juice, mix well.
Optional: Cut butter into 8 pieces and dot filling mixture with butter before topping pie
Lightly sprinkle top of pie with white sugar.