Caramel Apple Cake

I found this yummy cake over at Your Home based Mom. Let me tell you it was delicious!! I can't get enough of it!! It is such a great fall treat especially if you have some too ripe apples you need to use up. I always use my over ripe apples to bake with because I can't stand eating a soft apple mine have to be crisp and then that way I don't waste them and they work great for apple pie, apple crisp, apple cake, ect. If you love caramel and apples give this cake a try.

Caramel Apple Cake adapted from Your Home Based mom
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup oil
1T. vanilla
3 cups cake flour(I used regular all purpose flour and it worked great)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3-4 cups peeled chopped apples (i used about 4 cups about 4 apples)
1/2 -1 cup pecans(optional)
1(3.4oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix or pumpkin spice pudding mix(if you can find it)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a bundt cake pan well. Set aside. Beat eggs and sugar till foamy. Add the butter, oil, and vanilla and mix well. Add the pudding mix and mix well. Mix in flour, soda, and salt till combined. Stir in the apples and pecans. Your batter will be pretty thick. Don't be alarmed as the apples cook they add moisture to the cake. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Take out of oven and turn over onto a platter and let cool 10 minutes before taking the pan off the cake.

Caramel Sauce(I doubled this because I like a lot of caramel)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pole holes in the cake with a bamboo skewer and then pour the caramel over the top of the cake. Eat nice and warm or let cool a little bit before serving. I think it taste great both ways.

US Military Tribute - Far Away - Nickleback

Saw this and thought it was a wonderful thing for us to remember this Veteran's Day. I am so thankful for the country we live in and the freedoms we enjoy and that wouldn't be possible without the US Armed Forces. Thank you to all who have served and do serve still and their families who make a sacrifice as well. Even if you don't all agree with the war remember one of the reasons we enjoy all the things that we do!!!

Green Bean Chicken/Fried Rice

We love Chinese food around our house but I have a hard time finding recipes that are really tasty. I did find a good sweet and sour chicken one and now I have found this one. It was suppose to be General Tso's chicken but I don't think it taste like the General Tso's chicken at Chinese restaurants. It was good non the less and you can add lost of red pepper flakes to it to make it a little spicer and redder in color but I didn't because I knew my kids wouldn't eat it if I did so I just added Siracha Chili sauce to mine right before I ate it. My kids gobbled this up. So if you like chinese food give it a try.

Green Bean Chicken
2 T. Cornstarch
1 cup cold water
1 lb green beans or snow peas, washed,trimmed and cut
1 T. minced garlic
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced or 1 tsp ground ginger
6 T. brown sugar
6 T. soy sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes(optional I didn't use because of my kids)
3 large egg whites
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
3 T. cornstarch
1 lb, boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1inch or smaller pieces

In a large bowl stir together the 2 T. cornstarch and the cold water until smooth and cornstarch is dissolved. Add the green beans or snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes;toss to coat and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs whites, 3 T. cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss to coat.

In a large skillet, heat 2 T. of oil Lift half of the chicken mixture(shaking off excess coating) and add to the skillet. Cook, turning occasionally until golden and chicken is cooked through(8-10 min) Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken. Set aside. Add the green bean mixture to the skillet. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the beans are desired tenderness and sauce has thickened. Return chicken to skillet and heat through. Serve over steamed rice or Fried Rice.

Fried Rice
2 T. oil
1 onion
1 T. minced garlic
6 cups cooked white rice or basmati rice(cold or day old rice works best)
6 T. soy sauce or enough to taste
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
5 cooked eggs(scrambled)

Heat oil in a large pan or wok, add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are tender.Add the rice and cook stirring occasionally. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, chicken bouillon and cook a few minutes more. Add the frozen corn and peas and the cooked eggs and heat through.

Chocolate Granola

If you haven't noticed by now I love granola. I love how versatile homemade granola is. It is so easy to change it or to add what you like and you don't really have to follow a recipe to the T. Plus homemade granola is healthier for you and way cheaper than buying it in the store. If you haven't ever made your own granola I highly recommend that you give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Chocolate Granola
8 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup wheat germ or wheat bran
1 cup flax seeds
1-2 cups chopped almonds or pecans
1 cup coconut
1 cup sunflower seeds

Mix these all together in a large bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan bring these ingredients to a boil:
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup Honey or agave nectar
2 T. vanilla
2 T. Cinnamon
2 T. maple syrup

Once it boils, take it off the heat and pour over the oat mixture. Mix until well combined. Spread mixture onto two greased large cookie sheets. Bake at 250 for 45 minutes stirring halfway through the baking time. Take out of the oven and let granola set on cookie sheets for 1 hour undisturbed. Then add in 2 cups dark or semi sweet chocolate chunks or chips and 1 cup raisins and mix well. Store in an airtight container or ziploc bags. Keeps for months!!

Butternut Squash Bread

So if you all think that squash bread sounds to healthy and disgusting don't!! When I first saw this recipe I thought it sounded interesting but decided to try it anyway. We had it with Chicken and wild Rice soup and it was so amazing!! My kids even gobbled it up. I must confess I made it with half pumpkin and half natural applesauce(no sugar added) because I thought I had squash and didn't and then I thought I had enough pumpkin and didn't so had to use some applesauce. But I really think it would be just as good with the squash I mean lets face it pumpkin is pretty much categorized as a squash isn't it?!!!! Give this healthy bread a try you won't regret it. Especially yummy warm with a little bit of butter!!!

Butternut Squash Bread(or Pumpkin)
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour(i use white whole wheat)
1/2 cup unbleached bread flour
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp. cloves
1/4 cup browned butter(melt the butter in a skillet over low-medium heat until browned)
1/2 cup agave nectar or honey
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup butternut squash puree* (or 1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin or 1 cup pumpkin and 1/2 cup natural unsweetened applesauce)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the browned butter and the agave or honey. Mix in eggs until well blended, about 1 minute. Mix in squash puree or the pumpkin and the vanilla until thoroughly combined. Slowly add in all the dry ingredients until just mixed, Do not over mix. Pour in prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm with a little bit of butter and a bowl of soup.
*to make squash puree: halve and clean squash. brush with olive oil. Place squash (cut side up) on a lined baking sheet and roast at 425 until fork tender, about 30-45 minutes. Squash will easily scoop right out of skin when it is done roasting. Place in food processor or blender and puree till smooth.

Seriously so tasty. Must give it a try. The bread is great without butter as well. I am not one that usually slathers my breads with butter. I like them with nothing on them but I really liked this with the butter.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Bars

I found the recipe for these on a friend's family blog. I knew that I had to try them out. Man these were so yummy!! I couldn't get enough of them. These are a chocolate lover's dream. I mean they have chocolate chip cookie dough and brownies all baked together then smothered with chocolate ganache. You can't get better than that putting two of the best desserts together into one.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Bars
Brownie batter:
5 oz semi sweet chocolate pieces
1 stick butter
2 T. baking cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 c. flour

Melt the butter with the chocolate pieces in the microwave.(don't over cook) Mix in the cocoa. Mix in the eggs, sugar, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Stir in flour. Set aside

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 bag chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add in flour, soda, and salt until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Grease a 9x13 pan and drop spoonfuls of cookie batter into pan, scattering evenly. Pour brownie batter over the cookie dough and even out in pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Let cool.

Ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick butter
1 package chocolate chips
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the cream. Bring to a boil. Take off the heat stir in the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over cooled brownies and even out the top. Let set completely. The ganache will thicken as it cools. Cut into bars and enjoy!!!!

Pizza Rolls/Mexican Cheese Rolls

I found this recipe a while back over at Coleen's Recipes. I knew I needed to try them out. I made these a couple months ago and they were so good. My whole family loved them!!! The good thing about them is that they are so versatile. You can put just about anything you like in the middle of them from pizza toppings to ham and cheese or taco meat and cheese(our favorite way actually) They can be reheated in the oven the next day and are still very tasty.

Pizza Rolls/Mexican Cheese Rolls
3/4 cup very warm water
1/2 cup sweentened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1/4 cup oil
2 T. sugar
1 large egg (room temp)
3 1/2 cups flour
2 T. yeast
1 tsp salt
Mix the warm water(hottest out of your tap) with the sweetened condensed milk, vegetable oil and sugar and salt. The hot tap water will cool down in temp. once it is mixed with the oil and milk. Next whisk in the egg and yeast(if using active dry) Let this sit for several minutes until the active dry yeast looks well dissolved. If using instant yeast(like i do) then mix the yeast with the flour and add the flour/yeast mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Knead for about 5 minutes. Place in a greased or oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let this sit at room temp. for about 1 hour or until double in size. Remove from the bowl and cut into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into and 8 inch circle. For the pizza filling, put about 1/4 cup cheese in the center of the circle, top with a little pizza sauce and some toppings. For the Taco one:place cheese and taco meat in the center. For the Ham and Cheese:put ham and cheese in the middle of the circle.
These were easier to shape if you sit the 8 inch circle in a cereal bowl before you add the toppings. Draw up the edges of the dough and pinch them together. Place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let sit for about 20 minutes. bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Brush them with butter when they come out of oven. Serve with more pizza sauce, ranch, salsa or whatever you like dipping things in.

Note:for the pizza filling:it helps if you saute the peperoni and sausage to render the fat before placing in the dough. It keeps them from getting to greasy and soggy while baking.

Taco meat one with beef and black beans. These ones were our favorite!!!

Bread Bowls

I have never made bread bowls before and I thought it would be great to learn how or to try it out. So I found this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe and decided to try it out. They turned out really good and we had homemade Chicken noodle soup with them. So yummy!!! It is finally starting to be a bit cooler here about 75 degrees so it is nice to have some relief from the heat and have soup for dinner!!!

Bread Bowls
1 1/2 T. yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp salt
2 T. vegetable oil
7 cups all purpose flour
1 T. cornmeal
2 egg white ( used the whole egg)
1 T. water

In a large bowl dissolve the yeast in the water. Let Stand until creamy and bubbly.(about 10 minutes) Or just use instant yeast like I do and mix it in with the flour for 30 seconds before adding to the other ingredients. Add the salt, oil, and 4 cups flour to the water mixture;beat well. Stir in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time beating well after each addition until a soft but not sticky dough is formed.(you may not need all 7 cups flour) When the dough has pulled together, turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover and get rise until double in size about 1 hour. Punch dough down and divide into 6 or 8 equal portions. Shape each into a round ball. Place them ona lightly greased baking sheet sprinkled with the corn meal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl beat together the egg and water;lightly brush the loaves with half of the egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes. Brush each loaf with remaining egg wash and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on Wire racks. Cut the tops off and hollow out the roll on the inside and fill with you favorite soup. YUMMY!!!!!!!

Lemon Buttons

I found this recipe at Mmm..Cafe awhile ago and finally made them about a month ago. They were so yummy and you can't stop at just one. My husband ate tons of them and so did my kids. If you love lemony cupcakes that just melt in your mouth these are it. They are so easy and yummy!!!

Lemon Buttons

1 yellow cake mix

1 small box(3 1/2 oz) instant lemon pudding mix

4 large eggs

1/2 cup natural(no sugar added) applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:

4 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

zest of one lemon

3 T. vegetable oil

3 T. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray. You can also put cupcake liners in them as well like I did and spray with cooking spray. combine the cake mix, pudding, eggs, applesauce, and oil and blend well. Fill each muffin tin half full with batter. Bake for about 9 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. For the glaze, mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, oil and water until smooth. Dip the top of the cupcakes into the glaze while they are still warm, Place on wire racks and let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour. Then enjoy!!! Be careful if you are on a diet you can't just eat one believe me!!

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

I saw this recipe at the Pioneer Woman website. I wanted a simple easy pasta for dinner and this hit the spot. My family really like it too and it is so hard for me to find new pastas that they will eat. They only seem to like red sauce and alfredo sauce so this was a win win for me because I like all kinds of pasta. I adapted the recipe a little bit and really like the outcome. If you want something quick for dinner give this one a try.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce adapted from Pioneer Woman
2 T. olive oil
2T. butter
1 onion, chopped
1-2 T. minced garlic
1 large(28 oz) can and 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
dash of sugar
1 cup cream
grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried basil(fresh if you have it) I didn't so I used dried
1 lb pasta if you like lots of sauce like me and 1 1/2 pounds pasta if you don't like as much sauce

Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is tender. Pour in the tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, sugar and basil if using dried basil. Stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream and Add desired amount of cheese and basil if using fresh basil and heat through. Cook Pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to the pasta sauce and stir. Serve immediately.