EASY Apple Dumplings

I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman website. I LOVE her site (http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/) . Her recipes look wonderful and she's really funny. You should go there and read her Love Story. She tells about how her and her husband met and fell in love. She's a great writer and it's such a great story. I was kind of a bad mom for a couple of day until I could get the whole thing read ;). You HAVE to try this one!! It's too easy to be this good (it's scary good). I halved the recipe and it was great. I just baked it in an 8x8 pan.

Apple Dumplings
2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans (8oz each) crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon, to taste
1 can Mountain Dew (yes, Mountain Dew!)
Ice cream

Peel and core the apples. Cut each one into 8 slices. Roll each slice in a crescent roll. Put in a 9x13 buttered baking dish. Melt the butter and stir in the sugar (barely stirring). Add vanilla and barely stir. Pour the mixture all over the apples. Pour the Mountain Dew around the edge of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream and the sauce from the pan.
*Next time I make this I MIGHT cut back on the sugar just a little. It's not sicky sweet but I'm just curious what would happen :).

Pepperoi Pizza Dip

Pepperoni Pizza Dip

This is so good and so easy!! It's my "go to" appetizer. Try it. You won't be sorry :). Thanks Carrie for the recipe!!

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I had cayenne and it worked great)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1 (3oz) pkg. pepperoni, chopped
1/4 c green onion, chopped (I haven't made it with these but I'm sure it's good!)
1/2 c mozzarella, shredded
Scoop Fritos

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, and spices and spread into a pie plate. Top with the pizza sauce. Sprinkle the pepperoni and green onion on top and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes (until the cheese melts). Serve with fritos.
I doubled this and put it in a 9x13. I also never measure the spices or sauce. Just throw it in there to your liking :). I don't think I've ever made this when the entire thing didn't get eaten. SO SO good!!

Mexistrone Soup

I made this a few nights ago. I REALLY liked it (even had it for lunch the next two days!). It's a very healthy vegetarian dish. Jared wasn't crazy about the zucchini and carrots in it but I thought they were good. You could omit those and add ground beef and it would be like a taco soup. I got this out of a magazine from the gym a couple of years ago.

Mexistrone Soup

1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion
1 carrot, sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 cup yellow corn, frozen or canned (no salt added), rinsed and drained. I used the whole can.
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can stewed tomatoes with jalapenos (I recommend cutting up the tomatoes. They are big!)
2 tsp dried oregeno
1 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 cups spicy tomato juice (I didn't have spicy so I added some hot sauce to it)
salt and pepper to taste
lightly crushed corn chips for garnish

Heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven over med-high heat. Saute onion and carrot for 3 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add corn, beans, tomatoes with their liquid, oregeno, and basil. Pour in tomato juice AND 1/2 cup water. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. I actually let mine cook a little longer. My carrots may've been too big =). Season with salt and pepper and top with corn chips immediately before serving. Serves 6.
I thought it was even better the next day!

Just incase you want to know (per serving):
167 calories
3 grams fat
7 grams protein
8 grams dietary fiber

Chili

This is my mom's chili recipe. It's the ONLY one I ever make. It SOOO easy and really good!! Good enough that I skip over other chili recipes when I see them in a magazine :). It's a family favorite.

1 pound ground beef
1/2-1 onion chopped (I use dried onion and my kids never suspect it!)
2 cans chili beans (I use Busch's mild)
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
can diced tomatoes (I use Del Monte with Zesty Chili Seasoning or something close to that)
small can tomato sauce
1/2-1 pkg. chili seasoning (if you use the regular diced tomatoes use the whole package of seasoning)

Brown meat and onion. Drain. Stir in all other ingredients and let simmer for 15 minutes. We love to put it over fritos and top with cheese.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

Are you ready for the best comfort soup ever?! I got this from Carrie and Southern Living :). I think the recipes are basically the same. The boys love this (which actually surprised me!). When I made this last week I had some cooked chicken in the fridge that I stirred into Jared's. It was really good! That's an option if you need some meat (right Shell!!). Again, NO pictures.

3 1/2 cups chicken STOCK (I use stock b/c I think it has more flavor. You might even start with 3 cups and if it seems like there's not much extra liquid pour in a little more. That will make sense later!!)

8 celery ribs, sliced

4 carrots, sliced (I think regular carrots taste better in soups than baby carrots. There may not be a difference!)

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used several red potatoes last time. Just use whatever you have.)

1 onion, chopped (I sprinkled in a lot of the dried onion instead of using a real onion. I think that's why the boys didn't throw a fit. It was great like that-and easier)

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 cups corn, frozen and thawed or canned

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 cups milk

paprika

dry musard

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used a cup of mild and a cup of sharp. I also used the block that you grate yourself. I've seen them talk about preferring that over the bagged kind in one of my magazines. Probably not a big deal.)

Bring the first 6 ingredients (thru pepper) to a boil in a large pot or dutch oven. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer 15-20 minutes until veggies are tender. Remove from heat and stir in corn.

Melt butter in heavy sauce pan (medium size at the smallest) over low heat; add flour, whisking until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Stir in milk, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1 tsp dry mustard; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. This part takes a few minutes :). Add cheese, stirring until blended.

Stir cheese mixture in the veggie mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until heated.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

This is easy to make and really good (do I put that at the beginning of ALL my recipes?!). I got it from Paula Dean and it was rated a 5 star! Once again, I forgot to take pictures. I always think of it half way thru. Rhonda, this is what I made on Sunday! :)

1 (10 oz) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained really well
2 (13 3/4) cans artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use a little more)
1/2 cup sour cream (I use a little more)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese (I use a little more)
chopped tomato, optional

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a casserole dish with nonstick spray. Coarsely chop the artichoke hearts. Combine all the ingredients (except tomato) and put into the dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Top with tomato. I serve it with wheat thins but it's also good with chips.

Limeade Pie

This is SOOOO good. It's quick and easy to make. I've seen a couple of versions and combined the two to make this one.


graham cracker crust
6 oz. (1/2 of regular size) limeade concentrate, thawed
condensed milk
regular size cool whip; thawed

Mix the limeade, condensed milk and cool whip with a spoon. Be careful not to stir the cool whip too much. Put it in the crust and freeze. The longer it freezes the better it is. It sounds really simple but TRY IT! My neighbor said that it's better than most of the key lime pies he's had!

Cherry Cream Pie

We grew up eating this pie. We always called it cheesecake but I guess it's not really what you think of when you think "cheesecake". It's lighter and FABULOUS!! The vanilla didn't make the picture :).

8 oz. cream cheese; softened

can of condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla

about 1/4 cup of lemon juice (maybe a little less)

can of cherries

graham cracker crust

FORK (you will be eating this out of the fridge when the kids are at school :P)

With a mixer combine the cream cheese, condensed milk, vanilla, and lemon juice. Pour into a graham cracker crust and put it in the fridge for several hours. I put the can of cherries in there and pour them on before serving. I don't know why I do that but I do! I guess I feel like it will set up better and the boys don't always want cherries on their piece. You can probably pour the cherries on and THEN put it in the fridge. Do it and let me know :). This takes 2 minutes to make and I think you will love it!

Angel Hair With Artichokes

This is one of those things I throw together when I make something for my family that I won't eat. I make a few different variations. You could easily add sliced chicken breast to this if you wanted some meat in your meal. If I have fresh spinach, I will throw that in also.

Ingredients:

Angel hair pasta

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

2 garlic cloves or 1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 14oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained or 1 small container fresh grape tomatoes, halved

1 14oz. can quartered artichoke hearts

1 small can sliced black olives, drained

2 Tablespoons capers, drained

fresh basil

grated Parmesan

1. Saute garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes, artichokes, and black olives. Bring to a boil. (If using fresh tomatoes, heat until tomatoes are soft.

2. Reduce heat to low. Add capers and basil. Simmer about 5 minutes.

3. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss with angel hair pasta. Top with Parmesan.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

I made the next two recipes for our neighborhood party last night. This is SOO good but don't sit near it!! I'm scared to think how much I ate!! I was going to take a picture of these but couldn't find the camera and we were running late. I got this recipe from our friend Laura. There are more to come from her!

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
mini chocolate chips
chopped peacans, optional
Chocolate graham cracker sticks and cinnamon sugar pita chips for serving.

Beat the cream cheese and butter. Add the sugars and vanilla. Beat really well until it's smooth. It takes a few minutes for the brown sugar to mix in and not be grainy. Stir in a cup of mini chocolate chips. Chill for 1 hour and then roll into a ball. Roll in leftover chocolate chips and pecans. I didn't do this part for lack of time. I just scooped it into a chip and dip dish and spread the crackers and pita chips around the outside. I couldn't find graham cracker sticks so I just used the regular crackers and stuck a little serving knife in the dip. This is fast and easy!!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is spicy but really good! It would be great to make for a football party. It came from the Kraft magazine.

1 pkg. cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cups finely chopped chicken (I actually doubled the chicken to make it more hearty)
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing (I used Marzetti's Ultimate Blue Cheese dressing-my favorite!) You could use Ranch if you don't like Blue Cheese but it's not overwhelming.
1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce (I used Louisiana Wing Sauce)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
celery and crackers for serving

Mix all ingredients in a microwaveable bowl. Heat on high for 5 minutes or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is heated thru. Stir after 3 minutes. Serve hot with crackers, wheat thins, or celery.

Calling All Panini Lovers!

My friend Amy introduced me to the panini press last summer and we've been addicted ever since. We usually just use our regular sandwich bread but our favorites are sourdough and sliced french. Here are a few of our favorites.

Pizza Dip Sandwich

Sourdough bread (presliced)
Pepperoni
Salami
Ham
Provolone (it's not as messy as shredded mozzarella)
Pizza sauce

Put the meat and cheese on the bread (I layer it cheese, meats, cheese so that it all sticks together). Drizzle a little olive oil on the bread and toast it in the press. Heat up the pizza sauce and dip the sandwich in it. YUMMY! We had these for dinner last night. Zane's friend took a bite, turned around and said, "This is the best thing EVER!" and then to Zane, "Dude, how often do you get to eat these?" That made me feel like these were blog worthy :).

Roast Beef Dip

Bread
Deli Roast Beef
Swiss cheese
Horseradish Sauce (not the strong prepared horseradish) I think it's by the mayo at the store.
Beeth broth (I made it from the cubes and just made it a little stronger so that it tasted like aus jus).

Spread the bread with horseradish sauce. Put the meat and cheese on it and grill (drizzle olive oil or butter on the bread first). Dip in the beef broth. This is one of their favorites!

Spicy Turkey

Bread
Turkey
Jalepenos
Muenster cheese
Honey Mustard (We use Inglehoffer and it's great! I bought it at Wal-Mart)

Spread the bread with the honey mustard (I put it on both pieces). Put the meat, cheese, and peppers on it and grill (I put butter on the outside first). This is one of my favorites!

Veggie

Sourdough bread
Cream cheese
Guacamole or avocado slices
Black olives
Red onion slices
Tomatoes
Cucumber

Spread the cream cheese on one piece of bread. Put all of the ingredients on it and grill. Drizzle olive oil on the outside first. This is REALLY good. You can add any kind of veggie that you want. Don't skip the cream cheese!! It sounds weird but it's really good.

Simple Summer Dessert

My grandma made this for one of our family functions, and it was delicious! My family liked it so much, I had to make it for them. It is cold, so it's wonderful in this 90+ degree weather we've been having.

Ingredients:
Cool Whip
1 container fresh strawberries- sliced
white cake mix- prepared according to package directions- crumbled (chunky not fine)
2 small boxes of vanilla pudding- prepared

Layer: cake (I only used about 3/4 of the cake for the whole dessert), vanilla pudding, strawberries, and Cool Whip. Repeat and garnish with strawberries.

Thrown together, but a big hit

Between all of the end of the school year activities and moving, I had not had time to go to the grocery store. Here was the dilemma: hungry family, tired of eating out, almost empty pantry. I found a few ingredients that I thought I could use to throw something together. If they didn't like it oh well, at least it wasn't Mc Donald's (again). To my surprise, they really liked it. I don't have any pictures because obviously it wasn't something I thought I would be sharing.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts- cubed and cooked
1/2 package egg noodles- cooked according to package instructions
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 CAN of milk
bread crumbs
shredded Parmesan cheese (not the can kind)

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray an 11X7 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. (or whatever size you have- but not a big dish unless you double the recipe)

2. In a large bowl, combine the soup and milk. Add the noodles and chicken, and toss until noodles are coated with soup mixture.

3. Pour the mixture into the dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top until completely covered. Next, sprinkle the cheese over the bread crumbs.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and noodles are heated through.

Sunflower Seed Broccoli

Here is a quick and easy side dish that I like to make. Usually I focus on the main dish, and then right before dinner I think, "Oh, what am I going to put with it?" Sides are not my specialty, but this one is a big hit in my family.


1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons canola oil (or vegetable oil)
1 bag of frozen broccoli
1/4 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper
sunflower seeds

1. In a large skillet, saute garlic in oil for 1 minute. Add broccoli, cook and stir for 3 minutes.
Add the broth, oregano, salt, and pepper (to taste).

2. Cover and cook until broccoli is heated throughout. (Approx. 4 minutes)

3. Sprinkle sunflower seeds over the top. Use as much or as little as you like.

**I think the reason this has so much flavor is the use of broth instead of water. I have read in several magazines to use broths instead of water for added flavor, and I really think it makes a difference.