Monday, October 31, 2016

Apple Pie Bars

Apple Pie Bars

Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These Apple Pie Bars are the perfect handheld dessert and SO delicious! Made with fresh apples and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze.
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • Crust:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and diced into cubes
  • ¼ cup 2% milk
  • 1 egg yolk

  • Filling: 
  • 5 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

  • Topping: 
  • 1 egg white
  • 1½ tablespoons Turbinado sugar (or granulated sugar)
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

  • Glaze: 
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons 2% milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Pie crust: Add flour and salt to a food processor bowl and pulse ingredients together. Add cold, cubed butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and egg yolk and pulse until mixture comes together and can be formed into a ball. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate while preparing filling.
  3. Filling: Place diced apples in a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla and toss to coat. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour flour mixture over apples and toss until evenly coated.
  4. Assemble the pie: Divide pie crust dough into 2 equal portions. Roll first portion into a 13x9" rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer dough into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9" baking dish by placing a rolling pin in the center of the dough, folding one side up over the pin, then folding the other side on top. Lift the rolling pin over the baking dish and unfold both sides into the dish. Carefully dump apples over the crust and spread them up to ½" around the edge of the crust. Roll out the 2nd dough portion i the same manner about ½" larger on each side. Transfer dough over apples and tuck sides of dough down into the baking dish, sealing the apples inside the crust. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy and brush over top of the pie. Combine the Turbinado sugar and cinnamon in another small bowl and sprinkle evenly over pie. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 1 hour on a baking rack before cutting into squares. Serve bars drizzled with glaze (see instructions below) or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
  5. Glaze: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Thin with additional milk if necessary and drizzle over bars.
Notes
- If you don't have a food processor, you can make the pie crust by hand also. Just use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture and use your hands or a spoon to add in the milk and egg until you can form the dough into a ball.

– Adapted from Cooking Classy

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Pecan Pie

This Pecan Pie is a classic and timeless recipe perfect for any occasion! It is absolutely so delicious and a crowd favorite!

Pecan Pie
 
This Pecan Pie is a classic and timeless recipe perfect for any occasion! It is absolutely so delicious and a crowd favorite!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾ cup light corn syrup
  • ¾ cup dark corn syrup
  • 4 eggs
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla
  • 1½ cups coarsely broken pecans
  • 1 unbaked deep dish pie shell
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Combine sugar and corn syrups into a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside for 5 minutes
  3. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until slightly frothy, about 2 minutes. Very slowly pour sugar mixture into the egg mixture beating constantly.
  4. Stir in butter, vanilla, and pecans. Pour into the unbaked pie crust.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until set.
Notes
Recipe from: Food.com

Pecan Topped Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS

7 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples
1/3 cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS

For crust: I recommend using Flakiest Pie Pastry or Dad's Pie Pastry, but any other pastry in this collection will do. Roll the dough into a 13-inch circle and line a 9-½-inch deep-dish pie plate with it, forming the overhanging dough into an upstanding rim. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes while you make the filling.
For filling: Combine the apples, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and the lemon juice in a large bowl. Mix well. Set aside for 10 minutes to juice. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. After 10 minutes, mix the remaining sugar with the cornstarch and stir into the apples. Turn the filling into the chilled pie shell and bake on the center oven rack for 30 minutes. While the pie bakes, make the topping.

TOPPING:

INGREDIENTS

1 cup pecan halves or pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

For topping: Process the pecans, sugar, and brown sugar in a food processor until the nuts are well chopped. Add the flour and salt. Pulse briefly, to mix. Scatter the cold butter over the mixture and pulse five or six times, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Do not overprocess. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and gently rub it between your fingers until the texture is uniform. Refrigerate the topping.
After the pie has baked for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and spread the crumb mixture evenly over the top. Tamp the crumb mixture gently, to even it out. Reduce the oven to 375ºF. Bake the pie for 30 to 35 minutes more, until the topping is nicely browned and any visible juices bubble thickly. Transfer the pie to a rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature, with some of the caramel sauce drizzled on top. Vanilla ice cream is in order here, too.

CARAMEL SAUCE

INSTRUCTIONS

This confection will dress up any apple, pear, or peach dessert, especially if there is vanilla ice cream involved. Combine 1 cup of packed light-brown sugar, 1 cup of heavy cream, and ¼ cup (½ stick) of unsalted butter in a heavy, medium saucepan. Boil for 8 minutes, stirring often. Pour into a heatproof bowl. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve warm. Makes about 2-½ cups, or 8 servings.

YIELD: 

8 servings

PREPARATION METHOD

Pie Tips from Farmers Almanac

  • For a flaky, tender piecrust, make sure that all the ingredients and utensils are cold.
  • For the best tasting crust, use butter, preferably unsalted.
  • Try to use fresh fruit whenever possible, but especially when baking with apples. Apples can be mushy and bland after storage. Crisp, fresh apples hold up better, especially if you want to double-bake them.
  • Add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice to your fruit filling to bring out the taste of the fruit and help it keep its color.
  • Fill a sugar shaker with flour to shake out when you’re rolling pastry.
  • Make the top piecrust slightly thinner than the bottom crust to help maintain the structure of the pie.
  • To keep an empty pie shell from buckling, place a straight-sided cake pan, just a bit smaller than your pie dish, right down on top of the crust. Bake for about ten minutes, and remove the cake pan. Use a fork to prick any places that still puff up, and bake for 5 minutes longer, or until the crust is a light golden color.
  • To avoid a soggy bottom crust in your fruit pie, get the filling into the piecrust and into the oven quickly. If there is extra juice in the bowl, don’t pour it into the piecrust.
  • Get creative when carving ventilation holes. Try a heart, leaves, stars, or apple-shape.
  • Bake on a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil to catch any juices that may run over the edge.
  • Rotate the pie 180 degrees midway through baking. This helps the pie to cook evenly and balances the surface browning.
  • Pay attention to the pie while it’s baking. Efficiency in the kitchen is great. However, try not to do too many things at once when you are baking pies.
  • When cutting a cream or custard pie, wet the knife with hot water to make a clean cut that won’t tear the filling.
  • Tips for freezing (fruit and meat pies): Prepare completely and freeze completely. Do not attempt to thaw before baking, bake in the frozen state, adjusting baking time accordingly.

Fireball Pumpkin Pie

Fireball Whiskey Pumpkin Pie

image
Last Sunday was lazy in the best way. The day ended in pie, which made it even better. My boyfriend found a recipe by the BBQ Pit Boys for Fireball Whiskey Pumpkin Pie, and we decided to try it out! It was pretty delicious. I had never made a pumpkin pie before, and adding fireball made it a little more interesting. 
The original recipe from the BBQ Pit Boys requires that you cook the pie on a grill (link below). Apartment living doesn’t leave much room for a grill, so I used standard pumpkin pie cooking instructions instead and put it in the oven.
Also, after combining all the ingredients, there was enough filling for 3 whole pies and there were only two pie crusts! I would recommend cutting this recipe by 1/3 or 2/3s, though that’s a little complicated as it requires 4 eggs. Better yet, you could just find some friends to pawn it off on if you don’t want it all to yourself!
The cinnamon and whiskey taste I was expecting from the Fireball wasn’t very strong, so I have modified the recipe below to include cinnamon as well. 
Fireball Whiskey Pumpkin Pie
  • 2 Frozen Pie Crusts – 2 (9” each or make your own )
  • Pure Pumpkin - 1 Can, 30 oz. 
  • Evaporated Milk - 1 ½ cans, 18 oz. 
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 6 oz. Fireball Whiskey
For the crusts, follow the directions on the pie crust package. Preheat your oven to 400 F. Remove crust from freezer and allow to thaw at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Use a fork to pierce the bottom and sides of the crust which helps the crust to bake evenly. Place the crusts on the center oven rack and bake for 10-15 minutes until it’s light golden brown. Remove and allow the crust to cool completely prior to filling. 
While the crusts are baking, prepare the filling. Crack eggs and whisk until the whites and yolks are combined but not frothy. Combine sugar, salt, evaporated milk, canned pumpkin, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and whiskey. Stir until it is thoroughly mixed. Pour the filling into the cooled pie crusts. 
Place the pies on the center rack of the oven at 425F. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temp to 350F and bake for another 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the comes out clean. Allow to cool for 1-2 hours prior to serving. 
Enjoy!

Lemon Sugar Cream Pie

Sugar-Free Lemon Cream Pie
 
Author: 

Ingredients
Filling
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In bowl whisk together eggs, Swerve, sour cream and salt.
  3. Slowly whisk in lemon juice and lemon stevia.
  4. Pour filling into pre-baked pie crust.
  5. Place pie onto a baking sheet and cover around the crust with aluminum foil.
  6. Bake until barely set, about 30-35 minutes. Center of pie will still jiggle slightly.
  7. Cool pie completely before adding topping.
  8. To make topping, place the water into a small saucepan and sprinkle over the gelatin.
  9. Heat on low stirring constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Set aside.
  10. Pour heavy cream into a stand mixer with vanilla stevia.
  11. Whip until peaks form.
  12. Slowly pour in the gelatin mixture.
  13. Spread this over the cooled lemon pie.
  14. Refrigerate 1 hour and up to a day, loosely covered.
  15. Top with lemon zest if desired when serving.
Notes
Net Carbs: 4.8g

Sugar Cream Pie

This Sugar Cream Pie is so amazing! It has a custard filling that's to die for.
Ingredients
  • 1 DEEP DISH pie crust, at room temperature (I used a frozen one, but you can use refrigerated pie crusts too)
  • 4 Tbsp cornstarch
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 4 Tbsp butter, melted
  • 2 & ¼ cups heavy cream
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • FOR TOPPING:
  • 4 Tbsp butter, melted
  • ¼ - ½ cup cinnamon sugar (1/4 or ½ cup sugar with 2-3 teaspoons ground cinnamon mixed in. Start with ¼ cup, but add up to ½ cup if you prefer things spicy).
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place the pie crust onto a baking sheet. Or, if using a refrigerated crust, lightly grease a 9" pie pan, put the crust in, and set the pan on a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until partially baked. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and sugar until blended. In a medium saucepan, bring the cornstarch-sugar mixture, melted butter and heavy cream together over medium heat, stirring constantly. The mixture is done when it's thick and creamy. Stir in the vanilla.
  3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust and smooth out the top. Drizzle on the melted butter and evenly sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar. Bake for approx. 25 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for about 1 minute, watching carefully. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature before refrigerating for at least one hour to set. Store in fridge.

Pot Roast with Beans

Crock Pot Roast with Pinto Beans
2 lb. Pot Roast
2 Cups dry raw pinto beans
1 can of rotel or diced tomatoes
1 onion diced
cumin (a dash or two)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup water
Burritos :
large tortillas
shredded cheese
salsa
sour cream
How to make it :
In a crock-pot put 2 cups of raw pinto beans on bottom, mix in a can of rotel, then season beans with cumin, garlic powder, a little chili powder, and minced onion. Place roast on top and season the roast again same way. Add water to cover beans and about have of roast. (May need to add water as cooking) turn crock to high and cook until roast falls apart and beans are done. About 4 hours on high. I then switch to warm/low so all spices can simmer!! Shred roast apart and fill in tortilla with some beans. Add fillings as desired and serve warm. Great with rice on the side. Great the next day even for breakfast with a fried egg on top and a little salsa with a tortilla to soak up the juices. Enjoy.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Easy Apple Cake

Borrowed and Shareing
Easy Harvest Apple Spice Cake
 
Cook time
Total time
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • 1 box spice cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)
  • A dash or two of allspice
  • freshly ground nutmeg (a few grates on a microplane grater; I don't measure, but less than ⅛ of a tsp.)
  • ⅓ cup homemade apple butter (I do a heaping ⅓ cup :) )
  • 1 (20 to 21 oz.) can apple pie filling
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¼ cup cinnamon chips ( I use Prepared Pantry which are very small chips)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9 x 13-in. pan with Baker's Joy (or grease and flour pan).
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add cake mix, allspice, nutmeg, apple butter, apple pie filling, and eggs. Mix on medium-low speed until combined thoroughly. The mixer will chop up the apples a bit for you. Add the cinnamon chips and mix just until combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes (I follow bake time on the box for this size pan. Adjust accordingly depending on your pan size and oven) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  3. Cool completely then frost. Enjoy! 
  4. Cream Cheese Frosting: With a hand mixer, mix 1 (8 ounce) package softened cream cheese, ½ cup softened & unsalted butter, 1.5 to 2 cups powdered sugar (adjust to your desired taste & texture), 1 tsp. vanilla, and 1 Tbsp. heavy cream (start with 1 and adjust to your desired taste & texture) until smooth. Spread over cooled cake.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Best Ever Carrot Cake

Borrowed and Shareing
4.7 FROM 3 REVIEWS
Best Ever Carrot Cake
 
This Carrot Cake is absolutely DELICIOUS! It has a secret ingredient that helps to enhance its flavor and make it exceptionally moist! This will quickly become a new favorite and will be your go-to carrot cake recipe!
Ingredients
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups grated carrots
  • 1 (13 ounce) can crushed pineapple, mostly drained
  • 1¼ cups vegetable oil
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
FROSTING
  • 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with vegetable spray.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, eggs, carrots, pineapple and oil. Mix well. Add flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix again and pour into a baking pan.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes until cake is done. Cool completely.
FROSTING
  1. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until well mixed. Add vanilla and beat again.
  2. Frost cooled cake and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Apple Sheet Cake

Caramel Apple Sheet Cake
 
This delicious apple cake is perfectly moist and has caramel frosting infused in each and every bite! It is heavenly!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour plus 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup shortening
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups peeled and chopped green apples
FROSTING
  • ½ cup butter
  • 6 Tablespoons milk
  • 3½ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅛ cup caramel sauce (I use caramel ice cream topping)
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, measure flour, sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside.
  2. In medium sauce pan combine butter, water, and shorting. Bring to a boil. After mixture reaches a boil add it to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add buttermilk, then baking soda, then eggs, then vanilla in that order, mixing in between each addition. Stir in apples.
  3. Pour into a 15x13 inch greased jelly roll pan.
  4. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes.
  5. While cake is cooling, make frosting by combining butter, and milk in a medium mixing bowl. Microwave until butter is melted. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and caramel sauce and stir until smooth. Pour frosting evenly over cooled cake.