Apple Dumplings, So Easy!

I have seen this recipe floating around different sites and recipe books and I thought I'd give it a try! It seems pretty easy and something about apple dumplings in the fall just made me giggle with joy!

You can even make these in place of an apple pie for Thanksgiving...maybe?

Apple Dumplings

2 large Granny Smith Apples

2 (10 once) cans of refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough

1 cup of butter

3/4 cups white sugar

3/4 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 (12 once) can of citrus flavored soda, like Sprite, Mountain Dew, or even Ginger Ale

*this is the soda amount in the recipe I found, but it seemed almost too much liquid for me? So next time I may do a little bit less. It was still good though.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew™ or whatever soda over the dumplings.
4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
5. Serve it straight up, or with whipped cream, or ice cream, or both!

Waffle and Dinges Throwdown

So if any of you are familiar with the Food Network show, "Throwdown with Bobby Flay", you will appreciate this post :)

Just down the street from where we live, the "Wafels and Dinges" truck, a mobile waffle house that makes it's home on various curbsides around New York City, was parked and serving their famous waffles. I had never tried them before, so we decided to have some lunch there. It's great, they serve up little waffles, light and fluffly or chewy, I chose the latter, topped with what ever topping you desire. So on my chewy waffle I had Dulce De Leche and strawberries. So good! Anyway, long story short, we found out through the kids cooking up our waffles that Bobby Flay had just challenged the waffle truck to a "throwdown" and the "throwdown" was currently happening on Columbia Campus. So we found out where it was on campus and got in! It was fun to watch a "Bobby Flay throwdown", and we got to try his own waffle creation. I would write what it was, but we signed a disclosure to not reveal anything until it airs, so I don't know if I would get in trouble if I did say what he made...and they found my blog, etc. So I will just be safe. Well, it was fun to participate in a Throwdown since we often watch that show. Part of the fun living in New York City. You always run into random tapings of shows and movies. :) P.S. If you ever happen to be in NYC and see the "Wafels and Dinges" truck, try it out.

Wild Mushroom Soup And Parmesan Chicken

If you like muchrooms, you have to try this soup at least once! I have made this dinner a couple of times now and LOVE it! I think it's just because it a "Melissa type of dinner". But my hubby loves it too. If you like mushrooms, this soup is to die for! Even if you don't care for mushrooms, I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up liking them because of this soup! And the parmesan chicken is on a bead of greens, and it adds the perfect touch to this rich soup! It's a great dinner to entertain with!

This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa(and the pics below are hers, too). The soup takes some work, but you can make the stock ahead of time to make it easier.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 5 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms
• 5 ounces fresh cremini (or porcini) mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine(I used chicken stock)
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

• Directions

  Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don't wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if there are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

  To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water.

  Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

  
  

  

Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• Unsalted butter
• Good olive oil
• Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
• 1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Directions

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

Pumpkin Soup with Chili cran-apple relish

I first tried this soup at a get-together with some ladies in the neighborhood. And one of the dishes brought was this soup. I learned that the lovely lady who brought this got it from Rachel Ray. So I had to make it again at home! It's perfect for this time of year!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped (save time and purchase celery already washed, trimmed and cut into sticks, this makes chopping fast work)
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or 2 teaspoons ground thyme
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can cooked pumpkin puree
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Relish:

• 1 crisp apple, such as McIntosh or Granny Smith, finely chopped
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Heat a medium soup pot over medium to medium high heat. Add the oil and melt the butter. Add bay, celery, and onion. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 6 or 7 minutes, until tender. Add flour, poultry seasoning and hot sauce, to taste, then cook flour a minute. Whisk in chicken stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk in pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it into the broth. Simmer soup 10 minutes to thicken a bit then add in cream and nutmeg. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

While soup cooks, assemble the relish: combine apple, onion, lemon juice, cranberries, chili powder, honey and cinnamon.

Adjust seasonings in soup and relish and serve soup in shallow bowls with a few spoonfuls of relish.

My healthified version of pumpkin chocolate chip!

I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. So I had some extra pumpkin I needed to use up so I thought I'd make it. Unfortunately, I had no eggs. Well, I put together this recipe that uses no eggs, has less sugar, and has half the amount of butter or crisco. I like the real thing, butter, in recipes...hehehe. I think it makes recipes tastes better. Anyway, it tastes pretty darn delicious for being "healthier"!

3/4 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. white sugar

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

2 tsp. vanilla

3 1/2 c. flour, add a little more if needed

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin spice

12 oz. milk chocolate chips

Cream the two sugars, butter, pumpkin, and vanilla. In separate bowl, blend the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add to the creamed mixture. Add chocolate chips. Spoon onto lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 7-10 minutes. MY Oven is HOT, so mine was less. Just check to see if it looks cooked and slightly golden. Don't over bake. Makes at least a couple dozen cookies. It makes a lot.

*let me know if this turns out good, because it should. If not, I wrote it down wrong because I "invented" this recipe, and I am sure I wrote the amounts correctly, but sometimes it's hard to keep track of those amounts as your cooking. I am still learning...

My Italian Dinner

The other night I was feeling like something Italian. So I found a great Fettucini Alfredo Recipe. So easy, but not so light in the ingredient category. Hey, It's Fettucini Alfredo. If you want the real thing, you need to use the real ingredients. This time around I didn't add the peas and prosciutto but, if you wanted to add a more authentic flair, that's the way to do it. I saw many similar cream pasta dishes with peas and prociutto when we were in Italy.

This recipe is from Emeril. He's so great, I have yet to try one of his recipes that I don't love.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 pound prosciutto, julienned
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnish
• 1 pound fresh fettuccini

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and saute for a couple minutes or until tender. Add cream and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add prosciutto and peas and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle cheese over top and stir to melt and combine. Cook until heated through.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, add fettuccini and cook until al dente, just a couple minutes for fresh pasta. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water. Add the reserved pasta water and drained fettucini to skillet. Toss to combine pasta with sauce and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve, garnished with extra cheese

As a little side I made a tomato and basil bruschetta. It's so easy to make. I simply cut up some Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and added some olive oil. A dash of salt and pepper to taste, and voila, you're done.

With the little toasts, I drizzled a little bit of olive oil on sliced baguette and toasted it in oven. Then I rubbed a halved piece of garlic over the little toasts to add some flavor of garlic.

Corn on the Cob with Parmesan Cheese

I bought some corn at the farmers market and wanted to do something different with it. This is so good and easy! Makes your corn more rich and hearty!

This recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ears yellow corn, husked, halved crosswise

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until tender and fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and cool. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and stir the rest into the garlic mixture, along with the parsley and salt.

Cook the corn in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the corn to a platter. Brush the cheese mixture over the hot corn and serve. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese on top of the corn.

My Chicken Tortilla Soup

So now since it is officially FALL , I thought I'd make a soup for dinner! So Here is what I made. It was really quite easy. I used no recipe, so keep in mind the amounts I put in are estimates of what I used. Soup is really easy to make and difficult to mess up. So just taste it as you go and add more of whatever ingredients you think it needs. Everyone knows what tastes good to them!

MY CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, diced (if you like hot, add the seeds)

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 TBS chili powder

1/2 - 1 tsp of cumin

about 32 oz carton of chicken broth, I used ALMOST all

about 1/4 cup salsa, I used the Tostitos brand

15 oz can of corn, drained

15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded OR you can use rotissere chicken and shred it

cilantro and lime for garnish -Definitely use these it you like them, adds a yummy brightness to the dish!

crushed tortilla chips

Saute the onions, garlic, and jalapeno until onions translucent. Add onion powder and cumin. Cook for a minute. Add the chicken broth, salsa, corn and black black beans. Let simmer for a couple of minutes, then add chicken. Let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Garnish with the cilantro, some lime juice, and crushed tortilla chips!

Remember, you can add or take out whatever you like or dislike. This is just what I had at home in my kitchen. Taste as you go. This turned out pretty flavorful and I didn't need to add any salt. But do what you need to do to make it flavorful for you!

I served this with cornbread. I have this really yummy recipe that I use all the time for cornbread. Got it from The Essential Mormon Cookbook. Haha, its a book I got when my husband and I were married and actually got some pretty good recipes from it! It's more on the sweet side, and is soooo moist! You don't need to slather butter or anything on it.

For you weary-eyed health conscious folks, this is a good cornbread recipe, just try it! It can be the dessert, too! (P.S. the soup is relatively very healthy, just don't add the tortilla chips) You'll be just fine!

Corn Bread

1/2 cup of butter, room temperature-very important, so that it blends completely in batter, no butter chunks. (yes that is a full stick, that is what makes it soo good!)

1 cup sugar (yes, this too makes it very yummy)

2 eggs

1 cup yellow corn meal

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups milk

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. In a separate bowl blend the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. Combine the wet mixture, dry mixture, and milk. Blend. Bake in greased 8 X 8-inch pan at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Makes 6 servings