Sugar & Spice with Stef

Easy Turkey Chili

2010-10-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 cup water
1 can canned crushed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
3 stocks of celery, chopped finely
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place turkey in the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Stir in onion, and cook until tender.

Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, celery, kidney beans, and garlic.

Season chili powder, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.

ENJOY!!

Apple and Butternut Squash Soup

2010-10-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash (peeled, seeded and make cubes)
1-2 tart green apples (peeled, cored and cut into pieces)- I used Courtland- Granny Smith also good)
1 carrot (chopped) (I used handful of baby carrots and roasted whole)
1 onion (chopped)
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
Pinches of cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper

Directions:

Chop the Squash, Onion, Carrots, and apple in to pieces- combine in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil.Spread in a roasting pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cinnamon. Roast in the oven, preheated to 350*, for 30 minutes.

When everything is roasted transfer to a large pot and add 3 cups of low sodium chicken broth. Add pinches of salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring pot to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Check squash to see if it is tender- if so, you are ready to blend.

If you have an immersion blender you can use this, if not, transfer to a blender and puree.

Enjoy!!

Fibre One Chicken Strips

2010-10-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/2 cup Fiber One cereal
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grind the Fiber One cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency in a food processor, add salt and pepper.Place crumbs in one small dish and beaten egg in another.

Next, coat raw chicken strips with egg and then coat with fibre one. Place strips on a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray.
Bake for 10 minutes, and then turn strips over. Bake for an additional 8 - 10 minutes (until chicken is fully cooked and coating looks crispy).

ENJOY!!

Milk Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

2009-12-27T12:41:00.001-08:00

Just before Christmas I was reading one of my favourite blogs A Charmed Wife and I read her post about Peppermint Dark Chocolate Fudge. Now I am not a big fan of dark chocolate, or not a fan at all. But I thought I could make this a Milk Chocolate Peppermint fudge. It turned out great!!
Here is what you need to make it:

2 Cups milk chocolate chips
1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Can sweetened condensed milk
a pinch of sale
1/2 tsp peppermint extract (add more if you really like peppermint flavor)
4 crushed candy canes

How you make it:

In a heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt the chocolate chips with the condensed milk and your pinch of salt.

Stir almost constantly.Once they are all melted together remove from the heat; stir in the peppermint extract right away.

Spread evenly into a prepared 8 inch baking dish with a spatula. (Baking dish should be lined with waxed or parchment paper)Sprinkle the candy canes on top. Chill 2 hours or until firm.

Once it is ready remove from the baking dish, peel off paper, and cut into squares. It can be stored up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

ENJOY!!

Dutch Oven Beef Stew

2009-12-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

I got a lot of new kitchen supplies for Christmas and I am looking forward to trying them all out. I decided to test out my new cast iron Dutch oven. I have wanted one of these for a long time, and was so excited to use it.

Here are the ingredients you will need for this aromatic beef stew:

2lbs stewing beef (cut into small chunks)
1 cup chopped sweet onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3 med. potatoes chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup beer
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup flour for coating beef

Here is how you make it:

Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch Oven over medium heat. Coat your beef chunks in flour and add to the heated oil. Braise the beef for a few minutes.

Add onions, carrots and potatoes.

Pour in Beer and Beef broth.
Add Salt, Pepper, Thyme, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and summer for 2 hours. Stir occasionally, adding more beef broth and/or beer if necessary.
ENJOY!!

Bacon-Wrapped Roasted Turkey

2009-12-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

This is my very first attempt at cooking a turkey. My goal was to make a moist turkey with some amazing flavor. Some friends came over for an Ugly Sweater Holiday dinner.

Ingredients:
a 12- to 14-pound turkey
2 large yellow onions, cut into wedges
1 ½ pounds sliced bacon
1/2 cup white wine
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup water

Defrost your turkey completly. I put it in a sink with cold water and changed the water every few hours until it was defrosted (for 2 days).

Heat oven to 325 F. Place the turkey on a roasting rack set in a large roasting pan. Fill the pan with the onions. (I added the onions after, but it would have been much easier before)

Carefully separate the turkey's skin from the flesh, trying to avoid breaking the skin. Work strips of bacon under the skin, running them along the tops of the breasts. Three to 4 slices should fit on each breast. Pat the skin back into place over the bacon.
Place several strips of bacon inside the cavity of the bird, unless you plan to stuff it. Wrap several strips of bacon around each leg, interlacing them to keep them in place. Lay strips across the top of the whole bird, weaving them.

Roast for 3-to 3-1/2 hours, or until the breast registers 160 F and the thickest part of the thigh reaches 170 F. Allow the turkey to rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and let it rest another 10 minutes.

Gravy:
Add the white wine to the roasting pan and place over medium heat on the stovetop. Heat, using a silicone spatula to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom. Strain the mixture into a small saucepan. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, mix the flour and water.

Bring the drippings in the saucepan to a boil over medium-high. Slowly pour in half the flour mixture, whisking constantly. Return to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Adjust the thickness of the gravy with more of the flour mixture or water until you get the desired consistency. Be sure to simmer for several minutes after each addition of flour.

ENJOY!!

Potato Thins

2009-11-16T15:41:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

2 potatoes /person
Olive Oil spray
salt
pepper
paprika
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.Cut the potatoes in thin slices (about 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch). Spread out in one layer on an olive oil coated baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a little paprika.

Bake for 15 minutes, flip, bake for an additional 15 minutes (check closely for last 10 minutes)

ENJOY!

Easy Eye of Round Roast Beef

2009-11-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

This is a perfect weeknight roast that you can put on in the morning before you head to work! Come home to a cooked dinner and a house that smells amazing!
Ingredients:

Eye of round roast beef
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 packages beef bullion
1 cup water
1-2 tbsp flour

Butterfly the roast by cutting length wise down the roast. Place in the slow cooker that has been coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the entire roast. Stuff the garlic inside the roast where you cut.

In measuring cup mix 1 cup of hot water with the 2 packages of bullion. Pour over the roast. Cook on Low for 6-8 hrs. Baste occasionally if possible.
Remove roast from cooker and let set for 10 minutes. Carve.

Remove the drippings from the bottom of the cooker, add 1-2 tbsp flour and pour into a gravy boat. ENJOY!

Recipe File

2009-11-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

Before I started this blog I always kept my favourite recipes in a word doc... Here it is if anyone is interested. I plan to make some of these recipes for the blog too!

Recipe File (the file looks a little funny because of the google docs)

If anyone has any fun, interesting recipe ideas please let me know!!

Quick Beef Chow Mien

2009-11-04T14:05:00.001-08:00

This is a super fast, really flavourful chow mien dish!
Ingredients:

1 pkg fast fry beef, cut into thin slices
1 tbsp sesame oil
4 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup matchstick carrots
1/2 a yellow pepper, matchstick
a sprinkle of sesame seeds
1 pkg instant chow mien noodles

Boil a package of chow mein noodles as per instruction. (I use the instant ones, boil for 2 minutes)

Heat some sesame oil in a frying pan. Brown the beef, do NOT overcook.
Add 2tbsp soya sauce, lime juice, carrots, peppers and sesame seeds, mix. Cook for 1 minute. Put into a bowl and set aside.

Using the same pan from the beef, place the strained noodles in and add 2 tbsp soya sauce. Cook an additional 1 minute.

Add the meat back into the pan and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Serve and ENJOY!!

Oven Roasted Chicken

2009-11-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

This is one of my new favourite meals, and a hit with anyone who tastes it! I have had multiple people ask me for the recipe, so here you go!! The key to this recipe is the basting... you have to do it often, so this isn't a good meal to make if you can't take the time to baste!

Ingredients:

2 medium sized lemons
1/2 cup honey garlic BBQ sauce
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled, minced
1 - 3lb whole chicken
1 cup chicken broth or stock

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl, set 2 lemon halves aside.

Add BBQ sauce to the lemon juice, add seasoning and stir.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Rub the chicken with the lemon halves, then stuff half of the minced garlic in each half of the lemon, and put the lemon halves in the cavity of the chicken- stuff it back as far as you can!!

Rub the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle a bit of the bbq sauce mixture on top of the chicken.

Pour the chicken stock in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Bake for 1hr 45 minutes. Baste with the chicken stock every 15 minutes for the first hour. Baste with the lemon/bbq sauce every 10 minutes for the last 45 minutes.

Remove chicken from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes for the juices to set. Discard the lemon halves. Carve the chicken.

Reserve the pan drippings to pour over rice or potatoes. ENJOY!!

Pork Fajitas

2009-10-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

This meal is made up of 3 recipes, Fajita seasoning, Pork Fajitas, and Apple Salsa.

Fajita Seasoning:
Ingredients:

1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp chicken bullion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin

Mix everything in a bowl and pour into a spice jar or baggie and label. You will only use a few teaspoons for this recipe, but you can use the seasoning on pork, chicken or beef next time you make fajitas... it tastes much better then the pre-packaged seasoning!

Pork Fajitas

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 red pepper cut into thin slices
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fajita seasoning
1/4 cup lime juice
2 pork chops, cut into thin slices

Mix all of the seasonings and the garlic in a bowl and coat all of the pork slices evenly.

Heat oil in a large frying pan and add the coated pork- stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the red peppers and onions- stir fry for another 4 minutes

Add lime juice and stir fry an addition 2 minutes, or until meat is cooked and the veggies are tender. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Apple Salsa

Ingredients:

2 tart apples, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp fresh cilantro (I was out and just omitted)

Put the chopped apples in a bowl, add all ingredients to the bowl, and toss.

Assemble:

Set all the cooked pork and the apple salsa on the table with the fajitas. Place a spoon in each bowl and allow guests to assemble. ENJOY!!

Macaroni and Cheese with a Twist

2009-10-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 lb. fusili or your favourite pasta
4 cups milk
1 tsp Thyme
4 cloves garlic, smashed and divided
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1tsp parsley
8 slices bacon, crumbled and divided in half
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1tsp thyme
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper

Get your pasta cooking first. It will probably need to boil for about 8-9 minutes to be al dente. Drain it when it’s done.

In a large pot heat your milk with thyme and garlic cloves.

Melt your butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Then whisk in the flour and stir constantly to keep lumps from forming, for about 1 minute. Remove from heat, scrape skillet with a spatula.
Use the same skillet to cook your bacon until crispy. Once bacon is cooked place on a paper towel and crumble.
Strain the garlic from the milk mixture and whisk in the butter/flour mix until it’s nice and smooth. Also add 4 cups of the cheese in and stir so the cheese melts. Add in your cooked pasta, half the crumbled bacon and the parsley - mix it all up. Dish the mac and cheese into a 3 quart baking dish.
Mix your melted butter and breadcrumbs, crumble on top of pasta mixture. Sprinkle an additional cup of cheese on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

While that is baking lets start on the topping.

Saute the onion in the same pan you cooked the bacon (with majority of the grease drained). Add garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for approx 5 minutes to caramelize. Add remaining crumbled bacon and cook an additional minute. Remove from heat.

When you remove the macaroni and cheese from the oven top with the onion/bacon topping. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving. ENJOY!!

Butternut Squash Soup

2009-10-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 pounds peeled and seeded butternut squash , cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tbsp butter
1 pinch sugar
3 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups chicken broth, homemade or from a carton or can
1 1/2 cups half-and-half (or whole milk)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Garnish: apple slices

To prepare squash: Peel the squash, cut in half at the bulge, and then cut each half again, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds in the bottom half. Cut remaining squash into 1 inch cubes.Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep saute pan until shimmering.

Add butternut squash, then onion; saute, stirring very little at first, then more frequently, until squash start to turn golden brown, 10 min.

Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar and garlic; continue cooking until all vegetables are a rich caramel color, about 10 minutes longer.

Add cinnamon; continue to saute until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. Add broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until squash is tender, about 10 minutes.

Using an immersion blender or traditional blender, puree until very smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Return to pot, add enough half-and-half so the mixture is soup like, yet thick enough to float garnish. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed. Simmer for 10 minutes, spoon into bowls, garnish and ENJOY!!

Easy Steak Sandwiches

2009-10-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

This recipe is perfect for week nights with little time to prepare dinner!!

Ingredients:

2 fresh Italian sandwich rolls or Kaiser buns, split in half crosswise
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 pound rib-eye steak, very very thinly shaved or sliced
1/3 pound shredded Mozzarella Cheese
BBQ sauce
Garlic butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. When hot add the oil and onions, stirring until caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and salt, stirring for 30 seconds. Put in a bowl.

Add the meat to the hot pan and cook, stirring and breaking up with the back of a spatula, until almost no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Mix in the Sauteed vegetables. Add some BBQ sauce to lightly coat.

Spread buns with garlic butter, place meat on bun, top with cheese and bake until cheese is melted.

Serve warm and ENJOY!!

Oven Baked Brown Sugar Pork and Apples

2009-10-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is a great week day recipe, its super fast, and very flavorful... would make for some great leftovers too!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup apple juice
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
6 boneless pork chops
2 apples

Preheat oven to 350

In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, apple juice, oil, soy sauce, salt , and pepper. Bring to boil. Combine water and cornstarch in small bowl, and whisk into brown sugar mixture. Stir until thick. Divide the sauce in half

Peel and core the apples. Slice into thin rings.

Spray a baking sheet with PAM, and evenly spread chops. Top each chop with 1-2 apple rings. Bush the chops with half of the sauce.

Bake for 20 minutes. Drizzle with remaining sauce before serving. ENJOY!!

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Apple

2009-10-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

This is a great variation of the classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich. If you enjoy raisins you could substitute regular bread for raisin bread.

Ingredients:

2 Slices of Bread per sandwich
Apple slices (approx 1/3 apple per sandwich)
Margarine or butter
2 cheese slices per sandwich.

Heat a frying pan on the stove at medium heat.

Butter each slice of bread on one side. Place the bread in the frying pan buttered side down.

Top with a slice of cheese, apple slices, another slice of cheese and the second slice of bread- buttered side up.
Once the bottom slice of bread has browned, carefully flip the sandwich and brown the bottom
slice of bread.

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce, I use ketchup :) ENJOY!!

Seasoned Roasted Potatoes

2009-10-03T20:20:00.001-07:00

These potatoes are a great side dish for many meals, be sure to make extra as most people go for seconds!

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes, washed, sliced, and cut into pieces (approx 1" x 1/4")
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

In a large bowl toss the potatoes in olive oil. Pour all dry ingredients into the bowl and toss everything together until all potatoes are well coated.

Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil spray. I also line with parchment paper for an easier clean up.

Spread coated potatoes over greased parchment paper.

Bake for approx 25 minutes or until potatoes reach desired doneness.

ENJOY!

Turkey Rice Wraps

2009-10-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

These are a favourite of my husband and many of my friends. It is a great healthy meal to make when you are in a hurry!

Ingredients:

1 package Ground Turkey
Rice paper
3 tbs sesame oil
4 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 small onion
1/4 cup white wine
sesame seeds
Plum or Sweet & Sour sauce for dipping

Filling:

Brown the ground turkey and onion with the sesame oil, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Add soy sauce, carrots, and white wine. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Simmer for 5 minutes.Rice Paper:

Fill a shallow bowl with warm water, fully immerse a sheet of rice paper wrap into the water for 20 seconds until soft, lay the soften rice paper on the mesh trays. If you do not have mesh trays you can use moistened paper towels between each wrap.

Mesh trays, found at a local Asian supermarket

To serve I put the filling in a bowl and the stack of rice wraps/trays on the table and everyone fills and wraps as they wish. Some people like to put the sauces inside the wrap, and others like to dip them.

ENJOY!!

Prime Rib Roast

2009-10-03T13:43:00.001-07:00

Tonight we had a few friends over for dinner... I had no idea what to make so I headed to the grocery store in hopes of some inspiration. I saw some nice Prime Ribs for a decent price- so I decided to grab one and try it out! It was really easy to make!

Ingredients

4 cloves of garlic
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbs rosemary flakes
1 tbs thyme leaves
1 standing rib roast of beef (about 3 pounds)
3/4 cup red wine, plus 1 more cup if making au jus, optional
1/4 cup beef stock, plus 1 more cups if making au jus, optional

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme in a bowl and stir to blend. Pat this mixture evenly over the top and sides of the roast.

Place the roast in a roasting pan and add red wine and beef stock to the bottom of the pan. My roast wouldn't stand properly, so I slid 2 skewers through it that rested on the sides of the pan- this worked great!

Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue to roast to the desired degree of doneness, about 18 minutes per pound for rare and 22 minutes per pound for medium. Let stand at least 15 minutes before carving. Internal temperature should be 150-160 degrees F.

If making au jus, place the roasting pan on the stove burners over medium-high heat. Add red wine and scrape the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add beef stock and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve to remove the solids before serving. De-grease, if necessary.

Enjoy!!

Tina's Apple Cake

2009-10-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Here is another apple recipe! I got this one from Tina Resendes, it was her Grandmothers. We had it for dessert tonight and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Thanks Tina!

Ingredients:

3 apples, cored, sliced (I used Courtland)
3 cups flour
1 OJ
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 canola oil
5 eggs

Preheat the oven to 370 degrees F.

Put the apples in bowl with some cinnamon and sugar, toss them to coat.

Beat the eggs, sugar, oil and Orange juice together.

Sift the flour and baking powder together. Slowly add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture.

Grease a 9x13 pyrex dish with PAM. Put half the batter in pan, top with the apples, and then pour the remaining batter over.

Bake for 60 minutes, serve warm, and ENJOY!!

(oops, I forgot to take a pic before we ate it)

Spaghetti Squash with Bolognese Sauce

2009-10-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

I have decided that we need to eat a larger variety of foods in my house... no more cooking the same old items! I really enjoy watching the Rachael Ray show and I remember seeing an episode where she used Spaghetti squash and a thick meat sauce. I decided to create my own version of it... I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
6 tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1lb ground pork
1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
½ cup shredded carrots
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 small can of tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef stock

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the squash halves, cut side up, onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn the squash over so they're cut side down for 50 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of Olive oil. Brown the ground pork and ground beef, sprinkle a little salt and pepper over.

Add the carrots, onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Season everything with salt and pepper, and add the tomato paste, simmer for 1 minute. Add the red wine and beef stock and cook the sauce until it thickens, about 5 minutes.

Once the squash is ready remove from oven and flip over, use a fork to loosen the squash strands up. Scoop some meat sauce on top of each squash half and garnish with shredded cheese.

Depending how hungry you are I recommend cutting the squash in half again before you serve, giving each person 1/4 of the squash. ENJOY!!

Easy Applesauce

2009-10-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

Apple picking, babies, and 30lbs of apples... those are some great reasons to make applesauce!! This recipe doubles very easily... we used 20 apples!

Ingredients:

8 apples - peeled, cored and chopped

1 1/2 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon.

Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft.

Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.

Cool and put into containers to refrigerate or freeze!

ENJOY!!! These 2 little girls sure did!!

Simple Apple Crisp

2009-10-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

A friend and I brought our daughters apple picking this morning and ended up with 30lbs of apples. We made apple sauce and then decided to make a few apple crisps. It turned out great and was soo tasty!! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

5 apples - peeled, cored and sliced (I used courtland apples)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F

Lightly grease a 9 inch square baking pan, mix sliced apples with brown sugar.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, white sugar, cinnamon and salt.

In a small bowl, beat together egg and melted butter. Stir into flour mixture.

Spread evenly over apples.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until topping is golden and crisp.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!!

"Fall" Beef Stew

2009-10-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

After a great day of apple picking and baking with the apples I really wanted a truly "fall" meal to finish off a wonderful fall day.

This stew was super easy to make, and we all really enjoyed it!!

Ingredients:

1 pkg stewing beef
½ cup shredded carrots
3 med potatoes (cubed)
¼ of an onion (chopped)
1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 packages beef bullion
Water

First you saute the onion and garlic with some olive oil in a large pot. Once the onions are browned remove them both from the pot.

Braise the stewing beef a bit at a time in the hot oil, add more oil if necessary. Add onions and garlic back into the pot along with the potatoes and carrots.

Pour just enough water into the pot to cover its contents. Add 1-2 packages beef bouillon powder (depending how flavourful you would like it). Simmer on low-med heat for 1 hour.

Serve with some fresh french bread and enjoy!