Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

Pic courtesy of Our Best Bites

I didn't actually make this dessert, but we were invited to dinner this week at a friend's house and she made it and I have been dreaming about it ever since. It was SO incredibly delicious. She said it was pretty easy, so I'm taking her word for it, though she is an amazing cook. I helped her make the buttermilk syrup (Ok, I only stirred it while it turned in to caramel-y goodness:)) and I would say that you don't want to eat this without the syrup. It also didn't hurt that she served it with the smooth and creamy Haagen-dazs 5 ingredient vanilla ice cream. My tummy hurt afterwards (a good hurt, though).


Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from C&H Sugar

5-6 c. stale French bread cubes (about 1/2 of a standard loaf cut into 1" cubes)

3 c. apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces

4 eggs

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 c. milk

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

2 tsp. pumpkin or apple pie seasoning

1 Tbsp. butter, chopped

1 recipe Buttermilk Syrup

*If possible, cut the bread into cubes and leave it out for several hours or overnight. If not, place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the bread cubes are dried out but not toasted.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease or spray a 9x13" baking dish with shortening or non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, toss together the bread cubes and the apple pieces. Transfer to the baking dish. In the same large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients except for the butter. When combined, continue to whisk while pouring over the bread/apple mixture (just to make sure the spices are evently distributed). Gently combine the bread and egg mixture, making sure each piece of bread is soaking in part of the egg and milk mixture. Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes (longer, if you can; you could even do this the night before, cover it tightly, and then bake it in the morning).

When the egg/milk mixture has mostly soaked into the bread, dab the butter over the bread and place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the center is set but not dry or burned.

Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve with warm Buttermilk Syrup (and vanilla ice cream if you really want to walk on the wild side.)

SOFT Worthington Caramel Popcorn

I got this recipe from my cousin Katie Worthington about 3 years ago. I am pretty sure every one of my sisters and close friends have the recipe because it is a-mazing. My sister Jennefer weighs herself everyday and she says every time she makes it she gains five pounds. The point is- the popcorn is so delicious that you can't stop eating it. So, don't focus on the weight gain part. Just the delicious factor, ok? Just forget I mentioned the weight gain part.

SOFT Worthington Caramel Popcorn
Pop 2-3 bags bags of butter flavored popcorn. Sort out the seeds with your hands.Place the following in a saucepan:
1 stick butter or margarine, 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of Karo syrup. Light Karo is fine.

Cook on MH heat until caramel come to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Turn heat to low and add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk. Stir constantly. Cook until softball stage. In other words, when you put a drop of caramel into a cup of tap water the caramel should feel like chewing gum. Remove from heat and add 1 t. vanilla. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Cool and store in airtight container.

Chicago-Style Garlic and Butter Pizza Crust

I would go so far as to call this luscious.  Seriously.  It was so good and thick and almost too thick-my kids wouldn't eat it.  But that was fine because that meant I could.  A lot of work for pizza (I love DiGiorno) but it was delicious!


Chicago-Style Garlic and Butter Pizza Crust
 From Real Mom Kitchen Blog

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
3 1/4 cups flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 garlic clove, ground to a paste
pizza toppings, your choice

In large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water.
Add 1/4 cup flour and the sugar, stir together.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Stir the remaining 1 cup lukewarm water, 3 cups flour, the cornmeal and salt into the yeast mixture.
Combine the butter and garlic; mix into the dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic, 10-12 minutes (I let my kitchen aid do this).
Lightly grease a large bowl, add the dough and turn to coat.
Cover and set in a warm place until the dough is doubled in size, 1 hour.
Punch dough down, then knead for 2-3 minutes (again I let the kitchen aid do this part).
Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan (I used glass), then press in dough to cover the bottom and 2 inches up the sides; let rise for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Top the pizza dough with your favorite toppings.
Lower the oven to 450 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

Quick, Crunchy Coffee Cake

Pic courtesy of A Mingling of Tastes

I don't know where this recipe came from, though I want to say it was from our backyard neighbors (the O'Briens). I just remember having it quite often growing up. Coffee cake is seriously one of my favorite breakfast foods and this recipe, if done right, is so light and fluffy, without being overwhelmingly sweet (Because who wants to be on sugar overload at breakfast?). Don't get me wrong, it is very sweet, it's just not slathered in sugar and butter. Now, like I said, I've made this many times but the last time I made it it absolutely blew my socks off (and Christian's) and let me tell you what the secret is: a pastry cutter. They cost maybe $3 at Wal-Mart (yes, that's where I got mine).

Quick, Crunchy Coffee Cake

from Becky Jewkes

Cake:
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, slightly colder than room temp.
2/3 c milk
1 egg

Topping:
4 Tbl flour
6 Tbl granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbl butter, softened to room temp.


Preheat oven to 350*. Spray a loaf pan, 8x8 pan, or bundt pan (my fave) with non-stick spray. For the cake, sift dry ingredients together into a medium mixing bowl. Cut slightly chilled butter into dry ingredients. Don't be a perfectionist here. Your dough should be like pearl-sized chunks. The butter will fluff up and make the lightest cake. If you mix it too much, it will be flat and dense. Mix milk and egg together. Make a small well in the middle of butter mixture and pour egg and milk in. Mix just until incorporated. Pour into prepared pan. Combine first 3 ingred. of topping mixture in small bowl. Cut in the butter until it forms a crumb topping. With a spoon, distribute evenly over the cake batter (there will be plenty to form a good crumb layer). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out relatively clean (some crumbs will come up).

*The original recipe said to heat the oven to 375 but I've found that's a little too hot. So, I usually preheat the oven to 375, then decrease the temp. to 350 when I put the cake in. Watch carefully because baking times can vary.

Maple Meatballs

Why are  meatballs such a man meal?  Jake begs me to cook meatballs all the time.  He loved this one, to me it just tasted like another meatball.  A man is definitely a better judge than me on this one.

Maple Meatballs
From Real Mom Kitchen blog

1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup chili sauce
2 teaspoons dried chives (or 2 tablespoons fresh chives)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
26 (1 pound) frozen, fully cooked meatballs, thawed

In a saucepan, combine syrup, chili sauce, chives, soy sauce,and ground mustard. Bring to a low boil. Add meatballs and then return to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until meatballs are thoroughly heated. Serve as an appetizer with toothpicks or over hot cooked rice (I made 1 1/2 recipes of the sauce if I’m doing this). Makes 5-6 servings.

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know there's no shortage of chocolate chip cookie recipes on our blog, but please try this one....I promise you'll be in love! This is the type of big cookie you'd find at a specialty bakery. Just remember to follow the special tips and use that wooden spoon!

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or half chocolate chunks, half chips)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes.

Tips: Only use a dark baking sheet or else the batter will spread out (I used my silpat from Demarle and they turned out perfectly moist and chunky). Also, use a wooden spoon for mixing in the sifted ingredients as well. Do not overbake!

Chocolate Almond Caramel Popcorn

Everyone loves caramel popcorn this time of year, right? Here's a delicious caramel popcorn recipe with a twist. I love, love, love the chocolate. The caramel's just an added bonus! I'm not one to add any kind of nut to any kind of dessert, but it's an option for all you nut-lovers out there!

Chocolate Almond Caramel Popcorn

12 cups popcorn, popped

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. Baking soda

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 cup almonds, slivered and broiled (toasted) *optional

2 cups milk chocolate chips

Heat oven to 250. Spray two 9x13 pans with non-stick spray. Divide popcorn between pans. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until full boil (7-9 minutes). Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking without stirring until thermometer reaches 234 degrees (about 4-6 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn. Sprinkle almonds evenly over top, sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips over each pan (I accidently

left out this step

, so the picture above shows less chocolate than it should). Stir it all to coat popcorn. Bake 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread popcorn out on wax paper and sprinkle evenly with remaining chocolate chips. Cool.

Ham Fried Rice

Ok, so you would think this recipe is easy and a no-brainer. Kind of like making scrambled eggs. You think everyone knows how to make ham fried rice. WRONG. I learned how to really make it when we lived in Japan. Not because it's a Japanese food (they would be appalled by this concoction I assure you) but because our good friends the Jensen's made it all the time. This is the reason why: Everyone in Japan lives off of rice. They eat it three meals a day. No joke. So there's always race hanging around (in the rice cookers on warm for days at a time) and it gets old eventually. This recipe is only good for leftover rice. I repeat, for leftover rice. that's very important. I have tried making it with fresh rice...it's not good.



Ham Fried Rice
Combine the following ingredients into a large frying pan. Saute veggies until brownish and sizzling on one side of pan.
2T butter
1/2 green pepper
1/2 onion

While you are sauteing the veggies, scramble about 3-5 eggs (to taste, I like 5) and scramble on the other side of the pan.

Once veggies are soft and eggs are scrambled, put the following ingredients into the pan with eggs and veggies.
6oz. diced sandwich ham
4-5 cups cooked and refrigerated rice (the refrigeration dries it out and makes for great ham fried rice)
1/3 c. soy sauce or to taste (My husband like a ton...but he can always add more on his own)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Aunt Kathy's Roast

Now that Emily made a reference to it, we HAVE to post Aunt Kathy's Roast on here. And I made it on Sunday and was reminded what an amazing yummy and easy recipe this is. Thank you Aunt Kathy for developing a recipe where you could throw something in the crock pot in the morning before church, come home, take a nap and dinner is ready around 5 without lifting a finger after 8 a.m. It's a beautiful thing.

Aunt Kathy's Roast (You don't have to make gravy)
1 3-5 lb. rump roast (this recipe is lenient...I have used a million different cuts it just needs to say "roast")
Brown thoroughly on all sides, really brown. In other words put your roast on your biggest frying pan and turn the heat to MH and flip until all sides are brown.

Mix the following ingredients and pour over roast (I usually make the gravy first in a sauce pan and then put everything in with the gravy so it's all mixed together):
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 can beef gravy (I use 2 c. water, 1/2 c. flour and beef bullion instead)
1/4 c brown sugar
3 T vinegar
2T soy sauce

Cover and cook in crock pot on high for a minimum of six hours. YOU CANNOT cook this too long but you can cook this too short. Trust me. I usually put it in around 8 a.m. and then we eat at 5 p.m. I put diced potatoes and carrots in too, then its a whole meal and you can really nap. :) This makes a delicious gravy. I use a slotted spoon and separate the carrots and potatoes (like in the pic) and then put the gravy in a gravy boat. YUM!

Cheesy Chicken Lasagna

Okay, you know you've found a good one when Mom is still talking about it 3 days later.  Don't know why, but all this together makes a perfect dish!  I didn't have lasagna noodles so I just used penne, it was amazing!

Cheesy Chicken Lasagna
From Real Mom Kitchen Blog

2 cans (12 oz) evaporated milk (not fat-free)
1 (1 oz) pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
3 C. cubed, cooked, chicken
1/8 tsp pepper
1 (16oz) lasagna noodles, cooked (I recommend reducing it to 8 oz to 12 oz)
1 1/2 to  2 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 to  2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook the chicken and noodles first at the same time. Once noodles are done–rinse in cold water and set aside (it keeps them from sticking together). Combine evaporated milk (don’t use fat-free version) and Ranch dressing in a 3 quart heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently until dry ingredients are dissolved. Stir in chicken and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes (don’t do any less), stirring frequently. Layer half of lasagna noodles, poultry sauce, and cheese in well-buttered 9×13 pan. Repeat layers again. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Nieman Marcus Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

YUMMY! Have you guys heard the story about these cookies? Well, if you haven't heard about it, look it up!

Neiman Marcus Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c butter
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 c sugar
2 1/2 c blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and then put into a blender until it is a fine powder)
12 oz chocolate chips
1 c b sugar
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
1 t baking powder

1 t vanilla
1/2 Hershey's bar (4oz)grated (optional- I didn't use b/c I didn't have it on hand)
Chopped nuts to taste (optional- I didn't use)

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, powder, & soda. Add chocolate chips. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Or in my case (and I seriously hope yours too), I have a new love affair with my cookie scooper thing....LOVE.LOVE.LOVE. It makes them all look so uniform and pretty. Bake for ten minutes at 350. Makes about 4 dozen.

Chicken Pot Pie

Everyone needs a little comfort food from time to time, right? This recipe is fabulous- wholesome, delicious, and well...comforting! You'll love this recipe and so will your family...guaranteed. You can put whichever veggies you prefer into the pie.

picture courtesy google images

Chicken Pot Pie

Adapted slightly from Allrecipes.com

1-2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used leftover frozen chicken from the Costco whole cooked chickens)

• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup potatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk (I used Fat Free)
• 4 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts (I used Pet-Ritz frozen variety)
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Rub egg white onto one pie crust and cook in oven for 8-10 minutes, or until desired golden-brown. Remove and set aside. In a saucepan combine carrots, potatoes, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions and garlic in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed, and frozen or thawed (cooked) chicken. Stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium heat until thick- about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Place half the veggie mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour 1/2 hot liquid chicken mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Repeat with second pie. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 2 pies.

3 Envelope Roast

I know we all rely heavily on Aunt Kathy's roast...but this one is amazing too!  Not only that, but it's easier!  

3 Envelope Roast
From Real Mom Kitchen Blog

3 pound beef roast (such as chuck roast)
1 envelope of dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 envelope of dry ranch salad dressing mix
1 envelope of dry brown gravy mix
2 cups water
Put the water in a measuring cup that is larger then the amount of water you are using. Now add and mix all three envelopes of dry salad dressings to the water. Mix until blended completely. Brown the roast (if desired). Add the meat to your cooker. Pour the water, salad dressing mixture over the roast. In the slow cooker cook it on high for about 4 hours on low about 8 hours.

Crepes Ensenada

Definitely my new favorite meal.  Perfection in a pan.  I'm telling you my mouth is watering just sitting here thinking about it.  Please, do yourself a favor and make these.  Please.


Crepes Ensenada
From Real Mom Kitchen blog

12 thin slices of ham
12 flour tortillas (10 inch)
1 lb. of Monterrey jack cheese cut into 12 piece (like string cheese)
1 (7 oz. can) diced green chilies
Cheese Sauce (recipe below)
Paprika

Heat tortillas in the microwave to soften. About 30 seconds for 6 tortillas. On each tortilla place in the center 1 piece of ham, 1 piece of cheese, and a little of the green chilies. Fold in sides and roll. Place in greased baking dishes. I use one 9×13 and one 8 x8 dish. Pour cheese sauce over crepes to cover. Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Cheese Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/2 tsp salt

Melt butter, blend in flour. Slowly add milk till thickened. Add remaining ingredients and cook until smooth.

Honey Mustard Chicken

Pic courtesy of My Kitchen Cafe

I have a list of dishes that I always have the ingredients for, no matter how many days (or weeks) it's been since I've been to the grocery store. This is on that list and every time I make it, I fall back in love with it because it's so easy AND so delicious. It's sweet, tangy, a little creamy, and perfect over rice or mashed potatoes, with a side of steamed veggies.

Honey Mustard Chicken
from My Kitchen Cafe

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed and tenderized slightly (if they are overly thick, slice them in half)
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
2 Tablespoons mustard (I used the basic yellow mustard, though the original recipe called for Dijon)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pre-heat oven to 350. Place chicken in shallow baking pan. In a small bowl, combine butter, honey, mustard and salt and whisk well. Pour over chicken. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, basting every 15 minutes. Serve by itself or over your favorite starch.

Scotcheroos

Scotcheroos

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies or Special K cereal
1 cup semi-sweet {or milk} chocolate morsels
1 cup butterscotch chips

Place corn syrup and sugar into large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 80-90 seconds (don't overheat), remove from microwave and stir. Stir in peanut butter till it melts. Add cereal, stir until well coated. Put mixture in 13x9-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.
Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips in microwave by heating 30 seconds and stirring till melted. It will melt eventually, do not over microwave chocolate or it will dry out and clump. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm, or eat when warm, gooey and delicious. Makes 24 bars.

Snickers Salad

Sounds too good to be true?  Not in this case.  Odd ingredients make for a delicious dessert.  An apple a day, right?

Snickers Salad

From Inside BruCrew Life blog

1 (3.5 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding

1 cup milk

1 container cool-whip,thawed

8 apples,sliced and diced

6 Snicker bars,cut up

Mix the pudding with the milk. Stir. Fold in the cool-whip. Chill for at least 1 hour. Add the apples and the Snickers.

Cake-y Corn Bread

 I love corn bread!!  But, the way mom made it was the best.  Adding some cake mix to the cornbread mix is more of a dessert but you can get away with it because technically it's "corn bread".  Guilty pleasure.

Cake-y Corn Bread

From Favorite Family Recipes Blog

1 yellow box cake mix
1 corn bread mix
3 eggs
3/4 c. milk
1 cube + 2 Tbsp. butter, softened

Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into a greased 9x13 glass dish. Bake @ 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes or until you can put a knife or a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean. Serve with butter and honey. Goes GREAT with chili!

Tasty Turkey Subs

These are as good as they look.  A matter of fact, they are so good I am making them again tonight.  Plus, quite healthy with using turkey and olive oil.  Love them!  I opted to coat the buns with olive oil and garlic salt and threw them under the broiler as well.  Oh, oh, oh so good!

Tasty Turkey Subs

From Sweet Little Smoothie Blog

Ingredients
1 pound lean deli turkey, sliced into strips
1 green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 pound provolone cheese
4 sub-style buns
teriyaki sauce, to taste
mayo, to taste

Directions

1. Heat griddle or large skillet to medium-high heat
2. Spray pan with olive oil
3. Add the onions, green peppers and turkey until veggies are softened and turkey is slightly brown, about 5 minutes
4. Reduce heat to medium-low
5. Separate the veggies and meat into individual sandwiches (on the griddle/pan), squirt with teriyaki sauce and lay 1-2 slices of provolone over each pile of yumminess
6. Cook until cheese starts to melt
7. Apply a thin coat of mayo (or to taste) on each of the sub rolls

Using a large spatula, carefully remove each sandwich pile from the griddle/pan and onto the bun (I actually kind of hold the opened bun over the meat & veggies and use it to help the spatula flip it over onto the opened bun)

Tortellini Soup

Marianne Galli made this for our Souper Saturday.  First dish gone, easy!  It was really delicious.  Sorry, I didn't take any pictures:). Tortellini Soup

2 Tbls butter 6 garlic clove, minced 1/2 cup onion chopped 4 cups chicken stock 2 cups water 1 9 oz. pkg. cheese tortillini 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with liquid 1 10 oz pkg. spinach 8 basil leaves, sliced 1 egg 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated salt and pepper to taste

1 In a large saucepan, melt butter. Sauté garlic and onion. 2 Add stock and water. 3 Bring to a boil, and add tortellini and reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. 4 Add Tomatoes and cook 4 minutes. 5 Add spinach and basil, cook 1-2 minutes. 6 In a small mixing bowl, whisk egg, Parmesan, salt and pepper. 7 Slowly drizzle into soup and cook 2 minutes.

Servings: 6