Crockpot Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce

I love this recipe, so I'm posting it here so it doesn't get lost. It is currently written on 2 post-it notes stuck to the inside of my recipe binder. Not a safe place. I got this recipe from my friend Lauren (you'll notice lots of recipes from her on this blog!). It is super yummy

Crockpot Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce

5 medium Gala apples
2 medium Granny Smith apples
2 medium Honeycrisp apples
fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 C water

Peel, core, quarter, and slice apples. Place all apple pieces in a large bowl. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over them and stir. Add sugar and cinnamon. Pour water into the bottom of a large crockpot and add apples. Put the lid on the crockpot and turn on. Cook for about 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high. Stir occasionally.

Once the applesauce is cooked, you can puree or blend it for a smoother texture. Keeps in the fridge for a week. Can be frozen.

Makes 4 cups

Grandma Stone's Lemon Meringue Pie

Grandma Stone makes the best lemon meringue pie in the whole world. My mom finally got the recipe from her (I've been begging for it for 10 years!), so I figured I better put it somewhere permanent so it will never get lost.

Grandma Stone's Lemon Meringue Pie

Prepared, baked pie shell

Filling:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 egg yolks
1-2 Tablespoons lemon zest

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 Tablespoons sugar      

1. Mix filling ingredients and pour into pie shell. 
2. Beat egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar until glossy, stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved.
3. Top filling with meringue.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes, until meringue is golden brown 

Mom's Shepherd Pie

Mom's Shepherd Pie

1/2 lb hamburger
1 can green beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained 
4 servings potato flakes
3/4 - 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Brown hamburger and prepare potato flakes as directed on package. Layer ingredients in above order in a microwave safe casserole or bowl. Microwave for 8 minutes, til cheese is melted.   

Lauren's Pizza Dough

I got this recipe from one of my great friends, Lauren (thus the name). She uses it for both pizza and calzones.

Lauren's Pizza Dough

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 pkg)
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in remaining ingredients and knead until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes. Ready to go! Bake 15-20 minutes at 475 degrees F (or longer at lower temperature, like 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees F).

*******My notes: I usually use instant yeast, so I skip the dissolving the yeast part. This recipe will almost fill a jelly roll pan. Sometimes I add some garlic powder and italian seasonings to the dough to make it extra yummy.     

Birdseed Bread

My family found a birdseed bread that we really love. The only problem is that it is over $5 a loaf at the local farmer's market. I'm all about supporting local small businesses, but I knew that I could probably make bread similar to this for a fraction of the price. Here is what I came up with. It isn't exactly the same as the farmer's market bread, but we are happy with it. We'll just say that we have never eaten homemade bread as fast as the first batch of this was eaten.

Birdseed Bread
Adapted from here and here

2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2 Tablespoons gluten flour (or vital wheat gluten)
2 Tablespoons instant yeast
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unsalted raw sunflower seeds
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
2 Tablespoons cornmeal
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons millet
2 Tablespoons amaranth
2 Tablespoons flax seeds
5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1. Combine water, honey, oil, lemon juice, salt, and ginger in bowl of stand mixer. Add ground flaxseed, gluten, yeast, and rolled oats.
2. Add 3 cups flour and mix vigorously with paddle attachment until you can see a little bit of stretch. Add sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, cornmeal, sesame seeds, millet, amaranth, and flax seeds and mix until well incorporated. 
3. Switch to dough hook and add 2 more cups of flour and mix again. Add more flour as needed until dough comes together and clears sides of bowl. Knead about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer to an oiled bowl and cover; let rise until double in size.
5. Punch down and shape into three loaves. Cover with a towel and let rise until double.
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 30-35 minutes; gently remove from pans and let cool on racks.

*****My notes: I haven't needed to use more than 5 cups of flour in this recipe. I'm not sure why, but I think it might be all of the added seeds and grains. If you don't have all of the different seeds and grains, use what you do have. This just happens to be what I have on hand and what I like in my bread. The original recipe for the bread base says to cook the bread in three 8" pans, but only have 9" pans. They worked fine, but the bread was just a little short (we could fit two pieces side by side in one toaster slot).

"Macaroni Grill" Rosemary Bread

My friend brought this bread to dinner at my house one night and I just had to get the recipe. It is supposedly the recipe for the bread you eat at Macaroni Grill. It is SO yummy! I made it to take to a friend's house on Sunday and made an extra loaf for us to keep at home.

Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup hot water
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons rosemary
1 teaspoon salt

Mix first three ingredients and let sit to nice and foamy. Add the rest of the ingredients. Let dough rise in greased bowl til double the size. Roll dough into one large round loaf, or two smaller loaves. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until top is golden brown. When out of the oven, melt butter all over the top and sprinkle with salt.

****Here are my edits. I used SAF yeast, so I didn't let it foam in the sugar water. Just added it to my dry ingredients and it was good to go. I only use half the amount of rosemary. I have made it with the full amount, but I think it is too much. I let my loaves rise again before I cook them. I think it makes them extra fluffy and yummy. The last time I made it I left the extra loaf on the pan to cool (I cooked it on a cookie sheet) and covered it with a towel. Later that night when I went to put it away, the bottom was a little soggy right in the middle. Next time I will leave it on a cooling rack.

This bread is perfect to eat with oil and vinegar, for dipping in chili or soup, or just plain. Enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Finally, right? Sorry to make you wait so long for this, Ang!!! Here is the creamy, yummy goodness!  (FYI: this is the recipe from the book, I didn't do everything they said, like I didn't cook the bacon in a dutch oven because I don't have one! :)  )

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
From The Cook's Country Cookbook

8 slices bacon, chopped
3 lbs russet potatoes, scrubbed
1 lg onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbls all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp dried thyme
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus additional for garnish
1 cup sour cream, plus additional for garnish
3 scallions, sliced thin

1. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. While the bacon is cooking, use a vegetable peeler to remove wide strips of peel from the potatoes; reserve the peels. Cut the peeled potatoes into 3/4-inch pieces.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.  Add the reserved potato skins to the bacon fat in the pot and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potato skins to the plate with the bacon,

2. Add the onion to the fat remaining in the pot and cook over medium heat until golden, about 6 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and flour and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in the broth and cream, stir in the thyme and potatoes, and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 7 minutes.

3. Transfer 2 cups of the cooked potatoes to a bowl.  Puree the remaining soup in batches in a blender until smooth.  Return the soup to the pot and warm over medium-high heat.  Off the heat, stir in the cheese until melted, then whisk in the sour cream.  Return the reserved potatoes to the pot and season the soup with pepper.  Ladle the soup into bowls, and garnish with the bacon, fried potato skins, scallions, cheese and sour cream.

MMMMM!!!  Hope you LOVE it!