apple dumplins

this dish is so yummy. sure, it's not easy on the heart, but it's yummy. this recipe is from the mother of my bff i left behind in texas.  sniffle.  upon first bite be prepared for your eyes to roll back in to your head, followed by a little shiver all over !

• 2 granny smith apples
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 pkg crescent rolls (8 rolls)
• 1/2 can sprite
• cinnamon & sugar for dusting

preheat oven to 350 F.

melt butter in a small saucepan.  add sugar.  stir until dissolved and well incorporated.  turn off heat and stir in vanilla.  set aside.

peel, core, and slice apples into 4 wedges each (8 total).  roll one apple wedge in one crescent roll wedge and place in a lightly sprayed 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking dish.  repeat with rest of apples and rolls. 

pour melted butter/sugar over rolls.  slowly pour sprite around rolls until about halfway up sides of rolls.  dust rolls with cinnamon and sugar.  bake uncovered for 40 minutes.  makes 8 dumplins.

liquid sugar comes out screamin' hot.  i let the apples "rest" for about 30 minutes.  you can eat it sooner, but at your own risk.  (in my opinion, these do not make good leftovers - maybe you'll find a way to reheat them that brings them back to life.  i've found they turn into applesauce) 

i'm a new blogger and haven't evolved yet into embedding a "print" button within the body of this post.  you'll have to do it the old fashioned way and copy/paste.

green chile chicken enchiladas

wow-wee i made the best ‘chiladas last night!  full of flavor and very pretty too! it's just the two of us at home so i made a small dish. i use a whole already-roasted chicken and just shred however much i need. freeze the rest.  this recipe is for one small casserole, about 2 quarts, but it’s large enough for leftovers.

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

shred about two cups of chicken. Season with about 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 teaspoon chili powder, adjust for your heat preference. depending on my mood i may add crushed red pepper too. generously salt and pepper. set aside.

chop about 1/2 - 3/4 of an onion. set some aside to sprinkle on top of each of the finished servings. set aside.

heat about 6 tablespoons of canola oil in a small fry pan. lightly fry about 8 corn tortillas (i use white corn), just enough to soften. let drain on a plate of paper towels.   sprinkle each tortilla with salt and pepper as soon as you put them on the toweling.  lay another set of papertowels over the fried tortillas and place newly fried tortillas on top.  set aside.

lightly spray casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.  pour a bit of green enchilada sauce from a 15 oz can on the bottom of the casserole dish, just enough to lightly cover the bottom.  this not only helps with sticking, but keeps the tortillas moist.

place 3-4 tortillas on the bottom of the dish.  sometimes i cut them in half to more easily arrange them depending on the shape of the dish i use.  start layering: sprinkle chicken over tortillas; sprinkle onions and shredded cheese over chicken; pour half of remaining sauce over top.  cover with rest of tortillas, then cheese.  pour remaining chile sauce over top.  cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

after 30 minutes, remove foil and let bake another 10 minutes. let the dish rest outside of the oven for about 15 minutes, covered with the foil - it’s easier to cut and serve.

serve with shredded cheese, remaining onions, sour cream, and a side of pintos that have been lightly seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste.

it's easy to do another layer if you're so inclined but, aside from the obvious of using more ingredients, you'll certainly want more enchilada sauce.  bueno apettito ya'll.

pear apple crisp

this is comfort food at its finest.  it's warm, beautifully scented, and uses fruits associated with fall.  but i don't let that stop me from throwin' on some ice cream.  it's not overly complicated, just a little time consuming with the peeling and preparing of the fruit.  it takes about 15 minutes to prep once you gather all of the ingredients and another 50 minutes to bake, so i prep it before dinner then pop it in the oven to bake while we're eating.  it's supposed to serve eight, you just have to consider how you're going to serve it - one large casserole dish or separate ramekins.  i opt for the casserole style so i can scoop some out into large bowls that have room for the ice cream.  this recipe is from the barefoot contessa's "at home" cookbook.  the photo's from the web (not only can i not cook, i can't photograph either)

• 2 pounds ripe bosc pears (4 pears)
• 2 pounds firm Macoun apples (6 apples)
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tsp grated orange zest
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 tbls freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tbls freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

for the topping

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, diced

preheat the oven to 350 degrees

peel and core the pears and apples and cut them into large chunks.  place the fruit in a large bowl and toss with the cranberries, zests, juices, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  pour into a 9 x 12 x 2 inch baking dish.

for the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixed fitted with a paddle attachment.  mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the mixture is in large crumbles.  sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

place the baking dish on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly.  serve warm.

okay.  i didn't do all of this.  first off, i used whatever apples and pears i had.  i don't know their names, it's just what i grabbed at the store.  i am just realizing as i'm writing this post that i didn't even see the sugar and flour that you're supposed to mix in with the fruit.  i didn't have cranberries so i used pomegranates.  i didn't have an orange.  i grabbed a lemon that was already cut open and just squeezed some into the bowl over the fruit.  and zesting?  forget about it.  i couldn't very well zest an orange i didn't have and i can't zest a lemon that's already been cut open.  i didn't have old-fashioned oats, just the 1-minute quick cooking kind.  it seems i left out more ingredients than i put in but this turned out great!  since there's just the two of us i cut the recipe in half.  i used a small 2 quart casserole dish and piled the fruit in thick and ended up using only half of the topping i made because there was a smaller surface area to cover.  the cooking temp and time of 50 minutes was perfect.  i only have a hand mixer but didn't want to use it as i didn't want to cream the topping mixture together.  i just used an old fashioned pastry cutter which gave great results.  p.s. on another episode of a different recipe ina says you can use the hand mixer with just one of the beaters.  genius.

overall, i found this recipe very delicious, albeit now completely unrecognizable.  it seems it's very forgiving.  imagine how good it would be if i had actually followed the recipe and included all of the ingredients!  it will make a great presentation for company.

here's the link to ina's video at foodnetwork.com    http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/pear-apple-cranberry-crisp/61941.html  you'll notice she uses ramekins in the video.

gorilla bread

this is an over-the-top "monkey bread" recipe from paula deen. i've made it a zillion times and it's always crowd-pleasin'.

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 (12 oz) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count each)
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.  mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside.  in a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside.  cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes.  press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar.  place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese and roll the biscuits in the cinnamon sugar.  sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan.  place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan.  sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle 1/2 cup of nuts.  layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup nuts.  bake for 30 minutes.  remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.  place a plate on top and invert.

here's what i have to say about that...i find it needs to bake for 40 minutes.  also, you don't have to be that careful with the amount of cinnamon sugar you put in the biscuits before you add the cream cheese cubes; in fact, i sprinkle it on pretty heavily.  also, don't let it rest longer than 5 minutes after you pull it out of the oven; the topping and some of the biscuits will stick to the pan and it messes up the presentation.

here's a link to the recipe on foodnetwork.com   http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/paulas-gorilla-bread-recipe/84905.html  i notice in her video she says she bakes it for 50-60 minutes, but the original recipe calls for 30 minutes.  again, i have had the best results at 40 minutes.

the new chocolate chip cookie

we're all familiar with the old "tried and true" recipe that's on the back of the nestle's package, but after 30 some years of using this recipe, i have a new "go to" chocolate chip cookie recipe.  i find the cookies are not only delicious-er, but stay soft long-er.  this recipe is from the back of a safeway brand package of chocolate chips.  the measurements and ingredients are exact, i've just "enhanced" with my commentary and suggestions.

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed golden brown sugar (i use light, personal preference)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (don't cheat, get the real stuff)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-12oz package chocolate chips (i use more)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, optional (i always optional)

in large mixing bowl and using electric mixer, mix butter until creamy.  mix in brown and granulated sugars, salt and vanilla, until fluffy.  mix in egg and baking soda.  add flour.  mix on low until incorporated.  fold in chocolate chips and nuts.  drop onto greased or sprayed baking sheets (i just use parchment paper).  bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until tops are set when lightly pressed with fingertips and color is golden.  let stand 2 minutes, then remove to racks.  store in airtight container.  makes about 5 dozen cookies.

okay, first off, i have to warn you...when you test the cookies with your fingertips, cookies WILL BE HOT.  just a little caveat.  don't want the mcdonald's hot-coffee-in-the-lap lawyer knocking on my door.  that poor lady.  but i don't hold mcdonald's responsible.  i dated her grandson.  i'm off point.....

5 dozen cookies.  that's 1 dozen (12) multiplied by 5.  that's 60 cookies.  somethins' wrong with my oven because i only get about 24 cookies.  either i make them too big or i eat too many before they actually make it into the cookie jar.

i'm not posting a photo of the cookies.  you know what a chocolate chip cookie looks like, and it's possible i may be trying to cover for not having any left to photograph.  just sayin'.