No Picture Post

I wanted to post these recipes because they were so good. I had a Stella and Dot jewelry party last Friday. I did a wine & dessert theme, but I didn't get a chance to take any pictures.

Salted Fudge Brownies: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/salted-fudge-brownies
So good! Even better with a glass of red wine

Spiced Pumpkin Cake: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/spiced-pumpkin-cake-00000000044847/index.htmlVery simple to make and pretty when it was all said and done. Great for the fall season.

Not served at the party but something I made for this week. Roasted Tomato Soup. What a great pairing for a panini or grilled cheese!

Sunday Dinner

My work schedule is about to get very hectic with travel so I wanted to follow some advice & roast a chicken on Sunday, then use the leftovers for something else.

Roasting a chicken is so easy and hands off. I just took the chicken, doused it with Italian dressing, put in a dutch oven and let it bake. I want to say at 325 maybe? I have a digital thermometer so I wait until it tells me its done. In addition to the chicken I made roasted red potatoes. These happen to be a favorite of mine from college days. My roommate's mom used to make these for us when we were home for the weekend.



They are so easy. Just quarter some red potatoes & toss them with spices. I use garlic or roasted minced garlic, salt & pepper. Roast at 425 for about 45 minutes until they are crisp. I usually stir them up about half way through.

My leftover recipe. White Chicken Chili! It has gotten cold here and this sounded delicious.

White Chicken Chili (adapted from Paula Deen)
Ingredients
2 cans cannelinni beans
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup diced onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green chiles (fresh or canned)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 to 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
Directions
In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and chiles and saute for 5 minutes. Add chile mixture to pot with beans. Add the chicken, cannelini beans, cumin, oregano, pepper, white pepper, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Serve with cornbread, if desired



The only thing I would have done differently is saute the onions more. They were a little crunchy as were the peppers.

***on a side note, its dark when I get home now so my pictures are going to suck

Chicken Tetrazzini

Here is a quick & easy meal! Since I started a new job, I wanted to try out some recipes that wouldnt take too long, store well, or could be made by the husband. This was one of them.

Chicken Tetrazzini
1/2 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
1/4 cup flour
1 can (14 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

**I omitted the peppers, my family doesnt like them**

HEAT oven to 350°F.

COOK spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package. Meanwhile, cook chicken and vegetables in large nonstick skillet 5 min. or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; cover to keep warm.

BRING Neufchatel, flour and broth to boil in same skillet, stirring constantly with whisk; simmer on medium-low heat 5 min., stirring frequently.

DRAIN spaghetti; return to saucepan. Add Neufchatel sauce, chicken mixture and 2 Tbsp. Parmesan; mix well. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole; cover.

BAKE 25 min. Top with mozzarella and remaining Parmesan; bake, uncovered, 2 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

** I also topped this with panko to make it extra crsipy on top!

Apple Muffins!

Yep. Still working on the apples. I finally peeled most of them & froze them. I can't do much more apple around here :) I got this recipe from blogchef. I love the website b/c not only do they have great pictures, they do some step by step on some of the recipes too.

I made this one early morning, when my son decided to wake everyone up at 4am. He fell back asleep. I did not. These were amazing right out of the oven. They had a crisp topping and a melt in your mouth middle. But...
I let them cool & placed them in a Tupperware container. The crisp top turned mushy. They were still delicious, but I was wanting that crisp, crumbly topping. Any suggestions on how to store them?


Apple Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups chopped apples (about 3 apples)
Cinnamon topping-
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan. In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract. Stir in apples and then gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.

To make cinnamon topping- in a small bowl mix brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until the mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the tops of the batter in the muffin pan.

Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Apple Crumble Bars

I am still working through my apples. I need a recipe that calls for about 20 apples in order to actually use them all.

I have made these twice already. They are so awesome!!! I would expect no less from an Annie's Eats recipe though.

Apple Crumble Bars

Apple Crumble Bars
Ingredients:
For the base:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the filling:
4 medium-sized apples, peeled, cored and coarsely diced
5 tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. lemon juice
¼ cup fruit jam (I used apricot)

For the topping:
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

Directions:
To prepare the filling, in a large skillet combine the apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until apples are tender but still firm. In a small cup, whisk together cornstarch and lemon juice. Add to the apple mixture and continue cooking, stirring constantly for 3 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8×8” baking dish with foil, leaving overhang on both sides for easy removal later. Grease foil.

To make the base, in a medium bowl combine flour, sugar and salt. Mix well. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, two forks or your hands, until it resembles breadcrumbs. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven. Spread the fruit jam evenly on the base while it is still hot. Top with the cooked apple mixture.

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients for the topping. Mix well until combined and crumbly. Sprinkle over the apple layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Using the foil, lift out of pan. Cut into squares and serve. (If desired, refrigerate before cutting to firm up a bit for easier slicing.)



I wish I could post a voice note I took via my phone. Jayson LOVES the apple bars. So much he can say it. Its absolutely hilarious.