Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples and Onions

4 pork chops

3 granny smith apples peeled and sliced

2 yellow onions sliced into rings

1/3 C packed brown sugar

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1. Slice your onions and apples.

2. Spray the inside of a large crock pot. Layer the onions along the bottom, and then the apples.

3. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of the apples.

4. Season the pork chops with the salt and pepper generously on both sides.

5. Place the pork chops on top of the apples, cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

serve over mashed potatoes or rice

Recipe from http://www.melskitchencafe.com/

Grandma Grant's Banana Nut Bread/Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
2 eggs
3 bananas, sliced (2 cups)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Grease muffin tins or 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" metal loaf pan
Cream sugar with butter. Mix in eggs, bananas, flour, pecans, soda, salt. Pour into prepared pan.
Place in cold oven. For bread cook at 300 for 1/2 hours until center comes clean with toothpick. For muffins, bake 325 for about 30 minutes
Cool bread in pan 5 min. on wire rack. Remove from pan and cool.

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey's cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 and stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture beating well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lighty browned. Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Roasted Tomato Soup

8 Roma Tomatoes, halved and seeded
2 red peppers, quatered and seeded
1 medium onion, quartered
8 cloves garlic
4 TBS. olive oil, divided
2 TBS. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
1 6oz. can tomoto paste
6 cups vegetable stock, (I used chicken stock because that is what I had)
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves
Preheat oven to 400*

On a sheet pan, gently toss together the tomatoes, red peppers, onion, garlic, 2 TBS. loive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Arranage the tomatoes and red peppers, skin side up, and bake until lightly charred, 45-50 min.

In a soup pot, warm the remaining 2 TBS. olive oil over med-high heat. Stir in the tomato paste and mix wel. Add the tomato and peper mixture, including the juices, and combine, Sitr in the stock, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 min. Transfer the soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and pulse in small batches that reach only ablout a third to halfway up the side of the jar. Be careful to start slow then increase the speed to blitz the ingredients unti smooth. Use a seperate bowl to hold the blended soup and then return it all to the pot.

Heat the soup to warm through, then ladle into serving bowls and garnich with basil.

*When blending hot liquids; Remove the loquid from the heat and allaow to cool for a least 5 min. Transfer liquid to a blender and fill it no more then halfway. If using a blender, release one corner ot the lid. This prevents the vacume effect that created heat explosions, Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few time then process on hight speed until smooth.

Lemon Clam Spaghetti

This reminds me of artichoke pasta but with clams. It is really easy and yummy!
1 lb. spaghetti
1/2 cup butter
3 TBS. olive oil
3 TBS. onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans minced clams, drain and reserve liquid
3 TBS. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook 1 lb. spaghetti while making sauce. Heat 3 TBS. butter and 3 TBS. oil in heavy pan. Saute' onion and garlic until tender. Add clam liquid, lemon juice, and pepper. Simmer until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup.

Stir in clams. Add remaining butter, heat and stir til melted. Pour sauce over spaghetti. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve with lemon wadges, if desired(I loved the tastes of the lemon juice squeezed on top). Makes 6 servings.

Johnny Carinos Bow Tie Pasta

Combine the following in a slow cooker:
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 jar four cheese alfredo sauce
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 pkg. Real Bacon Pieces
• 1 pkg. fresh sliced mushrooms (opt.)
• 1/2 pkg. of dry Italian Dressing Mix
• 1 cup swiss cheese, cubed
• 1/4 stick of butter, melted
• Salt and pepper
Cook on low 6-7 hours, shredding chicken about 1 hour before finished. Serve over cooked bow tie pasta

Puffed French Toast

This recipe is SO good. I made the french toast sticks. To die for.


Puffed French Toast
print recipe text only

2 eggs
2 ½ Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. milk
1 c. flour
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
12 slices Texas style toast, cut in half diagonally

In a large skillet or frying pan, heat about 1/4″ of vegetable oil (not olive oil) over medium heat. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, milk, flour, and baking powder. Test oil heat by flicking some water into the frying pan. If it pops, reduce the heat. If hardly anything happens, turn up the heat. If it sizzles, it’s just right.


Working quickly, take each 1/2 slice of bread and soak it both sides in the milk/egg/flour mixture. If you leave it in too long, it will get soggy, but you want to make sure enough of the egg mixture has soaked into the bread. Gently shake to remove excess batter and place in hot oil. Cook until puffed, golden brown, and a nice, crispy crust has formed on each side (probably 3-5 minutes per side; you really need to babysit them and make sure they’re cooking correctly) and then remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. While cooking remaining French toast, keep cooked pieces warm in an oven set to the lowest temperature it will go.

When ready to serve, roll each piece in cinnamon sugar.


If you’re feeling extra naughty, go ahead and drizzle a little maple syrup, buttermilk syrup, strawberry syrup or scoop some honey butter on there. You can email me later and tell me how bad you feel about yourself, but I guarantee that it’ll be worth it!


Golden and crispy on the outside with a sugary crunch, and heavenly soft in the middle.


Slice the bread into strips for great french toast dippers. Kiddos love these- or talk about killer party food! You could pile them high on a platter and then serve next to ramekins filled with different dipping sauces. Ie: Maple syrup, Buttermilk Syrup, Strawberry Sauce, etc.

Waffles

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbs white sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy.

Beat in rest of ingredients until smooth. Cook until gloden brown.

*( I actually mixed it all in the blender. I beat the eggs first then added the rest ingredients and it turned out great!) Top with fruit and whipped cream and enjoy!

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

I was hesitant to make these because I've never met a whole wheat pancake I like but this recipe is so yummy! Probably because the flour is half and half but we really couldn't tell they had wheat in them they were so light and fluffy.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes
From Our Best Bites

3/4 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C all-purpose flour
3 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C low-fat buttermilk *
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs canola oil
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Cooking Spray or butter for pan

*As a substitute for 1 C buttermilk, place 1 Tbs lemon juice (or vinegar but I prefer lemon juice) in a 1 C measuring cup and then fill the remainder with milk. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 C buttermilk, so do the same thing with 1/2 Tbs lemon juice and remaining 1/2 C milk.

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl combine buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla and whisk well. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until moistened and combined.

Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet to medium heat. Coat pan with non-stick spray or a little butter and then pour on pancake batter. Use about 1/4 C batter for large pancakes (5-6") and 2 T for kid-sized ones (2 /2-3"). Wait until bubbles form and edges are set and then flip.

Makes 12 large or 24 small pancakes.

Freezer Instructions: These pancakes freeze wonderfully. Just lay out pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet or other pan. Freeze until solid and then place in a zip-lock bag. To serve, just warm up in the microwave or toaster.

Raspberry Fingers

Ingredients:
• 1 c. butter, softened
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 c. flour
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 to 2 T. water
• raspberry jam or favorite jam (I used seedless blackberry)
Method:

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift the flour and salt together and add to the creamed mixture 1/3 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water if the mixture is too stiff. Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour.

Cut the dough into 4 portions. Roll each portion into a rope the length of the cookie sheet. Place on a nonstick cookie sheet. Press and indentation down the middle of each rope.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Spoon jam into the indentations. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes more or until golden brown. Cool on the cookie sheet on a wire rack. Slice diagonally.

Makes 3 dozen.

Easy Baked Mannicotti

What You Need:
2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
1-3/4 cups Ricotta Cheese
1-1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup pesto
12 mannicotti shells, cooked, rinsed in cold water
Make It
HEAT oven to 350°F.
SPREAD 3/4 cup sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix cheeses, egg and pesto until well blended; spoon into resealable plastic bag. Use scissors to cut small corner from bottom of bag.
FILL mannicotti shells by squeezing cheese mixture into both sides of each shell; place in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; cover.
BAKE 40 min. or until heated through.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2/3 C. white sugar
2/3 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 C. shortening
2 eggs
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Yield: about 4 dozen

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375*F. Combine sugars, vanilla, and shortening in mixer until creamy. Add egg to creamy mixture and beat 3 minutes. Blend together in a separate bowl-flour, soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients slowly to creamed mixture. Beat until well blended (about 2-3 minutes). Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Easy Beef Pot Pie

This is so good. A really easy way to use up your left over roast beef.

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 TBS. butter
2 cups cooked beef, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, cooked
1 cup diced cooked potatoes
1 cup beef gravy
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk

In skillet over low heat, melt 2 TBS. butter; add onions and saute' until onions are tender, about 4 min. Combine onions with chopped beef, cooked peas and carrots, potatoes and gravy; set aside. Melt 1/4 cup butter in bottom of 8-inch square baking dish in 350* oven. Combine flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt and milk in a mixing bowl. Stir until blended, Pour into baking dish then pour beef mixture over the batter. Do not stir, Bake the beef pie for 55-65 min. until crust is browned and filling is bubbly.

Buttercream Frosting for Cinnamon Rolls

Cream together:

1 pound powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. Softened butter
3-4 Tbsp. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

Mix 3 cups flour, 1 cup powdered milk, 1 cup instant potato flakes, 1 cup sugar and 2 tsp. salt.

Add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup melted butter, 3 1/2 cups warm water and mix.

Add 2 Tbsp. instant yeast. Add 6-8 cups flour until your dough pulls away form the bowl.

Knead.

Spread 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil on the counter and let the dough rest on it for 5 minutes.

Divide the dough in 2 and roll it into 18 by 15" rectangle. Brush 2 Tbsp. softened butter onto dough then sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, and brown sugar.

Cut with floss and let rolls rise 30-45 minutes. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.