Apple Crisp ...mmmmmmmmmmm.

I'm not a sweet fan at all so I normally stay away from treats, but tonight I had a craving for some apple crisp.  I made a delicious 9x11 pan of apple crisp with caramel topping.

Here's my recipe:

3-4 c. apples, chopped

3 tbsp. flour

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. oatmeal
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
Combine apples, white sugar, 3 tablespoons of flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend well and place in 9"x13" greased baking dish. Combine brown sugar, oatmeal and 1 1/2 cups flour. Into this mixture, cut butter and mix until it becomes crumbly. Spread over the apples. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve hot or cool with cream or ice cream.
 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Supper tonight:
- Cranberries
- Home made pickles (thanks Mom!)
- Potatoes, squash, turnip, carrots and corn
- Rosemary turkey
- fresh baguette with cranberry/cinnamin goat cheese

Desert:
- Pumpking Pecan Cheesecake (with chocolate drizzle and home made whipped cream).

Recipes to follow!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Festive Pumpkin Cheesecake

So I've been major slack on cooking at all around the house lately.  I've eaten pizza and whatever random stuff gets cooked .  I really haven't made a meal in a long time.  I need to get back on it though because I am truly slacking.

With the holidays approaching (and Thanksgiving this weekend), I thought I'd whip up something 'festive.'  I was going to make this for Saturday's family supper, but I got bored and made it today.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Ready in 1 hour, 10 minutes
Serves: 12

•1 cup Ginger cookies, ground up (I put them in a freezer bag and roll a rolling pin over them or smash them down with a coffee mug).  You can also use crushed oreo cookies, or regular baking crumbs.

•3 Tbsp. butter, melted

•1 cup canned pumpkin

•3 eggs

•1/2 firmly packed brown sugar

•1 tsp. ground cinnamon

•1/2 tsp. ground ginger

•1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

•3 pkg. (250 g each) Brick Cream Cheese, softened (I leave it on the counter for about 2-3 hours to soften)

•1/2 cup sugar

•1 Tbsp. cornstarch

•2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

•1 cup whole pecans

-  Combine crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

-  Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

-  Beat cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch in large bowl; blend in pumpkin mixture. Pour over crust. Bake at 350°F for 50 to 55 min. or until centre is just set. Remove from oven, cool 5 min. and run knife around rim of pan. Cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate overnight.

-  Remove side of pan. Drizzle chocolate in random pattern over cheesecake. Place pecans around side and in circle in top of cheesecake.

My version of rice & stir fry

So I was chatting with a fellow MG tonight about new things to cook, etc. and I told her about my favorite rice & stir fry.  It's absolutely delicious and you can totally change it up to your tastes and cravings.

Rice:
Serves 6ish
Takes about 20 minutes

Ingredients:
White, minute rice
Soy Sauce (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon of butter
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup (Campbells is my favorite)
1 can of water
Green onions (use as much as you want)
celery (also, use as much as you want)

In a large wok, combine can of Cream of Chicken soup, water, soy sauce, pepper and butter.  Mix well until slow boil has begun (cook on high heat).  Once the boiling has begun, pour rice in mixture until the mix is no longer liquid.  All rice should be covered.  It should not be soupy looking at all.  Once mixed well, cover and turn heat to low.  Mix in your veggines with the rice.  Once on a low heat, mix frequently.  Takes about 20 minutes to reach desired texture (rice should NOT be hard).

Chicken Stir Fry
2-3 chicken breasts
Red pepper
Green pepper
Yellow pepper
Red onion
1 tablespoon of butter
1 jar of dry garlic (or honey garlic) sauce
half cup of brown sugar

Cube chicken and fry in frying pan (add butter so it doesn't stick).  While chicken is cooking, mix 3/4 of jar of dry garlic sauce & brown sugar (should form a thickish liquid).  Once chicken is cooked, pour half of the mixture into the chicken.  Toss in cut veggies.  Cook until they are the desired texture.

*I like to make the chicken as I'm making the rice so I can have the rice soak in the garlic sauce.

The remainder of the honey garlic sauce can be used to pour over your rice or on top of your chicken & veggies.

Delicious!!! =)

Lunch today

Today I sliced up the chicken left over from the Chicken Cordon Bleu, toasted some whole grain bread and made a sandwich.  I put some honey mustard on  the bread, with a few pieces of lettuce and my sliced up, cold chicken/ham/swiss cheese and it was delicious!

I'm not a big fan of left overs, but in a time crunch lunch, it was delicious!

Din Din!

I love Chicken dishes.  I feel like there is no way you can screw up chicken (well unless it's undercooked and you get sick and die, but I'm not that bad of a cook haha).  I love it in many variations.

Tonight, I thought I'd give Chicken Cordon Bleu with garlic mashed potatoes a try.  I know, I know, not really demonstrating any skill here right?  It's a basic dinner, but is always delicious.  I cooked it toight and it was pretty delicious.  I made 4 servings and tried to feed the family, but no one likes to try new things so I ate alone and now have a ton for sandwiches I guess.

Here's the recipe I use:
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35-45 minutes
Ready in: 45-55 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices cooked ham
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
                 OR
honey mustard (sometimes it's good mixed with a drop of brown sugar)

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 7x11 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2.Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness.
3.Sprinkle each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on top of each breast. Roll up each breast, and secure with a toothpick. Place in baking dish, and sprinkle chicken evenly with bread crumbs*.
4.Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from oven, and place 1/2 cheese slice on top of each breast. Return to oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove toothpicks, and serve immediately.

* If you choose to go with bread crumbs.  I'm not a fan so I use a sweet honey mustard.  It's even delicious is you mix some brown sugar into the mustard.  Use a basting brush to coat the chicken.

Creamy Garlic Potatoes
Ingredients
6 medium Russet Potatoes
4 Tbsp. Margarine or butter
1/4 to 1/2 C. Milk
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
Garlic to taste (I prefer using a garlic powder because it's easy to mash in and always in  the cupboard if we don't have fresh)

Directions:
Wash potatoes thoroughly, cut into uniform pieces, and drop into salted boiling water. Cook potatoes until they are fork tender. Take potatoes out of boiling water and drain. Peel most of the potatoes, make sure you leave about one fifth of the area not peeled. Place potatoes into bowl with other ingredients and mash the potatoes. I would not use an electric mixer; you do not want to take all of the lumps out, if you do, just be careful not to totally mash the potatoes. Makes 4 servings.

Potato Hint: If you want really great tasting mashed potatoes, do not boil them, bake them. Baking brings out a a great roasted taste.

Pita Chips

So I'm a snacker.  I love crunchy snacks.  Chips are probably my most favorite snack and I can easily polish off a large bag before I realize I have.  I'm trying to gear my taste buds away from the delicious treats, but I can't.  I will always be a potato chip person.

I've recently discovered the delicious Pita Chip.  I like them because (1) I can make them at home with ingredients that are lying around (2) they are healthier; and (3) I find that after I cook and clean, I'm not all that hungry anymore.

Here is one of my favorite ways to make Pita Chips:
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Ready In: 17 minutes

INGREDIENTS
3-4 pita bread pockets
1/4 cup olive oil  (I like Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Bertolli)
1 teaspoon of Oregano
1.5 teaspooon of garlic powder
1/2 paprika
Parmesean Cheese to taste (works best with powdered cheese & not fresh)

..DIRECTIONS

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.Cut each pita bread into triangles and seperate them (split pocket open/in half).
3.In a small bowl, combine the all ingredients. Brush each triangle with oil.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 7 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Watch carefully, as they tend to burn easily!

These are delicious on their own or with dip.