Apple Oat Cakes

Oh the tastes of Fall! My favorite season because of the crisp air, colorful leaves...and the food!

30 min | 30 min prep
6 -10 pancakes

• 1 1/3 cups boiling water
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup quick-cooking oat
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup wheat germ (or wheat flour)
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 medium granny smith apples, peeled and finely shredded

1. Mix water, butter and oats in a bowl and let stand 20 minutes.
2. Add sugar and eggs; beat to blend.
3. Add remaining ingredients (except apples) and stir just to mix. Fold in shredded apples.
4. Cook as any pancake, on griddle.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 pancakes 221g
Recipe makes 6 pancakes)
Calories 501 Calories from Fat 169 (33%) Amount Per Serving %DV Total Fat 18.9g 29% Saturated Fat 10.6g 52% Monounsaturated Fat 5.0g Polyunsaturated Fat 1.6g Trans Fat 0.0g Cholesterol 111mg 37% Sodium 614mg 25% Potassium 339mg 9% Total Carbohydrate 76.3g 25% Dietary Fiber 4.2g 16% Sugars 40.5g Protein 8.9g 17%

Baked Pear with Struesel Filling

Fall is Here! This dessert will not disappoint you in both its simplicity and its deliciousness as you welcome fall. It is one of our seasonal favorites!

STREUSEL:
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ Tablespoon butter, melted
1 Tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ cup chopped pecans, toasted

PEARS:
3 Anjou pears, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1/3 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 375 º

To prepare streusel, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through allspice) in a bowl. Stir with a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans

To prepare pears, using a melon baler or spoon, scoop out core from each pear half. Spoon streusel evenly into pear halves. Place pear halves, cut sides up, in an 8-inch square baking dish. Pour apple juice into dish. Cover dish with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes. Serve pears warm. Drizzle evenly with cooking liquid.

Buttermilk Doughnuts

These are so yummy and perfect for fall days.

2 hours | 1½ hours prep
14 doughnuts

• 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons shortening, melted (DO NOT use oil)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2-3 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
2. Add buttermilk, shortening, sugar and 1 1/2 cup flour, baking powder and salt; mix well.
3. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
4. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead several times.
5. Roll dough to 1/2 inch thick and cut with a 2 1/2 inch doughnut cutter.
6. Place doughnuts on lightly floured surface, cover and let rise 45 minutes or until double in bulk.
7. Heat 2-3 inches of oil to 375°F.
8. (I use my Fry Daddy) Drop in 4 or 5 doughnuts at a time.
9. Cook about 2 minutes or until lightly golden in color, turning once.
10. Drain well on paper towels.
11. Combine 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 1/4 cup milk, stir until smooth.
12. Dip each doughnut in glaze while still warm; allow excess glaze to drip off.
13. Cool on wire rack or serve warm.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 doughnuts 68g
Recipe makes 14 doughnuts)
Calories 208
Calories from Fat 29 (14%)
Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 3.3g 5%
Saturated Fat 0.9g 4%
Monounsaturated Fat 1.3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.8g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 256mg 10%
Potassium 61mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 42.3g 14%
Dietary Fiber 0.8g 3%
Sugars 24.2g
Protein 3.1g 6%

Pork Pineapple Tacos

Got this one from Cookinglight a couple of years ago, and can't stop making it. We always throw the tortillas on a frying pan with some cheese sprinkled on top until the tortilla is soft, but crispy and the cheese melty.

Cookinglight suggests putting some refried beans on as well, but we never have. Just the pork/pineapple mix, cilantro/onion mix and the herdez.

Prep Time: 30 min.
Cook Time: 15 min.
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. chipotle chile pepper powder (such as McCormick)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, undrained
flour tortillas
3/4 cups salsa verde (Herdez)

Preparation:
Combine onion, cilantro and salsa verde

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine chipotle powder, chili powder, salt and pork in a medium bowl. Add pork mixture to pan; saute 4 minutes, or until browned. Remove from pan.

Add pineapple to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in pork mixture; cook 1 minute or until pork is done.

Warm tortillas. Spoon about 2/3 cup pork mixture down center of each tortilla. Top each serving with 4 tablespoons onion/salsa mixture; roll up.

Momma's Chocolate Sheet Cake

Chocolate Sheet Cake

½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup shortening, softened
1 cup water
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
½ cup buttermilk (or if you don’t have buttermilk, put 1 tablespoon vinegar in bottom of ½ cup measuring cup and fill the rest with regular milk and let sit for a
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
Dash salt

Mix together butter, shortening, cocoa, and water; bring to boil. Pour over flour and sugar, which have been sifted together. Mix well. Add buttermilk, soda, vanilla, eggs, and salt and mix well. Bake 20 minutes at 350-375 degrees F. in greased and floured jelly rolls pan (10 x 15 inch). Five minutes before cake is done, prepare frosting.

FROSTING

½ cup butter or margarine
1/3 cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons milk
4 cups powdered sugar
Melt butter; add cocoa, vanilla, and milk, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and nuts. Mix well. Frost cake while hot.

Chocolate Rolo Cookies

Here is an INCREDIBLE cookie when you're sick of the good old chocolate chip. I took a bunch of these to work and one of my coworkers at four, one right after another! Probably would have had more but realized there wouldn't be any left for anyone else if he did. :)

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
granulated sugar, for rolling cookies
About 40 Rolo candies

In a bowl, beat butter and both sugars until light. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until batter is smooth. In another bowl, combing flour, cocoa and baking soda. Mix that into the sugar/egg mixture to form soft dough.

Chill the dough in the fridge for at least a half hour. This makes it a lot easier to work with when you're rolling the dough. Preheat the oven to 350. Then take about 1 tbsp. dough and wrap it around each unwrapped Rolo to form a ball, with the Rolo completely covered by dough. Roll each ball in a little granulated sugar, and cook on a baking sheet for about 6 to 8 minutes. The balls should now look more like a pillowy mound. Pull them out, let them sit for a minute or two, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Some recipes say you should take them out when they've expanded and cracked on top, but we've found that if you do so, they may taste great out of the oven, but they don't taste nearly as good after 24 hours or so. If you pull it out early when you almost think its not even done yet, then let them finish cooking on the cookie sheet and cooling rack, they'll be delicious for days!

French Dip Sandwiches

Ah, the way to a man's heart. Heck, the way to my heart. Love this one. Nice crock pot recipe. The key is to not overcook the meat! Don't skip the pepper jack cheese. It really adds to the sandwich.

Ingredients:

1 (3 pound) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed

1 (10.5 oz) can condensed French onion soup, undiluted

1 (10.5 oz) can condensed beef consomme, undiluted

1 (10.5 oz) can condensed beef broth, undiluted

1 tsp. beef bouillon granules

pepper jack cheese

8 French or Italian rolls, split

Directions:

1. Halve roast and place in slow cooker. Combine the soup, consomme, broth and bouillon; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (my slow-cooker cooks it in four) or until meat is tender.
2. Remove meat and shred with two forks.
3. Place pepper jack cheese on rolls, and broil until the bread is toasted and cheese melted. Serve meat on rolls. Dip sandwiches in extra juices.

Maryland Playgroup Dip, aka: Black Bean and Feta Dip

This is the recipe for an awesome dip that we always had at the B-mo playgroup get togethers. It makes me happy and reminds me of some incredible women. As often happens, I brought the recipe with me when we moved and now it is sort of a signature Shelley dip, even though it isn't really mine!

Black Bean & Feta Dip

Ingredients

1/4 C apple cider vinegar

1/4 C olive oil

1/4 C sugar

1 C feta cheese, crumbled

1 can whole kernel, sweet yellow corn, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 - 1/2 diced sweet onion

Diced red pepper

Frito scoops

Directions

Combine first eight ingredients and refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve with Frito scoops.

By the way, you really do need to let the dip sit before serving it!

Shelley's Red Beans & Rice

I've been trying to make this New Orleans meal as good as it can be and I finally got it right!

Red Beans & Rice

1 lb red kidney beans, everyone here swears by Camellia

8-10 C water

1 celery stalk

1 small-medium yellow onion

1 small green pepper

2 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

2 ham hocks

1 tsp Cajun seasoning (I used "slap ya mama," but Tony Chachere's is easier to find)

Soak beans overnight or prep them using the quicker route which is described on the back of most bean packages. Dice all vegetables and saute in as much butter as is necessary to moisten the pan. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and boil gently, stirring occasionally for about 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Remove the ham hocks from the pot, remove the meat from the ham hocks and shred it. Before adding the ham back into the pot, I like to puree about half of the bean mixture to make the dish a nice texture. Once the beans are ready, add the ham back to the meal and serve over brown rice.

As an alternative, you can leave the ingredients in the crock pot all day, but you will still have to put it in a pot later to boil off some of the water. I wonder if you could just add less water in the crock pot to begin with, but I've never tried it.

Spiced Tofu Stir-Fry

Don't judge this one because of the tofu until you try it - it is one of the yummiest stir-fry's I have ever had! I really do like it with the tofu, but if you don't want to do that I'm sure you could replace the tofu with chicken and it would be delicious as well! The recipe suggests you serve this with noodles or egg-fried rice. We just eat it plain. :) The flavor is delicious!

And sorry Bekah that it took me so long to get this up: the recipe book was missing until this weekend!

Ingredients:
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground ginger
good pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. sugar
10 ounces tofu (at the store they have different densities and consistencies so get the one that is firmer and says it is good for stir-fry)
4 tbsp. oil (you can use less than this)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
8 ounces (generous 3 cups) cremini mushrooms, halved, quartered, or sliced (I get the cheaper kind, pre-sliced)
1 large zucchini, sliced
4 ounces haricots verts, halved (I used green beans, or you can even do w/o)
scant 1/2 cup pine nuts
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. honey
salt and pepper

1. Mix together the cumin, paprika, ginger, cayenne and sugar with plenty of seasoning. Cut the tofu into cubes (if you're afraid you won't like the texture you can do very small cubes... we do about 1/2 inch) and coat them in the spice mixture.

2. Heat some of the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Cook the tofu over high heat for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally (take care not to break up the tofu too much). Remove with a slotted spoon. Wipe out the pan with paper towels.

3. Add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the garlic and scallions for 3 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and cook over medium heat for 6 minutes, or until beginning to soften and turn golden. Season well.

4. Return the tofu to the pan with the pine nuts, lime juice and honey. Heat through and serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Pear Soup

A neighbor brought a bowl over after Ezra's birth, and I've been addicted ever since. So many veggies! I get my kids to eat 2 bowls by letting them slurp it up with a straw. It's perfect for cool fall days, especially with mom's home made whole wheat bread.

40 min 10 min prep

1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
3 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 pears, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
5 cups low sodium chicken broth (or homemade)
2 tablespoons sour cream and 2 of milk
2 teaspoons maple syrup (or to taste)
2 teaspoons lime juice (or to taste)
salt and pepper, freshly ground

1. In a pot, heat butter on medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and saute for 1 minute.

2. Add sweet potatoes, pears and thyme and saute for about 2 minutes.

3. Add paprika and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until sweet potato is soft.

4. Puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.

5. Return to pot. Add sour cream, milk, maple syrup and lime juice. Simmer for 5 minutes.

6. If soup is too thick add a little extra broth. Season with salt and pepper, adding more syrup or lime juice as needed.

7. Can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.

Dennis' Chocolate Chip Cookies

Those of you who have not experienced my father-in-laws chocolate chip cookies are really missing out. Here is his secret recipe- follow with exactness!


Dennis’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
(high altitude recipe)

Preheat oven to 375

1 c. butter flavored Crisco
¾ c. granulated sugar
1 c. non-packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream Crisco very well. While mixing add granulated sugar then brown sugar. SLOWLY add one egg at a time. Add vanilla and cream together. Scrape the bowl to make sure ingredients are well mixed.

2 ½ c. H&R flour (hotel & restaurant)*
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In separate bowl add flour, salt and baking soda. Mix together with a spoon. Turn on mixer and slowly add to wet ingredients until well creamed. Add chocolate chips. Don’t over mix.

Wet hands and roll dough into balls slightly smaller than golf balls. Bake 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven and leave on baking sheet for another 5 minutes.

Makes two dozen cookies.

* Low altitude 2 ¼ c. flour

Farfalle with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce

This is one of my favorite meals and is also really quick to make. It is really tasty!

Farfalle With Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta) - This is too much pasta. If you add the full amount the meal will be dry!
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 12 ounces presliced exotic mushroom blend - or just use plain, boring mushrooms if that is all you have
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots - interchangeable with green onions if you don't have shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2/3 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Minced fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, shallots, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper; cook 12 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Add the cooked pasta, whipping cream, cheese, and 2 tablespoons parsley, tossing gently to coat. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Garnish with minced fresh parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

336 (31% from fat)

Fat:

11.4g (sat 6.9g,mono 3.1g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

12.1g

Carbohydrate:

47.5g

Fiber:

2.3g

Cholesterol:

36mg

Iron:

2.3mg

Sodium:

577mg

Calcium:

124mg

Carrot Cake

This is the best carrot cake I've ever had. This recipe also comes from Jenn Seda.

Carrot Cake

3 layers

3 greased 9" round pans

1 1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 C canola oil

4 eggs

2 C flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

3 C grated carrots

1 C raisins

Bake at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. For cupcakes, bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Frosting

1 box powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

4 Tb butter

8 oz low fat (why bother with the low fat at this point???) cream cheese

Shrimp, Avocado, & Mango Crepes

This is a DELICIOUS recipe my friend, Jenn Seda, made for me when we were in Delaware. It is perfect for a summer meal. If you were nearby, I would make it for everybody - I really want to share this with you!

Shrimp, Avocado, & Mango Crepes

Eight 6 or 7 inch crepes (recipe below)
1 Tb olive oil
1 shallot or green onion, finely chopped (include half the green tops)
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
12 oz cooked bay shrimp
3/4 C (6 oz) ricotta cheese
1/3 C plain yogurt or fresh white goat cheese at room temperature
2 Tb minced fresh cilantro, may also use sprigs to garnish
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 mango, peeled, cut from the pit, and diced

Prepare the crepes. In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the oil and saute the shallot or green onion and ginger for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and saute for 2 minutes or until just heated through.

In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, yogurt, and minced cilantro. Gently mix in the shrimp mixture, avocado, and mango. Spoon 1/2 C of filling in a ribbon down the center of each crepe and roll up. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

The recipe says you can use langoustines (large prawns) instead of shrimp. I have no idea what that is, really, but maybe someday I'll try it!

Savory Crepes

2 large eggs
1 C milk
1/3 C water
1 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tb butter, melted, plus 2-3 teaspoons for coating the crepe pan

In a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients. Scrape the sides and blend again. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour, but two or more hours is preferable (up to 24 hours). Gently stir the batter if it has separated. Heat a 6 or 7 inch crepe pan over medium-high heat until hot. Coat the pan lightly with butter and cook the crepes one by one.