I'm only so fancy... and mostly lazy.

 

Someone told me these cookies were one of the best things I've ever baked. Ever? Wow, that's high praise for someone who bakes so much. VERY high praise... goodness. Still over here using apples one by one off the tree, fighting the squirrels for them. Ok, I'm not fighting the squirrels but I do see them carry them away - my neighbors have told me they have random have chewed apples in their yards, I found a few tucked away in weird places too. So apples! This recipe took two apples, that's it, but hey, it's two more! The filling was very easy to make, so was the dough. I made little wells with a measuring spoon, filled up the wells with pie filling and baked them. It's almost like a snickerdoodle with apple pie in the middle. So good. Want to get fancy? Add some caramel on top. I'm only so fancy... and mostly lazy.

Apple Pie Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 ½ cups peeled, cored, and diced apples
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
For the thumbprint cookie dough:
2 & ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the cinnamon sugar:
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions
In a medium skillet, combine butter, diced apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the butter and sugar melt and the mixture starts to boil. If the mixture starts splattering, reduce your heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Continue cooking until the liquid reduces slightly and the apples have softened (about 5 minutes).
In a separate small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water to dissolve. Pour the cornstarch mixture over the apples, and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute or until the sauce has thickened.
Transfer the apple filling to a heat safe bowl and set aside to cool completely to room temperature before using.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine butter and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a wooden spoon by hand, cream together until you no longer see any sugar crystals and it has lightened in color. This'll take about 1 minute with a mixer set to medium speed or 2 to 3 minutes by hand.
Add the whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla, and whisk to combine. It's ok if the mixture separates and looks a little grainy! Just make sure there aren't any large chunks of butter.
Add the dry ingredients, and fold together until you no longer see any dry streaks.
In a shallow bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon.
Using a large cookie scoop, portion out 3 tablespoon sized balls of dough and drop into the bowl of cinnamon sugar. Toss to coat in the sugar mixture, then place on your parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving about 2 inches of space between each ball of dough on the baking sheet.
Use a measuring teaspoon or your thumb to push down the center of each cookie to create an indent. Fill the centers with about 1 teaspoon of your cooled apple filling.
Bake the cookies in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until bubbling in the center and golden brown along the edges.
Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the tray then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle some caramel sauce on top if desired, or serve however you like!

Chicken Pats To Me!

When Bronwyn was a baby and we moved to New Lenox, we'd started getting our Asian food from a place in town called Mo's. They had Thai food too which Andy convinced me I'd like, he wasn't wrong. I would order Chicken Pad See Ew and ask for no spice! Bronwyn would share with me and call it Chicken Pats To Me! It's too cute not to share. I've been wishing I could make this myself at home for a long time. I can keep on wishing because while this dish was good - it was not what I was hoping for. Maybe I made it too Dutch in my Dutch oven instead of a wok, but my noodles did not really keep cooking after they were under cooked on purpose so they were a bit crunchy and no one was super excited about it. They all know what to expect... but this missed the mark. Andy was right - it was good for what it ended up being, but it wasn't what we were hoping it would be. Back to the drawing board - or we just order take out... that works too.

Chicken Pad See Ew
Chicken 300 g (15 oz) chicken thigh fillets, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
Stir-fry
200g (7 0z) thick rice noodles (the dry variety)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
3 eggs, whisked
1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp tamari or all purpose soy sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions

Add the chicken, tamari or soy sauce and sesame oil to a medium-sized bowl. Toss the chicken to coat.
To cook the rice noodles, bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook them until they are just softened and pliable. This takes between 2-3 minutes which is generally 3-4 minutes less than what the packet says. Rinse and drain them immediately in cold tap water. They will still be firm in some parts which is okay; they will finish cooking in the pan.
Heat the olive oil on high heat in a large, deep, heavy-based frying pan. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes until it has just changed color. Push to one side of the pan.
Add the eggs and cook for 2 minutes or until firm, breaking them up as you go.
Add the Chinese broccoli; cook for 1 minute until just softened.
Add the tamari or soy sauce, dark soy sauce, fish sauce and brown sugar to the pan. Cook, stirring for 1 minute or until the sauce has slightly thickened and caramelized.
Toss through the cooked noodles.

Two votes for best, two for not the best

The Best Chicken Quesadillas are not what my kids would call the best... they ate them and said they liked them but not the cheese. You see, I took my new fancy grater and shredded actual blocks of cheese rather than the slices of American cheese which is normally what they have in their quesadillas... so these were NOT what they were hoping for. But Andy and I were all about these, yes I added more salt - I always do. Yesterday we found out Andy should be eating low carb - so that was a fun wrinkle - I used some low carb wraps I just bought a few weeks ago and tossed in the freezer, so they worked wonderful for this. I loved the addition of the veggies and the fancy shredded cheese. I had baked my chicken a few days early so I reheated it a little before putting these together. I kept them warm in the oven as I heated them up in the skillet. These were a winner for the adults - but perhaps expectations needed to be adjusted for kids, can't win them all.. just some, sometimes.

The Best Chicken Quesadillas
Seasoning Mix:
1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon paprika, smoked or regular
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Quesadillas:
4 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 tablespoon oil
2-3 cups sliced mushrooms
2 medium bell peppers (any color), cored and sliced into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced into thin half moon strips
2-3 tablespoons broth or water
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese
8 8-inch flour tortillas

Instructions
In a small bowl, add all the seasoning ingredients. Mix well.
Toss the chicken with 1/2 of the seasoning mixture. Set aside.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms (if using), onions, and bell peppers. Sprinkle the remaining seasoning mixture over the veggies. Cook, stirring often, until the onions start to turn translucent and the vegetables start to soften.
Add 2-3 tablespoons water or broth (omit this if there is already liquid in the pan from the mushrooms or other veggies). Continue cooking over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the veggies are crisp-tender and the liquid has reduced slightly.
Assemble the quesadillas by spreading cheese on 1/2 of each tortilla. Top the cheese with chicken, veggies, more cheese, and then fold the tortilla in half over the filling ingredients.
Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet (or griddle) over medium or medium-low heat. Add a touch of oil to the pan for a crispier quesadilla. Cook the quesadillas on one side until golden, moderating the heat as needed, pressing lightly with a spatula to compress and flatten a bit, if desired. Carefully flip the quesadillas with the spatula and cook on the other side until the tortilla is golden and the filling and cheese is hot and melted.
Cut into triangles and serve immediately. (Or keep the cooked quesadillas warm on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.)

Spicy Cake

We are still swimming in apples and about to go pick more from an orchard - yes we are nuts... but where else can you go and taste apples to figure out what new trees we should plant? We had a chili cookoff and bingo night at church and I signed up for dessert because 1. I don't like chili and 2. I don't cook chili. Chili is not my jam. Bronwyn just had her braces adjusted and had a sore mouth so we ate before we went anyway. The bottomless pit of the boys had dinner and tasted chili and desserts. I made this Apple Spice Cake which was packed with warm fall spices and shredded apple. The icing was pretty different from what I'm used to, but was so good on this cake. This is a great cake - I may have even had a piece for lunch one day, and Andy may have had it for breakfast. Hey... it has apples in it - it's almost health food. Ok not. Still so good.

Apple Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Icing
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2-3 large honey crispy apples, grated using the large holes on a box grater, ~1 1/2 cups (can keep the skin on)
Brown sugar icing
1/4 cup salted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9-inch light colored nonstick pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled,1 1/2 tsp. baking soda,1 tsp. salt,1 tsp. ground cinnamon,1/2 tsp. ground ginger,1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg,1/2 tsp. ground allspice,1/8 tsp. ground cloves
In another mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
2/3 cup vegetable oil,2 large eggs, room temperature,3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark),1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature,1 tsp. pure vanilla extract,3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold just until combined.
Fold in the grated apples.
2-3 large honey crispy apples, grated using the large holes on a box grater, ~1 1/2 cups (can keep the skin on)
Turn out the cake batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.
To make the brown sugar icing, melt the butter, brown sugar and heavy cream in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until mixture is combined and comes to a gentle boil.
1/4 cup salted butter,1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed,2 Tbsp. heavy cream
Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and powdered sugar.
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract,1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Pour the icing on top of cake. The cake doesn’t need to completely cool, when it's still a little warm, the icing melts into the cake.
Slice and enjoy warm!

Apple Pie in a jar? Yes please.

We currently have two apple trees. For the first time ever our Honeycrisp has fruit on it! We were not the first to notice - the bugs were. Also wow those apples are weird shaped and buggy. Andy was able to reach a few good ones - hopefully next year will be better. But our Red Rome is a rockstar and gives us beautiful apples. They aren't the best eating, but they are great for cooking and baking. We've made a few pies but I decided it was time for something else - Apple Pie Jam. I probably used too many apples and maybe I did a little extra apple pie spice (which I had to make more of because I didn't have enough) but what we tasted that didn't fit in the jars? Oh... my. Toast me up an English Muffin and let me at it... wow so delicious. It did not setup as thick as I'd hoped but maybe I should have used more pectin due to my extra apples? I'm not sure. Either way, this is amazing and will be eaten quickly in my house. I may just need to make another batch while we still have apples.

Apple Pie Jam

2 1/2 to 3 pounds apples (4-5 large apples)
1 cup water
5 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon butter
1 3–ounce pouch Sure-Jell Liquid Pectin
2 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice

Core, peel and slice your apples. You should have 2 pounds of sliced apples to begin cooking.
Place the apples and water in a large, heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Cover the pot and bring the apple and water mixture to a boil. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until apples are tender, stirring frequently.
At this point you should have about 4½ cups of cooked apples. Drain any excess water if necessary. Most of the water in our pot was cooked away.
Add sugar and butter to the pot with the cooked apples. Stirring constantly, bring to a full boil over high heat. Stir in liquid pectin and continue to boil for another minute, again stirring constantly.
Remove the pot from the heat, then skim off any foam that may have formed with a spoon. Add apple pie spice and stir gently to combine, being careful to avoid breaking the cooked apple slices.
Ladle hot apple mixture into 6 or 7 sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a ¼-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adding more of the jam mixture if necessary. Wipe rims of the jar with a clean paper towel. Center canning lids on each jar and screw on band until fingertip tight.
Can using the waterbath method for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off under your canner and allow jars to sit in the hot water for another 5 minutes. Remove jars from the canner and cool completely.
The jam will firm up as it completely cools. Serve slathered on buttered toast, or warm the jam a bit and spoon over vanilla ice cream.