Author: Cindy Randolph

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Mini Apple Pies

Ingredients Nutrition

Servings 12 Yield 12 pies Units US

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Get muffin pan out. No need to grease it.
  2. In food processor blend flour, salt and butter until it looks like little peas.
  3. Add in water and blend just until it looks like it’s sticking.
  4. Take out and combine it by hand until well blended.
  5. Roll out on lightly floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick.
  6. Or use frozen dough, and follow directions to thaw, etc.
  7. Cut 12, 4 inch circles with cup or bowl.(You will need to roll out twice).
  8. Note: you can use the rest of the crust for anything you may want to do on top of the pies.
  9. Press each circle in muffin tins until all the way up each side, to form little bowls.
  10. Mix by hand all filling ingredients and spoon into muffin bowls.
  11. Cut up butter into 12 little pieces and place one piece on each pie.
  12. You can decorate them anyway you like with extra crust, or just leave plain.
  13. Bake at 425 degrees for 16-18 minutes. (Until crust is light brown and apples are bubbling).
  14. When cool, just loosen with a spoon and they’ll come right out!

 

Alternate Ideas

Use Pillsbury (or other) frozen pie crusts.  Muffin pan holds 24, so might want to get a total of 4 pie crusts.  Suggested apples to use are Granny Smith (most often chosen), Honeycrisp (second choice), Crispin, and Pink Lady.  One site suggested a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp.

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Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

  • 1 package (30 oz) frozen extra-spicy and crispy potato wedges
  • 2 cups chopped fully cooked ham (12 oz)
  • 8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped green onions (10 medium)
  • 1 jar (15 oz) cheese dip
  • ½ cup sour cream

 

 

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13×9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Arrange potato wedges in baking dish; bake 10 to 15 minutes or until thawed and beginning to brown. Top with half each of the ham, bacon, bell pepper and green onions. Spread cheese dip on top. Sprinkle with remaining ham, bacon and bell pepper.
  3. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese dip is melted and potatoes are tender. Top with dollops of sour cream and remaining green onions.

 

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

 

Tips:  For a loaded side dish, omit the ham. Serve with steaks or chops.

Substitute:  Grilled chicken strips for the ham.

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Kisses Peanut Butter Blossoms

INGREDIENTS:

  • 48 HERSHEY’S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 3/4 cup REESE’S Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup additional granulated sugar for rolling(optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar, if desired; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 48 cookies.

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Italian Meatloaf (Polpettone di Carne)

Mary Ann Esposito

Is there such a thing as Italian meat loaf? Yes, but not cloaked in ketchup, oozing cheddar cheese and accompanied by mashed potatoes. Italian meat loaf (polpettone) means meat roll or meat ball and recipes vary by region. In Emilia Romagna ground beef, pancetta, cinnamon and nutmeg are typical ingredients. While in Tuscany, ground veal, carrots and onions are frequent ingredients and in Rome, lamb, eggs, white wine and celery are popular. My mother insisted that beef, veal and pork gave the best flavor, and I have taken a little liberty with her recipe and started my own meat loaf tradition.

SERVES 8

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 medium baking potatoes, cooked, peeled and riced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 cup grated carrots

6 thin slices prosciutto di Parma or boiled ham
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a bowl combine the beef, pork, potatoes, eggs, garlic, salt, parsley, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and carrots. Do not over mix or the texture will be tough.

Transfer the mixture to a large sheet of parchment paper and flatten the meat into a 14 x 10 inch rectangle with wet hands or lay a sheet of wax paper over the meat and flatten with a rolling pin.

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Cheeseburger Pie

Ingredients

  • 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
  • 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
  • 1/2 cup Original Bisquick™ mix
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs

Directions

  • 1 Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.
  • 2 In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.
  • 3 In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with fork or wire whisk until blended. Pour into pie plate.
  • 4 Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
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Hush Puppies Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • Oil for deep-fat frying

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk the egg, milk and onion; add to dry ingredients just until combined.
  2. In a deep-fat fryer or electric skillet, heat oil to 365°. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls into oil. Fry 2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm. Yield: 4-6 servings.
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Pan Sauce in Minutes

Makes 1/2 cup (enough for 2 to 4 servings; recipe can be doubled)

What You Need

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil (or pan drippings)
1 whole shallot, minced (optional)
1/4 cup red wine, white wine, beer, cider or other flavorful alcohol
3/4 cup vegetable stock, chicken stock, or beef stock, plus extra as needed
2 tablespoons butter or a splash of cream
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, whisked with 2 tablespoons water or stock (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Equipment
A skillet or other pan
Measuring cups
Spatula
Whisk

Instructions

  1. Clear — but don’t clean! — the pan: Once you’ve finished using your pan to cook the main dish, transfer the cooked food to a separate plate or tray. Do not clean the pan. Pour off all but a tablespoon of leftover cooking oil or rendered fat from the pan.
  2. Sauté the shallots (optional): Add enough oil to the pan to make about 1 tablespoon of total fat when combined with the pan drippings. Set the pan over medium-high heat and sauté the shallots until they’ve softened and turned golden, 2 to 3 minutes. If you don’t have (or don’t like!) shallots, you can skip this step and still make a great pan sauce; the shallots deepen the overall flavor of the sauce. Also, see the variations below for more ideas for adding flavor at this stage.
  3. Pour in the red wine or other alcohol: With the pan on medium-high heat, pour in the wine or other alcohol. As the alcohol simmers, scrape up any crispy browned bits from the bottom of the pan with the spatula. (If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can replace the liquid in this step with more stock.)
  4. Reduce the wine by about half: Let the wine or other alcohol reduce by roughly half, about 3 minutes. The pan should just barely be starting to look dry. It’s not an exact science, though, so don’t worry; just go on to the next step sometime before the pan is totally dry.
  5. Pour in the stock: Pour the stock into the pan and stir it into the wine. Let it come to a rapid simmer.
  6. Reduce the liquid to about 1/2 cup: Let the liquid in the pan reduce to about 1/2 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Again, you don’t need to be precise here; it’s ok to guesstimate. Tilt the pan every so often to gauge how much liquid has evaporated and when it’s reduced by about half, you’re good.
  7. Stir in the butter or cream: Turn down the heat to medium-low and stir in the butter or cream. Whisk gently until the butter has completely melted.
  8. Whisk in the cornstarch (optional): For a thicker, creamier sauce, whisk in the cornstarch. Don’t forget to whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water first; this helps prevents clumps. Let the sauce simmer for another few seconds, until thickened.
  9. Correcting a too-thick sauce: If your liquid reduces too much or the sauce becomes too thick, whisk in a little extra stock to reach a thinner, more pourable consistency.
  10. Pour the sauce into a measuring cup or serving dish: Transfer the sauce to a measuring cup (for easy pouring) or serving dish. Taste and stir in a little salt and pepper to taste.
  11. Enjoy! Pan sauces are at their very best when used right away. Drizzle it over your meal or let guests spoon some for themselves.

Pan Sauce Variations

  • Mushroom Pan Sauce: In addition to (or instead of) shallots, add a cup of thinly sliced mushrooms. Sauté until golden, then proceed with the sauce.
  • Mustard Pan Sauce: Add a teaspoon or two of mustard along with the butter.
  • Whiskey Pan Sauce: Use 1/4 cup bourbon instead of wine or beer.
  • Lemon-Herb Sauce: Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of fresh herbs to the pan along with the shallots. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon at the very end, just before the sauce is finished.
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Pan Fried Fish

What You Need

Ingredients
1 6- to 8-ounce white fish fillet per person, such as tilapia (pictured), cod, bass, grouper, haddock, catfish or snapper (worked great for rainbow trout)
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
To serve: lemon wedges, minced herbs, capers, etc.

Equipment
Skillet, non-stick, cast-iron, or stainless steel
Fish spatula or other thin spatula, for flipping

Instructions

  1. Pat the fish dry: Use a paper towel to pat the fish dry on both sides.
  2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper: Sprinkle the top of the fish generously with salt and pepper.
  3. Warm the oil in the skillet: Warm the olive oil or butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. The pan is ready when a flick of water sizzles on contact with the pan.
  4. Lay the fish in the hot pan: Lay the fish, seasoned-side down, in the pan. (It will probably bow up as the proteins contract – you can either hold down for a few seconds with the spatula or put a clean-bottomed pan on top for a minute)
  5. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes: Cook the fish for 2 to 3 minutes without moving it. When ready to flip, the underside should look golden and crispy. It should also release fairly easily from the pan using a fish spatula. (Not a problem in an non-stick skillet!)
  6. Season the other side of the fish: While the first side cooks, season the other side with salt and pepper.
  7. Flip the fish and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes: Flip the fish to the second side and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. When ready, the fish will be opaque all the way through and flake apart easily.
  8. Serve immediately: Serve the fish while still hot from the pan with any finishing garnishes. White fish can often be very flakey after cooking; don’t worry if it flakes apart a bit as you serve it.
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Hot Baked Cinnamon Apples

These cinnamon apples taste like a cobbler or pie without the crust. I was looking for a recipe for Cinnamon apples and all I could find were recipes for baking the whole apple – not what I wanted. After much searching I finally came across this recipe – I unfortunately cannot remember the site. It can easily be reduced to 2 or 3 apples, just watch it as it cooks. We serve this over ice cream and it is delicious. It can also be used on pancakes, waffles, or all by itself.

 

Ingredients

Servings 8 Units US

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Place cut and peeled apples in a mixing bowl and gently mix all the ingredients together.
  3. Put apples in a non-stick pan; cover and place in the oven.
  4. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring at least once every 15 minutes.
  5. Once they are soft, cook for another few minutes to thicken the cinnamon sauce.
  6. I like to put everything into my baking dish and then mix it since there is less to clean up.
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Hasselback Potatoes

What You Need

Ingredients
4 large potatoes, Yukon Gold, Russet, or Red Bliss
4 tablespoons melted butter, olive oil, duck fat, bacon fat, coconut oil, or a mix
Salt
Pepper
Optional extras: minced fresh herbs, spices, grated cheese, bread crumbs, panko crumbs

Equipment
Chef’s knife
Large serving spoon (optional)
Baking dish, oven-safe skillet, or baking sheet

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the lower-middle position.
  2. Wash and dry the potatoes: Scrub the potatoes clean and pat them dry. Alternatively, you can peel the skins off.
  3. Cut slits in the potatoes, leaving the bottom intact: Cut slits into the potato, stopping just before you cut through so that the slices stay connected at the bottom of the potato. Space the slices 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch apart. You can rest the potato in a large serving and use that as a guide for when to stop slicing — slice straight down and when your knife hits the edge of the spoon, stop slicing.
  4. Brush the potatoes with half the fat: Arrange the potatoes in a baking dish. Brush the potatoes all over with butter or other fat, including the bottoms.
  5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper: Sprinkle the potatoes generously with salt and pepper.
  6. Bake 30 minutes, then brush with butter: Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes. At this point, the layers will start separating. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the potatoes again with fat — you can nudge the layers apart if they’re still sticking together. Make sure some of the fat drips down into the space between the slices.
  7. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes: Bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are crispy on the edges and easily pieced in the middles with a paring knife. If you’re adding any extras, stuff those into the slits and sprinkle over the top 5 to 10 minutes before the end of cooking. (Total baking time is 60 to 70 minutes for average potatoes; if your potatoes are on the small side or are larger, adjust cooking time accordingly.)
  8. Serve immediately: These potatoes are best straight from the oven while the edges are at their crispiest.