Caramel Apple Pie

I'm very very behind with posting recipes for the food that I've been making. Y'all, this summer has been hectic since we did another cross country move. I finally feel like I'm able to sit down and relax and be able to cook again. Anyways, I made this Caramel Apple Pie when we still lived in Houston and it was absolutely delicious. I'm planning on making it again during the Fall!

Caramel Apple Crumb Pie

(Source: Le Creuset Website)

For the pie crust

2 1/4 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water

For the crumb topping

1 stick unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed (I omitted)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (I omitted)

For the caramel

1/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature

For the filling

5 cups peeled and chopped apples, mixture of tart and sweet

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the pie crust

Place all of the ingredients for the crust, except the water, in a bowl and put in the freezer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from the freezer and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until the butter is broken up and the mixture is a mealy texture. While pulsing, pour in the water one tablespoon at a time. Pulse just until the dough starts to come together into a ball. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator onto a floured work surface. Roll into a circle just large enough to fit the pie dish. Fit it into the dish and crimp the edges. Return the crust to the freezer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the crust from the freezer and line with a square of parchment paper large enough to hang over the edges. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 20 minutes. When the edges begin to turn slightly golden, remove the pie weights and parchment paper. Continue to bake 8-10 more minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

For the crumb topping

Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a fork. Slowly drizzle in the butter and mix until it becomes a crumbly texture. Set aside.

For the caramel

In a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine water and sugar. Heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is boiling. Add the butter and continue to cook until it becomes golden brown. Be careful not to burn. Remove from heat. Carefully pour in room temperature cream (it will sputter and bubble). Whisk until smooth and set aside. If it hardens, return to low heat and stir until smooth.

To assemble

Toss the chopped apples with sugar, flour and cinnamon. Spread a third of the apples in the bottom of the pie shell. Drizzle with a third of the caramel, then nestle the pie bird in the center of the pie. Add the next third of the apples and caramel. Finish with the last third of the apples and cover with the crumb topping. Reserve the last of the caramel for serving.

Bake 40-50 minutes at 375 F. Let cool at least one hour before serving. Serve with the remaining caramel drizzled on top.

Breakfast Hash

We are finally moved in and settled in our new place and I'm finally able to start cooking and spending time in the kitchen again! I decided to make breakfast hash for us yesterday and it was absolutely delicious!

Breakfast Hash

1 pound Jimmy Deans Breakfast sausage

1 (20 oz) package of shredded hash brown potatoes

1 onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

4 ounces of sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely 

Brown the onion in the skillet. Add diced red pepper, jalapeno, sliced mushrooms, and garlic cloves. Cook mixture until the vegetables are cooked through. Remove the mixture from the skillet and into a large bowl. Crumble the breakfast sausage in the hot skillet and cook until mixture is cooked through. Dump the sausage in the bowl with vegetables. Add the hash brown potatoes into the hot skillet and cook until the potatoes are brown. Add the cooked vegetables and sausage back into the hot skillet and mix with the hash browns. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve. 

Caribbean Jerk Chicken

Who doesn't love a flavorful chicken recipe with some super tasty sides? I made this Caribbean Jerk Chicken tonight for our dinner and served it with some mango salsa and corn. It was such a huge hit that Dr. Sweetpea kept telling me how good our dinner was. I decided to post this recipe on my blog before even going to sleep because it was just all so tasty! Definitely a keeper in our household!

Caribbean Jerk Chicken

(Source: Cooks Country) 

4 scallions

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 - 2 habanero chiles, stemmed

10 sprigs fresh thyme

5 garlic cloves, peeled

2 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half crosswise, drumsticks, and/or thighs), trimmed

Lime wedges

Process scallions, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, habanero(s), thyme sprigs, garlic, allspice, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Measure out ¼ cup marinade and refrigerate until ready to use.

Place chicken and remaining marinade in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Press out air, seal bag, and turn to coat chicken in marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner [or, if using 3-burner grill, primary burner and second burner] as needed to maintain grill temperature between 450 and 500 degrees.)

Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chicken skin side up on cooler side of grill, with breast pieces farthest away from heat. Cover and cook until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees, 22 to 30 minutes, transferring pieces to plate, skin side up, as they come to temperature. (Re-cover grill after checking pieces for doneness.)

Brush skin side of chicken with half of reserved marinade. Place chicken skin side down on hotter side of grill. (Turn all burners to high if using gas.) Brush with remaining reserved marinade and cook until lightly charred, 1 to 3 minutes per side. Check browning often and move pieces as needed to avoid flare-ups.

Transfer chicken to platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.

**Note: Instead of using a whole chicken, I bought a pack of bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. I also baked the chicken in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes instead of grilling it outside.

Mango Salsa 

(Source: Me) 

2 manila mangoes or ataulfo mangoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced 

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 lime, juiced

1/3 cup diced red onion

Salt 

Black pepper

Olive oil

Mix mangoes, tomatoes, garlic, lime juice, and red onion together in a small bowl. Add in a splash of olive oil and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve after it sits for about 30 minutes to let all the flavors to combine. 

Honey Butter Corn

(Source: Cooks Country)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (4½ cups)

3/4 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (I omitted)

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced into small pieces (my addition)

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add corn, jalapeno, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and spotty brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

Off heat, stir in butter, honey, and thyme (optional)  until butter is melted and mixture is combined, about 30 seconds. Serve.

Corn Pudding

We recently tried corn pudding at one of our favorite BBQ joints in the area and we became addicted. I've tried replicating the corn pudding before by making Paula Deen's recipe and it was great. Then I came across this recipe from Cooks Country and it's FANTASTIC! This is Dr. Sweetpea's current favorite homemade corn pudding. He regularly asks me to make this as a side, but since it's so caloric, I make it once a month. Definitely a keeper in our household!

Corn Pudding

(Source: Cooks Country)

1 pound frozen corn

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup (2½ ounces) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (1⅔ ounces) cornmeal

1/4 cup (1¾ ounces) sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sour cream

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 8-inch square baking dish. Combine corn and ¼ cup water in microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave until corn is tender, about 7 minutes. Drain corn in colander.

Combine cream and 1½ cups corn in blender and process until coarse puree forms, about 30 seconds. Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in large bowl. Whisk sour cream, melted butter, egg, pureed corn mixture, and remaining corn together in separate bowl. Whisk sour cream mixture into flour mixture until combined. Transfer batter to prepared dish.

Bake until edges of pudding are lightly browned and top is slightly puffed, about 35 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Key Lime Pie Cheesecake

Dr. Sweetpea has been asking me to make Key Lime Pie Cheesecake for him for a long time. I rarely make cheesecake for him at home because it has so much cream cheese and it's not very healthy! Anyway, to make the end of the training years, I made this cheesecake for him and it was such a massive hit. It was so good that it was all gone within a week. Definitely a keeper in our household!

 

Key Lime Pie Cheesecake

(Source: CookingClassy)

Crust

2 cups (230g) crushed graham cracker crumbs (from 15 full sheets)

3 Tbsp (39g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (113g) salted butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces and melted

Filling

1 cup + 2 Tbsp (236g) granulated sugar granulated sugar

1 Tbsp (8g) cornstarch

3 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened well (but not melted)

4 large eggs

2/3 cup (160g) sour cream

1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream

1/2 cup (120ml) fresh lime or key lime juice

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings

1 cup (235ml) heavy cream

2 1/2 Tbsp (33g) granulated sugar

Fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries, lime wedges, lime zest and fresh mint (optional)

For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with a sheet of 18 by 18 heavy duty aluminum foil. Add graham crackers and sugar to a mixing bowl and stir to combine, then pour in butter and mix with a fork until evenly moistened. Pour into prepared springform pan and press evenly into bottom and up the sides coming about 1-inch from the top. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Have a large roasting pan ready and boil about 4 quarts of water (you may not need all of it).

For the cheesecake filling: In a small mixing bowl whisk together granulated sugar and cornstarch until well combined. Add cream cheese to a large mixing bowl, pour sugar mixture over top and using an electric hand mixer blend cream cheese until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined after each addition. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Add sour cream and heavy cream and mix until combined. Mix in lime juice and vanilla. Tap bowl forcefully against countertop about 30 times to release any large air bubbles. Pour over cooled graham cracker crust. Place cheesecake in roasting pan then place roasting pan in oven and carefully pour in enough boiling water around cheesecake pan to reach halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. Bake in preheated oven until cheesecake is nearly set but still jiggly in the center, about 60 - 65 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Cover and chill in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.

For the topping: In a medium mixing bowl whip heavy cream using an electric hand mixer set on high speed until soft peaks form. Add granulated sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe over cheesecake just before serving. Garnish with berries, lime wedges, lime zest and mint if desired. Store cheesecake in refrigerator.

Snickerdoodle

Who doesn't love cinnamon sugar cookies?! These cookies are so good and reminds me of my childhood. Dr. Sweetpea loved these cookies too and told me to never lose the recipe! 

Snickerdoodle

(Source: Lilluna.com) 

1 cup butter softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Mix together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside. Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla and blend well. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. (Makes about 3-4 dozen cookies)