Apple Bars

Apple bars can be a bit tedious to make, but they are well worth the effort. It seems to be a fact that the more ooey, gooey, and difficult a crust is to roll out, the better it will be. Apple bars are sort of like a half bakers sheet of apple pie...but better. The apple to crust ratio is what makes this dessert so much tastier than traditional apple pie. 

Here's what you need:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, divided use
Milk
1 cup butter

1-2 handfuls of Wheaties type cereal, crushed
6 to 8 tart green apples
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Granulated sugar for sprinkling 

Minus the Wheaties cereal...oops...

Combine 2 1/2 cups of flour, butter, and salt with a pastry blender. 

Separate egg; set aside egg white at room temperature. Put egg yolk into a measuring cup and fill with milk to measure 2/3 cup.  

Pour into the flour mixture and mix well.

Divide the dough in half and roll out on a lightly floured surface to fit a baking sheet with edges. Crush Wheaties with your hands and sprinkle over the bottom crust. Save the other half of the dough for the top crust. 

Peel, core and slice apples into bite sizes pieces. Arrange slices in side by side rows on unbaked bottom crust to make 1/2-inch layer. 

Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon and 4 tablespoons flour, mixing well. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the apples. 

Roll out the top crust and place over apple slices. Pinch and seal the edges.

Beat the egg white until stiff and spread over the top of crust. The egg whites are stiff when soft peaks can be formed. When I pulled the mixer beaters out, these are the peaks they created: 

Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar over egg white. Add a few slits for venting, and it's ready to bake!

Bake at 450* (230*C) for 10 minutes. Reduce to 400*F (205*C) and bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and cut into 2 1/2-inch bars.

Enjoy!

Turkey Enchiladas

After the holidays, extra turkey leftovers can be an amazing and abundant thing. I usually use mine for turkey sandwiches, turkey pot pie...and the classic plain, cold turkey snack. Last year, my mom found this Good Housekeeping turkey enchilada recipe for our post Christmas turkey leftovers. A new tradition was created. It's worth it to have to buy a slightly larger turkey to make all of these amazing things. :) These are really easy to throw together, and if you don't have a post holiday turkey to use, you could also use precooked chicken or turkey breast.

Here's what you need:

12 oz (about 1.5-2 cups) roasted boneless turkey breast, chopped
1 can (8 3/4 oz) no-salt-added corn, drained
1 container (8 oz) reduced-fat sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat (2%) Mexican cheese blend
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
10 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
1 cup mild salsa

I didn't have cilantro this time around, so that's why it's omitted in the picture. I still thought they were good without it, but I'm from the prairie, so I wouldn't call myself an enchilada expert by any means. ;)

First, preheat your oven to 400*F, and spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray. I also lined mine with aluminum foil to make clean up easier. 

Next, grab a large bowl and mix together the turkey, sour cream, drained corn, half of the cheese, and half of the cilantro. 

In a smaller bowl, mix the can of enchilada sauce and one cup of salsa together. 

Heat the tortillas between two damp paper towels for 30 sec in a microwave, in batches of 4-5 tortillas. Scoop a few tablespoons of the turkey filling into a tortilla, roll, and place seam side down in your prepared baking pan. 

Repeat this for your remaining tortillas until you are out of filling. I didn't fill mine very full so that they were a little easier to keep rolled up in the pan, so I ended up with about 18 total. 

Spoon the enchilada/salsa mixture over the filled tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. 

Bake for 15-20 min until they are heated through and the cheese is melted. 

Once out of the oven, you can sprinkle the remaining cilantro over the top, and serve. Enjoy!

Text only version:

Turkey Enchiladas from Good Housekeeping

Ingredients:

12 oz (about 1.5-2 cups) roasted boneless turkey breast, chopped
1 can (8 3/4 oz) no-salt-added corn, drained
1 container (8 oz) reduced-fat sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat (2%) Mexican cheese blend
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
10 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
1 cup mild salsa

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400*F. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray.

In a large mixing bowl, mix turkey, drained corn, sour cream, half of cheese, and half of cilantro. 

In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the enchilada sauce with 1 cup of salsa, set aside. 

Heat tortillas, in batches of 4-5, for 30 sec in a microwave, between two damp paper towels. 

Fill each tortilla with a few tablespoons of the turkey mixture, and roll up. Place seam down in prepared baking dish. Repeat until you are out of turkey mixture.

Pour the enchilada/salsa sauce over the rolled tortillas to cover. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. 

Bake for 15-20 min or until the enchiladas are heated through and cheese is melted. 

Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and serve. 

Baked Salmon

Coming from the prairie, and now living in the desert, I'm not the biggest seafood fan. I used to refuse to eat fish unless it was breaded and deep fat fried (sounds really gross written out...but fish and chips!). I've gradually been coming around to seafood. Salmon...delicious. I went in search for a grilled salmon recipe one day, and by the power of google, I found an excellent recipe, but alas, the recipe called for lemon pepper, and I didn't have any. I modified the recipe to fit what I had in my kitchen, and I couldn't be more pleased. After cooking, the marinade becomes a glaze on the salmon, and it is amazing! I'm not an expert on seafood, but this is definitely one of my favorite dinner recipes now.

1 - 1 1/2 lbs Salmon Fillets
Applewood rub (optional)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
1/3 c. Soy Sauce
1/3 c. Brown Sugar
1/3 c. Water
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 clove minced garlic

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, olive oil, and minced garlic together until the brown sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Season the salmon with the applewood rub, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Carefully rub the seasoning in a little bit.

Place your salmon fillets into a zip lock bag. Give your marinade a quick stir again, and then pour it in. Put your salmon in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours. I like to flip mine over so that the skin side is up so that the meat gets more marinade.

**Baking Method**
Preheat oven to 375*. I used my toaster oven, and lined the baking pan with foil, and then sprayed the broil pan with non stick spray and put the salmon on the broil pan. I think it would work fine to just line a pan with foil, spray with non stick spray, and put the salmon on that. Discard the used marinade. Bake for 15-20 min or until the salmon can easily be flaked with a fork.

**Grilling Method**
Spray the grill grate with non stick spray. Preheat the grill on medium heat. Place salmon on the grill, and discard the used marinade. Grill salmon for 6-8 min on each side or until it will flake easily with a fork.

Hot off the grill...might be missing a few little pieces...it's just so good, who can wait for pictures???

Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

Need a quick snack or something simple to grab for breakfast? This recipe is for about six to eight muffins and can easily be doubled. I used to use the box mix, but I think this recipe (adapted from the Willams and Sonoma Muffins and Quick Breads cookbook) is almost as simple and exponentially better. I've tried it with half wheat flour/half all purpose flour before as well, and that works fine too if you're looking to add a little extra healthiness to it. :)

 1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 & 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

a few scrapes of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 extra large egg

2/3 cup fresh blueberries, washed and drained

Ingredients minus the nutmeg...

Preheat oven to 400* degrees. Line a standard-sized muffin pan with 6-8 paper liners.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until ingredients are combined well. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter and egg until combined. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and stir until it is just combined and all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Don't over stir it. 

Gently fold in the blueberries. 

Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin liners, until about 3/4 full, since they don't rise as much as cupcakes typically do. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in muffin pan for 5-10 minutes before removing. Serve warm or cold. Store leftover muffins in the refrigerator. 

Caramel Pull-A-Parts

Caramel Pull-A-Parts are sometimes called Monkey Bread. It's a simple, very easy snack to make. My family used to make a batch for car trips, and we would stop at a rest area and have them for a picnic breakfast. Bread + gooey caramel + finger food...what's not to love? For my little household, I just make enough for an 8 x 8 pan, but you can easily double it, and the baking and rise times stay the same.

Okay, here's what you need:

1 loaf frozen white bread dough (thawed)

1/4 cup margarine

1 small package cook & serve vanilla pudding

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

Thaw the bread dough, but don't allow it to raise. Grease an 8 x 8 pan. Tear half the bread loaf into small pieces and drop in the bottom of the pan.

In a small pan, melt margarine. Then add vanilla pudding, cinnamon, milk, and brown sugar. Beat until smooth.

Pour over torn up bread in pan.

Tear second half of the bread loaf, and throw on top. Try to get them in any empty spaces you might have from the bottom layer.

Raise for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Bake at 375* for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Let cool for 10 - 15 minutes and then turn out onto foil. Try to get it turned out before the caramel really sets and cools too much in the pan. 

Strawberry Pie

This is a nice simple strawberry pie recipe. The crust is easy to make and doesn't need to be rolled out! This does take 4-5 hours to set, so plan ahead!

Here's what you will need:

4 cups Strawberries
1 box Strawberry Junket
1 cup Flour
1 stick Margarine
2 T. Sugar

Start by combining the flour, sugar and margarine in a food processor (or by hand). Pulse until the mixture is crumbled, and pour into pie plate.

Loosely pat the mixture down with your hands to the shape of the plate.

Bake crust at 325* for 15-20 min or until golden brown. Then set aside, and slice the strawberries.

Once all of the strawberries are sliced, cook the Strawberry Junket while following the "Pie Glaze" recipe on the back of the package. It will start out neon pink like this:

As it nears a boil, it will get much darker, and end up like this:

Let the glaze cool slightly, and then fold in the sliced strawberries. Pour the strawberries and glaze into the crust, and refrigerate until the glaze is fully set. Serve and enjoy!

Text Only:

Ingredients:

4 cups Strawberries
1 box Strawberry Junket
1 cup Flour
1 stick Margarine
2 T. Sugar

Directions: 

1.) Preheat oven to 325*
2.) Combine flour, sugar, and margarine in food processor until small crumbs form.
3.) Loosely pat crumbs into pie plate and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
4.) Slice strawberries
5.) Cook Strawberry Junket according to package directions for Pie Glaze.
6.) Cool glaze slightly, and gently fold in strawberries.
7.) Add Strawberries to crust, and chill in fridge until fully set.

Yucca Bread

I visited Ecuador last year and while I was there, I discovered a few foods that I really wish were found everywhere here in the US. One of those foods is plantain chips...amazing (especially when stuck in a traffic jam in the Amazon). Another is yucca bread. Yucca bread is a cheesy bread served warm and usually with yogurt in Ecuador. Variations of yucca bread can be found in a lot of other countries, and under many different names. The base of yucca bread is yucca flour, which comes from yucca root. Yucca flour is also called Tapioca flour. What this all really means, is that it can be difficult to find yucca flour. I went to many different stores looking for it, and I ended up finding it at Whole Foods, and later at Fry's in the organic/healthy food section. As a bonus, it's gluten free.

This is pretty simple and quick to make. Here's what you need:

1 1/4 cups yucca flour

2 cups "Queso Fresco" cheese (or grated mozzarella cheese)

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

4 tbsp butter, room temperature

1 egg

Start by crumbling the Queso Fresco into small, pea sized or smaller pieces. If you're using grated mozzarella, then skip this step.

Combine the cheese, yucca flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Add in the butter and egg, and continue mixing until a ball starts to form. Form the dough into a ball.

If you're not baking the bread right away, you can store the dough in the fridge for a day. I've accidently let it sit for 2 days, and although it was a bit hard to break up, it baked just fine. If baking right away, preheat the oven to 500°F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter, and then place them on the cookie sheet about 1 inch apart from each other.

Bake for about 7-10 min, and keep an eye on them after 7 minutes. Take them out of the oven when the tops are golden brown, and enjoy them while they're warm! If you have a few left over, reheat them before eating them because they may be a bit hard.  

Text Only:

Yucca Bread

Adapted from: Laylita's Recipes 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups yucca flour

2 cups Queso Fresco cheese (or grated mozzarella cheese)

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

4 tbsp butter, room temperature

1 egg

Directions:

1.) Crumble Queso Fresco into small pieces.

2.) Combine cheese, yucca flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended.

3.) Add in the butter and egg, and continue mixing until a ball starts to form.

4.) Form the dough into a ball.

5.) Preheat oven to 500°F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

6.) Roll the dough into small balls and place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.

7.) Bake for about 7-10 min, rolls are done when the tops are golden brown.