Apple Butter Pan Bread

This is a very basic "tea" bread recipe.  I didn't add apple butter to the batter, but you can, just decrease the milk by the amount you are adding.

2 1/2 cup Gold Metal Flour
1       cup Sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1       teaspoon salt
3       tablespoons salad oil
1 1/4 cup milk
1       egg
1       teaspoon vanilla

2 to 3 tablespoons apple butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour one 9" to 10" cast iron skillet.  Beat egg and sugar until light, add salt and vanilla, slowly add the oil, one tablespoon at a time.  With mixer on low, slowly add flour alternating with milk.  Pour batter into prepared pan drizzle apple butter over the top of the batter, using a knife pull the apple butter through the batter.  Place pan in oven and bake for about 35 minutes depending on the size skillet you are using.

Once bread is done, remove from pan or serve while warm.  Bread will continue to bake if you leave it in the hot pan and will dry out quickly.  Top with Fried Apples and whipped cream.

Fried Apples

3 medium Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) melted butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Apple Butter

Melt butter in medium hot skillet, add sliced apples and coat with butter add lemon juice.  Fry apples until they start to slightly soften.  Add sugars and stir until a thick syrup starts to form.  Add Apple Butter and cook until it is blended and syrup is still thick.
Serve warm.

Crockpot Apple Butter

Fall has arrived and boxes of apples are showing up at every festival.  We are lucky enough to have a local guy that goes to northern Missouri and brings back a huge trailer of five (5) different kinds. This year I bought three (3) different kinds to share with the family.  Fuji, Red Delicious and Granny Smith.  This recipe has some of each kind.  I don't think it really matters that much what type you use, they all cook down into a wonderful sauce.

Here is what I did..

Get that crockpot out!  Next, you will need five (5) to six (6) pounds of apples not pealed.

I have an apple slicer that cores and cuts the apples into eight (8) even slices.. 

 Once the apples are cored and sliced, it's time to dice into 1/2" cubes.  You should have enough apples to almost fill your pot.

In a separate bowl add:

1 1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cup brown sugar (I used a mix of light and dark because that is what I had)

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix thoroughly making sure all the lumps are gone.  Throw the mixture over the apples and mix coating the apples.

Cover crockpot and cook for an hour or two on high.  Stir and turn pot to low, cover and cook for at least eight hours.  If there is too much liquid cook tilt the lid creating an air gap letting the moisture escape or cook off.

When apples reach the desired thickness, process the apples with a blender, food processor or smart stick until smooth.

Now to finish,  add 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of real butter.  Stir until incorporated.

Turkey Shepherd's Pie My Version

This is a very forgiving dish to make.  There are so many shortcuts you can take to get it in the oven sooner!  I will try and list them as I go.  List of what you need is at the bottom.  Just a note, do not make your gravy too thick.  Dish will thicken as it bakes.  Hopefully I haven't left anything out..

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

I started out with a 3/4 pound turkey tenderloin.  Seasoned and lightly dusted with flour.  Heat skillet with a couple tablespoons of oil, when skillet is hot add meat and brown on both sides.  When browning is complete add one small onion diced.  When onions become soft, add one can of chicken stock and 1/3 cup diced celery, cover and simmer until meat reaches 165 degrees internal temp.. (14.4 oz)  I used Swanson.

Short cut.... you can use left over turkey or chicken diced up and skip this step.

When turkey is done put it on a plate to cool, then dice into bite size pieces.

(Sorry the picture is SO bad)

While turkey is cooking get the rest of your veggies ready.  Peal and dice enough potatoes that when mashed will at least cover the outer ring of your CI skillet.  I diced up a couple carrots, minced a couple cloves of garlic and sliced a handful of button mushrooms.  The mushrooms will add some color to the broth you can also add a teaspoon of Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce for a rich brown gravy.

Short cut:  Use up your left over mashed potatoes and frozen veggies.

Once your turkey is done and cooling add your cut up veggies to the remaining broth and simmer until veggies start to get soft.  You may have to add additional water to your pan to make sure there will be enough liquid to make gravy.  This is when I added parsley and thyme to the broth.  Taste and season.  I added L.B. Jamison's Chicken Flavored Soup Base.

In a separate skillet, melt 1/4 cup of butter, add a small diced onion and the two cloves of minced garlic. Cook until onions become golden brown.  Add 1/4 cup of flour to make a Roux (see link for detailed instructions)  Reduce heat on the pan of veggies and roux making sure it gets completely dissolved.  Mixture so thicken slowly.  If mixture gets too thick add either water or more chicken stock.  When it gets to desired thickness turn off heat.

Short Cut:  You can use canned gravy.

To make mashed potatoes that won't fall about while baking.  Drain potatoes when done, about 20 minutes.  In small bowl, break a large egg and add 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup milk.  Whisk together and add to potatoes and quickly mash.  Top veggie mixture with potatoes and bake until potatoes start to brown.  Top with cheeses of your choice.  Serve.

You might want to add a drip pan below your CI skillet to prevent dripping in your oven.  

What you need for turkey:

2 to 3 tablespoons veggie oil

3/4 pound of turkey tenderloin (Yield: About 3 cups diced turkey)

1 small onion diced

1/2 cup diced celery

salt and pepper to taste

Veggies:

3 medium carrots diced (Not canned)

2 cups of frozen peas (Not canned)

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Chicken soup base to taste

Potatoes:

6 to 8 medium potatoes peeled and cubed

salt for boiling water

1 large egg

1/4 to 1/3 cup milk

Roux:

1/4 cup butter melted

1 small onion diced

1 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup flour

Topping:

Cheese of your choice

Sriracha Parmesan Chicken Tenders

We are going through a spicy food stage in our house right now.  Sriracha is the new love of my life.  Husband and I both enjoy the regular Chicken Parmesan but lets face it, it can be a little boring.  This is my solution to that problem.

I have to say that the smell coming out of my oven was amazing and better yet, it tasted amazing.  My rule when using Sriracha is 1 teaspoon per 1/3 cup of mayo. This might be a little MUCH for some...adjust accordingly.

I am cooking for two and I used 4 tenders that were medium to small.  The sauce will cover at least 6 to 8 tenders.

Preheat Oven 350 degrees
Sauce:
1 cup            Real Mayonnaise
3 teaspoons  Sriracha Sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup          Parmesan Cheese
Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix completely.

You will also need:
1/3 to 2/3 cups Panko Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/3 cup Caramelized Diced Onions**
1/8 to 1/4 cup thinly sliced green or red pepper

Spray an oven proof pan with Pam.  I used an 9 inch glass pie plate.

I did not caramelize the onions on this batch, my opinion, caramelized onions  "the winner".

Spread about 1/2 of the sauce on the bottom of the pan, (if you are using caramelized onions add 1/2 of the onions now). next add the tenders.  Paint the tenders with the remaining sauce (if using caramelized onions add remaining onions now).  Sprinkle top with Panko Italian Seasoned Bread crumbs.  Amount will vary with the number of tenders being made.  Be generous.  Top with thinly sliced green/red peppers.

Place in oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.   (Use an instant digital Cooking or Meat Thermometer for the proper temperature of 165 degrees F). To finish off, turn on broiler and place tenders under broiler until bread crumbs are golden brown.

**Optional

Oatmeal Cream Whoopie Pies

We have discovered Whoopie Pies!  Making them has been a bit of an adjustment, the soft break a part cookies are something new for me to get used to..  The flavor is fantastic, they are just so darn soft.

I followed the recipe below with just a couple exceptions..I used light brown sugar (what I had) and Molasses instead of honey.

One other thing I have to note.  Most of the recipes I am seeing do not specify the size of eggs used.  I only keep Large eggs in my kitchen.  I believe this recipe is best suited to use Medium eggs.  The size of the eggs used will determine how much flour is used.  I should have used 2 cups of flour instead of the 1-3/4 cup.

Also, don't freak out when you see how much the cookie spreads out when baking.

Macaroni and Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. honey
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, honey and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

In a separate medium sized bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix just until incorporated. Stir in oats until evenly distributed. Transfer dough to a large mixing bowl (this is so you can use stand mixer bowl for the frosting) and chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Remove dough from refrigerator and drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet (or even a bit smaller for smaller cookies). Bake for 8 to 10 minutes just until the edges start to brown. Cookies will seem moist in the middle but they will set up. Cool on baking sheet until set and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool, on the underside of one cookie spread the Cream Cheese frosting and top with another cookie. Store in an airtight container.

Whipped Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz.  Cream Cheese (Room Temp)

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter (Room Temp)

2+ cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Start out by whipping the cream cheese until light, add butter and continue to whip.  You will know when it's ready, it becomes very light and smooth.  Add vanilla and slowly start adding the powdered sugar until soft peaks form.

Salmon Patty/Burger with Sriracha

Okay, how boring are Salmon patties?  Right....  It's always been, "this is what I have in the house right now, so we HAVE TO eat it!"  This little change up makes it much more flavorful..  Another good option is make smaller burgers and serve as sliders on buns with shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes.  

These burgers do not shrink when cooked,

1 ea. 14.5 can of Pink Salmon drained and excess liquid squeezed out.

1 ea. sleeve of soda crackers divided crushed and divided**

1 small yellow onion finely diced

2 tablespoons finely diced green or red bell pepper

1 ea. large egg, slightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/3 cup Sriracha Sauce  (see below)

Cheese Optional

Vegetable Oil for frying 

**You can also used Ritz crackers to bump up the flavor even more.  Use two sleeves instead of one when using the Ritz crackers.

Sriracha Sauce

2/3 cup mayo

2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce (you can adjust the amount to your taste)

Mix completely.

After draining and squeezing out as much liquid as you can from the salmon, put into a medium bowl and add 1/2 of the crushed crackers along with the remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Form into four (4) burgers.  Place the remaining crushed crackers on a plate, gently press crackers into the burger. (Burgers will break easily).

Add enough oil to your pan so that the burgers will be coated but not "deep fried".  (About an 1/8" to 1/4" depth in pan)  Heat should at Medium High.  Once oil is hot add burgers and fry until golden brown on both sides.  Add cheese topping if desired a minute or two before you are ready to take them out of the pan,

Once done, place on paper towels to absorb any excess oils.

Serve the remaining Sriracha Sauce on the side with the finished burgers.

Old Fashioned Sugar Cake baked in Cast Iron Skillet

I have seen this on Pinterest for a while now, finally I've gotten around to trying it.  It is from the Blog Chocolate Chocolate and More

This cake would be perfect served with fresh fruit, I am thinking peaches or strawberries and whipped cream.  One thing I would add, just because I really like it, is a tiny amount of nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon).  What a wonderful new use for your Cast Iron Skillet!

Please ignore the thumb print in the middle of the slice

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites
confectioner's sugar for dusting

Instructions
Cream together shortening and milk for about 3 minutes, (it will look like small curd cottage cheese.) Add in vanilla.
in a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add flour, one third at a time to the milk mixture, blending well after each addition.
Lastly, add in egg whites, beating just until all combined.
Pour batter into a greased and floured (do not use a spray) 10 inch cast iron skillet.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, using a toothpick inserted in the center to test for doneness.
Let cool on wire rack for at least 45 minutes before serving, lightly dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Notes

You can also bake this in 10 inch casserole dish or a 10 inch baking pan.

recipe source ChocolateChocolateandmore.com