Maple Cider Chicken

Fall is my favorite time of the year here in Ohio. Beautiful weather, especially in October, and so many great seasonal ingredients for cooking to choose from. I love coming up with recipes that can be cooked in one dish or pot. Less cleanup is always a good  thing! Bone in chicken breasts can be substituted for the thighs if you prefer. The leftovers from this make a nice salad, over chopped romaine, with a little balsamic vinaigrette dressing (to which you can also add a touch of maple syrup, to compliment the dish) Use only REAL pure maple syrup (http://www.purecanadamaple.com/) for this recipe!

Maple Cider Chicken

4 cups peeled and chopped (into 1” cubes) sweet potatoes
4 cups peeled and chopped granny smith apples
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 lbs chicken thighs (with skin and bone)
1 cup apple cider
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter, chopped in small cubes

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 5 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine  sweet potatoes, apples, onion and garlic in the baking dish. Place chicken thighs on top.Combine apple cider and maple syrup and pour over chicken. Season the whole dish with salt and pepper and sprinkle the chicken with chopped sage. Sprinkle butter cubes over everything. Bake for 60-75 minutes until chicken is cooked through (larger thighs will take a little longer)

Chicken Enchilada Cornbread Dumpling Soup

I am very excited, my Chicken Enchilada Cornbread Dumpling Soup was chosen as the grand prize winner in the 2012 Dei Fratelli Ripened contest. I was a runner up in this contest several years ago. Part of the prize is a monthly delivery of Dei Fratelli products for a year. It's a lot of fun to get those boxes every month. They make an excellent pizza sauce, and their salsa is great too. I use their products a lot, so that will come in handy.

  I had a lot of fresh cilantro from my garden and wanted to make good use of it. If you wanted to really spice it up, you could substitute a hotter chili pepper for the green chiles

https://www.facebook.com/DeiFratelli/app_106171216118819

  Chicken Enchilada Cornbread Dumpling Soup

3 tbsp canola oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 chopped red bell pepper
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup finely chopped green chiles
28 oz can enchilada sauce (about 3 cups)
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
2 cups chopped tomatoes

Dumplings:
2 8.5 oz boxes corn bread mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Garnish:
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup sour cream

  Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken breast. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, pepper, cilantro. Saute for 5 more minutes. Pour into large stockpot. Add chilies, enchilada sauce, broth and tomatoes. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

  In a bowl, combine corn bread mix, eggs and milk. Spoon onto top of soup mixture. Cover and simmer on low for 25-30 minutes, or until pick inserted in dough comes out clean.

  Garnish with cheese and sour cream

Red Hot Ranch Meatballs

Just in time for the Superbowl - Red Hot Ranch Meatballs. I suggest using pretzel sticks instead of toothpicks to serve these as appetizers, so that your guests don't have to worry about what to do with the toothpicks. These are hot! Serve a side of ranch for dipping.

Red Hot Ranch Meatballs

1 lb ground chicken or turkey
.4 oz packet of ranch salad dressing mix
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced onion
2 tsp minced garlic
3/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Form into equal sized meatballs. Bake for 25 minutes.

Serve with celery sticks and ranch dressing for dipping.

Strawberry Snowflake Cupcakes

Red and white for Valentines Day. Strawberries and snow! These light and fluffy cupcakes are very simple to make. I started with a cake mix to make them even simpler. Don't be intimidated by the meringue icing. If you have a stand mixer, it's a breeze. A hand mixer would also work.

Strawberry Snowflake Cupcakes

18.25 ox box of white cake mix
1 can lemon lime soda
2 cups chopped strawberries (divided)
1 1/2 cups seedless strawberry jelly

Frosting:
5 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350. line 2, 12 cup muffin pans with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and soda. Mix until just combined. Fold in one cup of chopped strawberries.

Bake cupcakes for 25-30 minutes until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

When cupcakes are cool, fill a pastry bag with a tip withe the strawberry jelly. Using a paring knife, cut a small hole in the cucake. Press the pastry tip into the cupcake and squeeze in a small amount of jelly. Note - If you don’t want to do this step, you can wait until after you frost the cupcakes. Make a small indentation in the frosting, and put a tsp or so of jelly under the chopped strawberry garnish.

To make the frosting -Put afew inches of water in a saucepan the right size to hold the bowl of your electric mixer slightly above the water. Bring the water to a boil. Combine the frosting ingredients in the mixer bowl and set it over the boiling water. Whisk it constantly until the sugar is totally dissolved, mixture is smooth and it feels hot to the touch. About 2-3 minutes.

Transfer to the standing mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, and beat on medium high speed until the meringue is shiny and will hold stiff peaks. About 5-7 minutes.

Spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a spoon or spatula. Use the back of the spoon to make it “spiky”. Garnish with remaining chopped strawberries.

Mini Strawberry Cannoli Cream Puffs

Mini Strawberry Cannoli Creampuffs

Puffs:
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. butter
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs

Combine water and butter in saucepan, bring to a boil. Add the salt and flour at the same time, stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat, beat in 1 egg at a time, beating well until mixture is smooth. Refrigerate for one hour. Place in teaspoon size balls on lightly greased cookie sheet.. Bake 400 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes until brown (they will sound hollow when you tap them with a spoon). Cool, cut off tops, fill with filling, then replace tops. Dust with powdered sugar


Filling:
1/2 cup powdered sugar (plus 1/4 cup for garnish)
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup diced strawberries

Mediterranean Garden Spaghetti

With summer quickly approaching, it's time to come up with some lighter meals. Between kid activities like 4H getting into full swing and summer maintenance on the farm, quick meals are also a priority. This meatless dish is both light and easy!

1 lb spaghetti, cooked al dente per package instructions
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cups halved grape tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and flaked
1 cup feta cheese

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in large skillet. Sautee garlic, scallions, basil and tomatoes over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Put spaghetti in large serving bowl. Pour sauteed tomato mixture over spaghetti, add remaining olive oil, salt, pepper, avocado and feta cheese and toss together.

Avocado Coconut Pound Cake

More fun with avocado! When I open up an avocado, one of the first things that comes to mind is the buttery texture. I love to bake, and I was curious to see how well avocado would substitute for butter in a cake recipe. Pound cake seemed to be the perfect buttery cake to experiment with. It worked wonderfully. The result was a very moist cake with a beautiful color and great flavor. I paired it with coconut and lime flavors, which were very complimentary.
I used a fancy bundt pan, because I have one, but any bundt pan will do. Mine is non stick, but I still sprayed it liberally with baking spray. If you don't have cake flour, you can substitute 3/4 cup all purpose flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch for each cup of cake flour.

Avocado Coconut Pound Cake

2 avocados, peeled and mashed
3 cups white sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup sour cream
3 cups cakes flour
1 tsp baking powder
zest 1 lime (reserve a tsp for glaze)
1 cup sweetened flake coconut (plus a little extra for garnish)

Glaze :
1 cup confectioners sugar
3 tbsp lime juice
reserved lime zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Thoroughly spray standard size bundt pan with baking spray. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the avocado and sugar until thoroughly mixed. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla, lime juice, sour cream, lime zest and coconut. Beat in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 1 hour or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then invert onto another plate.
Combine garnish ingredients and drizzle on warm cake. Sprinkle with coconut.

Apple Walnut Skillet Muffin

Normally I make muffins from scratch, but I had some muffin mix in the pantry that I wanted to use up, and I thought I'd do something different with it. Different flavors of muffin mix would work too, and you can use a pan that is a little smaller (it just might have to bake longer). As always, real maple syrup, no fake stuff!

2 7 oz packets Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 cups granny smith apples, peeled and sliced
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Spray an 11" cast iron pan with baking spray. Preheat oven to 425. In a medium bowl, combine muffin mix, milk and 1/2 cup syrup. Mix until just combined, pour into prepared pan.
In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Spread on top of batter.
Bake approx 25 minutes or until golden brown.
1 tsp cinnamon

Sweet Potato Citrus Cupcakes

2 leftover baked sweet potatoes and a box of lemon cake mix were my inspiration for these light and airy cupcakes. You can frost them as much or as little as you would like. I prefer just a little because I don't think that they need much, but the frosting recipe makes enough that you can add more if you wish. Without frosting, they would be great as breakfast/brunch muffins.
Simple to make, the sweet potato makes them moist enough that you don't even need to use any oil.

1 18.25 oz box lemon cake mix
1 1/3 cups orange juice
1 1/2 cups baked sweet potatoes, mashed (about 2 medium sweet potatoes)
3 eggs

Frosting:
1 8 oz package cream cheese (softened)
5 cups confectioners sugar

2 tbsp orange zest (optional for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350. Line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners. Combine cake mix, orange juice, sweet potatoes and eggs in mixer bowl. Beat for 30 seconds on low, then 2 minutes on medium.
Spoon equal amounts batter into muffin cups.Bake for 18-22 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes then frost as desired.
To make frosting - combine cream cheese and sugar in mixer bowl, beat on low until combined.

Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Soup

I wanted to do a different twist on a baked potato soup. Sweet potatoes pack a great nutritional punch, so I'm always looking for new ways to fit them into the family menu. Use REAL maple syrup for this, not "pancake syrup". Meat lovers will want to use pork bacon, but I use turkey bacon and it works just fine.

Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Soup

12 strips bacon (plus extra for optional garnish if desired)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped sweet onion
5 cups peeled sweet potatoes, chopped in 1” cubes
2 14 oz cans Chicken Broth
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 cup maple syrup (plus extra for garnish if desired)
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper


Fry bacon until crisp, drain, crumble in small pieces and set aside.
Melt butter in a large stick pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sautee for 5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and Swanson broth. Bring to a boil, then Simmer on low for approx 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
Carefully transfer portions of the mixture to a blender and puree. When all batches are pureed, return them to the pot. Add the bacon, liquid smoke, maple syrup, evaporated milk, salt and pepper. Stir over medium until heated through.
Ladle into individual bowls. If desired, garnish with a spiral of drizzled maple syrup and sprinkle of crumbled bacon.

Tangy Lemon Pepper Crab Salad Dip with Tortilla Crisps

A foot of snow this weekend has me thinking towards summer. We met the little guy above on Assateague Island several years ago.
This summery recipe was a Dannon yogurt contest winner for me awhile back.

2 cups canned or fresh crab, drained and cartilage removed
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped sweet pickles
1 cup Dannon plain yogurt
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tbsp lemon juice, divided
1 1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning, divided
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder, divided
6 Burrito size flour tortillas
4 tbsp butter


In a large bowl, combine crab, onion, pickles, yogurt, sour cream, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning, old bay & 1 tsp garlic powder. Combine thoroughly and refrigerate.
In microwave safe bowl, melt butter in microwave (30-45 seconds). Add remaining tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp lemon pepper & 1/2 tsp garlic. Mix. Brush tortillas with butter mix. Cut tortillas into wedges with a pizza cutter, and Bake in 400 degree preheated until they reach desired crispness (approx 10 minutes).

Red Pepper Shrimp Linguini / Dei Fratelli Tomatoes

Afew months ago I was a winner in a Dei Fratelli Tomatoes contest for my recipe for Red Pepper Shrimp Linguini. Spicy and easy to prepare, I make this all the time. The less mess I have to make, the better sometimes, and only 2 pots are needed for this one.
My prize from the contest was a box of Dei Fratelli products every month for a year, and I just got my first one yesterday. There were other items in the box (like salsas) that were spirited off by my family before I could take a photo, but I will definitely make use of every item. This brand is one of my favorites as they use real food ingredients. No high fructose corn syrup, no need for a chemistry degree to decipher the label.

http://www.deifratelli.com/recipes/recipes_contest09.php

Red Pepper Shrimp Linguini

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Olive oil 1 cup White onion, sliced thin 1 cup Red bell peppers, sliced 2 1/2 Tbsp. Garlic, minced 1/4 cup Fresh basil, finely chopped 2 Tbsp. Oregano 1 Tbsp. Rosemary 1 tsp. Salt	1/2 tsp. Black pepper 3/4 cup Mushrooms, sliced 1 14.5 oz. can Dei Fratelli Chopped Italian Tomatoes 1 1/2 pounds Fresh large shrimp, cleaned and deveined, tail on (can substitute thawed frozen cooked shrimp) 1 pound Linguini, cooked al dente per package instructions
Preparation: Heat oil in large pot with lid. Add onion, peppers, garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper and mushrooms. Sautée over medium heat 5 minutes. Add tomatoes. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and simmer until shrimp is pink and hot (if using frozen cooked shrimp, approx 5 minutes to heat through). Toss with cooked pasta

Baked Potato Crab Cake Appetizers

This recipe was a recent runner up winner for me in a contest sponsored by Wisconsin Potatoes (the photo is from their website). Doing some experimenting, I discovered that baked potatoes are a great way to stretch expensive crab meat, the mild potato flavor combines well with the crab and seasonings, and it really helps to hold the crabcakes together.
Serve with lemon slices, tartar sauce and cocktail sauce if you like.

http://www.winwithwisconsinpotatoes.com/rbook/recipe/view/2768

3/4 cup	finely diced sweet onion
1 tbsp	minced garlic
2 tbsp	olive oil (divided)
3 cups	crabmeat (canned or fresh)
2	large baked potatoes, peeled & mashed with fork
2 tbsp	dill pickle relish
1 tsp	salt
1/2 tsp	pepper
2 tbsp Old Bay	seafood seasoning
1/2 cup	mayonaise

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. In med. skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil, sautee onion and garlic over medium heat until soft. Approx. 5 minutes.
   
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine crab, potato, relish,old bay, mayo , salt/pepper, & onion/garlic mix.
4. Form into 24 crabcakes
5. Place on nonstick or lightly sprayed cookie sheet. Drizzle with remaining olive oil.
   
6. Bake approx. 15 minutes until they are lightly brown.

Herbed Chicken with Ginger Stone Fruit

Another recent contest win was a contest sponsored by Genji Marinades. This contest had a nice prize (gift certificate to Whole Foods), plus the added bonus that they used my own photo of the dish on the website when they published the recipe.
I like to combine fruit and herbs to create sweet and savory dishes. If you can't get the marinade, balsamic vinegar or another Asian ginger type dressing can be substituted.

http://www.genjiweb.com/genji/dressitup_recipebook.html?id=27

Herbed Chicken with Ginger Stone Fruit

2 cups peeled and sliced peaches
1 cup sweet pitted cherries, halved
1/4 cup diced shallots
3 pounds bone in chicken pieces (legs, breasts, thighs)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp fresh chopped sage
2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
1 tbsp fresh chopped marjoram
1/2 tbsp fresh thyme
4 tbsp butter, chopped in cubes

Glaze - 3/4 cup Ginger Miso Dressing, 1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Combine peaches and cherries. Arrange on the bottom of a 5 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with shallots. Arrange chicken on top of carrots. Season chicken with salt, pepper, sage, rosemary, marjoram and thyme. Top chicken pieces with butter cubes.
In a medium bowl, combine glaze ingredients. Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 approx 1 hour or until chicken is golden brown.

Lemon Dill Scallops over Linguini

I've had afew recent recipe contest wins, which is always exciting (even if the prize is small). This recipe for Lemon Dill Scallops over Linguini was a runner up in a contest sponsored by Food and Water Watch. The requirements were to create a dinner for 4, under $25, using a sustainable seafood item. The environment is a passion of mine, so it was fun for me to be included in their online cookbook. The site/cookbook is a bit hard to navigate, but if you can find the cookbook, my page is #17.
I love sea scallops, but don't get to use them nearly as often as I would like due to their expense. Especially since I will only use diver caught scallops that do not come from an Asian country. Asian origin seafood (especially from China) is bad news from both a health and environmental standpoint. Unsound practices and scary chemicals.
Diver caught scallops are collected with minimal disturbance to the rest of the environment. They are generally a "day boat" operation, which means that the boats return to the port every night, they don't stay out for days. This makes it unnecessary to use chemical preservatives on board to keep them fresh.

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/fish/seafood/frugal-fish/fish-tips-2013-the-frugal-fish-edition


Lemon-Dill Scallop Linguini

1 1/2 lb sea scallops (rinsed and lightly patted partially dry)
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil

2 sticks butter, melted
4 tbsp white wine
1 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dill (dried or fresh, chopped fine)
1/2 lb cooked linguini

Combine bread crumbs and lemon pepper seasoning in a large bowl. Roll scallops in mixture until lightly coated. Place on barbecue or stovetop grill on medium heat, and drizzle with olive oil. Cook until opaque and slightly brown. Approx 6 minutes, flipping halfway through.
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, wine, lemon juice, garlic and dill. Stir over medium until heated through. Toss with cooked linguini, top with scallops.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

This is a delicious pie, another Martha Stewart recipe. Good for pumpkin and chocolate lovers, but not too “pumpkiny” for people who don’t really care much for pumpkin. If you don’t tell those people, they probably won’t even know there is pumpkin in it.
As with most Martha recipes, I simplified the steps a little. Melting chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave works just fine. No need for a heatproof bowl over simmering water.
This is supposed to be a triple chocolate pie, but I ran out of time to do the final step of drizzling the milk chocolate. I was taking it somewhere, so I couldn't cut it up and get a photo of it sliced like I would have preferred

* FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
* 2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (about 16 crackers)
* 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
* 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
* 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 61 percent cacao), finely chopped
* FOR THE FILLING
* 6 ounces semisweet chocolate (preferably 55 percent cacao), chopped
* 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
* 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
* 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
* 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* Ground cloves
* 1 ounce milk chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugars, salt, and cinnamon in bowl. Firmly press mixture into bottom and up sides of a deep, 9 1/2-inch pie dish. Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Remove from oven, and sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over bottom of crust. Return to oven to melt chocolate, about 1 minute. Spread chocolate in a thin layer on bottom and up sides. Let cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
3. Make the filling: In a large heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt semisweet chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat.
4. Mix pumpkin, milk, brown sugar, eggs, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves in a medium bowl. Whisk 1/3 pumpkin mixture into chocolate mixture. Whisk in remaining pumpkin mixture until completely incorporated.
5. Transfer pie dish to a rimmed baking sheet, and pour pumpkin mixture into crust. Bake until center is set but still a bit wobbly, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool in pie dish on a wire rack. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8 hours (preferably overnight). Before serving, drizzle melted milk chocolate on top. Serve immediately.

Apple-Honey Challah Bread

I've been going through my Martha Stewart magazines (not to get rid of them, for that would be blasphemy, just to move them to a different place) and I found this recipe. I knew that I was going to be home all day doing housework, and I had all of the ingredients, so it seemed a good day to try it.
I do find some of Martha's recipes to be arranged strangely, and a bit hard to follow, as well as overly complicated at times. I didn't butter my plastic wrap, and I was too lazy to go downstairs to get a cake pan, so I just baked it on a pizza stone. Worked fine.
A more appropriate name might be "House Arrest Bread", because it is very time consuming due to all of the risings. IIt was a big hit with the family, something I will definitely make again. On another gloomy day where I don't plan to leave the house.

Ingredients

Makes one 9-inch round loaf

* 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter or nondairy margarine, plus more for bowl, pan, and plastic
* 3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more for surface
* 3/4 cup warm water (100 degrees)
* 2/3 cup honey
* 2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
* 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from one 1/4-ounce envelope)
* 2 teaspoons coarse salt
* 1 1/2 tart green apples, preferably Granny Smith, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 3/4 cups)

Directions

1. Butter a large bowl, and melt 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; let cool. Combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, the flour, water, 1/3 cup honey, the eggs and yolks, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Mix until dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer dough to buttered bowl, and brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Cover with plastic. Let rise in a warm place until dough almost doubles in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Pat into an 8 1/2-by-14-inch rectangle. Top with apples; knead to incorporate. Return to bowl. Brush with remaining tablespoon melted butter; cover. Let rise again in a warm place until dough almost doubles in volume, about 1 hour more.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Roll dough into a rope (about 24 inches) on a floured surface. Coil into a circle, and transfer to pan. Butter plastic wrap, and cover dough. Let rise again until dough almost doubles in volume, about 45 minutes more.
5. Heat remaining 4 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup honey in a saucepan over medium-low heat until butter melts. Brush dough with half the honey-butter. Bake until golden brown and firm, about 35 minutes.
6. Brush challah with the remaining honey-butter. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Turn out loaf from pan, and let cool.

From Martha Stewart Living, September 2009

Blueberry Chai Quick Bread

2 green tea bags
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg (lightly beaten)
2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350, Spray a 5”x9” loaf pan with baking spray. Steep the tea bags in the boiling water for at least 10 minutes, until the tea is very strong. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl. In a small bowl. combine the sugar, applesauce, sour cream, and egg. Add brewed tea.
Gradually add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just enough to combine. Fold in the berries with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake approx 30 minutes of until pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Grape Jelly Turkey Meatballs

Some version of this recipe can be found in almost every church/local organization cookbook from the late 60s and early 70s. Unlike many of the icky sounding recipes in some of those books, these actually taste a lot better than they sound.
I make them for parties all the time, because it's something that everyone (especially kids) seems to eat, and there are rarely leftovers. Most people probably have no idea that the recipe contains grape jelly. You can also use ground beef, but I don't eat/cook red meat so I use turkey.

3 lbs ground turkey
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tsp garlic powder
32 oz jar grape jelly
2 12 oz jars chili sauce

Combine turkey, bread crumbs and garlic powder. From into 1" meatballs and place on nonstick baking trays. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the jelly and chili sauce in a crockpot (or a large pot on the stove). When meatballs are cooked, add them to the sauce mixture and simmer on low for at least 20 minutes.

Lemon Bars

This recipe comes from Martha Stewart's "Baking" book. Many great recipes in that book, although sometimes things can be a little overly complicated. I melt chocolate in the microwave with no problem, where Martha would call for a double boiler. I highly recommend the book though, haven't found a dud recipe in it yet. This is the best lemon bar recipe I've ever had, although the crust is a little involved. You can mix it by hand with a pastry blender, but it would take forever. A food processor is really a must. You can use the lime called for in the recipe, or substitute with more lemon juice/zest.
I won a blue ribbon for these at the county fair (they don't care about the recipe, just the final result). These are real artery cloggers, so I don't make them very often!

• FOR THE CRUST
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound (4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• FOR THE FILLING
• 8 large eggs
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. To make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, confectioners' sugar, and salt. Add butter, and cut in using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers, until the largest pieces of butter are the size of peas.
2. Press evenly into a 12 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until completely cool.
3. To make the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together, eggs, sugar, and flour. Add lemon and lime juice, lemon and lime zest, and salt. Whisk to combine. Pour over cooled crust.
4. Bake until center is set, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until completely cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 2 days.