Apple Stuffing

This is a pretty basic stuffing, but with apples. The original recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma cook book American. It calls for dried apples and to be stuffed in a pork chop which is delicious. But, this is for those who only want the stuffing.

I cubed some bread I had and let it dry out in a bowl for a day, stirring it occasionally to let all parts of the bread be exposed to the air.

Apple Stuffing

Ingredients

~4 cups cubbed and dried Bread
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1/3 cup Chopped Shallot, Green Onion, or Yellow Onion
1 chopped Apple
1 tsp Dried Sage or 2 tsp Chopped Fresh Sage
~3/4 cup Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and bread to the pan to saute the onions and toast the bread. Stir every few seconds. If it is sticking, add more oil by the teaspoon.
Turn off the heat and add the apples when the onions and bread are close to done, about 4 minutes.
Add the sage, salt and pepper. Drizzle the chicken broth trying to coat as much bread as possible. Coat until the bread is just wet, not soaked but damp. You may have to add more broth if it looks a little dry.
Transfer to an oven baking dish.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Stir halfway through to check the stuffing.

Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff

I was surprised at how flavorful this dish was; but, if you look at the ingredients, it should be. This recipe is part of 3 or 4 other recipes combined. It is more ideal for ground chuck but I didn't have any of that on hand (if you haven't noticed yet, I'd rather use ingredients I already have) and it's cheaper! You can use any cut of beef you have on hand. I also decided to put the stroganoff on a baked potato since we had a giant bag I just bought. I've only had it on egg noodles before but this worked out great! I actually never eat the skin of my potato (I know, it's where most of the nutrients are) but I always taste a hint of dirt- yuck. Well, everyone, I have an announcement: I ate my potato skin! AND my husband did too! He never eats his either. Can you believe it? I actually liked it, all because of this delicious stroganoff.

Oh and my husband and I don't like mushrooms, so the picture shown has none. (I know, stroganoff is basically pure mushrooms but whatever) And, how do you make stroganoff look appetizing in bad lighting? Take my word for it, it's good.

Stroganoff

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Hambuger or Chuck
1 small chopped Yellow Onion
1-2 cups fresh Mushrooms-- this is a guess because I didn't use any
1 can Beef Broth (low sodium would be great)
1/3 cup White Wine
~1 cup Sour Cream
1 tsp Prepared Mustard
1/2 tsp Paprika

Directions

Brown, salt and pepper the beef on medium high heat, set aside. If you have a large amount of fat in the pan, you can discard it.
Over medium heat, add the chopped onion to the pan and cook until they become soft. If you do not have enough fat from the beef in the pan, you can add 1 Tbs butter to help keep it from sticking.
If you are using mushrooms, this would be the time to add them to the pan to saute until soft.
Pour the beef broth and wine into the pan. If you would like a thicker sauce, you can add 1 or 2 Tbs flour at this point and stir constantly. Let it boil until the liquid has decreased by half.
Turn the heat down to low and add the sour cream, paprika, and mustard.
If it is not as thick as you like it, you can simmer, uncovered for a few minutes to try to thicken it up.
Serve over cooked egg noodles, baked potato, or rice.

Enjoy!

Guacamole

I had two avocados that desperately needed to be used, as well as a giant bag of chips. The choice was easy to make, guacamole it is! Perfect for your upcoming Super Bowl party. Although, I would probably double the recipe if you plan to have a lot of people over.

Guacamole is so simple and so good. I hope you find this recipe very do-able. I swear every store bought guacamole is some sort of mutant green color or just does not taste right. You will be much happier making your own. Promise.

Guacamole

Ingredients

2 Ripe avocados
Juice of 1/2 a Lime or about 2 Tbs (depends on how juicy it is)
1-2 Tablespoons Chopped Red Onion
~ 1 Tbs Chopped Cilantro (I like a little less than a Tbs)
1/2 Squashed and minced Clove Garlic (add more if you'd like, I am not a garlic lover)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Slice avocados and remove the pit. Scoop avocado away from the skin and into a bowl. Smash with a fork.
Add the lime juice, red onion, cilantro, and garlic.
Salt and Pepper to taste.

*The picture shown does not have a tomato in it. It is good with or without, enjoy.

Mom's Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls

These are the best cinnamon rolls you will ever have the pleasure of putting into your mouth. Nothing beats my mom's recipe. I know everyone loves Cinnabon in the airport and malls but, after you eat one of these, you will never want to waste your money on them again. No offense to Cinnabon of course. They just don't compare! These are soft and fluffy with the perfect amount of cinnamon and sugar. The rolls do take a little bit of time, but it's worth it! Cinnamon rolls have been a part of our family ever since I can remember. This recipe makes about 4 dozen, but they will be gone fast! Freezing the freshly baked rolls helps keep them from going stale and you can warm them up in the microwave for about 10 seconds, yum.

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Dough
1 Cube Butter
2 C Milk
2 Tbs Yeast
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 tsp Salt
4 Eggs
~6.5 Cups Flour (no more than 7 cups)

Filling
~ 1 Cube Softened Butter
~ 2 cups Cinnamon Sugar
~ 6 cups Brown Sugar

Frosting
2 lbs Powdered Sugar
1 Cube Butter
A few Tbs milk or add until spreadable
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp salt if needed
Beat for about 5-10 minutes.

Directions

In your KitchenAid mixer:
Pour hot milk (~2 min in microwave) over 1 cube butter, sugar, and salt. Wait 10-15 minutes or until butter has softened and milk has cooled down. If the milk is too hot it will kill the yeast. Stir in the yeast and wait about 5-10 minutes for the yeast to get foamy.
Using the mixer, add the eggs. Add the flour a little at a time and mix until the dough is smooth. This should take about 1-2 minutes.
Cover with a clean dish towel and let the dough rise until it's double in size. The amount of time this takes can vary depending on the temperature of the room. Check it after 30 minutes, it probably shouldn't take more than an hour.

This is the part of the recipe that is really not exact...
Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll out on a floured surface into a rectangle about 10x5 1/2 inches. You just don't want to roll the dough too thin. It should be about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick. Spread softened butter with a spatula onto the rolled out dough. You can be pretty generous. Make sure it is even. Sprinkle about 1/4 inch thick of brown sugar on top of the butter, keeping it even; again you can be pretty generous. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of the brown sugar, covering all areas.

To roll, take the longer side and fold about and inch in, and push down with your fingers to pinch the dough down. Then roll it up- be sure to pinch the edge on the last roll to seal the roll up and keep it from unrolling. Cut into 12 slices and transfer to a 12x17 inch pan with parchment paper. Roll out, fill, roll up, cut and transfer the next 3 portions of dough. You should end up with 2 dozen on each cookie sheet (12x17 in.) when finished. One dozen can fit on a 9x13 inch pan if needed. Cover the pans with a clean dish towel and let the rolls rise until they double in size. Check after about 30 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 9 minutes. Let the rolls cool for a few minutes before frosting.
Cover and freeze immediately if saving for more than about 5 hours later; they defrost in the pan on their own in about 1 hour.

Sorry, parts of this recipe are an approximation, but that is what's great about it-you can add as much or as little filling as you like.

Macaroni and Cheese

Again, I apologize for the terrible lighting. What to do when it gets dark at 5 pm? This is such a good recipe, and it's probably because it's made of cheese! Well, if you are on the DASH diet this will definitely meet some of your needs for calcium but it's definitely over-ruled by the fat and sodium content. I try to make this as often as I can with out gaining an increased chance of a heart attack. This is quick and easy and such a good way to enjoy mac and cheese as a grown up! Hooray for comfort food, on these cold winter nights. This recipe comes modified from the Williams-Sonoma cook book American. Be sure to eat lots of veggies with your Macaroni and Cheese!

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

1 lb Elbow Macaroni (In this picture I used Fusilli- like Fusilli Jerry off of Seinfeld)
4 Tbs Butter
1/4 Cup Flour
3 Cups Warm Milk
1/2 lb Montery Jack Cheese Grated
1/2 lb Sharp Cheddar Cheese Grated
3/4 Cup Bread Crumbs
1 1/2 Tbs Melted Butter
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Hot Sauce to taste (this is a MUST)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and some salt and cook for about 6 minutes.
Drain pasta; while this is draining, return the pot to the stove over medium heat, melt 4 Tbs butter.
Whisk in the flour, and over low heat let bubble for about 2 min. and stir occasionally.
Pour in the warm milk and whisk well. Bring the burner up to medium heat again and bring to a boil (careful because it can be hard to tell when milk is boiling). Whisk and make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom.
Add the cheese stirring well.
Add the pasta.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Gradually add 5 drops of hot sauce at a time. We like a lot of hot sauce!
Transfer pasta and cheese to a 2 quart baking dish.
Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and drizzle with the melted butter.
Bake for about 30 minutes until it's bubbly and golden brown on top.

This is the kind of hot sauce we like for this recipe