Author: QuiltLady

APPLE DAPPLE CHICKEN & APPLES

4 chicken breasts cut in half longways
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small bunch green onions, sliced
1/4 cup Apple Dapple Schnapps
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 cup orange pineapple juice
2 small Granny Smith Apples, cored, sliced and re-sliced
3/4 cup heavy cream

  • In a large skillet, melt together the butter and olive oil over a medium high heat.
  • Brown chicken on both sides. Move chicken to the edges of the pan and add green onions to the center. Saute’ a few minutes until onions are tender.
  • Pour Apple Dapple Schnapps over the tops of all the chicken pieces.
  • Carefully ignite and allow to burn down.
  • Pour orange pineapple juice over chicken pieces and then sprinkle all the seasonings over chicken tops. Bring to a boil. Cover.
  • Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.
  • Add slice apples over chicken and recover. Simmer 10 minutes more.
  • During this time be warming a serving dish in the oven.
  • With a slotted spoon remove chicken and apples to serving dish. Keep warm.
  • Add heavy cream to the skillet. Bring to a boil.
  • Lower heat, stirring constantly until sauce thickens and is reduced by half.
  • Spoon sauce over chicken and apples.
  • Serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED PEANUT BUTTER CRUNCH COOKIES

We love the aroma of fresh baked cookies around here. Baking is one of the things I try to do regularly. This week it was peanut butter crunch cookies dipped in chocolate.

This recipe makes 4-5 dozen cookies.

TUESDAY’S TIP: I split the dough into thirds and with wax paper makes cookie rolls. I freeze 2 of the rolls for future use and make 1 tray at a time so they are always fresh baked and I only make the mess once for 3 batches.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter*
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 JUMBO eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Cream butter and peanut butter together. Be sure and scrape sides of bowl.
  • Add sugars and cream again.
  • Add 1 egg at a time until well blended.
  • Sift together dry ingredients and add in thirds until well blended.
  • Divide dough into thirds.
  • Roll 12 walnut sized balls.
  • Flatten with a fork.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes.
  • On wax paper roll the other 2 portions of dough and freeze for future use.
  • I sometimes dip them in melted almond bark.

*I prefer JIF or Skippy peanut butter

A funny thing happened on the way to the Lemon Custard Cup ~ Tuesdays With Dorie

I used to participate in the baking group Tuesday’s with Dorie.  I bring this post over from my old blog more for the cute story about my dog and the recipe review than any value in the recipe itself. Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles had chosen the recipe for Lemon Cup Custard on page 387.
We love lemon here so I was pretty excited about this recipe. Instead of making individual custard cups I made it as a full pie and it was going to have a whipped cream top (hubby’s request). We both tasted it before it went into the oven and thought there wasn’t enough lemon flavor for us and it was just too sweet. We like a really tart lemon. But, we were anxiously waiting to see if the baking would enhance the lemon flavor. Fortunately I took a picture as soon as it came out of the oven. 
I turned my back for 2 seconds while it was cooling and Gunner, our black lab decided the custard shouldn’t wait to cool, but be eaten immediately. About the time I heard SPLAT it was too late, the custard was face down on the kitchen floor and shortly thereafter the dog was in the snow, his puppy dog eyes and wistful so sorry looks didn’t work on me (he was only in the snow long enough for me to clean up the mess and cool off). 
I did throw together a lemon Bundt cake with a lemon butter cream frosting to replace it. I guess we’ll never know if more lemon flavor comes out as it bakes.

BANANA BREAD CAKE

BANANA BREAD CAKE
This recipes makes either two loaves of moist yummy banana bread or one 9×13 cake. Top it off with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting for a super yummy dessert!



BREAD/CAKE
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained well*
3 large overripe bananas
2 JUMBO eggs
1 cup butter, softened
1/8-1/4 cup rum
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon PURE maple syrup
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour

  • Poor the rum over the raisins several hours before making the bread/cake.
  • In a sauce pan melt 1 stick of the butter. Stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon until well incorporated.
  • Add bananas stirring until smooth.
  • Add the raisins and nuts and blend well. Set aside to cool.
  • In a mixing bowl cream together the other stick of butter, sugar and eggs until well blended.
  • Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder into the cream mixture and blend well. It will have a thick cookie like consistency.
  • Add the cooled banana mixture and blend until a smooth consistency.
  • Pour into 2 prepared large bread pans or a 9×13 pan.
  • Bake 45-50 minutes until tester comes out clean.
  • Top with PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

*optional

PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice

  • In a bowl of electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and reserved pineapple juice. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.

LEMON CURD

I love lemon curd, but haven’t made any in a lonnnnnnnnnnnng time. I ran across a recipe for scones today over at Full Bellies Happy Kids that reminded me of this old recipe.

Juice of 6 lemons
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 pounds sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes
6 eggs, beaten

  • In a large saucepan combine lemon juice, lemon peel and sugar. 
  • Mix until sugar dissolves. 
  • Add the butter and eggs. 
  • Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.
  • Pour into sterilized pint jars. 
  • Store in refrigerator. BE SURE IT IS COVERED TIGHTLY as it will darken with oxidation.
  • Mixture will thicken as it cools.


It is great on scones! If your looking for an easy and good scone recipe, head on over to Full Bellies, Happy Kids. But it also good as a cake or tart filling.

Makes 2 pints ~ Makes a great holiday basket gift.

OLD FASHIONED CHEESECAKE

For the crust:
1 3/4 cups ginger snap/vanilla wafer crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
2 pounds (four 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 cups maple sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons blackberry extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two

To make the crust:

  • Butter a 9-inch springform pan—choose one that has high sides. Mine is square.
  • Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist.
  • Turn the ingredients into the buttered springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don’t worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach above or below the midway mark on the sides.
  • Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake.
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
To make the cheesecake:
  • Working in a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft and truly creamy, about 5 minutes.
  • With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla and blackberry extract.
  • Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
  • Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan.
  • Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven’s heat and open the door a crack.
  • Allow the cheesecake to sit for another hour.
  • After 1 hour, carefully remove from the oven and leet the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
  • Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen sides.
  • When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 6-8 hours, although overnight would be better.
Serving:
  • Remove springform sides. The easiest way to cut cheesecake is to use a long, thin knife that has been run under hot water and lightly wiped. Keep warming the knife as you cut slices of the cake.
Storing:
  • Wrapped well, the cake will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or for up to 2 months in the freezer. It’s best to defrost the still-wrapped cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator.

ITALIAN BEEF STROGANOFF

ITALIAN BEEF STROGANOFF
28 ounce can Contadina crushed tomatoes
8 ounce can Contadina tomato sauce
1 MAGGI beef seasoning cube
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 pounds chuck roast or chuck eye steak*, cut into stew sized pieces
2 cups cooked wide egg noodles
1 cup sour cream
fresh parsley

  • Layer beef chuck pieces, garlic and onions in bottom of slow cooker.
  • Whisk together tomatoes and sauce.  Microwave for 3 minutes until HOT!  Add beef cube and stir until dissolved.
  • Pour over meat and onions.
  • Cook 8-10 hours on low OR 4-6 hours on high.
  • Pour meat through colander so it is separate from the sauce.
  • Stir sour cream into sauce. 
  • Fold noodles into sauce mixture.
  • Fold beef back in.
  • Sprinkle with parsley.
  • Enjoy.

*these 2 pieces of meat are actually from the same cut, but I base it on which one is currently on sale.  This week I saved 50 cents a pound by using 2 steaks instead on 1 roast.

BEEF VEGETABLE STEW

BEEF VEGETABLE STEW

1 pound lean beef stew eat, cut into cubes
1/2 pound baby carrots, halved
1 large Vidalia onion, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Knorr Spring Vegetable Recipe Mix
1 cup V8 juice*
1/4 cup white zinfandel wine*
2 tablespoons brown sugar*
1 tablespoons tapioca*

  • Spray bottom of slow cooker lightly with PURE!
  • Place the beef cubes in the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Layer onions over top of beef.
  • In a mortar and pestle, grind all the seasonings together to reactivate their properties.
  • Add to Knorr Spring vegetable mix and blend well.
  • Sprinkle over the meat and onions.
  • Add carrots.
  • Whisk together the wine, V8 juice, brown sugar and tapioca until sugar and tapioca is completely dissolved.
  • Pour this over meat and vegetables.
  • Cover and cook on low 5 hours, undisturbed.
  • DO NOT CHECK ON IT!
  • Serve Immediately over mashed potatoes.
*The tapioca, wine and brown sugar make a really nice thick gravy consistency with robust flavor when mixed with the V8.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Traditionally this recipe is served with lingonberries – YUMMMMMMY!!
MEATBALLS*
1 Jumbo egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 large slice white bread, crusts removed, and bread torn into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces ground pork, double ground
8 ounces ground beef, double ground
1 medium onion, grated or minced
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
Avocado Oil, heavy coat

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Whisk egg and cream together in small bowl. Stir in bread and set aside to soak.
  • Blend hamburger & pork, onion, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, and salt smooth and uniform.
  • Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain.
  • Add mixture to beef mixture and blend until well mixed.
  • Form 1-inch round meatballs. You’ll have about 25-30. 
  • Bake 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
  • At this point you can either complete the recipe or freeze the meatballs for a later weeknight.

SAUCE
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
Table salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Melt butter over medium high heat.
  • Once melted, add flour and cook, stirring constantly with whisk, until flour is light brown.
  • Slowly whisk in broth.
  • Add brown sugar and bring to simmer.
  • Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in cream and return to simmer.
  • Add meatballs back to sauce and simmer, turning occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.  If making the meatloaf, at this point pour sauce over the meatloaf and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
  • Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over noodles.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY

www.familycorner.blogspot.com

Good Morning! I had a great weekend and am ready for an even greater new week.  It’s Monday morning and I’m really enjoying getting back into a regular routine here at my new and improved blog. I join in with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  Be sure and stop by to see what it’s all about!

  • A big cup of coffee, fresh fruit (pineapple, apricots and grapes) and toast.
  • Pool first to avoid the warmer water from the humidity of the recent storms and then the gym.
  • Fix the washing machine.
  • Chores, shopping and doctor appointment.

Whatever strikes our fancy off the DVR.  I try not to plan this in advance and just go with the flow at least until the NEW Fall schedule starts.

Hot as usual! And humid to boot.

 Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie


 DATE BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER
MONDAY 8/11 YOGURT Black Bean Chicken Nachos
TUESDAY 8/12 CEREAL Pink Lemon Chicken
WEDNESDAY 8/13 YOGURT Chicken & Tomato Spinach Salad 
THURSDAY 8/14 FRUIT Kentucky Hot Brown
FRIDAY 8/15 Buttermilk Waffles   Baked White Fish
SATURDAY 8/16 Buttermilk Cinnamon Pancakes Twisted Pepper Steak
SUNDAY 8/17 Shirred Eggs Enchiladas Rancheras Lasagna

Do a little quilting and finish a few older projects though I have yet to have a few minutes to myself LOL like that’s going to happen.

I have a list of tons of recipes I want to try, but I’m trying to go with the most unusual first.  So this week it is MOINK balls.  Stay posted for the results.

As I combine all my old blogs into this new one I’m also keeping a list of those recipes that I cannot in good conscience bring over until I remake them and take some decent pictures LOL.

The garden is finally finished! Rock terrain with heat resistant and drought resistant plants and a special corner for Dickens.

Now for something fun and easy – cleaning the silver. Yep, you heard me right, cleaning the silver. FIL wanted the silver polished. I have news for you, I don’t polish silver! I even sold my own and replaced it with gorgeous stainless, but I found this quick, easy AND super inexpensive recipe for cleaning silver! Here is the before picture:

Hubby helped as I have been a bit busy. He is trying to show you the instantaneous results he achieved with this formula below.

After


SILVER CLEANER
per large piece or place setting you will need:
1/2 cup baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
1 large piece aluminum foil
1 non-metal sink or wash tub
hot water

  • Lay large piece of foil along the bottom of the sink.
  • Fill the sink with VERY HOT water.
  • Swirl in the baking soda and salt until well dissolved.
  • Add silver or silverplate piece.
  • Watch the magic. Allow it to sit a few minutes. The chemical reaction of the salt and baking soda transfers the tarnish to the piece of foil leaving you with a pretty silver piece.
  • Rinse and dry!
For heavily tarnished pieces you might have to repeat the process. Hubby also found the reaction was quicker if you wrapped the foil around the pieces.


CHALLENGE: Is your guest area ready for guests?

I’ve been trying to clean out my feedly and so many of my favorite blogs are just gone – so sad.  But I ran across Dorothy at Crazy for Crust that used to be one of my favorites and found she’s still cooking up a storm.

Wondering why Acronyms and Avatars have taken over the world!

Guidance as we move forward and start again in a home search. While we are sad that the home we had our heart set on is not not going to happen we are elated that we are realizing the signs are pointing (and have been we were just to dense to see) that we were meant to go in a different direction entirely.

2013 Dickens takes a Stand
2012 RUM RAISIN CARROT CAKE with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
2011 COFFEE, COFFEE, I MUST HAVE MY COFFEE

2010 POSITIVE THOUGHT
2009 The Revival of Common Courtesy & Personal Service
2008 Fun Trivia ~ 500 year old facts ~ the 1500’s
2007 The Domino Effect

BANANA RAISIN NUT BREAD OR CAKE

BANANA RAISIN NUT BREAD OR CAKE
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, 1/2 soft & 1/2 melted
2 jumbo eggs
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup golden raisins, currants or craisins
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
2 large, RIPE bananas
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • Combine the melted butter, brown sugar and bananas in a sauce pan.
  • Cook until smooth and then add nuts and raisins.
  • Stir until well coated & set aside to cool.
  • Cream softened butter, sugar and eggs until fluffy.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
  • Add this to the creamed mixture gradually until well blended.
  • Add cooled banana mixture.
  • Pour into greased and floured pan(s)*
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 45+ minutes.

*This recipe will make 2 large loaves or 1 cake. If making bread, skip the frosting.

FROSTING (optional)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
juice of 1 small lemon
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

  • In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
  • Add lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until blended.
  • Add powdered sugar gradually until well blended and smooth.
  • Refrigerate 1 hour to set icing before serving.

KEY LIME PIE with CARAMEL BLUEBERRY SAUCE

When I was a little girl my great aunt, Looney Louise, (okay we didn’t call her looney to her face, but it is what made her such fun) made a blueberry pudding cake with a tart lemon sauce that was out of this world!  When Ron asked me to review NuNatural’s products Aunt Louise’s recipe was the furthest thing from my mind.  After reviewing all the wonderful products that NuNaturals was gracious enough to send me and perusing the hundreds of recipes they also sent me, I settled on the blueberry cheesecake recipe.  The more I thought of blueberries, the more I thought of Louise and so I made the requisite recipe changes to make it my own and bring me close to the reverse of Looney Louise’s recipe.

Recipe aside, I have to say that every NuNatural’s product I tried is excellent.  I am a total convert!  I was forced years ago to give up any chemically altered sugars so only had full bodied sugar to live on.  NuNatural’s products are not chemically altered, but based on Stevia, a natural plant! 
KEY LIME PIE with CARAMEL BLUEBERRY SAUCE
Crust: 
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs   
6 tablespoons butter   
15 drops NuNatural’s liquid stevia extract

Filling:  
16 ounces cream cheese 
1/3 cup key lime juice  
1 egg   
1 teaspoon NuNatural’s white stevia powder
  • Crush about 12 graham crackers to make 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs. 
  • Combine graham cracker crumbs, stevia extract and 6 tablespoons of melted butter in a medium mixing bowl. 
  • Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom and sides, pressing it to make it firm. 
  • Bake at 350° until golden brown (about 10 minutes). 
  • Allow to cool completely before using. 
  • Using a mixer, mix the ingredients in a bowl until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Don’t overdo it. 
  • Pour the mixture into the sugar-free graham cracker crust, spreading evenly and bake at 350° until lightly browned (about 30 minutes).
Sauce:
2 cups fresh blueberries
5 tablespoons water, divided
Pinch of coarse kosher salt
4 teaspoons NuNatural’s white stevia powder
7 drops NuNatural’s liquid Vanilla stevia 
2 tablespoons Hershey’s caramel sauce
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Combine berries, 1 tablespoon water, and coarse salt in medium saucepan. 
  • Stir and mash over medium-low heat until reduced to sauce consistency, about 4 minutes. Set aside. 
  • Combine sugar, 4 tablespoons water, and 2 teaspoons lemon juice in large saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. 
  • Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is golden amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, 9 minutes. Remove from heat. 
  • Stir in blueberry sauce; let stand 5 minutes. 
  • Cool sauce to room temperature. 
  • Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
I was not paid for this review, but did receive free products to try. All opinions are my own.  Their products are all natural, easy to convert and taste great! Original posting November 7, 2011.