Caramel Pecan Apple Pie

Here's a recipe my older daughter made for Thanksgiving.

Pie ingredients:

8 apples
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsps sugar
4-5 tsps cinnamon
 1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 -1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
2  9-inch unbaked pie shell
3 tbsps butter, melted

In a large bowl toss sliced apples with lemon juice and vanilla.  (She used 3 yellow delicious and 5 Granny Smith apples)

Mix pecans, both sugars, cinnamon and cornstarch together and toss with apples.

In the pie shell pour in caramel topping and fill with apple mixture.  As you can see she didn't measure the caramel.  I guess more is better : )

Drizzle the apples with butter. (She used a shortbread crust which was very good!)

Streusel ingredients:

3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 sugar
6 tbsps cold butter
1/4-1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping

Combine flour, pecans and sugar.  Cut the butter in until crumbly.  Sprinkle and press lightly over filling.

Bake in a 350F oven for 55-60 minutes.
You might want to put your pie pans on a baking sheet.
When you take them out of the oven, a knife should slide easily in. 

Drizzle with even more caramel topping and cool.

How could you not love it with all this caramel?

Turkey Soup (adapted from Five Roses cookbook)

Make this soup a few days after Thanksgiving when your turkey has gone from this

to this

Ingredients:

Turkey carcass
about 5 quarts cold water
3 bay leaves (2 and 1 later)
3 carrots, sliced
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced with leaves
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 - 1/2 cup red wine
2 tsp salt
some fresh ground pepper
3/4 - 1 cup small pasta (like orzo)

After you have taken all the turkey you can off the bones for sandwiches or turkey pot pie, throw what's left into a soup pot.  Fill with enough cold water to cover. Add 2 bay leaves.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2  1/2 hrs

Lift the bones out and remove all those tender bits of turkey meat. Set aside. 
Take a piece of cheesecloth and tie it over a bowl or pot with a string (one with a rim so the string doesn't slip off  the edge.)

Now gently ladle or pour the soup through the cheesecloth to strain out all the little bones, grizzle and bay leaves, as well as a couple of cups of meat.

In a large soup pot add to the broth, the turkey meat, carrots, onions, celery, diced tomatoes, red wine, salt, pepper and 1 bay leaf.

Simmer an additional hour or until carrots are cooked (not mushy).

Remove bay leaf and add cooked drained pasta.

If you still have turkey leftover you might like this:

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2014/10/tuscan-turkey-pot-pie-with-basil-cream.html

Tuscan Turkey Pot Pie with Basil Cream Sauce and Cracker Streusel Topping

Not going to lie to you.  This is not a very pretty dish.  But 4 out of 4 people in the family agree.....it tastes great!

1  9-inch pie crust
3  1/2 - 4 cups cooked chopped turkey
2 tbsps. butter or marg
2 tbsps. flour
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1  1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup 10% cream

2 cups (1  1/2 sleeves) crushed crackers
1/2 cup melted butter or marg

Heat butter in a frying pan and add onion and garlic.  Cook 1-2 minutes only until translucent.  Mix in flour then quickly whisk in the chicken broth. Add the sundried tomatoes and basil and continue stirring until the sauce thickens.  Add the cream.

Mix the cream sauce in a large bowl with the chopped turkey, then spoon into pie crust.

For the streusel topping crush the crackers (I used Premium Plus) and mix with the melted butter.  Press lightly onto top of pie.

Ready for the oven

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

You might also like:

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2014/10/turkey-soup-adapted-from-five-roses.html

Baked Sweet Acorn Squash

There are so many different types of squash in the stores right now.  I picked up this acorn squash

and turned it into this.

Take your squash and cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and 
slice a piece off the bottom of each half so that it will sit flat in the oven.

Mix:

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup brown sugar

and fill the squash.  Top each half with 1 tbsp. butter or marg and a pecan half.  You can sprinkle a little nutmeg over top if you like

Place in a baking dish and cover loosely with foil. Bake at 375F for 1  1/4 hours removing foil in the last 10 minutes.

Aren't the colours incredible?

Breaded Pork Scallopini

In the past I've had trouble breading meat, but this method works perfectly.  None of the breading gets left in the frying pan or on the baking sheet.

1 - 1  1/2 lbs pork scallopini, 1/4 inch thickness
1/2 - 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2-3 tbsps dry onion soup mix
flour for dredging
2 eggs
2 tsps herbes salées (or mixed herbs/salt of your choice)
olive oil
butter
lemon (optional)

Put flour in a bag.  You could use a ziplok, but I like to re-use empty waxed cereal bags.  Add a couple of pieces of meat at a time and shake to coat.  
Mix egg and herbs with a tbsp of water per egg.  Dip the floured meat in egg mix one at a time.
(This herbes salées consists of celery, onion, salt carrots, parsnip, parsley, chervil, savory, leek, chives and spinach.)

In another bag have ready the bread crumbs mixed with onion soup mix and gently shake the egg-dipped meat to bread.
Place all the breaded pieces aside until ready to cook.

Heat a couple of tbsps olive oil with a little butter in a frying pan.  On medium heat brown pieces for 1 minute on each side then place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

When you've breaded all the pieces of meat put them in the oven at 325 F for 15 minutes.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

Chocolate Beet Muffins

I'm still working on things to make with this 10 lb bag of beets I bought.  These muffins are very moist and not overly sweet.  Two experts (read 2 friends who cook/bake quite a bit) weren't sure what the secret ingredient was.  They thought maybe cherry or cranberry was in the mix, but not beets.  I don't believe in hiding healthy stuff from kids or spouses who might be picky, but let them taste these first before telling them what's in it.

2 medium raw beets (250 g)
1 apple
2-3 tbsps chopped prunes (about 5-6)
2 tsp ground flax (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1  1/2 tsps baking soda
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Wear gloves and brush the beets clean, then grate them, peel and all.  Grate the apple with it's peel too.  Mix together. I know, it looks gross!

Mix all dry ingredients together and toss in the prunes.  I think dates or raisins would work well here too.
Mix the liquid ingredients together.

In a large bowl mix about 1/3 of each, dry and liquid, and continue adding until  everything is incorporated.  It looks a bit dry at first, but don't worry, it comes together.

Fold in the chocolate chips.  The batter will be thick.  Spoon it into muffin papers and bake at 375 F,  8-10 minutes for small muffins and 18-20 for large.

The batter looks red, but when baked it just looks like a rich chocolate.

I made 9 small and 12 large moist muffins.

Check out these beet recipes:

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2014/10/bbqd-beets.html

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2014/10/beet-and-carrot-salad.html

Banana Peanut Chip Muffins

This recipe makes 12 muffins.....you might want to double it though : )

What you'll need:

1  1/2 cups ripe bananas (3-4)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1  1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp banana extract (optional)
3/4 cup Reeses peanut butter chips
1/3 cup unsalted peanuts
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Beat banana, egg, oil and extract in a large bowl.  In another bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture.  Mix until just combined then fold in peanut butter chips.

Keep some peanuts aside for garnish and chop the rest. Mix the chopped peanuts, brown sugar and cinnamon together.

Line muffin tin with papers and fill each to half.
Sprinkle 1 tsp peanut mix on each muffin then add the rest of the batter.  Top with remaining peanut mix and peanuts to garnish.

Bake in a 375F oven for 20-25 minutes

I think I'm going to go make some right now!