I've always thought of pies as a little complicated but this easy recipe is a toss and bake so it doesn't get much easier. I got this from Southern Food here and I thought I'd bring it for Thanksgiving! I'll let you know how it goes.
Ingredients:
2 pastry shells, 9-inch
4 Granny Smith apples peeled and cored, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Pecans chopped
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 lb Caramels coarse chopped
2 tb Flour
1/4 cup Milk
Milk for top
Sugar for top
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375°. Fit 1 round of rolled pastry into a 9-inch pie pan.
In a large bowl, toss together apples, pecans, sugar, caramels, flour and milk. Spoon mixture into pie shell.
Top with the remaining rolled pastry. Fold the edge of the top pastry under the bottom pastry. Pinch together and flute the edge all around with a fork. Cut several slits in the top so the steam can escape during baking. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake until crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Pie is best served slightly warm.
8 Servings
Wednesday
Caramel Apple Pecan Pie
Orange Cookies
This easy cookie recipe is basically a orange sugar cookie that makes the house smell amazing. I'm pretty sure the smell should be bottled and sold. My friend gave me this recipe a couple of years ago and I forgot about it until now. I'm so glad I found it for this season!
Take note that you will need to chill the dough at least 2 hours but I like to toss it in the fridge overnight because I lack the control to wait 2 hours. If I pop it in before bed I let it actually let it sit.
1 1/2 cups melter butter (3 sticks)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate (mix the rest of the tub with water for juice in the morning while you bake!)
2 eggs
4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp orange zest (about 1 orange to make it easier on the measurement side)
4 cups flour
a little extra sugar to coat
Melt the butter in the microwave and mix in the sugar and orange juice concentrate.
Once the mixture has cooled a little, add the eggs, baking soda, salt and orange zest.
Add the flour one cup at a time and mix well.
Let chill for 2+ hours.
Preheat your oven to 350. Roll the dough with your hands into walnut size balls and roll in sugar. Don't flatten the balls as they will spread out fine when baking. Tip: they will roll when you transfer the sheet to the oven so squish them enough so you don't loose them on the transfer.
Bake about 10 minutes and let them cool on a rack. The sugar gives them a nice crispy bottom you'll love!
10 Minute Turtles
Easy holiday recipes made easier? How about a "cookie" that takes all of 10 minutes to make? It is Always a crowd pleaser, my kids love making them and the hardest part is unwrapping the Rolos!
You'll need small twisted pretzels, Rolo candies and pecan halves (although any nut will probably be fine - pecans are nice because of their size).
1. On a cookie sheet, spread flat the pretzels.
2. Place a Rolo on each pretzel.
3. Put in the oven at 350 for 3 minutes just to soften the Rolos - they won't look melted but they are gooey enough.
4. Remove from oven and immediately press a pecan half on top of the Rolo. Don't press too hard or the chocolate seeps through the pretzel too much - just enough to look beautiful.
5. Let cool and serve.
That's it! They make great little gifts and are truly addicting.
Friday
Easy Dinner Recipes: Blueberry Muffins
This is no easy dinner recipe but it is a make ahead easy breakfast recipe. I made the dough up to folding in the blueberries and then baked it in the morning. By the time I was done with my shower the whole house smelled like fresh muffins and my kids thought I was a rock star mom! I didn't have the lemon on hand so I skipped it and it was great with the fresh blueberries we got on sale. It made 20 medium size muffins for us but I also use paper so I don't have the tins to clean up.
Ingredients
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 Tbsp flour (if using defrosted frozen berries)
Method
1 Adjust the oven rack to the middle-lower part of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2 Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
3 In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Beat in the grated lemon peel.
4 Beat in one half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one third of the yogurt. Beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again be careful to beat until just incorporated. Do not over beat. Fold in the berries. If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, drain the excess liquid, and then coat them in a light dusting of flour.
5 Use a standard 12-muffin muffin pan. Coat each muffin cup lightly with olive oil or grapeseed oil using a pastry brush, or with a little butter. Or use one of those convenient vegetable oil sprays. Distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a long toothpick (we use a thin bamboo skewer) to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and serve slightly warm.
Wednesday
Easy Dinner Recipes: Key Lime Angel Food Cake
| 1 | box Betty Crocker® white angel food cake mix |
| 1 1/4 | cups cold water |
| 1 | can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk |
| 1/3 | cup Key lime or regular lime juice |
| 1 | teaspoon grated lime peel |
| 1 | container (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed |
| 1 | cup flaked coconut |
| Sliced kiwifruit and strawberries, if desired |
| 1. | Make cake mix as directed on package, using cold water. Cool cake completely. Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place bottom layer, cut side up, on serving plate. |
| 2. | In large bowl, beat milk, lime juice and lime peel with wire whisk until smooth and thickened. Fold in whipped topping. |
| 3. | Spread 1 cup lime mixture evenly over top of first layer of cake. Place second layer of cake carefully on bottom layer; spread evenly with 1 cup lime mixture. Top with remaining layer of cake. |
| 4. | Frost top and side of cake with remaining lime mixture. Sprinkle with coconut. Garnish cake with kiwifruit and strawberries. |
