Crazy Cooking Challenge: Grandma's Amazing Apple Pie

The Crazy Cooking Challenge is back with a perfect fall theme:  apple pie!

Few things are as classically American as apple pie, and so is how I learned to make it.  While spending the afternoon with my great-grandmother on the family dairy farm one afternoon, she decided to make a pie - only she stood beside me and coached me through the process.  Together we made an apple pie, crimping the edges together and drawing her special pattern in the top crust, and that is now one of my most special memories of her.  

Grandma was an amazing baker, and everyone loved when she "twisted your arm" and made you stay for lunch, especially if she had cookies or a pie waiting beside the fridge.  Her apple pie was no exception.

So if you like those old-fashioned desserts that put you in mind of your own grandma's kitchen, don't miss  Grandma's Amazing Apple Pie.  

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. flour (white works best)
• 1/2 c. shortening
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3 T. ice-cold water
• 5-6 apples
• 3/4 - 1 c. sugar
• 1-2 t. cinnamon
• butter for dotting

Directions:

• Wash and peel the apples. 
• Slice them to a uniform thickness.
• Stir together flour and salt.
• Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add cold water and form into a ball with your hands.
• Divide in half.
• Roll out the first ball on a well-floured board.
• Put the first crust into your pie pan.
• With a fork, poke holes randomly around the crust.
• Layer the apples into the crust.  Be sure that they fill the pan up well past the top edges because they will cook down while baking.
• Add sugar to the top of the apples.  The pie should look like snowy white mountain peaks.  This is apple pie we're talking about - while I love being healthy, this is no time to skimp on the sugar.
• Sprinkle on the cinnamon and dot with butter.
• Roll out the top crust.
• Cut steam vents into the crust and place it on top of the pie.
• Fold the edges of the top crust under the edges of the bottom crust.  Crimp to seal.
• Poke again with a fork to create more steam holes.
• Sprinkle a bit of water onto the top crust with your fingers.  Sprinkle some sugar on top to stick.
• Bake for 40 - 50 minutes at 350 or until apples are cooked through.  You may need to cover the pie with foil after about 30 minutes.
• Serve hot or cold.  Personally, I like my pie ice cold, so Grandma would run an inch of water or so into the sink, place the pie carefully into the cold water, and add a few ice cubes.  By the time that lunch was ready, our pie was ready to eat!

Crazy Cooking Challenge: Chocolate-y Peanut Butter Cheesecake

This month's challenge was an especially yummy one:  cheesecake.

As I searched for recipes, I wanted something that would be:

1. less difficult and stressful than the traditional water-bath cheescakes.
2. would bake in as little time as possible (the oven heats up this already-hot house!)
3. would be a hit with my cheesecake-diverse family.

Kristen at Fiskerelli Bellies shared two of her decadent recipes with me.  One is a Snickers Cheesecake, and the other created an actual Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake.  I loved both options but since my waistline didn't need me to eat two cheesecakes this week, I decided to combine the two recipes.  This is what we got.

With layers of peanut butter cups inside the cheesecake and drizzles of peanut butter and chocolate ganache on top, it had the richness of all three flavors, but none overpowered the others.  The simple creaminess of the cheesecake shone through, the nuttiness of the peanut butter was clearly evident, and the sweet chocolate crust and ganache on top balanced out all that richness.

This cheesecake is super easy to mix and assemble, and baking is a snap:  just plop it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then turn off the oven for another 15 before removing to cool.

Don't take my word for it, though; this is one recipe you'll definitely want to try out for yourself.

So here's how to make your own Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake:

Ingredients:

• 3 T. melted butter
• 1 1/4 c. crushed chocolate sandwich cookies
• 3 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 c. white sugar
• 2 t. vanilla
• 4 large peanut butter eggs 
• 1/8 c. cream
• 1/8 c. + 1 T. chocolate chips
• 3 T. peanut butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Remove the icing from the sandwich cookies and crush the cooky itself.
3. Mix the crumbs with the melted butter.
4. Press into a 9" springform pan.
5. Slice the peanut butter eggs (or cups) and cover the crust with the sliced candy.
6. In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and sugar. 
7. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing well.
8. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the candy slices.
9. Bake for approximately 30 - 40 minutes, then turn off oven and allow to continue baking for another 15 minutes.  (I baked mine for 45 and it was a bit too long.  I'd start with 30 minutes and check to see if the center has gotten firm.  If it has, go ahead and turn off the oven.)
10. Remove from oven and cool.
11. Decorate the top!  Heat the cream until just beginning to bubble on the stovetop, then immediately pour into a small heat-proof bowl over the chocolate.  Whisk rapidly until all is melted and blended, then allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
12. Put the melted peanut butter into a bag, snip off the corner, and drizzle on top of the cheesecake.
13. Drizzle the ganache in opposite lines from the chocolate.
14. Chill until serving.
15. Yield:  I have no idea.  Since everybody wanted multiple pieces each time I got it out of the fridge, it didn't survive long at this house.  :-)

Thanks, Kristin, for sharing your wonderful cheesecake recipes!  We're already thinking up a new 'event' so we can make another one.  ;-)

Crazy Cooking Challenge: World's Easiest Fried Chicken

** Be sure to check out our Celebration Giveaway happening now!

When I was a kid my mom used to make fried chicken.  It wasn't like the greasy fried chicken that we saw at picnics every summer, but instead a rich and simple dish that she always served with my favorite foods - mashed potatoes, baked corn, and even simple stuffing.  As I got older, this being my 'welcome home' meal after being away at college or work, and it's still one of my very favorite comfort foods.

Now that I'm a mom myself, I love to cook chicken this way because of it's very simplicity.  It tastes like you've bitten into a roasted chicken, but without the hours of basting or the heat of an oven.  It's faster to prep because there's no egg or buttermilk wash, no crumbs to season or cereal to crunch, and no slippery parts to dip.  Because this dish is part-simmered and part-fried, it comes together fairly quickly - and while it bubbles away on the stove, you can be assembling your potato salad or husking corn or whatever else you need to do.

Added bonus:  Since this chicken is fried in natural ingredients, there's nothing false about it - and it's pretty healthy, too, because you control the amount of fat inside.

Here's how to make your own World's Easiest Fried Chicken:

• chicken parts, whatever you like.  I'm partial to the white meat of the breasts, myself, but any piece will work, even the boneless variety.
• freshly ground pepper
• 1+ c. of water
• a generous sprinkling of poultry seasoning for each piece of chicken
• 3-4 T. butter per 1-2 pounds of chicken

1. Cut the skin off of your chicken pieces.  
2. Place them in a frying pan, bone sides down.
3. Sprinkle each piece generously with pepper and poultry seasoning.
4. Add a cup of water.
5. Cover the chicken and cook over medium heat until the water is nearly gone and the chicken is nearly cooked.  The time this takes depends on the size of your chicken pieces.
6. When the pan is nearly dry, add the butter to the middle and flip the pieces over so that the meatiest sides are down in the butter.
7. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
8. Bonus:  If you want to make gravy, when the butter is nearly cooked away, add more water or chicken broth back into the pan and stir to remove the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Slowly stir in your slurry and continue to stir until the desired thickness.  This makes a super rich and yummy gravy!
9. When you first season the chicken, it will look pretty plain - but when it's done, voila! You get this!  Who would want to eat some of that?  Serve with your favorite fried chicken sides. 

What's your favorite way to eat fried chicken?

Crazy Cooking Challenge: Sweet Watermelon-Strawberry Smoothies

So this month's Crazy Cooking Challenge is all about smoothies - and I found the perfect one!  This Sweet Watermelon-Strawberry Smoothie from One Frugal Foodie is healthy and delicious.  It tastes of summer - sweet, simple, wholesome, and it comes together very quickly.

My husband is the smoothie maker in our house, mostly because he's good at fixing my flubs.  This time I froze the watermelon as well as the strawberries, and that left the smoothie without enough juice to work in the Ninja.  My husband added watermelon and got the mixture all going again - and I'm glad he did!  This made a very refreshing evening snack.

So to make your own Sweet Strawberry-Watermelon Smoothie, here's what you need:

• 1 c. frozen strawberry halves
• 2 c. watermelon chunks, not frozen
• a few teaspoons of lime juice - adjust according to your love of lime
• 1 packet of Truvia

To make your smoothie, just:

1. Start with the watermelon chunks.  Blend them until smooth.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth.
3. Pour into your favorite fun glass.
4. Enjoy!

Thanks, One Frugal Foodie, for a fabulous smoothie!

Crazy Cooking Challenge: Better-than-the-Bakery Blueberry Streusel Muffins

"These muffins are better than those you'd buy at a fancy bakery."

That's what a friend told me after I asked if she'd like to try one of the muffins I made for this month's blueberry muffin cooking challenge.  I decided to do something a little different and asked a few people to try them and give me their opinions.  The general consensus:  if you like real blueberries, these muffins are for you.

I found this recipe over at A Cook's Quest.  I'll definitely be checkout out her other recipes.

So if you want a bakery-made blueberry muffin with a great texture without the high price. head for your kitchen and make a batch of these.

To make your own better-than-the-bakery muffins at home, you'll need:


Muffin batter:

• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 c. + 1 t. sugar
• 1 T. water
• 2 1/2 c. white-wheat flour
• 2 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 2 eggs
• 5 T butter
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 t. vanilla

Streusel:

• 3 T. sugar
• 3 T. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. flour
• 5 T. melted butter

To make these muffins most efficiently, be sure to follow these steps in order!

1. In a small saucepan, bring 1 c. berries, 1 t. sugar, and water to a simmer.  Cook and mash with a potato masher until reduced by half.  Cool while you mix batter.
2. Melt butter for batter and allow to cool a bit.
3. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
4. Stir together eggs and sugar in a medium bowl.  Slowly stir in butter.
5. To the wet ingredients, add buttermilk and vanilla.
6. Fold wet ingredients and blueberries into dry ingredients.
7. Place a heaping spoonful of batter into prepared muffin tins (I used paper liners).  Batter should completely fill muffin cups.
8. Place a small spoonful of cooked blueberries into the center of the batter in each cup and swirl slightly.
9. Preheat oven to 350.  
10. To make streusel topping, mix all ingredients together.  (I needed to add extra flour and brown sugar to get a good crumbly consistency.)
11. Sprinkle streusel over the top of each muffin.  
12. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until firm.
13. Serve warm.  Enjoy!

Thanks for the fabulous muffins, A Cook's Quest!

Crazy Cooking Challenge #5 - Chicken Tortellini Soup

This month's challenge is chicken noodle soup!  I wanted to find something a bit different, and this chicken tortellini soup qualifies.  It has a light and delicate flavor but is hearty and filling at the same time.  I found this recipe over at The Happy Housewife.    Thanks, Happy Housewife!

I wasn't sure what the kids would think about this soup that appears so different from the other soups that I make, but both loved it.  My Little Man happily exclaimed that he liked this fun dinner.

So here's how to make this super-fast, very healthy soup.  As usual, I couldn't leave the recipe well enough alone.  My changes will be in italics nearby.


You'll need:

2 c. shredded chicken
1 bag frozen cheese tortellini        I used ravioli - worked just the same.
3 c. chicken broth
3 c. water
salt                         I skipped this.
pepper
adobo seasoning           I skipped this, too.
diced onion                  I skipped this but added a dash of garlic powder instead.
Italian seasoning
1 can of Rotel             You got it!  I skipped this, too.


I added 1/2 c. grated Parmesan and 2 big handfuls of fresh spinach, washed, de-stemmed, and chopped.

1. In a large pot, combine the chicken, broth, water, and tortellini.
2. Add the seasonings (and other extras) and cook over medium heat.
3. Stir occasionally.  When broth bubbles, set timer for 7 minutes.
4. Serve and enjoy!

So, voila!  Dinner is served, and in only 10 minutes.  Yum!

What's your favorite kind of soup?

(I'm also linking this up to the Pinterest Challenge - because I've had this pinned for weeks!)

Crazy Cooking Challenge #3 - Karly's Potato Croquettes

When I first saw this recipe by Karly from Buns in My Oven, I was intrigued.  It has so many good ingredients - mashed potatoes, eggs, butter, cheese, bacon - how could it not be fabulous?

I love these croquettes because of the creaminess and richness.  The inside is cheesy, gooey goodness, and the outside contrasts that with a crunch that sets off the inside well.  My husband preferred his with a dipper, but My Big Helper and I thought them perfect just the way they are.

Karly claims that these croquettes taste like Arby's.  I visited Arby's to test this claim, and Karly's right -  they really do - only hers are better.  When you make your own, you can control the amount of bacon, cheese, and other yumminess in general, and in this case, you won't want to skimp on either the cheese or the bacon.

Here's how you make Karly's Potato Croquettes:

• Boil 6 Idaho potatoes until tender.  Peel if you haven't already (I left my skins on for the fun of it - we like ours this way).
• Mash the potatoes, 2 T. of butter, and one beaten egg together.  Season with salt and pepper
• Stir in 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar and 3/4 lb. of bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled.
• Mix well.
• Spread mixture onto a plate and chill for about 1/2 hour.
• Remove from the fridge and shape into golf ball-sized balls.
• Prepare for the dredging.  In one shallow dish place flour seasoned with salt and pepper, in another bread crumbs, and in a third 2 beaten eggs mixed with 2 T. of milk.
• Roll the potato balls through the flour, then the egg mixture, then the bread crumbs
• Return the potato balls to the fridge for another 30 minutes.
• Heat veggie oil in a fryer or deep frying pan to 350 degrees
• Add the potato balls, only a few at a time, to the hot oil.  Be careful not to overcrowd the pan.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, turning once partway through.
• Enjoy!

PS - Enter my latest giveaway to win a complete set of ID bracelets from TigTagz!

Calling All Chocolate Chip Lovers ...

Do you have a cookie recipe that calls for chocolate chips  that is TOTALLY AMAZING?

I'm getting ready for the next Crazy Cooking Challenge, which will post on October 7th, and I'm looking for a great chocolate chip cookie recipe.

The only requirements are:

1. It must be from a real person's blog - not a commercial website.
2. It must have chocolate chips in it somewhere.
3. It must be some sort of cookie.

I'd be happy to bake your cookies and feature your recipe on my blog as part of this challenge - and more than 100 people are currently signed up to participate!  That means lots there will be lots of people checking out this recipe - and the blog it comes from - on October 7th.

So go ahead - send me your links to your best and most creative chocolate chip cookie.  I'll try out the one that stands out the most.  

I can't wait to start baking!