Caramel Apples

I have always loved this tasty treat, especially when I'm in close proximity to a ski slope! I have never made them myself, though. Tyler and I love spending time together in the kitchen and I thought this fall would be the perfect time to try. Start to finish, these took 10 minutes to make, and were easy and fun!

We made this simple recipe:

Ingredients

• 6 apples
• 1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Remove the stem from each apple and press a craft stick into the top. Butter a baking sheet.
2. Place caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave 2 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool briefly.
3. Roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. Place on prepared sheet to set.

We decided to add mini chocolate chips. Here are the ingredients:

After the caramel was melted for about 2 minutes, the apples were ready to coat!

Here is the finished product. These went into the fridge to chill before we ate them!

Yum!

Salmon Burgers

Like I've said, we've been grilling out every chance we get! There's nothing quite like these summer nights. I absolutely love cooking salmon. So simple, tasty and healthy. I was looking for a new, interesting way to cook it and salmon burgers seemed like the perfect solution!


Ingredients
1 cup broken herb-seasoned crackers, such as Nabisco® Italian herbed crisp flatbread crackers (8 crackers)
1 lb. skinless, boneless salmon fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 egg
3 Tbsp. Dijon-style or honey mustard
4 ciabatta buns, split (we used onion buns)
Sliced avocado and green onions (optional)

Directions
1. In food processor, place crackers. Cover and process until coarsely ground. Add half of the salmon, the egg, and 1 tablespoon of the mustard. Cover and process until salmon is ground and mixture is thoroughly combined. Add remaining salmon. Cover and pulse with several on/off turns until salmon is coarsely chopped. With damp hands, shape mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.

2. Brush patties lightly with olive oil. Grill directly on a greased grill rack over medium heat 3 minutes per side or until cooked through (160 degrees F). Grill buns, cut side down, the last 1 to 2 minutes of grilling.

3. Serve salmon burgers on buns with sliced avocado and green onions. Makes 4 servings.

This is best enjoyed with a cold beer :)!

A Perfect Summer Meal

As soon as the temperatures hit the 90s, I was ready to start grilling out! Sure enough, we've been grilling every chance we get. This meal was delicious and easy!

Doesn't this picture make you hungry?

Barbecued Pork and Apple Kebabs

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grill
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds (about 1 1/2 inches each) pork tenderloin, halved lengthwise and cut into 16 cubes
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into 8 wedges

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium-high. Make the sauce: In a large bowl, combine jam, vinegar, tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Assemble 4 long skewers, alternating 4 pork cubes with 2 onion wedges and 2 apple wedges on each (begin with pork and end with apple). Roll skewers in remaining tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Lightly oil grates. Place skewers on grill; cover grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until grill marks are visible, 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Open grill; baste skewers with some sauce, and cook, turning skewers and basting occasionally with more sauce, until pork is no longer pink in the center and is nicely glazed, 4 to 8 minutes more.

So easy and tasty too! Here's to grilling out on warm nights with a cold one :)

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Lately, I have been getting all of my recipes from Martha Stewart and this one is no exception. Surprisingly, a lot of her recipes are easy, tasty and perfect for a week night! This one in particular is refreshing and great for a warm spring night.

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (6 to 8 ounces each)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks

Directions

In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

That's it! Mmm, enjoy!

Fabulous Cocktail!

I'm pretty sure there is no better way to end the weekend than with a refreshing, spring cocktail! This is a crisp, refreshing drink perfect for enjoying the sunshine. I highly recommend trying it:

Kew Garden Cocktail
makes one drink

2 ounces Banks 5‐Island Rum
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water)
1/2 ounce St. Germain Elderflower Liquer (this is delicious)
8 mint leaves, plus 1 sprig for garnish
3 cucumber slices, plus 1 for garnish
club soda

Add 8 mint leaves, 3 cucumber slices and the simple syrup to a mixing glass and muddle. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the club soda) and ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and a cucumber wheel.

Sip and enjoy :)

A Spring Favorite

The spring weather lately has been too perfect to resist! I have been outside every chance I get. Recently I was in the mood for a light, tasty dinner, perfect for eating outside. I tried out Better Homes and Gardens fish tacos and loved them. Such fresh ingredients!

Fish Tacos with Lime Sauce
1 lb fresh tilapia or catfish fillets
3 limes
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 t chili powder
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
8 small flour tortillas (I used HEB's delicious wheat tortillas)
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 small carrots, peeled and shredded
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, thinly sliced

1. Rinse fish and pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. For lime sauce, juice two of the limes into a bowl (cut remaining lime into wedges for serving). Stir mayonnaise and chili powder into juice. Remove 1/3 cup sauce and toss fish in it.
3. In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil over medium heat. In shallow dish combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Working with a third of the fish at a time, lightly toss in flour mixture and add to hot oil. Cook 2 to 4 minutes or until fish flakes, turning to brown evenly and adding additional oil as needed. Drain on paper towels.
4. Wrap tortillas in paper towels; heat in microwave 30 seconds. Top tortillas with fish, cabbage, carrots and jalapeno. Drizzle with lime sauce. Pass lime wedges. Makes 4 servings.

Yum!

Kabobs

Well I don't know about you, but my taste buds get quite bored with the same types of meals over and over. I was ready to break out of the mold of fish, chicken or pork (and repeat) this week. So, we tried our hands at making shish kabobs. Of course, I chose the coldest night so far this winter for grilling, but it was well worth it. Before putting the kabobs together, I was sure to soak the skewers for at least 20 minutes in water. These are delicious and easy, and would be great to serve at a cookout!

Teriyaki Sirloin Kabobs
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 T honey
1 T minced crystallized ginger (I used ground)
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 lbs sirloin beef, cubed
1 fresh pineapple. peeled and cubed (I used 1 can of pineapple chunks)
2 Gala or Golden Delicious apples, cubed
(We also added chunks of yellow onion)
3 cups steamed rice

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, oil, honey, ginger and garlic in a blender (I just hand mixed). Pour into a sealable plastic bag. Add beef and marinate at room temperature 30 minutes or in refrigerator overnight. (I suggest marinating overnight--the flavor was delicious)

Drain beef, reserving marinade. Skewer beef alternatively with pineapple and apple cubes (we also added the onion). Brush kabobs with marinade and grill 15 to 20 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Baste often with marinade. Serve with steamed rice.

Serves 6. Yum!

The Cake from Hell Continued...

The cake was actually delicious and made Tyler's birthday dinner festive and fun! Maybe it wasn't such a disaster after all :)

The cake from hell and Happy Birthday Tyler!

Well today is my sweet hubby's 26th birthday! It's hard to believe we met when he was 23. Time flies! So, as a sweet gesture, I thought I would give Tyler 3 choices for his homemade birthday dessert. I also needed to redeem myself for a birthday dessert gone wrong last year (there seems to be a trend developing). Tyler loves lime and lemon desserts and so he went with Paula Deen's lemon cake. I have made a few of her desserts before and felt up to the challenge. To start, the recipe calls for creamed butter. Naturally (after much effort) I was able to pull out our stand mixer (the thing weighs 50 pounds). I put the butter in and what do you know? The stand mixer won't work. I tried everything I could manage, and no luck. Keep in mind this appliance was a wedding gift, and is therefore just over a year old. I then moved on to our hand mixer. I quickly realized I was in way over my head with this recipe. The recipe has three different parts which each have their own ingredients (for example: 2 egg whites and 8 egg yokes.) When it was all said and done, one of the cake layers wasn't done all the way, the frosting wasn't thickening and the filling was too runny. Ah, perfect!

So, sweet Tyler came home to a very distraught me and had to attempt to rescue the day. I'm pretty sure all of the cake parts were finally done and ready by 11pm. One small problem. The cake itself is supposed to be cooled by the time everything gets assembled. I said the heck with that and had the cake assembled at close to midnight. I wasn't quite sure if I needed to laugh hysterically or cry. Hopefully the old saying stands true; 'it's the thought that counts.'

I'm so glad I live in a modern age where I'm not always expected to be perfect and put together. I'm also thankful that I have a very patient and understanding husband in Tyler. Needless to say, I won't be attempting a recipe quite like this one any time soon!

And finally, here is what the cake should look like and here's how it turned out:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!

Mushroom Glazed Pork Chops

Oh me, earlier this week, I made this delicious dish! Have I mentioned that I love cooking? I'm still craving this now and highly recommend it.

10 oz cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
8 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, cut into 1 inch pieces if large
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced (of course, I used more)
1 t sugar
1 T plus 1 t sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
Salt and pepper
1 T vegetable oil
4 boneless center-cut pork loin chops (each 6 oz, 1 in. thick)
1 med onion, finely chopped
1/4 c cognac (I used brandy)
1/4 c light cream (I used heavy cream--who has ever heard of light cream?!)
2 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

1. Arrange oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In jelly-roll pan, spread mushrooms in even layer. Sprinkle garlic on top. Roast on upper rack 15 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, juices are released, and garlic is golden brown. (I'd also recommend drizzling on some olive oil)
3. Meanwhile, in a 9-in pie plate or other shallow dish, mix sugar, 1 T vinegar, and 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper. Add pork and turn to evenly coat. There should be no excess liquid remaining.
4. Heat 12 in ovenproof skillet on medium-high. Add oil to pan and swirl to coat bottom evenly. When oil simmers and is almost smoking, add pork. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until browned, then turn pork over and cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer to lower oven rack.
5. Roast 7 to 10 minutes or until barely pink in center. Transfer to plate and let rest.
6. To same skillet, add onion. (also, keep in mind, unlike me, that this pan just came out of an oven at 450 degrees) Cook on medium 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add cognac and remaining 1 t vinegar and cook 30 seconds. Add mushroom mixture with any juices and reduce heat to low.
7. While stirring, add cream in slow, steady stream. Stir in 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper. When mixture bubbles, remove from heat.
8. Divide pork chops and their juices among serving plates. Spoon mushroom mixture over pork, and garnish with sage.

Enjoy! Later this week I'll be attempting Paula Deen's lemon cake and will be sure to report back on how it turned out :)

Mulled Wine

We served this delicious drink at our Christmas party and I highly recommend it! It tastes like that classic red wine with a touch of sweet and a touch of citrus. Yum!

Mulled Wine

Ingredients:

2 bottles dry red wine

4 ounces port or brandy

12 whole cloves

4 cinnamon sticks

1 large orange zested

Simply combine ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Do not allow mixture to boil. Heat for 20 minutes and serve in a large, heat resistant punch bowl.

A Great Fall Find!

This dish is absolutely incredible! The perfect cozy comfort food for fall. Try it and let me know your thoughts!

Pork and Sweet Potato Stew

(1) 2 1/2-3 lb pork loin, cut into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch cubes
3 to 4 T all-purpose flour
3 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
(1) 14 oz can chicken broth
(1) 10 oz bottle apple-cranberry juice (or we used apple juice and fresh cranberries!)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/4 inch cubes
1 to 2 T snipped fresh sage (we used dry)

1. Sprinkle pork with 1/2 t salt an 1/4 t pepper. Place flour in a large bowl; add pork and toss to coat. In a 5-6 qt Dutch oven heat 1 T of the oil over medium-high heat. Add half the pork; brown on all sides. Remove. Repeat with another 1 T oil and remaining pork. Remove pork from pan.
2. Add remaining oil to pan along with onion and celery; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic. Sprinkle with any remaining flour; stir to coat. Slowly stir in broth, juice, and 1 cup water. Return pork to pan; add sweet potatoes and sage. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook 20 to 25 minutes more until potatoes and pork are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. To serve, top with fresh sage leaves. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Yum! Enjoy!

Apple-Cranberry Pie

I'm so grateful to have some time at home to relax and bake! We just made this totally homemade apple-cranberry pie from Better Homes and Gardens and my-oh-my, is it delicious!

Ingredients:
2 homemade pie pastries or rolled refrigerated piecrusts
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup cranberries
2 T lemon juice
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground allspice
1/8 t salt
1 recipe Pastry Cream, below
1 egg, beaten
1 T whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out pastry on a floured work surface to a circle about 14 inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch deep dish pie tin or plate without stretching. Trim pastry even with rim of tin.
2. In a large bowl combine apples, cranberries, and lemon juice. In a small bowl combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, allspice and salt.
3. Spread bottom of crust with Pastry Cream. Toss apple mixture with dry ingredients; pile over pastry cream in pie tin. Roll remaining pastry portion to 12-inch circle; place over apples. Trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie tin. Fold top pastry under bottom pastry. Crimp edges as desired. Cut 4 small slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Combine egg and cream; brush on pastry. Place on a foil-lines baking sheet.
4. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes. If necessary, cover edges of pie with foil to prevent overbrowning. Cool on wire rack. Makes 10 servings.

Pastry Cream: In a small saucepan combine 1 cup milk and 1/4 cup sugar; cook over medium heat until bubbly on edges. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl beat 2 egg yolks, 3 T sugar, 3 T cornstarch, and 1/4 t salt until combined. Gradually beat in 1/3 cup hot milk mixture; quickly beat in remaining milk mixture. Return to saucepan; cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in 2 T butter and 1/2 t vanilla. Transfer to bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Cool. Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Serve and enjoy :)!

Yum!

Mmm, such a great fall treat! Tyler made me this delicious homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte. Try it out!

Servings: 3

Ingredients:

3 cups hot whole milk

4 teaspoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

6 ounces double-strength brewed coffee

3 tablespoons sweetened whipped cream

3 pinches pumpkin pie spice

Combine the hot milk, sugar, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice in a blender; blend until frothy. Pour the mixture into 3 coffee mugs to about 2/3 full. Pour 2 ounces coffee into each mug. Garnish each mug with whipped topping and pumpkin pie spice.

Curl up and enjoy :)

Fresh Peaches

So last weekend my mom and I went to charming Fredericksburg to enjoy shopping, quality time, eating and some yummy wine! I made Paula Deen's fabulous peach cobbler with the fresh peaches and highly recommend it! Enjoy :)

Ingredients

• 4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• Ground cinnamon, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Yum!

WOW, and look what he came up with!! I am one lucky girl :)