Upside Down Cheesecake Apple Pie

 Ingredients

2 x 8 oz cream cheese, softened

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

6 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (about ⅛”)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

caramel sauce for serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a pie pan with the bottom pie crust.

With mixer on high, combine cream cheese, ½ cup sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add in eggs and mix until combined. Pour cream cheese mixture into the pie crust.

In large bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, ½ cup sugar, flour and cinnamon. Gently place apples on top of cream cheese mixture.

Top apples with second pie crust turning the crust inwards to bake. Cut a few small slits into the top of the pie.

Line a pan with parchment paper and place the pie on the pan. Cover loosely with a piece of foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 30 minutes or until the apples feel soft when a knife is inserted. Remove from the oven and cool 10 minutes.

Place a large plate over the top of the pie and flip it upside down releasing the pie onto the plate. Cool 1 hour on the countertop and then refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Serve cold with caramel sauce.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

 

Ingredients :

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (3 ounce) cream cheese, softened

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups blueberries

1/2 cup milk

TOPPING

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions :

In a medium mixing bowl, cream butter with cream cheese. Stir in beaten eggs, sugar and vanilla.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in blueberries. Lightly mix in milk without beating or overstirring mixture.

Spoon into greased muffin tins until 3/4 full.

TOPPING: Mix butter, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of muffins.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Cool and remove from muffin tin.

Mom’s Macaroni Salad

 

Ingredients

1 16 oz box macaroni

2 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 green pepper diced

1/2 cup radishes diced

1/2 cup onion finely diced

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare macaroni according to package directions.

Drain macaroni well, and rinse with cold water until pasta has cooled.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine mayonnaise with chicken stock.

Whisk together well and season with a bit of salt and pepper.

I do enjoy about a tablespoon or so of freshly ground black pepper in this.

Add in drained pasta along with green pepper, radishes and onion.

Stir well until combined.

Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Stir again before serving.

This Crispy Dish From The South Is What My Grandma Always Made!

 Ingredients

1 fryer chicken, cut up or your favorite pieces (I use about 4 to 6 bone-in chicken thighs)

2 Tbsp Morton salt

2 c water

1 1/2 to 2 c McArthur milk

1 large egg

1 to 1 1/2 c self-rising flour

2 tsp McCormick’s onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tsp chicken soup base

2 tsp poultry seasoning (optional)

canola oil for frying

Instructions

In large plastic container, dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in about 2 cups water. Remove skin from chicken pieces (optional) and place in container. Add more water if necessary to cover chicken. Place lid on container and place in refrigerator for about 1 hour.

Pour milk into a bowl. Add egg and beat with fork till fairly smooth and set aside. In another bowl add flour, seasonings and soup base. Mix well with fork. Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture, then dip in milk and egg mixture. Roll in flour mixture.

In a large deep iron skillet add oil to about 1″ deep. Heat oil to about 375 degrees and add chicken pieces. You must do this in batches of about two pieces of chicken at a time, so as not to overcrowd your pan. Cook chicken about 7 to 8 minutes per side or until juices run clear. Transfer chicken pieces to serving platter. You may also use a deep fryer set at about 350 degrees. Add only a couple of pieces at a time and cook for about 15 minutes or until juices run clear.

ALTERNATE METHOD: Heat oven to about 400 degrees. In cast iron skillet, brown chicken pieces in hot oil. Transfer chicken pieces to a broiler pan coated well with cooking spray and bake for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove from oven and transfer to serving platter.

Chicken soup base is a moist powder. It’s available in the soup/bullion aisle in most grocery stores and it is relatively inexpensive.

PUMPKIN PIE

 

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions:

1 – Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2 – Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.

3 – Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Hungarian Chicken Paprikash Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1vidalia onion, chopped

1whole cut up chicken (skin intact)

2 Tbsp sweet paprika

3 chicken bullion cubes (or more to taste; 1 per cup of water added)

ADD LATER TO BROTH:

1 pt sour cream

1/2 pt water

4 Tbsp flour (or more to thicken if you like)

3 tsp Lawry’s seasoning salt (optional, but adds flavor!)

FOR THE DUMPLINGS:

4 eggs

3 c water

6 call-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

Directions

If you have a pressure cooker, use it. If you dont, a regular big old pot will work just as well.

Place the oil and chopped onion in a big pot. Cook over medium/high heat until translucent. (You don’t want them brown, just tender.) Take off heat. Add the paprika. Mix it well.

Put chicken parts in the pot and brown slightly with the onion/paprika mixture. (Do it in batches if you have to and add additional oil in small amounts if needed.)

NOTE: I buy a whole chicken and cut it up myself. Make sure the chicken pieces you use are whole with the skin intact. It adds to the flavor.

Add water to almost cover chicken. Bring to a boil, and add chicken bullion cubes (a good rule is don’t cube for every one cup of water… just eyeball it). Also, add the Lawry’s seasoning salt (if available). Not necessary, but to me, is the secret ingredient. Grandma didn’t tell us about that until we saw her add it one day! 😉 Cover and simmer for 25 minutes with a regular pot, or about 15-20 minutes with a pressure cooker.

While the chicken is simmering, mix the sour cream, water, and flour together with a hand mixer or a Kitchen-Aid mixer. Whip it very smooth and set aside.

When the chicken is done, remove the chicken pieces to a colander to cool. Slowly add the sour cream mixture, a little bit at a time to the broth, stirring constantly to incorporate into the broth. 

Freakin’ Fantastic Fried Rice – Quick, Easy, And Pleasy!

 

Ingredients:

4 cups of cooked rice.

3 tbsps of butter.

1 diced onion.

12 oz of frozen peas and carrots.

½ cup of soy sauce.

3 beaten eggs.

How to make Fried Rice:

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onion until tender.

Mix in the peas and carrots and heat until thawed and tender.

Move the vegetables to one side of the skillet and scramble the eggs in the other side.

Once scrambled, mix the eggs and vegetables together then stir in the soy sauce.

Mix in the rice gradually until well combined.

Easy, peasy and yummy! This rice is a must try guys! The veggies go perfectly with it. I usually make this rice when I’m having chicken. It fits perfectly.