Creative Apple Crumble

The time it takes to put together this dish is pretty much the time it takes to prepare your apples–and its very easy. It’s also a great way to deal with a bunch of apples you have sitting around!

Apple Filling
Apples, peeled and sliced (6-8; I used a mixture of Galas and Granny Smiths to balance sweet and tart)
Brown Sugar (1/2 cup)
Cinnamon (1 tsp or more)
Nutmeg (dash)

Crumble Topping
Flour (1/2 cup)
Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bar, Oats and Honey Flavor (1 bar–use 2 if you love oats)
Brown Sugar (1/2 cup)
Butter (1/2 cup for tasty version, 1/4 cup for healthy version)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Once your apples are peeled and sliced, start assembling your topping. First you need to break down the granola bar. I used a blender, which took about 2 seconds, but a food processor, mortar & pestle, or anything really would work. Combine the result with the flour and brown sugar. Then place the whole chunk of butter (NOT melted) in with your dry ingredients. Use you fingers to break down the chunk and combine little pats with the flour mixture. When you’re finished you will have many little butter/flour lumps, which is just what you want.

You’re almost done. Place the apple slices in an even layer in a baking dish. Pour a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg on top. Toss so that the apple slices are evenly coated. Next, pour the crumble mixture on top of the apples, making sure all apples are covered.

Place in the oven, covered, for 15 minutes. Then uncover and bake again for a further 30 minutes to brown the crumble. Enjoy!

Sprinkle Cake Cookies

These are crazy delicious. If you love funfetti cake, you will love these cookies even more!

Flour (3/4 cup)
Funfetti Cake Mix (1 1/4 cup)
Baking Soda (1/4 tsp)
Butter, softened ((3/4 cup)
Egg (1 large)
Egg Yolk (1 large)
Vanilla (2 tsp)
Sugar (1/2 cup)
Brown sugar (1/2 cup)

Cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the egg yolk, egg, and vanilla until creamy. Add in the flour, cake mix, and baking soda. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden.

Source: http://www.lovintheoven.com/2011/07/cake-batter-cookies.html

Lazy Chex Mix

I love Chex mix, but when I want it, I’m too lazy to go through the whole oven-bake process that the recipe describes on the cereal box. Here’s how I get my fix super fast and easy. I do it all by taste, as you should too, so amounts are very approximate.

Butter, salted (~1 1/2 tbsp)
Brown Sugar (~1 tbsp or less if want it on the less sweet side)
Worcestershire Sauce (~5 drops)
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Chex Cereal (enough to fill up a large cereal bowl)

Melt the butter and brown sugar in the microwave until completely dissolved. Stir in the worcestershire, onion powder, and garlic powder. Fill up your bowl with Chex and immediately toss thoroughly to coat each piece evenly. It’s not a perfect replica, but it tastes good and that’s what laziness gets you!

Slow Cooked Cherry Barbeque Brisket

Beef Brisket (1.5-2 lbs)
Onion (1 medium, chopped)
Butter (2 tbsps)
Garlic (1 head, minced)
Cherries (2 cups, pitted and chopped)
Ketchup (1 cup)
Brown Sugar (2/3 cup)
Balsamic Vinegar (1/4 cup)
Worcestershire Sauce (1 tbsp)
Mustard (2 tsps, ground or prepared)
Pepper (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook for at least 10 hours until meat is completely falling apart. Delicious. Super easy too, once you’ve got all those cherries pitted.
Salt (to taste)

Glazed Meatloaf

This recipe is totally delicious and man-approved (mine voted it his favourite food ever).

Meatloaf
Oil (2 tsps)
Onion, chopped (1 medium)
Garlic, minced or pressed (4 cloves)
Eggs (2 large)
Mustard (2 tsps)
Worcestershire Sauce (2 tsps)
Salt (1 tsp)
Pepper (1/2 tsp)
Buttermilk OR Yogurt (1/2 cup)
Beef AND/OR Pork AND/OR Veal (2 lbs) — I used only beef
Bread Crumbs OR Crushed Crackers (2/3 cup)
Parsley, minced fresh or dried (1/3 cup)
Bacon (8-12 slices)

Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze
Ketchup (1/2 cup)
Brown Sugar (1/4 cup)
Vinegar, cider or white (4 tsps)

EQUIPMENT
Don’t make this in a loaf pan! Instead fold a few layers of foil to form a large rectangle. Place foil on wire cooling rack and place the rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Poke holes in the foil with a skewer about half an inch apart. Spray the foil with cooking spray.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

First quickly mix up the glaze by adding all the ingredients to a saucepan and heating until thickened slightly. Set aside.

Saute onion and garlic with oil over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Mix eggs with salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire, and buttermilk/yogurt. Add egg mixture to meat in a large bowl along with the bread/cracker crumbs, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic. Mix with fork until evenly blended and the meat mixture doesn’t stick to the bowl. If it does stick, add more buttermilk/yogurt until it no longer sticks.

Turn the meat mixture onto a work surface. With wet hands, pat the mixture into a 9×5 in. loaf shape. Place the formed loaf onto your foil rack setup. Brush with half of the glaze and then arrange the bacon slices, crosswise, over load, overlapping slightly and tucking the tip ends under the loaf.

Bake loaf until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer–about 1 hour. Cool for 20 minutes. Slice and serve with leftover glaze.

Inspired by: Cook’s Illustrated Glazed Meatloaf

Toffee Nut Cake

Brown sugar (2 cups)
Butter, salted (1/2 cup)
Eggs (2 medium)
Vanilla (1 tsp) *Optional*
Flour (1 cup)
Toffee Bits (1/4 cup)
Pecans (1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt brown sugar and butter on the stove or in the microwave until the sugar is dissolved–this takes about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until the mixture becomes smooth and very viscous. Stir in the flour. Once mixed thoroughly, add in the toffee bits. Pour the mixture into a 9×9 inch greased cake pan, then add the pecans on the top so they get nice and toasty in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until browned on the edges and a toothpick through the middle comes out clean.

Inspired by: Rogers Sugar recipe

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes, peeled and evenly sliced in rounds 6 mm thick (3 medium)
Butter, salted (4 tbsps)
Brown sugar (1/4 cup)
Marshmallows (approx. 20 mini)

Preheat oven to 375F. Layer sweet potatoes in casserole dish large enough to fit them and has a lid. Poke in the butter so that it will melt evenly over all the sweet potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes then add brown sugar evenly throughout dish, stir the sweet potatoes, then place marshmallows on top. Bake for 20-30 more minutes or until completely tender. If you don’t like your marshmallows completely melted, wait until the end to add them to the top.

Brown Butter Macadamia Cookies

Flour (1 3/4 cups)
Baking Soda (1/2 tsp)
Butter (1 3/4 sticks or 14 tbsps)
Sugar (1/2 cup)
Brown Sugar (3/4 cup, packed)
Salt (2 tsp)
Vanilla Extract (1 tsp)
Eggs (2 large)
Macadamia Nuts (3/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1-3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

Add both sugars, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add eggs and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in nuts.

Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons. Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet.

Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Inspired by: http://familyfriendsandfood.blogspot.com/2009/03/improved-tollhouse-cookies.html