Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies

These Hand-Pies are SO yummy!!  I personally would add a tad more sugar and have less salt.

Yield: Makes 10 (3-inch) hand pies
Prep Time: 1 hour (includes chilling)
Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup cold sour cream

For the filling:
2 cups small diced (peeled) Granny Smith apples
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
8 store-bought soft caramels, roughly chopped
Large flake sea salt
 Egg wash (1 egg lightly whisked with 1 Tablespoon water)
Crystal sanding sugar (optional)

Directions:

Make the dough:
Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
Add the cubed butter to the bowl and use your fingers to work the butter into the flour until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
Stir in the sour cream (the dough will be very wet), and then turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface.
Knead the dough a few times until it comes together, adding more flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the dough is too sticky to handle. Roll the dough into an 8x10-inch rectangle and dust both sides with flour before folding it into thirds as if you were folding a letter.
Rotate the dough 90º and roll it out again into an 8x10-inch rectangle. Fold the dough again into thirds then wrap it securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes while you make the filling.

Make the filling:
In a small bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar and flour, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.

Assemble the pies:
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unfold it onto a well-floured surface, rolling it out to a 14x14-inch square.
Using a 3-inch circular cookie cutter or cup, cut out as many circles as possible. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting out circles until you run out of dough, ensuring you end up with an even number of circles. (You should have approximately 20 3-inch circles.)
Place six of the dough circles on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Spoon a small portion of the apple filling into the center of each circle, leaving enough of a border around the filling. Top the apple filling with a portion of the chopped caramels and a pinch of sea salt. Place a second dough circle atop each filled circle then use a fork to crimp the edges together, sealing each pie.
Brush each pie with the egg wash, and using a sharp knife, cut two or three vents on the top of each pie. Sprinkle the pies with crystal sanding sugar (optional).
Bake the pies for about 15 minutes, or until they're golden brown.
Remove the pies from the oven and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Repeat the filling and baking process with the remaining dough circles.

Friendship Casserole

Courtesy of:

mommyskitchen.net

We tried this and it is a tasty, easy and yummy dish.  Good to make on weekend, save and freeze one casserole for later use.  Very good dish to take to a pot-luck too.  Makes plenty.  Love this!!  Enjoy!!

Friendship Casserole
{mommyskitchen.net}

Ingredients:
2 - lbs ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 - cup green pepper, chopped 
1/2 - cup onion, chopped 
3/4 - cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 - 48 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1  - 16 oz pkg medium egg noodles
1/2 - cup margarine or butter
1/4 - teaspoon onion powder
1/4 - teaspoon garlic powder
½ - cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 - 16 oz pkg shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º Brown meat and drain off any fat. Add the green pepper, onion and mushrooms and saute with the meat for 5 minutes. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 20 minutes. 

While the sauce is cooking start cooking the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions for (al dente). Drain and toss with margarine, garlic, powder, onion powder and Parmesan cheese. 

Spray two 13x9 inch pans with non-stick spray.  In each pan layer half the sauce, all the noodles, remaining sauce and top with mozzarella cheese (8 oz per casserole). Cover with foil that has been sprayed with non stick spray and bake 45 minutes.

Cook's Note: Green peppers, onions and mushrooms are optional. Make sure the person you are gifting this wonderful casserole to likes those types of veggies. If not just omit them fro the recipe.

This recipe yields 2 casseroles , so plan one for your family and one for a friend. Think of someone who might need a reminder that they have friends who care about them - a new mom in your neighborhood, a family who’s moving, or someone with an illness.

Freezing Instructions: If you're freezing the second casserole prepare and assemble both casseroles. Bake one and then take the second unbaked casserole and double wrap it with plastic wrap, and then cover with aluminum foil, label, date and place the casserole in the freezer for a later date. When ready to use remove from freezer, thaw and bake. 

Browned Butter Lemon Pasta

Browned Butter Lemon Pasta

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 - 1 tsp lemon zest (use 1 for stronger lemon flavor)
• 2 Tbsp Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 8 oz spaghetti noodles, uncooked
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 oz freshly, finely grated Romano cheese (1/2 cup)
• 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds (toasted if desired)

Directions

• Cook pasta according to directions listed on package. Meanwhile, brown butter in a small saucepan (for a tutorial on how to properly brown butter, see link here), set aside. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and lemon zest and saute until lightly golden. Stir in bread crumbs and toast, stirring constantly, until golden (they will toast quickly), remove from heat. Pour garlic mixture into brown butter mixture along with lemon juice, and whisk to combine. Once pasta has cooked through, drain well and return to pasta pot. Pour browned butter mixture over pasta, season with salt and pepper to taste (I'd recommend being somewhat generous with the pepper), add romano cheese, basil and almonds and toss mixture to evenly coat. Serve warm (note that the lemon flavors will tone down and blend in after pasta has rested just a few minutes).

Easy & Healthy Shrimp....No Butter

Easy & Healthy Shrimp....No Butter (uses chicken broth, white wine, lemon juice)

I requested this for Mother's Day Dinner.  It was easy for my family to prepare and did not leave a ton of clean-up.  I liked the fact that there is no butter used. ENJOY!!

 

Ingredients:

4 tsp olive oil
1 1/4 pounds med raw shrimp, peeled and tails left on
6-8 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup + 1 T minced parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 lemon wedges
 

Preparation:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the shrimp until just pink, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp to a platter and keep them warm.
In the skillet, combine the broth, wine, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the salt and pepper; and bring it to a boil. Boil uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by half.
Spoon the sauce over the shrimp. Serve garnished with the lemon wedges and sprinkled with the remaining tablespoon of parsley.  Very good served over rice.

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Penne Pasta with a Lightened-up Parmesan Cream Sauce

Penne Pasta with a Lightened-up Parmesan Cream Sauce

  Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups penne pasta, measured when dry
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 cup packed baby spinach
• 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Parmesan Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup milk (I used 1%)
• 5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
•  1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
•  

Instructions

1. Cook the penne pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, chop the chicken breast into small pieces and sprinkle the pieces with salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash chicken grilling blends or similar, to taste. I used some cooked chicken I already had.
3. Lightly coat your skillet with 2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil.
4. Preheat the skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Place the chicken in the skillet and then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear.
5. As the chicken cooks, stir the pieces occasionally so they brown evenly. If any of the pieces start to brown too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low.
6. To prepare the sauce, combine the olive oil, butter, and minced garlic in a medium sized pan over medium to low heat. Once the butter is completely melted, whisk in the flour until a thick mixture has been created. Slowly add in the chicken broth and then slowly add in the milk. Increase the heat and allow the mixture to get to a boiling point and then reduce and allow to simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the chopped mushrooms with the sauce and stir for one more minute.
7. Add the cooked chicken, spinach, and tomatoes to the bowl with the pasta.
8. Pour the sauce over the ingredients and stir until combined.
9. Sprinkle the extra cheese on top, adding more or less to personal preference.
10. Serve immediately.