Apple Pie Bars

For Filling:

4 Whole Apples, peeled and chopped coarsely
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 TB Lemon Juice
1 1/2 TB Cornstarch
1 TB Water

For Crust and Topping
3/4 cup Butter, Softened
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 Walnuts or Pecans, Finely Chopped
1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9-inch square pan or pie dish with cooking spray.

To Prepare apple pie filling, in a large pan combine the chopped apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until apples are tender. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the apples and continue cooking, and stirring constantly until thickened, about two minutes. remove from heat and set aside to cool.

To make crust, beat butter on medium speed for about one minute. Add brown sugar and beat until fluffy, about an additional minute. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until blended but still crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of crumb mixture for the topping. Press remaining mixture unto the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 15minutes until slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven.

Spread the apple filling evenly over the crust. Stir the chopped nuts and cinnamon into the reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle over apple pie filling. Bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting.

*Submitted by Suzanne

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

1 TB Olive Oil
1 TB Curry Powder (up to 2 if you love curry)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 Onion Chopped
2 Carrots, Peeled and Diced
2 tsp Fresh Ginger, Grated
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1/3 cup Tomato Paste
7 cups Water
15 oz Coconut Milk (I use Thai Kitchen)
2 cups Dry Lentils
1 15 oz can Garbanzo Beans/Chickpeas Drained
1 TB Lime Juice, Freshly Squeezed
1/4 cup Chopped Cilantro
Lime Wedges optional for garnish

Add oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the curry and cinnamon, stirring often until spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes. Add carrots, ginger, garlic, salt, sugar, and tomato paste. Continue to cook and stir for another 2 minutes. Pour water, coconut milk, lentils, and chickpeas. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until are tender and soup has thickened. Before serving stir in lime juice. Taste for seasoning add salt, pepper, or other spices as needed. Serve with fresh cilantro and line wedges.

Note from Suzanne: This was so good. Everyone loved it. I served it Naan bread and green salad. I have only found red or pink lentils as they are sometimes called at Sprouts Farmers Market. They don't sell them at Walmart, They usually sell them in health food or whole food stores. Nut the texture is creamier than regular lentils so the texture would be slightly different if you use regular lentils. The regular lentils are found at Walmart if that is your only option.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

4 Eggs
1 2/3 cups Sugar
1 cup Oil
1 (14 oz) can of Pumpkin
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Salt

Mix eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin well. Sift together remaining ingredients and mix with pumpkin mixture. spread onto an ungreased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine. softened
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 (4 oz) pkg Cream Cheese, softened
1 tsp Vanilla

Miix butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar. Frost cake.

Heavenly Deliciousness

1 lb Butter
2 2/3 cups Sugar
1 cup Corn Syrup
2 TB Vanilla
2 TB Coconut
1 cup Slivered Almonds
1 Bag Corn Puffs

Combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup in sauce pan. Heat to soft ball state remove from heat. Add vanilla, coconut, and almonds stir together. Pour corn puffs in a big bowl pour mixture over corn puffs and mix together. Spread out on wax paper and let cool.

Peanut Butter Fingers

1 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Peanut Butter
2 eggs
1 tea Vanilla
1 tea Baking Soda
1/2 tea Salt
2 cups Oatmeal
2 cups Flour

Frosting
1 cube Butter
1/4 cup Cocoa
Pinch of Salt
3-4 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tea vanilla
Milk

Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, and eggs. Stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add Oatmeal and mix well. Add flour and mix well. Spread evenly over un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely and frost with chocolate frosting.

Frosting: Melt butter, add vanilla, salt, powdered sugar, and cocoa. Mix in milk until it is spreading consitency. Spread on cooled bars.

Potato Soup

4 cups Chicken Broth
4 cups Diced Potatoes
1/4 cup Minced Onion
1/2 tea Season Salt
1/4 tea White Pepper
1/4 tea Red Pepper
1 pkg Cream Cheese

Combine all ingredients except cream cheese. Cook until potatoes are tender mash up potatoes add cream cheese and mix well.

You make this loaded Potato Soup by topping with bacon, cheese, green onions and sour cream.

Chocolate Frosting

1 Stick Butter
4 TB Cocoa
1/3 cup Water
1 lb Powder Sugar

Bring butter, cocoa, and water to boil. With mixer add powder sugar until it is the consistency you want. If it is too thick you can add a little water and milk to thin it out.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

1 cup Butter
4 TB Cocoa
1 cup Water
2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Buttermilk*
1 tea Baking Soda
1 tea Cinnamon
1 tea Vanilla
2 Beaten Eggs
Dash of Salt

Boil butter, cocoa, and water pour into mixing bowl. Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add buttermilk, vanilla, and dry ingredients to the melted mixture begin to beat. Add eggs. Pour into a prepared half sheet cake pan. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.  Frost with Chocolate frosting. I like to frost when still a little warm.
*If you do not have buttermilk you can add a little lemon juice to milk allow to sit for a few minutes.

Frog Eye Salad

1 C Sugar
1/2 tea Salt
2 TB Flour
4 Egg Yolks (beaten)
2 cans Pineapple (I like tidbits)
2 cans Crushed Pineapple
1 box Acini Pasta
16 oz Cool Whip
2 cans Tropical Fruit
Maraschino Cherries
Optional: Coconut, Mandarin Oranges, Marshmallows

Drain Pineapple saving 2 cups of juice, after getting juice I like to add all remaining canned fruit to let it drain overnight. In a sauce pan combine sugar, salt, flour, juice, and eggs. Cook on low heat until thickened. Cook pasta as per directions on package making sure you salt the water before cooking pasta. Once pasta cooled pour cooled sauce over and mix allow to chill overnight. Just before ready to eat add remaining ingredients and mix together.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

6 T Honey
5 T Lime Juice (about 1-2 Limes)
1 T Chili Powder
1/2 t Garlic Powder

1 Pound Cooked and Shredded Chicken (3-4 Chicken Breasts)
8-10 Flour Tortillas
2 1/2- 3 C Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese
16 oz Green Enchilada Sauce
1 C Heavy Cream

Mix honey, lime, chili powder, and garlic together and toss with the shredded chicken. Marinate at least one hour, the longer yo can marinate the better. Pour about 1/2 c of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Fill tortillas with chicken and cheese and roll up placing in backing pan. Reserve 1 cup cheese to top enchiladas. Mix remaining enchilada sauce, heavy cream, and left over marinade together and pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle cheese over top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on top.

Thanks to Suzanne for this recipe!

Peach Cobbler

2 cups Flour
1/2 cups Sugar
1/2 tea Salt
1 T Baking Powder
1/2 square Butter Cut-in
2 Eggs
3/4 cup Milk
1 Bottle canned or 2 cans Peaches
1 T Flour
2 tea Cinnamon
Cinnamon and Sugar mixture

Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder together cut in butter. Mix eggs and milk with dry ingredients. Place peaches in a 13x9 baking dish sprinkle flour and cinnamon and mix together. Drop by tablespoon dough mixture over the peaches. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the topping clean. Serve warm with can milk or milk over cobbler.

Truly Easy Artisan Bread

***This is a recipe you need to make the night before to allow for the raising time. I usually put it together just before I go to bed. Literally takes less than 5 minutes

3 cups Flour
1 3/4 tea Salt
1/2 tea Yeast
1 1/2 cups Water
**Add ins for whatever flavor you want optional

For Basic with out add ins:
Whisk together flour, salt, and yeast then add water and mix mix together. Cover with plastic for 12-18 hours. Pre-heat oven to 450. While oven is preheating dump dough onto floured surface and shape into round ball cover with plastic from bowl.

Once oven is pre-heated place cast iron pot with lid into oven for 30 minutes. **If you do not have a cast iron pot with lid that is ok I use my Pampered Chef roast cooker with the lid, kind of comes out more oval but that is ok, you just need to make sure your pot can withstand the 450 degrees.

After pot is heated being careful as to not burn yourself remove lid and dump bread into pot cover and put back in the oven for 30 minutes *I like to reduce time by about 2 minutes*. After 30 minutes remove lid and cook for another 15 minutes*Again I like to reduce time by 2 minutes*.

Place bread on cooling rack to cool. You can wrap it in a hand towel. to store. You will want to use within a day as it does harden.

Add ins*
Place anything you are adding in after you have whisked the dry ingredients together then add water. Follow all other directions as written.

You can change this up to match the meal you are doing. Be creative post any you try and found you liked.  A few I have done are below
Rosemary, Garlic, Romano Cheese
Orange Zest, Cranberries, Slivered Almonds
Garlic, Italian Seasoning, Romano Cheese
Cheddar Cheese

Thai Peanut Salad

Dressing:

1/2 c Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 c Soy Sauce
1/4 plus 2 T Crunchy Peanut Butter
2 T Honey
1 T plus 1 tea minced Ginger
1/4 tea Cayenne Pepper (more if you want it spicier)

Salad:

Romaine Lettuce
1/2 head Cabbage
Bean Sprouts
1 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 c Chopped Green onions
Carrots

*Add shredded or chopped chicken for a meal that stands alone

**If you know my cooking I don't really measure just cut up as much as you need for the salad for your family :-)

Whisk together all ingredients for salad dressing and place in fridge until ready to use.

Cut up all ingredients for you salad and place in bowl. I like to julienne my carrots and bell pepper. When ready to eat toss salad with dressing and serve.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts, cut into thin slices or small chunks
Linguine or any size pasta you like
2-4 T Cajun Seasoning (the more you use the spicier)
1 T Butter
2 T Olive Oil
1 C Whipping Cream
3 C Milk
4 T Chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1/2 c Chopped Green Onion
1/2 tea Salt
1 tea Dried Basil (Fresh Basil boosts the flavor)
1/2 tea Black Pepper
1/2 tea Garlic Powder (I like to use fresh)
1/4- 1/2 c Parmesan Cheese
2-3 T Flour mixed with water to a smooth paste

Mix chicken and cajun seasoning in bowl. Heat pan and melt butter with olive oil. Add chicken to hot pan and cook for 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat add cream, milk, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, salt, basil, pepper, and garlic. Let sauce heat up and stir in flour mixture to thicken. Mix with pasta and top with parmesan cheese.

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

1 pound Ground Beef
1 Chopped Onion
2 1/2 C Salsa
1 15 oz can Black or Kidney Beans
1/4 c Italian Dressing
2 T Taco Seasoning
1 tea Cumin
6 Flour Tortillas
1 can Corn (Can use 1-2 c Frozen Corn)
3/4 c Sour Cream (I subbed with Greek Yogurt)
Mexican Cheese
1 Tomato
Cilantro
Lettuce

Brown hamburger with onion drain grease. Mix in salsa, beans, italian dressing, taco seasoning, cumin, corn, sour cream. Place a layer of the mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 pan add a layer of cheese and top with one layer of tortillas. Repeat as many times as needed ending with a good layer of cheese. Cover with foil and cook at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Garnish top with tomato, cilantro, and lettuce.