Apple Butter Cupcakes & Frosting

I've had a jar of apple butter that I canned late last Fall sitting on my counter waiting for a home and I found the perfect one for it.  These have just the right amount of apple and cinnamon flavor and it carries on into the frosting.  If you do not have cake flour on hand (I was surprised that I did) you can substitute in 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour sifted together with 1/4 cup corn starch.  Sift them together a few times to make sure the corn starch is spread evenly throughout the flour.  

Apple Butter Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup apple butter
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup milk

Cream together butter and brown sugar.  Mix in eggs, vanilla and apple butter.  Stir in baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon.  Alternate adding in the cake flour and milk.

Scoop and fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.  Bake at 325° for 20 minutes.  Let cool completely before icing.


Apple Butter Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp apple butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese, butter, apple butter and vanilla.  Gradually beat in powdered sugar.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Mexican Chicken Fingers & Sauce

Spicy chicken fingers and a creamy dipping sauce that compliment each other.  These chicken fingers are a great meal in a hurry or for a snack.  

Mexican Chicken Fingers & Sauce

1 pound of chicken tenders
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp taco seasoning (I used my homemade recipe)
1 large egg
1 tbsp water


Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup salsa


In a small bowl, mix together flour and taco seasoning.  Whisk together the egg and water in another small bowl.  Dip the chicken fingers one by one in the egg mixture and then the flour mixture.  Place in a greased or non-stick aluminum foil pan.  Spray the top with a light coating of spray cooking oil.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.  In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and salsa for dipping.

Italian Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Who says healthy snacks can't have lots of flavor?  These are made within 45 minutes and 40 of those are baking time so they are quick and tasty treats.

Italian Roasted Garbanzo Beans

1 19 oz can chick peas aka garbanzo beans

1 tbsp garlic olive oil

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

oregano

crushed red pepper flakes

Rinse, drain and dry the garbanzo beans on layered paper towels.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Drizzle the garlic olive oil on the pan.  Add dried garbanzo beans and roll around so they are all evenly coated.  Sprinkle sea salt, pepper, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes on top of the beans.  Bake for 40 minutes at 400°.  Shake the pan every 10 minutes.

Sweet Potatoes & Apples

The smell of cinnamon, sweet potatoes and apples baking is absolutely wonderful and it fills your entire home while it's in the oven.  The bonus is that it tastes as good as it smells.

Sweet Potatoes & Apples

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 chunks
2 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened

Cook the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan until tender but not too soft.  Drain and cool.  When cool, slice half in a greased casserole dish.  Top with sliced apples.  Cover with the other half of slice sweet potatoes.  In a small bowl, mix together dark brown sugar, cinnamon and butter.  Sprinkle over the sweet potatoes.  Place in the oven for 45 minutes at 350°.

Dr Pepper Brisket

I think one of my favorite inventions is the crock pot.  What better than to do a minimal amount of work, place it in a crock pot and let it do all the cooking.  This brisket was tasty with a hint of chili powder on the top and tenderness and a slight flavor of Dr Pepper on the bottom.

Dr Pepper Brisket

1 brisket, butcher trimmed (mine was 2 pounds)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 cups Dr Pepper

In a small bowl, combine the dark brown sugar and spices.  Rub on both sides of the brisket.  Place in the crock pot and pour in the Dr Pepper along the side.  Cook on medium high for 1 hour and then turn down to medium for 7 hours.

Mexican Meatloaf

It's brutally cold in the valley so what better way to warm up than with some Mexican flavors.  I decided on trying a meatloaf this time and it worked out fantastic.  Or would that be "fantástico"?  Either way it was tasty.

Mexican Meatloaf

1 # extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg
1/4 cup onions, diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp taco seasoning (Recipe below)
2 tbsp salsa
1/4 cup Queso Quesadilla cheese, shredded

In a medium bowl, add in all of the ingredients.  My method for combining is getting both hands in and mixing until it's all combined evenly.  Bake at 325° until the internal temperature of the meatloaf is 155°.  Add shredded cheese on top and return to oven for 2 minutes.  Remove from oven and pan.  Cover and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Taco Seasoning

1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp  oregano
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp salt

Place in a sealable plastic bag or container that's airtight and mix well.

Double PB Krispie Treats

I had no idea it was national peanut butter lover's day when I grabbed a teaspoon full of natural peanut butter and called it breakfast this morning but it was a good start for the day.  When I discovered what day it was, I went to my downstairs pantry and started grabbing a bunch of ingredients to make this fun bars.

Double Peanut Butter Krispie Treats

4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
5 cups mini marshmallows
5 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup peanut butter chips
6 - 1.5 oz Hershey's chocolate bars

In a large saucepan, melt butter and peanut butter.  Add in mini marshmallows and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies.  Finally stir in peanut butter chips before placing mixture in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Pat down mixture using a piece of wax paper until it's relatively level.  Place Hershey bars side by side on top and place in a warm oven for a few minutes until melted but still holding their shape.  Spread out with a spatula.  Place pan in the refrigerator or a cold place until the chocolate hardens.