Apple Crisp

2 1/2 Pounds Apples, peeled (if desired) and sliced thin (4-5 Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or other baking apple)

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (juice of 1 small lemon)

2 Tablespoons All-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

Topping

3/4 Cup Rolled Oats (Old Fashioned or Regular)

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup All-purpose flour

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, diced (1 stick)

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Butter an 8-inch-square or an 8x11-inch baking dish, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the rolled oats, brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Use a fork or biscuit cutter to blend everything together until it the mixture resembles small crumbs. Refrigerate the topping while you prepare the apple filling.

In a large bowl, mix together the sliced apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Pour the apple mixture into your prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Cover the apples with the chilled crumb topping in an even layer.

Bake until apples are cooked through and topping is golden brown and set, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Comfort Crockpot Chicken and Noodles

-2 can cream of chicken soup

-2 can chicken broth (15oz each)

-1 stick butter or margarine
-1 lb chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)
-1 packages frozen egg noodles (24 oz) I used Reames. 

In crockpot put chicken on bottom. Pour the chicken broth and soup on top. Then top that with the stick of butter. Put the crockpot on low for 6-7 hours.  Take the chicken out and shred. Put back in crockpot.  Add the frozen noodles and cook for 2 more hours. Stir every 30 minutes until done.

Apple Gorgonzola Salad (Buca Di Beppo)

• -2 romaine lettuce hearts chopped-
• -1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese-
• -1 cup dried cranberries-
• -1 green apple diced-
• -1 green apple sliced
• -1 cup candied pecans recipe below
• -mustard vinaigrette recipe below

Mustard Vinaigrette

• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 red onion
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Salad

1. Toss together lettuce, cheese, diced apple, walnuts, and cranberries. Toss with desired amount of mustard vinaigrette. Garnish with sliced apples.

Candied Pecans

1. Combine all ingredients in a frying pan. Heat over medium heat until sugar is melted and nuts are toasted.
2. Transfer to a lightly greased sheet of foil to cool.
3. Store in a ziplock bag

Mustard Vinaigrette

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Swedish Meatballs

• -2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• -1 onion, diced
• -1 pound ground beef
• -1 pound ground pork
• -1/2 cup Panko
• -2 large egg yolks
• -1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• -1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• -Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE GRAVY

• -1/4 cup unsalted butter
• -1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• -4 cups beef broth
• -3/4 cup sour cream
• -Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• -2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, Panko, egg yolks, allspice, nutmeg and cooked onion; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 24 meatballs.
3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add meatballs, in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
4. To make the gravy, melt butter in the skillet. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in beef broth and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in sour cream; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Stir in meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
6. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Creamy Garlic Chicken with Broccoli

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
• kosher salt or sea salt , to taste
• fresh cracked black pepper , to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 4-5 cloves garlic , minced
• 10.5 ounces (1 can) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 to 3 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• lemon wedges , optional

Directions

1. Season chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Set aside.
2. Heat large pan on medium-high heat. Melt half the butter (2 tablespoons). Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is browned. Remove chicken from pan, cover and keep warm.
3. In same pan melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add the garlic and cook until garlic is lightly brown and fragrant. Whisk in the condensed cream of chicken soup and water. Cook until the mixture is hot and bubbly, then turn heat down to low.
4. Add chicken and broccoli back into the pan cover the pan with a lid and cook for about another 10 minutes or until chicken is almost cooked through. If you want more firm or al-dente broccoli, add the broccoli after the chicken is almost cooked so that the broccoli is more crunchy.
5. Serve with rice or pasta and wedges of lemon. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

1 lb. cherry tomatoes, chopped

1/4 c. plus 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. torn fresh basil

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. angel hair

3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic and basil and season generously with salt and pepper. Let sit 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook angel hair until al dente, 4 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken and season with Italian seasoning salt, and pepper. Cook until no longer pink, 10 minutes per side. Let rest 5 minutes, then thinly slice.
4. Add tomato mixture and sliced chicken to angel hair and toss until fully combined.
5. Top with Parmesan and serve.

Crockpot Pepper Steak

• 1.5 lbs of beef strips (I used thinly sliced round steaks and sliced them into strips)
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced thick
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thick
• 1/2 onion sliced thick
• 1 1/2 cups of beef stock
• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoon brown sugar

1. Place the beef, bell peppers and onions in a slow cooker.
2. Add the seasonings, brown sugar, and soy sauce over the beef and peppers.
3. Pour the beef stock in the crock pot.
4. Stir to combine.
5. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until the steak is cooked through.
6. Serve over a bed of white rice.
7. Note: if you could like your sauce to be thicker. One hour before dinner is ready – In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with a 1/4 cup of cold water. Mix together. Stir in to the crock pot. Turn the crock pot to high and let the sauce thicken for the last hour of cook time.

Ribs

Dry rub with garlic powder, brown sugar, garlic, cayenne, salt, pepper, etc.  Cook for 3 hours at 275/300. Put on hot grill to char.  Brush with BBQ sauce and grill again over low/medium flame til done. 

Boneless ribs (western pork) - boil for few minutes with sliced onions then coat with BBQ sauce on baking sheet and bake at 350 for about an hour. (or slow cooker).

PB and Banana Smoothie

-1/4-1/2 cup greek yogurt
-2 bananas
-4T PB2 (or peanut butter)
-1 cup almond milk
-1-2T honey
-2 cups ice

Blend until smooth

Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

• -1 pound lean ground beef
• -2 tablespoons butter
• -1 small yellow onion, diced
• -1 small green bell pepper, diced
• -8 ounces brown mushrooms minced
• -2 tablespoons ketchup
• -1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• -1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• -1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• -1 tablespoon cornstarch
• -1 cup beef broth
• -8 ounces Provolone Cheese Slices, chopped (use 6oz if you don’t want it very cheesy)
• -6 brioche hamburger buns

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add the ground beef to a large cast iron skillet (this browns very well) and brown until a deep brown crust appears before breaking the beef apart.
2. Stir the ground beef and brown until a deep crust appears on about 50 or so percent of the beef.
3. Remove the beef (you can leave the fat) and add the butter and the onions and bell peppers and mushrooms.
4. Let brown for 1-2 minutes before stirring, then let brown for another 1-2 minutes before stirring again.
5. Add the beef back into the pan.
6. In a small cup mix the beef broth and cornstarch together
7. Add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, beef broth/cornstarch mixture into the pan.
8. Cook until the mixture is only slightly liquidy (about 75% of the mixture is above liquid), 3-5 minutes.
9. Turn off the heat, add in the provolone cheese.
10. Served on toasted brioche buns.

SHANQ's Sweet Potatoes

-4 cups mashed sweet potatoes (about 4-6 potatoes)
-1/2 cup white sugar
-2 T vanilla
-4 eggs, beaten
-1/2 pint heavy cream
-1/4 pound butter
-1 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup all purpose flour
-1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

Butter/grease 2 quart casserole dish.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and cream.  Blend well and spread into casserole dish. Prepare the topping by combing butter, brown sugar, flour, and pecans.   Mix until crumbly and sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Jalepeno Popper Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breast (about 3-4 chicken breasts)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 pound jalapeño peppers (about 5-6 peppers)
• 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup crumbled crispy bacon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F
2. Lay chicken breasts flat in a casserole dish.  Season them with the garlic powder then spread the cream cheese over them evenly.
3. Wash the jalapeño peppers and then cut the tops off.  Remove the seeds and stems if you want it milder, or leave some if you want more spice, then cut the peppers into strips and lay them on top of the cream cheese then sprinkle the cheddar cheese over top.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, remove from oven 5 minutes before cooking is complete and sprinkle with bacon then return for the remaining cook time.  Chicken is done when cooked through to an internal temperature of 165˚F.
5. Serve warm with a side of potatoes, veggies, or a baked potato.  Enjoy!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

• 2 1⁄4cups all-purpose flour

• 1teaspoon baking soda

• 1⁄4teaspoon salt

• 1cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

• 1⁄2cup white sugar

• 1cup salted butter, softened (I use 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening

• 2large eggs

• 2teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

• 1 1⁄2cups white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In medium bowl combine flour, soda and salt. Mix well, set aside.
3. In a large bowl with a mixer blend sugars at medium speed. Add butter and mix to until it forms a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until fully combined.
4. Add the flour mixture, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips, and blend on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Move immediately to cooling rack.

Spicy Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread

-Canola oil spray
-One 16-ounce tube refrigerated flaky biscuits (8 biscuits)
-2 cups grated low-moisture mozzarella (about 1 pound)
-4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
-2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts
-1 tablespoon minced garlic
-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Special equipment: a 6-inch cast-iron skillet

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 6-inch cast-iron skillet with canola oil spray.

Remove the biscuits from the package and lay them out on a clean work surface. Gently pull the layers apart at the middle to divide the biscuits in half. Gently pull each of the halves apart so you are left with four thin, round biscuits each (32 in all). Don't worry if any biscuits tear: just press the torn pieces back together.

Place 1 teaspoon of the mozzarella in the center of each biscuit round; you will use about 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella for this. Fold the dough around the cheese and roll into balls. Arrange the balls in a circle around the edge of the prepared skillet, then work your way in until you have completely filled the cast-iron pan with the dough balls. If you start to run out of room as you get closer to the center of the skillet, gently push the dough from the center towards the edges of the pan to make more space.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once melted, stir in the scallions, garlic, red pepper and salt. Cook until the butter is just beginning to brown and the garlic is lightly toasted and very fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Pour the melted butter evenly over the top of the dough and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Bake until the dough is cooked through and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Serve in the skillet.