Apple Cinnamon Chips

Occasionally I'll get an envelope in the mail from my Mom - not for a birthday or holiday, but "just because." These envelopes very often contain recipes - and not just one or two - her latest had 8 recipes!!! This particular recipe is something she mailed last fall, which was perfect since all sorts of apples are in season in the fall. I'm not sure what inspired me to finally try this recipe today - all I needed were two apples, and I felt like doing something fun and new.

These little chips are indeed a ton of fun and very yummy! They're crunchy and sweet with just the right amount of tangy-ness (I just made that word up.) They will work perfect for a snack at work - I'm always looking for something light to munch on. And, these are healthy and nutritious! Great recipe -thanks Mom!

Apple Cinnamon Chips

2 granny smith apples
cinnamon
sugar

Slice apples paper thin. Mom used her cheese-grater (one part of the grater can slice into thin strips) but I struggled with this; I used a sharp knife instead. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place apple slices on baking sheet. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top of apples. Bake at 225 degrees for 2 hours, turning the apples over once and sprinkling the other side with sugar and cinnamon. The apples are done when they are light brown (this was about 2 hours and 10 mins for me.) Let cool. Do not place in airtight containers, or wrap the apple chips up. If you do, they will get slightly soggy. It is best to let them sit on a plate - don't worry about them going bad!

Note: when you first pull them out of the oven, they won't be crispy right away - give them five minutes!

Warning: these are addictive...!

Butterscotch Bars

This week I decided to switch it up a bit - away from chicken, anything Asian, anything with garlic, basil, tomatoes or rice! I was also in the mood to bake - I don't bake very often, in terms of making cookies, cakes, or muffins. But, I love to bake! Especially in the winter or fall, I find it so relaxing to put together pumpkin pies, quick breads, etc.

A couple of months ago, a picture in Cooking Light jumped out at me - and I just KNEW I would make this recipe someday. Of the dozens of recipe "cards" that I have for all of my cooking magazines (I write down the name/date/page number of recipes which I genuinely expect to make someday)...this is the one I pulled out of the box last week when I started looking for something sweet to bake.

My favorite part of this recipe is the crunchy outside - it's buttery, sweet and has a great texture. The center, on the other hand, has most of the flavor and is quite a bit softer. I would love to try this recipe with melted caramels in the center, or white/dark chocolate - and for the record, it goes perfectly with a glass of milk before bedtime :)

Butterscotch Bars

1 C packed brown sugar

5 TBS butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
9 oz all-purpose flour (just over 2 cups)
2.5 C Quaker oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 C fat-free sweetened condensed milk (I used lowfat)
1 1/4 C butterscotch morsels
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 C finely chopped walnuts (I used food processor - way faster!)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in vanilla and egg. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup, and level with a knife. In separate bowl, combine flour, oats, 1/2 tsp salt and baking soda. Add oat mixture to sugar mixture; mix with a fork until combined (this will take some arm strength! It's a pretty thick, crumbly mixture.) Place 3 cups of the oat mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan (spray with PAM first.) Press firmly into bottom of pan; set aside.
3. Put condensed milk, butterscotch morsels and 1/8 tsp salt into microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, stopping every 20 seconds to stir well. Stir in walnuts. Scrape mixture into pan, spreading evenly over oat crust. Sprinkle evenly with remaining oat mixture, gently pressing into butterscotch layer. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until top crust is a golden brown. Run knife around edge of pan - and although this is the hard part, do not eat until bars have completely cooled, at least 2 hours...!!!!! Cut into squares. Otherwise, it will be more of a mushy cobbler - once they are set, they are perfect little bars!

Braised Balsamic Chicken

Let me start this post by saying: this recipe received a "5" on Brett's rating scale - for those of you who haven't read many of my posts, Brett rarely issues a "5"....!!! I whole-heartedly agree with him on this one. The chicken is so flavorful, so juicy, and I'm totally serious - it was less than half hour from start to finish! I already can't wait to make this one again.

I figured it might be worth a second to share more about my obsession with Allrecipes.com - after all, it has brought more delicious meals to my table than any cookbook, magazine or family recipe. What I love about Allrecipes is that its dynamic - always changing with the season or the latest trends. It's "live" - the reviews are updated every day, and questions are quickly answered ("what is the difference between rice wine and rice wine vinegar?") I actually even have one recipe that was published on Allrecipes - and 39 of my own reviews!!! I really need to catch up, seeing as my last review was in March 2009. If you promise not to make fun of my obsession, here is the link to my profile on Allrecipes. If you look through the photos and reviews, you're likely going to see quite a few familiar things!

Now back to this chicken - maybe you just need to make it, and taste it, to really understand how AWESOME it is. I was a bit worried about the balsamic vinegar - it calls for 1/3 C so I knew once I poured it in, there was no going back! As recommended in the original recipe, buy the best balsamic you can find for this recipe. As the name entails, its the star ingredient. The original recipe also calls for canned tomatoes - c'mon, in the middle of summer? No way baby! Use a couple fresh romas. Finally, I just HAD to use herbs from my brand-new herb garden. I just planted it last week and it's filled with oregano, rosemary, basil, sage and parsely. It was so fun taking off those crisp green leaves, chopping them up, throwing them in the pan and eating a few minutes later - the flavor just can't be replicated with dry herbs.




Enjoy!

Braised Balsamic Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt + pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced (try to leave a few rings, for a prettier display!)
1/3 C balsamic vinegar
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 TBS fresh herbs - I used sage, rosemary and basil

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add chicken, browning on both sides - don't move the chicken around or it won't get the nice brown look. Add the onions, and cook until tender. Add the garlic, and cook for one minute or so (never burn your garlic...the dish is ruined!)

2. Turn heat to low. Add tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and cook for 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Add fresh herbs and more salt if desired.

American Lasagna

The last time I remember making lasagna was in college, a couple years ago, for a big group of friends. This is really the only lasagna I've ever made - its meaty, cheesy, saucy...and delicious!!! Sometime I would like to try a "fun" lasagna like vegetarian, or spinach alfredo lasagna. But for now, this more than meets my lasagna cravings!!!

This recipe, like any from-scratch italian recipe, is quite a bit of work - but in my opinion, pretty foolproof if you just follow the directions! I was pretty exhausted by the end of the preparation but its nothing that a glass of wine won't cure :-) Be careful moving the pan to and from the oven - it seriously weighs about 6 or 8 pounds! The original recipe also states that this can be made two days ahead of time, and just pop in the fridge until you're ready to bake.

I doubt I will ever go searching for a basic lasagna recipe again - there's just no need!



American Lasagna

2 lb ground beef/turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3-4 cloves)
1 TBS chopped fresh basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 TBS brown sugar
salt + pepper
29 oz can diced tomatoes + 15 oz can diced tomatoes (juice drained)
2 6-oz can tomato paste
12 cooked lasagna noodles - blotted dry - cook just a few minutes too short, so not quite al dente
3 eggs beaten
1.5 C ricotta cheese
1/2 C parmesan cheese
2 TBS dried parsely
1 lb. mozzerela cheese

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion and garlic. Drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, salt/pepper, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Let simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Note: the measurements are just a start. Make the sauce your own and save yourself a few dishes - add things as you like - if you like sweet meat sauce, go heavy on the brown sugar.

2. Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, parmesan, parsely, and a pinch of salt.

3. Take the largest glass baking pan that you have. Put down a layer of noodles. Cover with 1/2 of ricotta mixture, 1/2 of mozzerela cheese, and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. If you have extra of certain ingredients, just keep creating layers until you run out of room! Word of advice - ensure that your top layer is never noodles - it needs to be covered with something or you'll have a nice crunchy top layer. And the very top layer should be sprinkled with cheese!

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Note - my layers were basically overflowing my 9x13 pan. I covered with foil in an attempt to hold everything in. I also put my dish on a larger cookie sheet in the oven, in case anything overflowed.