Applesauce, Apple Pie, and Cookies -- Oh My!

{Tasty Thursday | Fall Favorites}

Recipes, Tips, and Inspiration from my kitchen to yours.

It's been another busy week, and who doesn't find themselves busy this time of year? With Halloween over, costumes are going back into boxes, Thanksgiving plans are in the works, and for those of you truly committed people, Christmas gifts are being crafted and prepared. (I'm not quite there yet... I've got some ideas and some of the materials, but haven't found the time to start working on them yet.)

This past weekend found me busy in the kitchen preparing a variety of different things. Most of them went to our Chili and Soup Day either to serve or sell, but the kitchen certainly smelled heavenly!


I made my signature apple pie to serve with the Chili Day meal, although this time I decided to make it Caramel Apple. Yum!!

I also made some Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies and some Pumpkin Spice Cookies to sell at the Country Store.

From this....

And finally, I still had an abundance of leftover apples. Combined with my moderate Pinterest addiction, I decided to try out the recipe I found for Crock Pot Applesauce. It was easy, it smelled wonderful, and tastes just as good! I think next time I'll use a variety of apples, including some sweet ones. The ones I used this year were mostly seconds and bruised ones, still tasty, but not as sweet.

To this!

What are some of your favorite fall recipes? What have you been busy cooking and baking?

The Best Mistake Ever

{Tasty Thursday | Breakfast Casserole}

Recipes, Tips, and Inspiration from my kitchen to yours.

Today's post is short and sweet. I've been crazy busy lately, catching up from last weekend (picture post coming, I promise!) and trying to get a head for this weekend's exciting and exhausting adventures. We've got our annual Chili and Soup Day coming up this weekend, plus a youth hayride/bonfire, and Reformation Day services and choir practices, and food.... I'm so looking forward to it all, but I'm also ready for a break from all the busyness!

Because of how hectic things have been lately, and because I love continually volunteering for things (sometimes that's not so good for my sanity, oh well) and helping people out, I offered to make breakfast for our Chili/Soup Day workday today. Not really thinking, I didn't realize that I've got assignments due this weekend, plus all the normal readings and homework, Bible study, choir rehearsal, cleaning the apartment, recovering from last weekend, and preparing for this coming weekend.

Enter my obsession with Pinterest. Which leads to the Best Mistake I Ever Made (yet). Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole. (Sorry, I completely forgot to take pictures. But it looked like breakfast casserole, trust me.)

I came across this recipe last winter, probably while procrastinating on homework. (Noticing a trend here with the homework? Ha!) Originally, the plan was to make it when M came to visit, but there weren't enough meals in the visit for it to really happen. So this week, I decided it would be a good idea to try it out.

Why I insist on trying out new recipes when I cook for groups of people may just be one of the great mysteries of the world. But it worked. Everyone said it was delicious. Yay! {I did make a few changes, namely sausage instead of bacon, and oregano and paprika instead of dill. I was positive I had dill, but apparently it's currently hiding somewhere in the far recesses of my cabinet. Also, when I got up at 6, it was already starting to burn around the edges, so I turned it down to WARM. 8 hours was plenty for my crockpot.}

So, if it's so good, why is it the best mistake ever? It sounds so simple. You put all the ingredients together before you go to bed, turn it on LOW for 8-10 hours, go to bed, and wake up to a delicious, hot breakfast. Except for one thing.

When you wake up at 2:30 am, smell the casserole cooking, and realize how hungry you are, it's definitely the best mistake ever.

And that's fine with me. :)

New Comfort Food!

{Tasty Thursday | Beef and Vegetable Soup}

Recipes, Tips, and Inspiration from my kitchen to yours.

I'm really excited to share today's post with everyone! This is by far my favorite fall meal this year, and quite possibly my favorite thing to come out of my crock pot. Now, if I'm being honest with my readers, beef vegetable soup is generally not my favorite soup. It's not really one of the soups I'd even consider eating if given a menu full of soup options. But for some odd reason, I was hungry for a hearty, beefy, healthy soup last weekend when the weather turned .... well, downright chilly .... and friends, I think I found a new comfort food.

So, what started out as an experiment with my 2 quart crock pot for two people turned into a happily full 6 quart crock pot with enough meals for half a week. Perfect. (Isn't that always what seems to happen? I know in my kitchen, it happens more often than I'm willing to admit.)

A perfect meal for a chilly, dreary fall day!

Things I love about this soup: It used up lots of leftover vegetables. It's totally customizable to what you have on hand and like. (Trust me, it'll taste good no matter what combination of vegetables you throw in!) It's no-fuss cooking. Throw everything in the crock pot, turn it on, and go about the rest of your day. Come supper time, voila! :)

Biblio Bleez's Beef and Vegetable Soup

1/2 pound ground beef, browned with onion and drained

4 stalks celery, chopped

4 medium sized carrots, peeled and chopped

2-3 medium sized potatoes, cut into quarters

1 c. green beans, cut (could use 1 can green beans instead)

1 can great northern beans, undrained

1 can corn, mostly drained

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can beef broth

1 can water (to dilute the beef broth)

2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 T. oregano

3/4 T. basil

1/2 T. parsley

1 tsp. bay leaf, crushed

Brown ground beef with onion and drain. Set aside. Chop, slice, and dice vegetables to liking, put in crock pot. Pour beef broth over vegetables, plus one can water. Add undrained tomatoes with juice, beans and juice, and corn (with juice if needed). Add ground beef and carefully stir all ingredients to combine. Add spices, stir again to combine, taste and adjust flavors as necessary. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally. Soup is ready when vegetables are soft and tender, but leaving it on longer helps the flavors meld even more. Tastes good both the same day and as leftovers.

Serve with warm Italian bread. (But really, any sort of rolls, biscuits, or bread would do.)

This is pretty much a no-fail recipe. All the liquid prevents anything from burning, so there's minimal scraping when the crock pot's empty. It tastes good with the canned vegetables I added, but let's be real. It would be fantastic with all fresh vegetables! And probably healthier, too. :) I was also skeptical about the beans, but I think they added something to the soup without being overly noticeable. And for this type of a soup, I preferred the great northern over pinto or black beans. There's one more bowl left in the fridge.... I know what I'm having for lunch!

I'm especially proud of my clean table, and the fact that it's fall-themed. And my cactus in the window. :)

What are your go-to fall crock pot recipes? Have you tried anything new lately?

Tasty Thursday: Apple and Black Raspberry Chipotle Pork Loin

I've been enjoying one of my last weeks remaining in the summer by staying busy in the kitchen! We've successfully eaten most of the leftovers in the fridge, and I was really hungry for a new, home-cooked meal. I decided to take a look in the freezer and fridge and this is the result!

{Apple and Black Raspberry Chipotle Pork Loin}

Doesn't that look delicious? It was!

This was actually a really simple recipe to put together, and only used a few ingredients!

- Pork Loin {I bought mine as a huge 12-pound loin, or some weight similar to that, because it was on a really good deal at Woods. I then cut it up into smaller approx. 2 pound portions. This made it: easier to fit in the freezer, quicker to unthaw, and more practical for dinner time.}
- Salt and pepper
- 1 small Gala apple
- Fischer & Wieser Four Star Black Raspberry Chipotle Sauce {Seriously. This stuff is DELICIOUS. I'm sure their other sauces, jams, and jellies are just as tasty!}

1. Salt and pepper pork loin and place in crockpot.

2. Cut up apple and put on top of pork loin.

3. Pour sauce over top. How much is up to you. I used enough to cover the bottom, but not so much to make it really soupy.

4. Turn crock pot on LOW and cook for 6-8 hours.

5. Serve and enjoy! I drizzled on a little more sauce from the bottle, and served ours with rice, mixed vegetables, and salad. YUM!

 

Tasty Thursday: Holy Week Edition

It's already Thursday of Holy Week (Maundy Thursday, the night when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples and instituted both His command to love one another selflessly and humbly and Holy Communion -- Read Matthew 26: 17-29; Mark 14: 12-25; Luke 2: 7-23[38]). This is the night that our Lord was betrayed by man, arrested, and put on trial -- all in our place. It's such an emotional roller coaster the next few days, one that definitely puts Christ's life and our own lives, in perspective.

As a pastor's family, this also means that it's a super busy weekend, spent either at church or at home preparing for the next day's services, leaving little time for extensive meal planning or cooking. So tonight, I planned a very simple, delicious meal (which also helps clean out my fridge of leftovers!), since from now until Monday, it's going to be an eat-and-run supper every night.

This week's meal is super simple and super easy. (Did I mention it's also super delicious?)

BBQ Pulled Pork {Jack Daniels Style}

I found this Jack Daniels bbq sauce recipe, halved the recipe, and made it earlier this week. [It was a hit. I was also told I may have to make bbq sauce from now on instead of purchasing it. If you don't want to make your own sauce, you can substitute any sauce you like, but trust me. You want to use this sauce.]

Today, I took a 2 pound boneless pork loin roast and 1/4 cup water and put it in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours. I then removed most of the excess juice/water (the pork is unbelievably moist), shredded the pork, added enough BBQ sauce to sufficiently cover the pulled pork, and put it on low for another hour. Voila! Supper's on the table, little clean up is required, we're out the door and back at church for services, and everyone's happy.

Served with leftover mashed potatoes, salad, and some fruit that needed to be eaten before it went bad.

Blessed Holy Week to all!