Crockpot Applesauce

When I found this recipe for crockpot applesauce, I almost didn't believe it.  It seemed too simple, and wouldn't amount to anything.  But I was proven wrong!  This recipe was not only incredibly simple, but delicious and I plan on making this often.  I made this the day Zak and I were both sick.  I quickly threw it into the crockpot, Zak went upstairs to nap, and I fell asleep on the couch, and when I woke up, it smelled like Christmas and I couldn't wait to taste the applesauce.  It was so nice and thick, and the spices were just perfect.  I think I am going to try flavor variations in the future, as well as doubling and tripling the recipe, because this went way too fast!

4 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1.  Mix all ingredients in a crockpot.
2.  Cook on high for 2 hours.
3.  Use an immersion blender (maybe a big whisk, if the apples are tender enough) and blend until consistency is thick and it looks like applesauce!

it was hard to get a great picture

it's good warm or cooled

Nutritional Facts
servings per recipe: 4 (1/2 c. servings)
amount per serving

Calories: 127.3
Total Fat: 0.2 g
Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat: --
Cholesterol: --
Sodium: 5.7 mg
Potassium: 195.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 37.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g
Sugar: 30.8 g
Protein: 0.2 g
Vitamin A: 1.3 %
Vitamin C: 12.3 %
Calcium: 2.5 %
Iron: 3 %

Apple Pie

Since we had a ton of apples, I figured we needed to have an apple pie!  I used the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens book and it turned out pretty much perfect!

Pastry for Double-Crust Pie
2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. shortening
8 - 10 Tbl. cold water


1.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea size.
2.  Sprinkle 1 Tbl. of water over part of the flour mixture; toss with a fork.  Push moistened pastry to side of bowl.  Repeat moistening flour mixture, using 1 Tbl. of the water at a time, until flour mixture is moistened.  Divide pastry in half, form into balls.
3.  On lightly floured surface, use hands to slightly flatten one pastry ball.  Roll it from center to edges into a 12 inch circle.
4.  Wrap pastry circle around rolling pin; unroll it into a 9 inch pie plate.  Ease pastry into pie plate without stretching it.  Trim pastry even with rim; transfer filling to pie plate.
5.  Roll remaining ball into another 12 inch circle, place on top of filling.  Cut slits in pastry and trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of plate.  Fold top pastry under bottom pastry and crimp edges as desired.

Apple Pie
1 recipe Pastry for Double-Crust pie
6 c. thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples (about 2 1/4 pounds)
1 Tbl. lemon juice
3/4 c. sugar
2 Tbl. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 c. dried cranberries (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare and roll out Pastry for Double-Crust Pie.  Line a 9 inch pie plate with a pastry circle.
2.  If desired, sprinkle apples with lemon juice.  In a large bowl, stir together: flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg (I added a little vanilla as well).  Add apples slices and, if desired, cranberries.  Gently toss until coated.
3.  Transfer mixture to pastry-lined pie plate.  Trim bottom pastry to edge of pie plate.  Place remaining pastry on top, cut slits in the top.  Crimp edges as desired.
4.  If desired, brush top pastry with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar.  To prevent over-browning, cover edge of pie with foil.
5.  Bake for 40 minutes; remove foil.  Bake 20 minutes more or until fruit is tender and filling is bubbly.  Cool on a wire rack.  To serve warm, let pie cool at least 2 hours.

delicious apples!

this is the best I could do, haha

so yummy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Chicken Salad Croissants

I don't know why I haven't posted this yet, because it is one of our favorites! It's so simple and very tasty, and you will always want extras. It's always sad when it's all gone. Zak and I both like our croissants with both the sprouts and cashews; the sprouts give it a good 'earthy' taste, and the cashews are a wonderful salty counterpart to the sweet of the apples. I made these last night and we devoured them. Guess I'll need to get some more croissants to make another batch-gotta use all those sprouts and cashews up, right? Enjoy!

4 large croissants

2 c. cooked, diced chicken (about 2 half breasts; last night I used about 12 oz., which was plenty)

about 1/2 c. mayo

1/4 c. chopped cashews (I don't know about this amount; since we have Winco, I just go get a small bulk bag of nuts, no idea how much I got, so just eyeball it)

1 small box alfalfa sprouts

1/2. apple (usually a whole apple, depending on size-in my opinion, more apple won't hurt anyone!)

1/2 c. chopped/diced celery (about 1 stalk; we're not big celery people, so I use probably less than this amount)

8 oz. whipped cream cheese, softened a little

1 head leaf lettuce (optional)

salt & pepper to taste

1. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, celery and apple.

2. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper (to taste) and toss together lightly. Cover and chill.

3. Spread cream cheese on each slice of croissant. Place lettuce leaf (optional, I haven't tried it with lettuce yet) and some sprouts on each croissants.

4. Spoon chicken salad over lettuce and sprinkle with cashews.

I usually lightly cream cheese both sides of a croissant, place a sufficient amount of sprouts of the top half, and a handful of nuts on the bottom half.

Apple Crisp

Last week we discovered our apples weren't so delicious eaten plain, they were a bit mealy. So on my day off, I decided to make apple crisp and ooh baby did it turn out perfect! It was the best apple crisp I've made (& I've made a fair amount, it is one of my favorite (& easiest) desserts) so far. The trick was...not burning the crumbles! This is my mom's recipe below.

4 medium apples (Gravenstein, Braeburn, Jonathan)
1/4 c. sugar
sprinkles of cinnamon
about 1/4 c. butter, cut up into small squares
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

1. Grease square pan and preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Peel and thinly slice apples, fill up pan. Cover apples with sugar and sprinkles of cinnamon, mix well. Add the butter throughout the pan.
3. Mix together the sugar, flour, egg, baking powder and salt in a small bowl until finely mixed. Sprinkle on top of the apples.
4. Bake until apples are cooked & the topping is slightly golden brown, probably about 25-35 minutes. The trick is to just keep checking & to pull it out when you think it looks done.

Mmm! We had ours with fresh homemade whipped cream. :)