****APPLES****

Sherrman has been away from the computer, so we will start our two weeks today. I'll draw the next name on Dec 13, 2009.

Dig out those yummy apple recipes (T+T please) and let's try to make this a great thread to refer to.

Thanks Sherrman.....I love apples!

Nancy (whoever added the other links...please do so)

Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #15 Potatoes

Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I'm sure I'm going to end up trying this gingerbread biscotti recipe again, though, I got it from one of those online "healthy" sites, LOL, I don't remember which one. I love gingerbread and molasses cookies and gingersnaps, so I'm just going to have to...

Gingerbread Biscotti

30 Servings
Prep: 20 min. + chilling Bake: 45 min/batch

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup dried currants

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the egg and egg whites, brown sugar, molasses and vanilla until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in pecans and currants. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Divide dough in half; shape each half into a ball. On a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, roll each ball into a 14-in. x 1-1/2-in. rectangle. Bake at 325° for 24-28 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven. Cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 1/2-in. slices. Place cut side down on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake for 7-10 minutes on each side or until
lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.
Nutrition Facts: One cookie equals 74 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 7 mg cholesterol, 38 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch.

Annie

I haven't made the Chex Party mix like in forever...but would like to make a batch or two for my household and some for sharing. I'm curious as to what you put into your mix? Any new and improved recipes?

Deborah

I cannot believe how good they are! I am going to have to put them on a really high shelf - the kids are trying to snarf up the whole batch already!

Thanks (I think! LOL) for the recipe

Alexa

I've been toying with some of my favorites...will probably bake them as a "test drive" for Thanksgiving. Probably Guiness Stout Spice Cake and Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie.

Anyone have any favorites that they'd like to share? ("I swear, I only use the stuff for cooking!")

Nina

Hubby is desperate! He can't find his Monkey Bread recipe. The recipe he uses came with the monkey bread mold he purchased at William Sanomma. He has tried their website with no luck. Our daughter Ariel is graduating (with honors we are proud to say)in June from high school. She wanted this bread for her graduation dinner. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, NancyLouise

Here's my question...

I need to put click-able links to my plant photos on my trade page. But I can't figure out how to do it?
Right now I have the photos on my trade list. Problem is, there's so much there that it's very slow to load and some times people can't get it to load at all. My photos are stored at Photobucket. Can someone please tell me how to make click-able links? I'll be so grateful.

Thank you.

Joy

RUSSIAN CREAM (serves 8)
2 cups heavy cream or half-and-half
1 cup sugar
2 tsp unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups sour cream

In a small saucepan over medium high heat combine cream & sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved, about 3-4 minutes.
In a glass measuring cup stir together gelatin & water until gelatin has softened. Pour into cream mixture & stir over medium heat until gelatin is fully dissolved (if you rub a bit between your fingers, you shouldn't feel the gelatin grains.) Pour into a serving bowl or mold & refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.~~
I served it with fresh strawberries but fresh peach slices would be excellent. I think it was also called by some other nationalities, too.

40 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed (about 1/1-2 cups)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 cups cold milk
2 pkg (4 serving size) JelloVanilla Instant Pudding
1 8oz tub cool whip, thawed, divided
2 cups orange sherbert, softened

Line 13x9 pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Mix wafer crumbs and butter. Press firmly over bottom of prepared pan; set aside until ready to use.

Add milk to pudding mix in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 min or until well blended. Gently stir in half of the whipped topping. Spoon evenly over crust. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Add remaining whipped topping to sherbert; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Spoon evenly over pudding layer; cover

Freeze at least 3 hours or overnight. Use foil handles to remove desert from pan before cutting into squares to serve. Store leftover dessert in freezer.

Makes 24 serving 1 square each.

Rao’s Famous Lemon Chicken - Pollo al Limone

2 3-pound broiling chickens, halved
1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley

Lemon Sauce:
2 cups freshlemon juice
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

To attain maximum heat, preheat broiler for at least 15 minutes before using.

Broil chicken halves, turning once, for about 30 minutes or until skin is golden-brown and juices run clear when bird is pierced with a fork.

Remove chicken from broiler, leaving broiler on. Using a very sharp knife, cut each half into about 6 pieces (leg, thigh, wing, 3 small breast pieces).

Place chicken on a baking sheet with sides, of a size that can fit into the broiler. Pour Lemon Sauce over the chicken and toss to coat well. If necessary, divide sauce in half and do this in two batches.

Return to broiler and broil for 3 minutes. Turn each piece and broil for an additional minute.

Remove from broiler and portion each chicken onto each of 6 warm serving plates.

Pour sauce into a heavy saucepan. Stir in parsley and place over high heat for 1 minute. Pour an equal amount of sauce over each chicken and serve with lots of crusty bread to absorb the sauce.

Directions for Lemon Sauce
Whisk together juice, oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Whisk or shake vigorously before using.

Rao's Cookbook: Over 100 Years of Italian Home Cooking

NOTES :
You'll need at least 10 lemons to get two cups of fresh juice. Bottled juice will NOT give good results. Keeping the chicken at least 4 inches from the broiler's heat source will cut down on the smoking.
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Sauteed Tilapia with Lemon-Peppercorn Pan Sauce

3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons drained brine packed green peppercorns, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 (6-ounce) tilapia or sole fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons butter
Lemon wedges (optional)

Combine first 3 ingredients.

Melt 1 teaspoon of butter with oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. While butter melts, sprinkle fish filIets with salt and black pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour; shake off excess flour.

Increase heat to medium-high; heat 2 minutes or until butter turns golden brown. Add fillets to pan; saute 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fillets from pan. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in two teaspoons of butter with a whisk. Serve sauce over fillets. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.

Cooking Light - March 2004

NOTES :
This piquant sauce is perfect over plain white fish. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the brightest flavor. Serve with white rice.
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Lemon Tart with Walnut Crust

For the Crust:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
12 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups flour

For the Filling:
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 2 or 3 lemons)
1/2 cup heavy cream

FOR THE CRUST: In a food processor, grind the walnuts to a fine grind. You should have about 1/2 cup. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg; mix to combine. Lower the speed to slow and add the flour, mixing until barely combined. Add the walnuts and continue mixing, scraping the sides of the bowl, until the dough comes together. Divide the dough. Wrap the half you'll be using in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Wrap the other half well in plastic and then in foil and freeze for future use.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 1/2-inch tart pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a round about 1/8 inch thick. Arrange it in the pan, trimming to fit. Line the crust with foil or kitchen parchment and weight with beans or pie weights. Bake until the edge is light golden brown, about 20 min. Carefully remove the beans and foil and bake until the bottom is dry and light brown, about another 5 min. Cool to room temperature.

FOR THE FILLING: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the sugar and whisk until just combined. Add the lemon juice and cream and whisk until just combined. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer and pour into the prepared pie crust.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake the tart until the filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool at room temperature. Serve at room temperature or chilled
Fine Cooking Magazine

NOTES : A light and bright lemon tart ends the meal on a perfect note. A crust made with ground walnuts and a silky smooth, tangy filling make every mouthful of tart deliciously interesting. The recipe yields enough dough to make two crusts. You can freeze the extra raw dough, well wrapped, for up to two months.

Here is a link that might be useful: lemon custard cakes thread (Dessert Exchange)

Julia’s Zingy Lemon Sauce (GREAT for any cooked green veggie!)

½ of a lemon rind, grated
2 T lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)
2 T chicken broth
1 T butter (plus 4 more to finish)

Boil all the above in a small saucepan until it’s "syrupy". Add a little salt and pepper and then whisk in the other 4 T of butter. Serve over broccoli or asparagus or green beans…

Mom's Lemon Dream Bars
for the crust:
cut together 1/3 C room temperature butter into 1 C of sifted flour and 2 T sugar. press this into an ungreased square pan (8 x 8 or 9 x 9) and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until set (watch closely, to make sure it doesn't burn!)
combine together:
2 beaten eggs
1/2 C brown sugar
3/4 C coconut
1/2 C pecans, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
spread the above mixture over the crust and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (again watching, to make sure it doesn't burn). Frost immediately with:
2 T lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 C sifted confectioner’s sugar
let cool and cut into small pieces. can be frozen, tightly wrapped.

Crock Pot Lemon Chicken

3# chicken pieces, dredged in seasoned flour (we like chicken thighs and I add a pinch of 5-spice powder to the flour, along with a little salt & pepper)
brown the chicken in a skillet (I usually skip that)

mix together in a crock pot:
6 oz can of lemonade
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 T brown sugar
3 T catsup

add the chicken and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours

PASTA WITH LEMON CREAM AND PROSCIUTTO
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 large shallots, minced
3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
12 ounces penne pasta
12 thin slices prosciutto
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add broth. Simmer over medium-high heat until mixture is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Add cream, lemon peel, orange peel, and cayenne. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Add peas; simmer just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in mint and lemon juice. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; return pasta to pot. Toss pasta with sauce to coat. Divide pasta among plates or bowls. Drape prosciutto slices atop pasta and serve, passing Parmesan separately. Makes 4 servings.

Bon Appétit
January 2003

I'm looking for a couple of quick and easy recipes for toppings.

What are your favorites?

Thanks,
Joe