Apple Pie Bread

Ingredients

	Ingredients
½	cup butter, softened
1	cup sugar
¼	cup 1% milk
2	eggs
1	teaspoon vanilla extract
2	cups shredded apples (I used 5 Macintosh)
2	cups all purpose flour
2	teaspoons baking powder
½	teaspoon salt
1	teaspoon cinnamon
	Streusel Topping
¼	cup light brown sugar, packed
3	tablespoons flour
¼	teaspoon cinnamon
½	cup walnuts, chopped
2	tablespoons cold butter

Directions

Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 5 bread pan with nonstick spray; set aside. 2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the milk, eggs, vanilla, and apples and mix on low speed until smooth. 3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the apple mixture on low speed until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. 4. In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon on low speed. With the mixer on low speed, add little pieces of the butter and mix until blended. Add the walnuts and stir well. Sprinkle the streusel over the bread batter evenly. 5. Bake for 60 - 70 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Let stand for 10 minutes. Then remove the bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Make-Ahead Tip This would be a great treat to keep in the freezer for those times when there's no time to bake. All you need to do is thaw it out overnight. Freezing Directions When the bread is completely cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and place it in a labeled freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible. I recommend using a vacuum sealed bag. Freeze up to 2 months.

Lofthouse Style Frosted Sugar Cookies

Cookies:

6 Cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1 Cup. butter, at room temperature 
2 Cups. granulated sugar 
3 eggs 
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cups Sour cream

Frosting:

1 Cups butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
4 Cups powdered sugar 
6 tablespoons heavy cream 
Several drops food coloring 
Multi-colored Sprinkles

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater attached, cream the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough will be a bit “sticky”. Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches thick, then wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least two hours until firm.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.

Use the plastic wrap that you chilled the dough in. Dust the top of the dough and then flip and flour the other side, keeping it on the plastic wrap. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, until pale golden. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Best to work in small batches while keeping the remainder of the dough chilled.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is achieved. If desired, add food coloring and beat until combined.

Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. Let cookies sit for several hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Makes approximately: 5 to 6 dozen cookies (will vary on the thickness of the dough)

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili

    3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    1 small onion, diced
    5 jalapeno peppers diced, seeds removed (leave some seeds for extra heat)
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    salt and fresh ground black pepper
    1 + 1/4 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
    2 teaspoons chile powder
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    1 teaspoon oregano
    pinch of crushed red pepper
    1 (10 oz) can dice tomatoes with green chiles
    1 + 1/2 cups chicken broth
    1 (14 oz) can cannelloni or navy beans, drained
    1 (14 oz) can corn, drained
    8 ounces cream cheese
    1 pound bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled, divided



    In a large saucepan (deep enough for soup) heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and sauté onion, jalepeno, and garlic until tender.
    Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then add to the saucepan adding another tablespoon of olive oil as well. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Toss chicken and seasonings together and lightly brown chicken on all sides.
    Stir in can of diced tomatoes, chicken broth, corn, and cannelloni beans and increase heat to bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes.
    Stir in cream cheese and stir until completely melted. Stir in 1/2 of the crumbled bacon. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper as needed. **Add more chicken broth if too thick.
    Serve and garnish with cheddar cheese and the rest of the crumbled bacon.

HOMEMADE CHEEZ-ITS

HOMEMADE CHEEZ-ITS

(Recipe from BHG)

*Makes about 100 crackers*

YOU WILL NEED:

8oz shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp aged white cheddar)

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 tbs unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp salt

3 - 4 tbs ice water

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, mix together the shredded cheese,  half of the salt and the softened butter. (I used sharp aged white cheddar cheese, but you can use whatever kind of cheese you like. I shredded my own cheese just because I think it has better flavor and melts better, but you can use pre-shredded too to save some time!) Add in the flour and mix until the dough looks like little fluffy clumps. Then, with the mixer running begin adding the ice water and mix until a soft dough forms. (use as much ice water as you need for a dough to form).

2. Divide the dough in two, form each into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes. Then, roll the dough out on a floured surface into about an 1/8 inch thickness and using a fluted pastry cutter, cut the dough into about 1 inch squares.

3. Preheat your oven to 375 deg F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer your little cheez-its onto the parchment paper, make a hole in the center of each with a toothpick, then sprinkle them with the rest of the salt. Bake for about 7 - 10 minutes (baking time will depend on your oven, just watch them carefully so they don't burn!), or until they have puffed up and the edges begin to brown. Let cool before eating. (They are best eaten right away, but you can store them in an airtight container).

These homemade Cheez-Its are so quick and easy to make, and if you love the store bought version, these taste almost exactly the same! And from start to finish they only take about an hour to make! But I warn you, even though it may look like you have lots and lots of little Cheez-Its lined up on your baking sheet, they will be gone very quickly! Because they really are addicting!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Ingredients

1 ½ c. pineapple juice

4 ½ tsp. active dry yeast

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. butter, at room temperature, plus extra for brushing rolls

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

5-6 c. bread flour

1 tsp. salt

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat pineapple juice over medium-low temperature until juice reaches about 105 F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
3. Once the pineapple juice is at temperature, add to the bowl. Stir, and let the yeast mixture stand for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
4. Once the yeast is foamy, add the remaining sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs; stir to combine.
5. Switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook, and add 3 cups of flour and salt. Stir on low.
6. Continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough clears the sides of the bowl. The dough will feel slightly sticky. It takes 5 1/2 cups of flour for my rolls.
7. Once the dough comes together and clears the sides, continue to knead for about 1 minute.
8. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rise until dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
9. Shape dough into rolls. If you would like smaller, dinner-sized rolls, shape into 24 rolls. If you would like larger, bun-sized rolls, shape into 12-18 rolls depending on desired size.
10. Cover rolls with plastic wrap, and let rolls rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
11. Toward the end of the second rise, preheat oven to 350 F.
12. Bake rolls for about 20 minutes (for dinner-sized rolls), or until rolls are golden brown.
13. Immediately brush rolls with butter.
14. Serve warm or at room temperature.