Apple Spice Cupcakes with Caramel Spice Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting.

This is an adaptation from the cake recipe Crystal posted awhile back. I made these for YW's and they were super yummy!

CAKE:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
2 peeled shredded apples
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, I didn't add any nuts)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl cream together butter & sugar. Add egg & beat well. Add shredded apples & mix well. Stir in dry ingredients & mix until just combined. Stir in nuts. Spoon into muffin liners and bake for about 12-18 mins.

CARAMEL SPICE FILLING:
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

In a small sauce pan on medium heat, melt together butter, sugar & milk. Bring to boil and cook until it reaches soft ball stage (stirring constantly). Remove from heat and add vanilla & nutmeg. Pour immediately from pan into another container with out scraping sides and let cool slightly. Once cooled pour into a pastry bag and fill cupcakes by sticking the tip of bag in the middle of the cupcake and squirting until it starts to come out of the top.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

1 8oz pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter. softened

2 tsp. vanilla

about 4 C. powdered sugar

milk to thin out if necessary (can use the rest of the evaporated milk)

Beat cream cheese and butter until well blended. Add vanilla and mix. Slowly add in the powdered sugar (taste after you've added about 3 cups and then add till you like the taste). If you need the frosting to be thinner at this point for spreading or piping add a couple Tbsp. of milk until it gets there. I like to put it into a piping bag without a tip on it and just swirl from the outsides in!

Squash Bake

This is the best way, in my opinion, to eat squash. I love this recipe because it takes boring squash that you can serve during the week and makes it yummy & special without making it super fattening.

This is actually a Jillian Michaels recipe, so it is pretty healthy...well depending on how much yummy buttery cinnamon pecan topping you add. I usually double the recipe for the topping because Jared always wants seconds when I serve this and he adds more topping than it calls for.

FYI: If you use the recommended amounts than the total calories per serving are 190

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash (cut into 4 servings)
2 Tbsp. Butter, melted
1/4 cup Pecans, chopped
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

Instructions

Squash:
Cut squash into 4 equal servings. Remove seeds & fiber. Place cut side down in baking pan with small amount of water in bottom. Bake in a 350 degree oven 45-50 minutes or until squash is tender and can be pierced with a fork. (Or place squash cut side down in a microwave-safe container. Add a little water. Microwave on High 5-7 minutes, turning dish once. Continue cooking, if necessary, until squash is tender.)

Topping:
Meanwhile, combine butter, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Heat on top of stove or in microwave oven until butter melts. fill center of each squash half with one-quarter of the pecan mixture. Mix some of the cooked squash with the pecan filling. Serve immediately.

I serve mine directly out of the oven without removing the skin. Just place on plate add the topping and eat with a spoon.

Shaved Brussel Sprouts w/ Garlic & Lemon

I'm always looking for healthy ways to make vegetables taste better. This one is my new favorite. I never really thought I liked brussel spouts until I tried this recipe, now I really do. So give it a try.

Remember: this is really more of a method than a recipe so change it up to suit your family.

Ingredients

3 cups Brussels Sprouts
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
Extra-virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

Clean brussel sprouts by tearing off outer wilted layers & chopping off bottom end. Shave brussels very fine with a sharp knife. Then rinse to wash of dirt.

Place a pan over the burner on med-high heat. Let it get REALLY hot. (I let mine preheat for about 5 minutes). Add the oil, let heat another 30 seconds.
(Note: the goal is to let your pan get really hot and to sear the sprouts; not to steam them. If the sprouts don't brown quickly then your pan isn't hot enough. When the sprouts are done they should still have a bite to them.)

Add Brussel spouts and salt & pepper to taste. Once you have some good color (about a minutes) add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

Pour the mixture into a bowl and squeeze in lemon juice. Mix well and serve immediately.

Autumn Glazed Pork Chops

This is another healthy recipe from Jillian Michaels (The Biggest Loser).

This is a pretty yummy healthy pork chop. However, I added my own step to the process, which is to brine the meat. Awhile back I tried the brine on pork chops (a different recipe) and the difference in the quality of the meat was night & day. So now whenever I make pork chops I brine them first (unless cooking in the crock-pot).

I've had this recipe without using the brine & it is still good but if you have a little extra time I would try the brine.

Ingredients

4 Pork Chops
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup Apple Cider, or Juice
1 can Whole Cranberry Sauce
2 Tbsp. Honey
2 Tbsp. Orange Juice
1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat oven 400

Spray a large nonstick skilled with nonstick coating. Heat over medium-high heat.

Sprinkle both sides of chops with Salt & Pepper. Brown chops on each side in hot skilled, 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to 9X13" baking dish.

In a small bowl combine cranberry sauce, honey, orange juice, ginger, and nutmeg. Pour into pan chicken was in; warm through. Pour over pork chops, making sure each chop is completely covered.

Bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until pork chops are done.

Brine

Ingredients

1 gallon Water
1 cup Sea Salt or Kosher Salt(not table salt)
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Apple Juice Concentrate, thawed (I used apple juice & it's fine)
1 1/2 tsp. Whole Black Peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp. Thyme
6 Pork Loin Chops
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

In a mixing bowl combine the water, brown sugar, sea salt, apple juice, peppercorns, and thyme. Give it a good stir to dissolve the sugar & salt. Place bowl in the refrigerator for 2 hours to tenderize the meat. Do not brine longer than that or the meat will break down too much and get mushy.

Remove the pork chops from the brine & pat them dry with paper towels.

Strawberry Cake

Edited Sept. 2011

This is the recipe I used to make Paige's birthday cake, which turned out really yummy! I've made a few modifications and I also made it raspberry instead of Strawberry....although next time I'll just do strawberry. It makes a pink cake.....which is what I was instructed by Paige to make:) Ohh, and also it cooked up perfectly even and without any problems, which is so nice!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups white sugar (I lowered the amount of sugar....and you could probably do even less, it's plenty sweet)

• 1/3 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin, add slowly until the batter is a nice soft pink color. (just eyeball it....the original recipe said to use the whole pkg. but it makes it really dense and almost mushy....didn't like it!)

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 4 eggs (room temperature)

• 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour

• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 cup Buttermilk, room temperature

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a small knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, before tapping out to cool completely

**Variation: Strawberry Cheesecake Cake - mix 1 pkg. of cream cheese with 2 cups powdered sugar and spoon on top of cake batter before cooking. Really Yummy!!!

14 Grain Whole Wheat Bread

So this is from one of friends in the ward (actually it's her mom's recipe), and it is really really good! Thx Camille!

9-11 cups whole wheat flour (hard white wheat)
6 cups warm water
2 cups nine grain cereal
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cups sesame seeds
1/3 cups amaranth
1/3 cup millet
1/3 cup flax seed (must be ground)
2/3 cups canola oil
2/3 cups honey
½ cup wheat gluten
3 tablespoons dough enhancer
3 tablespoons yeast
2 tablespoons real salt

Grind 7 cups of whole wheat flour (hard white wheat).

In a blender grind the flax seed (it must be ground to use properly).

In your mixed combine 6 cups warm water and your grains (highlighted in yellow) plus 4 cups of ground
whole wheat. Let set for 10 minutes. Your mixture will begin to sponge.

Add 2/3 cups oil and 2/3 cups honey to your mixed. Your dough should start to bubble. Add ½ cups
gluten. Mix. Add 3 tablespoons dough enhancer and 3 tablespoons yeast (never add yeast and salt to
bread dough at the same time). Mix well.

Start adding flour ½ cup at a time until your dough is cleaned off the sides of your mixer (you might not
use all 7 cups – it depends on the weather, altitude, moisture, etc...). Add 2 tablespoons real salt at the
very end.

Knead in your mixer on low for 12 minutes (or medium for 8 minutes). Take the dough out of the mixer
and form into 5 large loaves- or 6 smaller loaves. Never add MORE flour to your dough – use oil on your
hands and counter top so that the dough does not stick. Let rise until double in size – time depends on
the temperature and altitude, about 30 minutes. Bake 350 degrees 35-40 minutes. DO NOT preheat
your oven. Put your loaves into the oven when you turn the oven on.

You can buy all the grains (highlighted in yellow) prepackaged at the Bosh store for $3 in Salt Lake /Orem.
If using a kitchen aid you will need to cut this recipe in half.

Gnocchi with Proscuitto, Peas, and Mushrooms

This recipe is from Anne Burrell (food network). It was Really Really Good! And while the gnocchi was time consuming, it wasn't very hard, plus it makes a ton!!!! Also, for those who don't like peas, I really thought this would taste good with spinach, or kale, or even zucchini, etc. Ohh, and also, after reading the reviews, don't add any of the extra salt until the end......I didn't need any because the proscuitto adds plenty of it!!!!!

• 1 1/2 cups fresh peas (frozen can be substituted in a pinch)
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• Pinch crushed red pepper
• 1/4 pound prosciutto, sliced into 1/2-inch wide slices
• 2 cups chanterelle mushrooms, brushed or lightly rinsed and pulled apart (I just used Cremini)
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 recipe Chef Anne's Light as a Cloud Gnocchi (I recommend to make a full recipe and freeze half for another use), recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano
• 1/2 bunch chopped chives

Directions

Bring 2 pots, 1 large and 1 medium, with well-salted water to a boil over medium heat. Set up a bowl of well-salted ice water. Blanch the fresh peas in the medium pot of boiling water until they are cooked but still crunchy and then immediately plunge them into the salted ice water. Remove them from the ice water and reserve.

Coat a large saute pan over medium heat with olive oil. Add the smashed garlic cloves and crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to a medium high heat. When the garlic has become golden brown and is very aromatic, remove it and discard. Add the prosciutto and saute until it starts to get crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and season with salt. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes, and TASTE to see if they are delicious (they should be!).

Add the peas and chicken stock. Season with salt, TASTE IT (it should be more delicious). Simmer until the stock has reduced by about half.

While the stock is reducing, add the gnocchi to the large pot of salted boiling water. Cook the gnocchi until they float and get very puffy. The gnocchi should be really puffy.

While the gnocchi is in the boiling water, add the butter to the pan with the mushroom mixture. Cook over low heat and swirl to incorporate. TASTE and adjust seasoning if needed.

When the gnocchi are cooked, carefully remove them from the cooking water and add them to the pan with the mushrooms. Toss or stir to combine. Cook the gnocchi with mushroom mixture until it clings to the gnocchi. Add the grated Parmigiano and the chopped chives. Transfer to serving bowls and serve immediately.

Call yourself a superstar!

Chef Anne's Light as a Cloud Gnocchi:

• 5 large Idaho potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano
• 3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 or 400 degrees F.

Bake the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check them!

While the potatoes are still hot peel and pass them through a food mill or ricer. (I find that the food mill works just as well as a ricer and is much easier to handle) onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. When doing this pay careful attention to keep the potatoes as light and fluffy as possible. This will aid in keeping the gnocchi light. Refrigerate the potatoes on the sheet tray until cold. This is also a very important step. If the potatoes are warm while adding flour they will require more flour which will result in a much heavier finished product.

When the potatoes are absolutely cold, transfer to a clean work surface. Beat together the eggs and cheese and pour onto the potatoes. Season with salt. Cover generously with flour. It should look like snow on the mountains.

Crumble the potato flour mixture between your fingers. Begin to knead the dough until it is a dry homogeneous mixture. The dough should feel slightly moist, but not tacky. If too tacky, repeat the snow on the mountains stage.

Form the dough into a large log. Cut slices off the log and begin to roll into long ropes that are about 1-inch in thickness. Cut the ropes into 1/2-inch lengths. Cover generously with flour. Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a sheet tray dusted with flour. DO NOT PILE ON TOP OF EACH OTHER!!

Use or freeze the gnocchi immediately. If freezing, place tray directly into the freezer. Once frozen, the gnocchi can be stored in plastic bags, in the freezer, indefinitely. When cooking gnocchi they can go directly from the freezer into salted boiling water.

Note: It is a general practice to take gnocchi out of the water when they float. This is a big mistake. Gnocchi need to be cooked in boiling water until they float and get nice and puffy. Not cooking gnocchi long enough will also result in heavy gnocchi.

P.S. These are Chef Anne "Secrets" to great gnocchi, use them and you will be successful every time.

Sugar-Top Coffee Cake

This is a favorite of mine. It reminds me of special occasions at our house growing up! Super yummy

1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt

Beat egg until frothym add sugar and butter. Cream until light and fulffy. Add sour cream and vanilla. Bleand well. Sift dry ing. and mix. Pour into 8X10 pan. Sprinkle on topping.

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp. softened butter

Mix until crumbly and sprinkle on top.
Bake at 375 for 25-30 mins. or until it looks done. Serve warm

Cilantro Chicken

From taste of homes. Great every day type of meal

2 tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. honey
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup finely crushed corn tortilla chips
1 jar salsa (16 oz), I like to either make salsa or buy the fresh kind
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
1/3 cup, shredded monterey jack cheese

In a shallow bowl, combine lime juice, oil and honey. Dip chicken in like juice mixture, then coat with tortilla chips. Place in an ungreased 8x8 in pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 mins. or until chicken is cooked through.
Combine salsa and cilantro; pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-7 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. makes 4 servings.

Potatoes Supreme

a.k.a. funeral potatoes, but really good ones.

6 medium red potates, boiled and peeled
1/4 cup butter
1 pint sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (in my opinion, the sharper the better)
corn flake crumbs

cook potatoes; cool, peel, and grate. Melt butter and mix with soup. Blend in sour cream, onion, and cheese. Fold in potatoes. Spread in a 9x13 pan, greased. Top with corn flake crumbs. Cook at 350 for 1 hour. Serves 10.

you could also add chopped ham if you like it.