Completely Homemade Apple Pie

A few weeks ago I tried making an apple pie for the first time. Let me tell you, I was a little nervous because I have heard bad stories about how pie crusts turn out. I found recipe on the lovely blog: beingcindykitchen.blogspot.com 
and decided to give it a try! It was so divine! I made a few adjustments and side notes to go along with it.

Completely Homemade Apple Pie

9-inch Pastry Crust:
(This recipe only makes one crust, so in order to do a lattice-top pie it must be doubled. I actually find it easier to just make it twice, since the dough is VERY flaky and so not really easy to divide into two balls without overworking the dough.)

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water (I keep adding a tablespoon at a time until it reaches a slightly-sticky texture, so I would say I used about 6 or 7 tablespoons.)

Combine flour and salt; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle ice water, 1 T at a time, evenly over surface; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Shape into a ball; cover and chill until ready to use (at least 30 minutes). Roll pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. (I find that I have to have my surface more than "lightly floured" or else the dough sticks to the table and breaks when I try to remove it. If the dough is sticking to the table despite the flour, use a flat spatula to gently scrape it off the table. Usually this works just fine.) Fold in quarters, place in pie plate, and unfold. Trim excess pastry along edges. For lattice top: roll out second ball of pastry as directed; cut into one-inch strips. Weave in lattice over filled pie. Separate 1 egg yolk and beat slightly; brush over lattice with pastry brush. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Apple filling:
4-5 cups chopped apples, as long as it fills the pie pan but doesn't overflow too much. You will need enough room to fold the pie crust on top. (Also, the very orignial recipe also says to peel the apples, but I didn't and they turned out just fine). I loved using gala and the yellow-green golden sweet apples.
1 T lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 T flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 T butter or margarine

Combine apple and lemon juice in large bowl. Combine next 4 ingredients. Spoon over apple mixture, tossing gently. Spoon filling evenly into pastry shell, and dot with butter. (Alternatively - if you are making the pie in stages, you can mix up the crust and the filling and put each of them in the fridge for a few hours. This marinates the apples and makes a nice sugary sauce... if you do that, leave out the butter.) Cover pie with lattice top. Cover edges of pastry with aluminum foil. Note: place a cookie sheet on the rack below whenever you bake something with fruit in it. I forgot to do so and the oven was a mess afterwards! Bake at 450 for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 and bake 50 more minutes. Dish up and enjoy! I guaruntee that you will love it!

Tortelini pasta and spinach salad

 Tortellini Pasta and Spinach Salad

Here is a very simple, basic recipe that I recommend.  Sorry it took me a while to post and you may consider it more of a summer dish, but I promise that there will be several delicious fall recipes coming up soon! Yes, I created this recipe, but trust me that it's worth trying. All you need:

1 package of spinach and cheese tortellini pasta. (I used the Barilla brand, which may be harder to find, but I bought it at Target.)

1 package of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1/4-1/2 bottle of Italian dressing

1/2 C Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package (the brand I used took 10 minutes). Drain, and let cool.

Mix pasta with dressing, cheese, and spinach, then voila! You've got yourself a tasty pasta. Keep in mind that proportions with the ingredients can be changed according to your taste. I personally like less dressing but some people may enjoy more. This serves about 5-6 medium-sized salads

Baked Tilapia

I came up with this tilapia recipe, but please note that I usually just toss ingredients on it, so the recipe is adjustable to your desire since the measurements may not be completely accurate. It's very easy and delicious.

Baked Tilapia

For about 2-3 fillets:

1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried minced onion
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 C parmesean cheese
1/4 C bread crumbs (you can use normal or herb-seasoned panko. I love to combine the two!)
1/2 tsp parsley

 
I use frozen tilapia fillets while making this. To defrost them, place each fillet in a bowl of lukewarm water--just enough to cover them. For me this usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

Once they are defrosted, line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place fillets on top. Divide each ingredient in half. Spread butter on top and then sprinkle with lemon juice. Lightly add remaining spices (except parsley), parmesean cheese, and breadcrumbs. Flip each fillet over and repeat with remaining half of ingredients. Garnish with parsley then bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Grilled Peanut Butter Honey and Nutella Sandwich

So here is a guilty pleasure college meal. I don't have it that much, but hey, I have a strong addiction for the peanut butter/honey/Nutella combo. I usually have it as toast every morning, but this is a way to "switch it up."

Once I heard of a pb&j grilled sandwich, which I did try once, but this is so much better. All you do is spread on the pb with a teeny bit of honey along with a little Nutella and make it into a sandwich. There's no need to spread butter on the outside of the sandwich before placing it on the panini maker or frying pan, but every now and then I'll spread on a teeny bit (about 1/4 tsp).

But honestly, if you want a quick tasty sandwich, this sandwich-with-a-creamy-warm-feeling's taste is guaranteed to satisfy.

Whole Wheat Strawberry Pancakes.

Here is a tasty, filling recipe that can do well for breakfast, a snack, or whenever. They are delicious and moist and definitely something to try. If you really want to, I'm sure you can replace the strawberries with another preferred fruit, however, I thought the strawberries were great. I topped them with a tiny bit of fruit syrup, strawberries, and whipped cream. If you want to, the original recipe called for chocolate syrup on top, but I'm not a fan of chocolate syrup and wasn't sure if it would be the best combination for breakfast.

 Recipe from : http://thegreatballoonadventure.blogspot.com/2012/07/mo-pancakes-mo-problems.html

 

Whole Wheat Strawberry Pancakes

 

 

 

-2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (you could try substituting with another flour--I used normal wheat flour which worked out just fine)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 & 1/2 heaping tsp sugar

1 pinch salt

3/4 C almond milk (or other milk of choice)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 TBSP + 1 tsp greek yogurt (i used honey flavored)

2/3 cup chopped strawberries

Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes

During these past few months, I have started to roast vegetables a lot. You can roast carrots, asparagus, zucchini, and much more. In this case, I tried this recipe for roasted broccoli and tomatoes. It was so delicious and made a great main course for a healthy lunch to bring to school. I took out the olives and capers and used fresh, chopped tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes, but this is something to try. (From http://www.recipe.com/mediterranean-roasted-broccoli-tomatoes/?sssdmh=dm17.594078&esrc=nwdr050412&email=3176242465)

Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes

 

• 12  ounces

  broccoli crowns, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets (about 4 cups)

  see savings
• 1  cup grape tomatoes
• 1  tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2  cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4  teaspoon salt
• 1/2  teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
• 10 pitted black olives, sliced
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano
• 2  teaspoons capers, rinsed (optional)

   

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

  2. Toss broccoli, tomatoes, oil, garlic and salt in a large bowl until evenly coated. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the broccoli begins to brown, 10 to 13 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile, combine lemon zest and juice, olives, oregano and capers (if using) in a large bowl. Add the roasted vegetables; stir to combine. Serve warm. 

Healthy Chicken and Cranberry Salad Sandwich

Guys, I'm embarrassed that I haven't posted in ages, but I will start again. School started, picked up pace, and keeps speeding up, so unfortunately I haven't been able to cook as much or blog as much, but I am still alive :) Be prepared for more recipes coming up!

So, this recipe here is a new favorite for school lunches. It's healthy and tasty. Normally Chicken Salad is a little heavy, if you know what I mean. So trust me on this and give it a try!! The original recipe called for "dried Michigan Cherries," but I used Craisins. I also approximated the recipe into 1/3 for one sandwich, but you can save some for later if you make more. What's nice about this one is it doesn't need to be exact for measurements. If you don't like pecans, don't use them. Want a thicker texture? Use more yogurt. You know what I mean :) From: http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2010/07/michigan-cherry-chicken-salad/

Healthy Chicken Salad Sandwich

Ingredients:

4 cups of cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, finely diced
2 medium shallots, minced
3/4 cup dried Michigan Cherries
1/3 cup light mayonnaise (I used the olive oil one)
1/3 cup fat free greek yogurt
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar (but I didn't use this and it was still great)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and adjust any seasonings as needed. You can eat it immediately, but I like to let the flavors develop a little while before eating. So I suggest letting it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes or so before eating!