Easy Skillet Apple Pie

This was fun to make and looks great in the cast iron skillet.  I usually make my own crust but to keep it "easy" I purchased them.  Made this whole process quick and simple. 

2 lbs. Granny Smith apples
2 lbs. Fuji or Gala apples (may substitute your favorite baking apple)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 (14.1 oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts
1 egg white
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Vanilla or butter pecan ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Peel apples and cut into thin slices.  (I used my food processor slicer blade for the slices).  Toss apples with cinnamon and 3/4 cup granulated sugar.

Melt butter in 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat; add brown sugar and cook stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and place 1 piecrust in skillet over brown sugar mixture.  Spoon apple mixture over piecrust and top with remaining crust.  

Whisk egg white until foamy.  Brush top of piecrust with egg white and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.  Cut 5 slits in top of piecrust for steam to escape.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.  If necessary, place aluminum foil around edges during last 10 minutes to prevent excessive browning.  Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving.

Serve a la mode.

Foley Garden Zucchini Bread

Back in the day when we had a small backyard garden and the zucchini was abundant this is the bread I used to make in large quantities and freeze.  Since there is no garden any more the zucchini comes from the farmer's market or the grocery store.  Nonetheless, this is a delicious bread.

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix flour, salt, baking powder, soda and cinnamon together in a bowl.  

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar together in a large bowl.  Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat well.  

Stir in the zucchini and nuts until well combined.  Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 40-60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 
Cool in pans on wire rack for 20 minutes.  

Remove bread from pan and cool completely.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This soup takes thirty minutes to put together.  Comforting and classic, perfect for this time of year.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thin (2 carrots)
1 cup celery, sliced thin (2 stalks)
1 cup sweet onion, peeled and diced small (1 medium onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
64 ounces (8 cups) chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
12 ounces wide egg noodles
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken)
3 - 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
salt, to taste

In large stockpot, add the oil and heat.  Add the carrots, celery, onion and saute for 7 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and saute for another 1 - 2 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper and bring to a boil.  Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.

Add the egg noodles and boil mixture for about 10 minutes, or until noodles are soft and cooked through.  

Add the chicken, parsley, and boil 1-2 minutes or until chicken is warmed through.  Taste soup and add salt to taste.  (I added 2 tsps. salt because both broth and rotisserie chicken are salty).  

Remove bay leaves and serve with oyster crackers.  

Buttermilk Streusel Pound Cake

With buttermilk left over from Thanksgiving baking I decided to make this pound cake recipe and add a cinnamon streusel layer in the middle.  I always enjoy using my various bundt bans for variety.  It tasted great on a cold afternoon with a cup of hot tea.

1 cup butter, softened

2 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

powdered sugar, optional

In a large bowl cream butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.  

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Combine flour and baking soda; add alternately with buttermilk and beat well.  Stir in vanilla

Make cinnamon streusel:

3 tablespoons butter softened

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

Mix well with a pastry blender until sticks together and is crumbly.

Place 1/2 batter in greased bundt pan (I used Pam Baking) and then sprinkle streusel over the top.  Place the remaining batter over the streusel spreading to cover.  

Bake for 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Easy Sausage and Herb Stuffing

I always made my mother's stuffing recipe which came right off the Pepperidge Farm bag.  This year because I wanted the stuffing to be baked separately with a crunchy top, I found this which looked similar yet slightly different.  We wanted to keep Thanksgiving as simple as possible with recipes we all remembered.  I bought the Italian sausage in bulk at our local butcher, so delicious.  So easy to prepare ahead of time, I will make this again and again.

8 cups (14 oz.) store bought UNSEASONED stuffing cubes (I used Brownberry)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups diced sweet onion (1 large)
1 cup diced celery (3 stalks)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
2 3/4 cups organic chicken broth
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with butter.

Place the stuffing cubes in a large bowl.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter.  Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.  Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more.  Add the vegetables to the stuffing cubes.  

Wipe the pan and cook the sausage over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until browned and cooked through.  Break up the sausage with a fork while cooking.  Make sure they are in small pieces.  Add the browned sausage to the bread cubes and vegetables.

Add the chicken broth, egg, rosemary, sage, parsley, salt and pepper to the bread cube mixture and mix until the bread is soft and moistened.  Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish and bake for 65 minutes, uncovered, until deeply golden and crisp on top.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I first made this in Los Angeles visiting Jill and Ryan when Vera was born.  Ryan was making his fabulous grilled brisket and chicken.  This was a delicious side using "white" sweet potatoes that I found at their local gourmet market called Bristol Farms.  At Thanksgiving, I made it again using yams.  

Both ways, a winner.  Here it is ready to go in the oven.

4 cups sweet potatoes, cubed (I used 4 potatoes)

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:  (I doubled this for Thanksgiving for extra crunch)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

3 tablespoons, softened

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325.  Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water.  Cook over medium high heat until tender then mash.

In a large bowl, mix together sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.  Place in a 13 x 9 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour.  Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse.  Stir in the pecans.  Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned.

Parker House Rolls

I found this Food Network recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay and decided to make the rolls on Wednesday for Thanksgiving Day.  Of course, we had to try one when they came out of the oven fresh and hot.   They turned out great, a sweet roll that were enjoyed by all, especially my grandsons.

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for brushing
1/2 cup sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 cups flour

Place milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and sugar and let cool.  

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit until foamy.  Combine milk mixture, eggs, yeast, salt, and 1/2 of the flour in a mixer with the dough attachment and mix until smooth.  Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until a smooth ball forms.

Remove from the bowl and knead by hand on a floured surface for about 5 minutes.  

Place in a greased bowl, cover (with a clean kitchen towel) and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 60-70 minutes.  (I place the bowl in my off oven with the light on).  

On a floured surface, punch down the dough and shape into 24 balls.  Place on a parchment paper lined jelly roll (15 x 10) pan.  Cover again and let rise until doubled, about 30-40 minutes).  (I covered it with another sheet of parchment paper)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter before serving. 

Cranberry Nut Bread

I baked this on the day before Thanksgiving.  This is my favorite loaf pan, it's by Fat Daddio's and bakes every loaf evenly.  We enjoyed the bread on Thanksgiving Day morning and after.  Delicious with fresh cranberries!

1/3 cup orange juice
2 tsps. grated orange zest
2/3 cup buttermilk
6 tbsps. unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
2 cups flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped coarse (I used the food processor)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray 9x5 loaf pan with Pam Baking spray.

Stir together orange juice, orange zest, buttermilk and egg. Set aside.

Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir liquid ingredients into dry until moistened.  Stir in cranberries and nuts.  Do not overmix.

Put batter into prepared loaf pan.  Bake for 20 minutes and then reduce heat to 350.  Continue to take until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer.  Cool loaf in pan for about 10 minutes then turn out onto wire rack and cool before serving.

Pumpkin Bars

I found this recipe many years ago in a midwestern Junior League cookbook.  It still is a fall foley family favorite.  Store the bars in the pan in the refrigerator for best freshness.

Bars:

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 can (15 oz.) Libby pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

4 oz. cream cheese, use half the Philadelphia Brand 8 oz. brick
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (keeps it from being clumpy)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 tablespoons milk (start with 1 tablespoon, add more if necessary)  

Directions:

In a bowl beat sugar, eggs oil and pumpkin until well blended.

Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Pour into a lightly greased (I use Pam Baking) 15 x 10 x 1 jelly roll pan.

Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until set.  Toothpick inserted in center will come out clean.  Cool completely.

For frosting, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in a small bowl.  Add enough milk to achieve spreading consistency.  Spread over bars.