Baked Caramel Apples

Can we see a theme developing here?

I had extra apples and caramels from these so I thought I'd make good use of the extra in some more caramel apple-themed treats!

These are super easy, somewhat messy, but oh so delicious!  The Cheesecake Factory used to have this apple dumpling-type dessert that I loved.  It was a warm apple wrapped in pastry and filled with caramel.  I haven't seen it there in forever (maybe they've discontinued it?  I don't know), so this is my take on it... sans pastry of course.

Ingredients:
Adapted from a Taste of Home recipe

4 Granny Smith Apples, cored
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
8 caramels
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Place apples in a square baking dish.  Pour apple juice over top of apples.  Divide brown sugar, butter, and caramels between each apple.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top of apples.

Bake for about 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours, or until apples are softened and caramel is melted.  (As you can see, my caramels could have gone for a little bit longer, but I was getting antsy!)

Top with fresh whipped cream (and snap your pictures fast, because it obviously melts quickly!).

While this isn't the pretties dessert ever, it's quite messy really.  It sure does have all of the flavors of fall that I really enjoy - and it's so simple to put together!  The waiting is the hardest part!


What's your favorite fall treat?

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Hello Fall!  And hello Friday!

I just have to make it until the end of my shift tonight and I've got one sweet week of vacation.  It's another stay-cation, but there's loads of things planned next week!

First off, it'll be my first week of Culinary School, which I've already told you has me in an emotional rollercoaster - but it's for the best!  And then there's my big meeting with the executive chef at a local restaurant - another thing to make me a nervous nelly!  And then there's a haircut - a much needed haircut. 

Maybe in the midst of all of that I can get myself to do some wedding planning!  We'll see...

I made these last week for a co-worker's birthday.  She loved them and I hope you guys will too!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Zoom Yummy's Recipe

Crust:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly chilled and cubed

Filling:

16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:

1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly chilled and cubed
1 cup flour
about 10-15 caramels
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350F.

To make the crust, combine flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl.  Cut the butter into the mixture with your fingers or a fork until the mixture is crumbly.

Press the dough into a 9x13 inch pan in an even and flat layer.  Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Set aside.

Make the filling by beating cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar in a large bowl.  Add eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated.  Stir in vanilla until just combined.

In a small bowl, combine the apples with the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of sugar.  Let sit for about 1-2 minutes, then gently fold into cream cheese mixture.

Pour the batter over top of the warm crust.

Make the topping by combining the oats, flour, and brown sugar.  Cut the butter into the mixture until it is chunky and crumbly.

Top the cream cheese mixture with an even layer of the topping.  There's a lot of it (which I love!) so don't be afraid to go crazy.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until cream cheese mixture is set and topping is a nice golden brown.

Make your caramel topping by combing the caramels with heavy cream in a thick microwave-safe bowl.  Heat in 20-30 second increments, stirring really well after each time.  Be careful because it can go from nice and creamy to burnt in a matter of seconds.  I don't think I heated mine up for any more than 45-60 seconds.  Just keep stirring and the residual heat will melt the unmelted caramels!

Drizzle caramel topping over cheesecake.

I found that the bars were easier to cut after being refrigerated for a little bit, about an hour or so.  Cut into desired sized bars and be prepared to watch these disappear quickly!

All the flavor of a caramel apple in a nice convenient fall-inspired bar!

Happy weekend guys!

Mixed Greens w/ Apples & Smoked Gouda

I know I've been posting a lot of simple salads over the past few months - but I can't help it!  I love lunchin' on salads!

One of my favorite additions to salads are julienned apples - Granny Smiths to be exact.  Raise your hand if you agree!  They just give a welcomed and refreshing sour bite in the midst of some semi-bitter greens.

Happy mid-week to ya guys and just remember - 2 more days and it's a 3 day weekend (for those of us in the US that is!).


Ingredients:

Mixed greens
1/2 cup Smoked gouda, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Granny Smith apple, peeled and julienned
1/4 cup deli turkey, chopped

In a large bowl combine greens, gouda, apple, and turkey.  Serve plain or dressed with your favorite dressing!

Simple right?  Right. 

I promise I'll start posting "harder" recipes soon!  Stay tuned tomorrow for my review of our Danville, KY tasting and a meet-up with other KY Food Bloggers!  Have a great rest of your Wednesday guys!

Secret Recipe Club: Apple & Brie Grilled Cheese

It's that time again!  Secret Recipe Club time!  Last month was my first time and I had so much fun so I knew I had to join again for another round!

What is the Secret Recipe Club, you ask?  It's basically a secret Santa for food bloggers!  The brainchild of Amanda from Amanda's Cookin' - bloggers sign up to get a "secret" blogger from whom we choose to make a recipe from their blog and post on a designated day!  I think my favorite part is seeing what others do with my own recipe!  Last month, Dana from Food For Thought made an awesome rendition of my Coffee Ice Cream Pie by turning it into a Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Pie!  So I can't wait to see what whoever has me this month does with something else of mine!

So let's get to it!  My secret blogger this month was Sara from Cupcake Muffin.  I'd never checked out her blog before, and my first thought was - Cupcake Muffin - Andy's going to reap the benefits of this one!  Although there are tons of sweet treats on Cupcake Muffin, there are also many delicious savory dishes as well!  It's pretty much an all-around blog with tons of great stuff!

Something that really caught my eye was the recipe for Pear and Goat Cheese Sandwiches.  It has been extremely hot here, so the last thing I've wanted to do was actually cook something or turn on the oven/stove.  Sara says it best in this post when she says that these are so simple, but so gourmet!

But during my shopping trip, I couldn't find good looking pears anywhere!  So I opted for apples and switched out the goat cheese for Brie.  I mean, I love me some goat cheese, but Andy's a little picky about that one for some reason.  So I got some Brie - which is also creamy and crowd pleasing.  And everyone knows that Brie is best melted - so I had to turn this sandwich into a grilled cheese!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Cupcake Muffin's Pear & Goat Cheese Sandwiches

1 Granny Smith Apple, sliced thinly
Dash of Apple Cider Vinegar
Lettuce Leaves
Brie Cheese
Sliced Sourdough Bread
Pumpkin Seeds
Dash of ground cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Sprinkle the lettuce leaves with a little bit of apple cider vinegar and toss.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet under medium high heat.  Add one piece of sourdough bread (kind of swirling the bottom of the slice in the melted butter to coat) and top with one or two lettuce leaves.  Then add 3-4 slices of apples.  Layer on desired amount of Brie and sprinkle top with pumpkin seeds and cinnamon.  Top with slice of sourdough.

Once bottom is golden brown, carefully flip sandwich over (adding more butter to the pan if needed - and swirling again to get butter on 2nd slice).  Cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown on other side.

Simple as that!  Not much cooking at all, just basically some quick melting of the cheese and toasting of the bread.  This was probably one of the best sandwiches I've ever had, and could have never happened if I wasn't inspired by Cupcake Muffin's sandwich (which I will definitely be trying once I find some decent pears!).



Want to join the Secret Recipe Club?!  You should!  Click here to find out more and don't forget to check out what all the other SRC participants did this month!

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

I feel like such a bad blogger.  I was so caught up and busy yesterday that I didn't have time to post a recipe like I had planned!  So, my apologies!  But I promise... today's recipe is insanely delicious and will well make up for it!

I love fall... obviously.  I've said it a million times since fall started.  And one of the things I love most about fall is the abundance of delicious soups!  Whether it's a hearty bowl of chili, or a nice bowl of classic chicken noodle soup... if it's fall... I've got pretty good odds that I'll be having a bowl of something MANY times over.

So, being bored the other night, I decided to make a spur-of-the-moment soup which I plan to make many times over because it was so delicious!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
2 small, white-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 butternut squash peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup grated apple
3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
fresh watercress (optional)

Melt the butter in a large pot on medium high heat, then add the onion.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until onion starts to soften.  Add the potatoes and squash and stir.  Let cook another 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so.

Add the apple cider, grated apple, and chicken stock.  Stir and cover the pot.  Let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Using an immersion blender (be careful now!), blend vegetables until smooth and creamy.  Once blended, season with salt, pepper and spices.  You can add or subtract the amount of spice based on your preferences, of course.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a few sprigs of watercress.  

Seriously, this is fall in a bowl.  The butternut is the main star, with the subtle apple flavors playing back up.  Every bite is a unique layer of flavor.  This is something you all need to go make now.  It will warm you up and make you smile!  

 Again... thanks for bearing with me on this better late than never post!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend guys and be safe!

Butternut Squash

Fried Chicken Spinach Salad

Phew that weekend just flew by, didn't it?!  It seems like there's never enough time to catch up!  But here Monday is, again, without fail.  It's been a hectic day, that's for sure.  The one thing that put a smile on my face, is that the local radio station I listen to on the way home, 91.9 WFPK, played a song from a band that Andy used to be in, Clyde.  I was mad at Andy today, for Lord knows what (something trivial I'm sure), but I couldn't help but smile when I heard the song playing.  Of course, I am no longer mad, and realize it was stupid to be mad in the first place.

Anyway, I've got a fancy for salads lately, and adding fried chicken strips is just the icing on the cake for me (of course, you could definitely be healthier than I, and go with grilled chicken strips, but there's no fun in that, now is there)


Ingredients:
Adapted from How Sweet It Is Blog - Roasted Apple, Pecan, and Chicken Spinach Salad

Fried Chicken Spinach Salad

 2 cups baby spinach
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 apple, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 ounce pecans
2 chicken thighs, deboned
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet under high heat, add vegetable oil. 

On a small plate, combine the flour, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and salt & pepper.  Dredge chicken thighs in flour mixture, shaking off excess. 

Add thighs to skillet and fry for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through.  Let rest on a cutting board for about 5 minutes. Slice chicken into small pieces and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 F.

Sprinkle apples with cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Spread in an even layer on baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, or until caramelized.

Combine spinach, chicken, pecans, cucumbers, and apples together. Top with dressing (recipe below). 

Apple Cider Vinaigrette 


1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together and whisk well. Top salads with desired amount of dressing.