Redneck Apple Dumplings

While Shae was home over Thanksgiving my mother-in-law, Dottie, had us over for dinner. She made a yummy dessert that I HAD to get the recipe for.
She hesitated to give it to me though. I wondered what the big deal was....
After we "oo-ed and aw-ed" enough over the delicious treat, she finally shared the recipe with me. Dottie's college BFF from Bob Jones University, Jean, had given her this recipe. Jean lives in Tennessee and Dottie always raves over Jean's "darling house", the way she decorates and especially over her cooking!
But this recipe just CRACKED ME UP! It sounds so disgusting, almost. Somehow it works and is so delicious! The copy of the recipe Dottie gave me doesn't have a title, so I have affectionately named this dessert, "Redneck Apple Dumplings" and you will soon see why!

2 Large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
2 (10 ounce) cans of refrigerated crescent roll dough
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar (eek, I knowwwwww! )
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle of Mountain Dew (told you! REDNECK!)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll starting at the smallest end. ( I think they might look cute rolled from big end to small end too) Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.
Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla then pour over the dumplings. Pour the can of Mountain Dew over the dumplings and bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown.
Before serving, spoon some of the "sauce" from the pan over each dumpling. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Yummm!!!

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Gingersnaps

I was looking through all the recipes that my mom has given me and I found one that sounded so good today since it is a cool, breezy and Fall-like day.

These cookies are quite possibly my new favorite cookie! They are De~lish!

Gingersnaps

2 cups flour

2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1 1/2 t cinnamon

1 t ground cloves

1 1/2 t ground ginger

3/4 cup (butter flavored) shortening

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

sugar to roll dough in

Cream together the shortening and sugar, add molasses and egg, beat well. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the other mixture. Mix well.

Roll into balls and then into the sugar. Place cookies 2" apart on cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 5 minutes on the bottom rack, then rotate cookie sheet and bake 5 minutes on the top rack.

Let cookies rest for just a few seconds before taking them off the cookie sheet so they will retain their shape.

*your house will smell so yummy and Fall~ish*

Our new favorite thing...

Hearing that computer ring and having Shae's precious face show up when we answer!

Yay for Skype!!!

Paradise Bakery Sugar Cookies

I was looking through some of my recipes a couple weeks ago and came across this one I had totally forgotten about!!

These are so unbelievably delicious! They are flaky and "short-bready"!

Paradise Bakery Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 cups shortening (I used 1 c butter, 1 cup shortening)

3/4 tsp vanilla

1 egg, beaten

4 1/3 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Beat together the sugars, shortening (and or butter), vanilla and egg. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Roll dough into balls and roll in sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees until edges just begin to brown.

Hello, Teacher Cookie Tuesday!!

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Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I tried this recipe last year on "New Recipe Monday" and it was a hit, so last night I made it again. My family raved over it again! It doesn't look pretty in the picture but it was De-lish!!

4 chicken breasts (I used 6) flattened to 1/8" thickness
1 block of cream cheese
2T freshly chopped chives
bacon strips (uncooked)
4T butter, cut into small cubes

Mix the cream cheese together with the chives.
Spread cream cheese mixture over each flattened breast and dot with a few small cubes of the butter.
Roll chicken with cream cheese in the middle. Wrap each breast with bacon and use toothpicks to secure.
Place all the rolled chicken in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 until juices run clear.(about 45 minutes or so...check chicken to be sure it is cooked.) Broil for a few minutes to crisp the bacon.

Cream Sauce

In a saucepan, bring to a boil:
1/2 c water
3T butter
1 chicken bouillon cube (or some chicken stock would work, but don't use the water)
1 c heavy cream
1 clove of garlic, minced and sauteed
1T cornstarch
*after the ingredients are well mixed and thickened, add 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I had to stir constantly to get this incorporated and smooth.)
Pour sauce over chicken and serve. Yummy!
I serve this with pasta and Zucchini (last night we only had "Mickey Mouse" pasta, but it still tasted good!)

I thought I would share a deep, dark secret about myself.

I might be a hoarder (like, I could probably be on the Oprah Show)!!

Yesterday I hit the jackpot at my fav-o-rite store, TJMaxx. Candles were marked down to a measly $3.oo!!! We're talking Yankee, Colonial and even Woodwick! (My MIL loves the Yankee Roses and Ivy....that one was $2.00, for the BIG one, so I bought the 3 they had left! ) In all I bought 10 candles to add to my collection!! I tried to explain to Scott how smart I am, but he wasn't dishing out any accolades for some reason...(BTW, I also have a stash of stationary, especially the ones with initials on them...helloooooo.....teacher gifts!)

And one last thing, just 'cause she's so cute!

Here is Lindsay this morning . My friend Jennifer made her these cute headbands!! (You can check out Jennifer's Etsy store by going to my sidebar and click on her blog, Jennifer Beaver).
How DO you girls do those link things anyway?

*it's a good thing this girl is so cute because the 4 other people in this house are exhausted by the time she leaves for school after all the talking!
"Can I help you make the lunches, Daddy?"
"I can do it all by myself"
"Is my Grandma picking me up today?"
"Anna, put your shoes on!"
I could give a thousand other examples, but you get the point...and YES, we ARE thankful she can talk! (Scott's Dad thinks it is wonderful when she throws a fit too, because he says that is a part of her that is "normal"!!) Guess it is all how you look at it!!

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Scott's German Oven Pancakes

Scott makes the breakfast every morning for the girls before they go to school. (okay, I will be honest, he empties the dishwasher and makes lunches while he does breakfast too!!) It is usually eggs or steel cut oatmeal...but the weekends are a different story! One of the best things he makes is German Oven Pancakes.

3 eggs

1/2 cup sifted flour

1/2 cup milk

2 T melted butter

1/4 t salt

Beat eggs. Gradually add flour, then remaining ingredients. Thoroughly grease a cast iron skillet. Pour in batter. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. (It will puff up pretty big). Take out of the oven, cut into wedges, serve immediately with butter and syrup or fruit and powdered sugar.

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Lemon Cookies

We have had the most beautiful weather these last few weeks. Every day has been at least 70 degrees. Not exactly wintery, but look at the lemons that have grown on our lemon tree!!

There are sooo many lemons that I had to think of something new to make with them, so I found a great lemon cookie recipe!

1 stick of butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
grated peel of 2 lemons
1T lemon juice
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
Beat butter, sugar, lemon peel and juice until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 350*.
Lemony Deliciousness!!!*

*Our dear friend, Tom Darnell in North Carolina (he comes out to volunteer at our camp every summer-Lindsay adores him) just called to remind me that we have those wonderful lemons because of the hard work of the bees in Scott's new bee hive! Tom gave Scott the "Honey Bee Fever" and got him all set up last summer at camp, but the buzzers are now living in our back yard. (and they mind their own business!) So look for some yummy "Luff Honey" next Chrstimas! Thankyou so much Tom! (Anna aka "moneybags" can't wait for you to come back and help her get that honey in jars and "sellable"!!)
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