Apple Butter

I bought a bushel of apples.  Do you know how much that is?  Like 100 apples.  That's a TON of apples.  So what did I do with them?  I steamed a bunch and blended it into sugar free applesauce (totally delicious, add some cinnamon and you've got a nice little treat!), I dehydrated a ton (soak in lemon juice/water before dehydrating to keep them from turning too brown), and then made some apple butter.  It was really good and even though it will only last 2 weeks or so, it was totally worth it for those Sundays when I have freshly baked whole wheat bread to put it on.

I found the recipe here.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter
(I halved the recipe)

6 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and sliced (if I remember correctly, for half I used 10 apples.  And trust me, that is a SHIZ LOAD to cut and peel)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I didn't have these so I just didn't use them)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples and mix well.
2. Cook in slow cooker on low for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown. (I did this overnight).
3. Uncover, stir in vanilla and continue cooking uncovered on low for about 2 hours. (I screwed this up and actually added the vanilla before I cooked it.  It wasn't a big deal)
4. Use an immersion blender to puree the apple butter until smooth.
5. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks or freeze.
6. Serve on breads, muffins, pork chops or just eat it with a spoon.

Pretty dang good!

Whole Wheat Bread

What makes bread whole wheat? I figured that would mean it only has whole wheat in it.  I have yet to find a recipe that ONLY uses whole wheat.  Oh well, this was delicious.  (I know what you're thinking, another bread?)  Definitely will be making it again, though I will probably let it rise a little more next time, I feel like it could have been a little less dense.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

In a medium size bowl combine:
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F) 
1 TBL milk
2 TBL Olive Oil (or coconut oil or any oil, I like the Olive Oil and it's heart healthy)
2 TBL Honey
2 TBL Brown Sugar 
1 tsp Salt

In a large bowl, combine:
1 1/2 c. All Purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2 c. Whole Wheat Flour - + extra for kneading
1/3 c. Wheat Germ
3 TBL Flaxseed
2 tsp (1 packet) of Instant Active Dry Yeast

Create a well in the center and add your liquid ingredients.

Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10-15 minutes).  You may need to add extra flour to the dough if it's too sticky but be careful to just add a little bit at a time.  Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease both sides and cover with a clean towel.

Let the dough rise until doubled in a warm, draft-free spot (about 45 minutes). I did at least an hour.  

Punch down the dough after it's doubled and knead until smooth.  Form into a loaf.  Place the loaf in a greased loaf pan and cover again.  Let the dough rise in the pan in a warm, draft free place again until almost doubled in size (about 30 minutes).  Once again, I did over and hour and I would probably let it go a little more next time.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  If the loaf starts browning too soon, you may lightly lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top.  

Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest in the pan for a few minutes.  After that, remove it to a wire rack and cover with a cloth.  It's best to store your bread in a cloth bag. 

For Freezing-
Make your dough, allow it to rise the first time, punch the dough down and knead it until elastic as above but instead of placing it in a loaf pan to rise a second time, add it to a freezer bag.  Try to get all of the air out of the bag, label it and place it in your freezer.  When you're ready to use the bread, take it out of your freezer the night before, place it in your refrigerator to thaw and rise the second time and then bake it as above.  It's that easy!  

Rating:  4.5 stars  Like I said, it was a little dense (I know, that's how wheat bread is, but I feel like it could be much better with just a little more rising).

Chicken Pesto Calzones

Grandma Phyllis gave us a turkey for Christmas.  Like a 15 pound turkey.  We had some friends over the other night and cooked it, along with mashed potatoes, peasant bread, green beans/bacon, and they brought salad and dessert.  It was so fun, but we were STILL left with TONS of turkey.  So now I have to find recipes to use the turkey.  This recipe called for chicken, but I can use turkey instead, right?  Well, I did.  And even Callen said a couple of times how good they were.  And the other bonus, the dough was homemade so B could have it!  (Have I mentioned lately how obsessed I am with making bread.  I feel like I am winning every time I successfully make bread.  Winning what?  I'm not sure.  Just winning).

Turkey Pesto Calzones

Chicken Pesto Calzones

For the dough (adapted from The Pioneer Woman):

Mix together in a bowl:

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Add in and stir:

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour

Using a bread hook, slowly add in the whole wheat flour until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl.

• 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

Put the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with seran wrap.  Let rise for 1 1/2-2 hours.

To finish the calzones:

Mix together in a bowl:

• 1 cup pesto
• 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (or shredded turkey)

After the dough has risen, split it into 4 balls (this makes HUGE calzones, I would probably do 8 balls next time and make smaller ones that a normal person could actually eat in one sitting).  Roll out on a lightly floured surface to make a rectangular or oval shape.  Spread 1/4 of the pesto chicken mix on 1/2 of the dough.  Layer on top:

• 4 ounces Provolone Stravecchio cheese, shredded (or use mozzarella)

Fold the dough over the top.  Press the edges together to form a seam all the way around.  Brush the oil on and sprinkle on the seasoning.

• Extra virgin olive oil (to drizzle on top)
• Italian seasoning

Put in the oven (preheated to 425) for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. 

**The original instructions said that I could freeze them.  So I made two and froze two.  Make sure and wrap them and put them in BEFORE cooking them.  So, I put on the oil and the seasoning, wrapped them in seran wrap and put them in the freezer.  So excited to have some pre-made dinners for later!

Rating:  5 stars, easy

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

I just had a baby.  So I haven't been cooking.  Hence the lack of recipes.  I've had meals delivered, cooked by my mom and I have about a week's worth of meals I previously made and froze in my freezer.  So we're covered for a bit.  We got some delicious dinners delivered last week.  Callen especially loved this one and asked me to get the recipe.  So this recipe comes from Mistie.  I didn't take any pictures since I didn't cook it, but it is definitely one that needs to be remembered.

Rating:  4.8 stars.

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

• 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
• Salt and Black Pepper
• 1 pound Penne Rigate (noodles - i used the "bows")
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, halved horizontally 
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp flour
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 6 cups milk
• 10 oz. mushrooms thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone Cheese (i used an italian blend)
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If your going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.
2. while pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Halve each chicken breast lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.  Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque. Set aside the chicken on a plate. 
3. While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Use a little extra olive oil if needed.
4. In a 5 quart heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, graually add milk; bring to a simmer. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
5. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese on top.
• If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie.
6. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling , about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups

I forgot to take pictures of this recipe, so I hesitate to post it, but I want the recipe catalogued, so I'll just steal the pic from the recipe site.

I try to stay away from white sauces in general because of the high fat content, but red sauce is giving me killer heartburn these days (less than 3 weeks to go!), so sometimes you do what you gotta do.

Start by cooking your chicken.  I used one large chicken breast and boiled it.  I boiled whole wheat lasagna noodles at the same time.  I used 6 noodles.  Well, I actually boiled 7 cuz I tend to have a noodle casualty every time.

As they were cooking, I grated some mozzarella cheese (not sure how much) and got out oregano and garlic salt.

Then comes the assembly.

Spray a cooking dish.  Lay out a noodle.  Sprinkle on 1/6th of the chicken (since I have 6 noodles).  Spread about a tbsp of alfredo sauce over it.  Then sprinkle on some oregano and garlic salt.  Finally, sprinkle on about 1 tbsp of mozzarella cheese.  The recipe says to put it all at the top, but I found that rolling was easier if I spread it out along the noodle.

Then comes the rolling.  It tends to make a mess if you overfilled it, but if you roll it gently and loosely, I could keep it all inside (or just shove it back in as you go).  Lay it in the dish, then repeat with the other 5 noodles.

Finally, spread alfredo sauce over the top of the noodles and sprinkle with more cheese (my bff makes fun of me because she says I like to smother everything with cheese.  Are there people who DON'T smother everything in cheese????)

Bake at 350 for 30 mins and you've got yourself some deliciousness!

(This picture looks like they also used some cheddar cheese.  That could probably also be delicious.)

Original recipe here.

Overall rating:  4.0 stars.  Mostly because of the health issue.  But they are pretty easy to make and a good change of pace when needed.  And I would bet that these would freeze pretty well if you needed to.  Probably just freeze it before you cook it.