Caramel Apple Cookie Bars

 

Happy Autumn everyone!  I found a partial recipe on a facebook video, I thought I had saved it but can't seem to find it again, so I had to improvise.......and they turned out way better than I expected, so I had to add them here!

1 cup spiced apple cider, reduced to 1/3 cup *

2 sticks butter, softened

1 egg

1 TB molasses

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup Kraft Caramel bits (or chopped up caramels if you prefer)

1 sm/med apple, cored and diced small (peeled or not is up to you, I left it peeled and used fuji)

cinnamon to taste

* To reduce your apple cider put it in a glass measuring cup (2 cup or lager to prevent spills)

Microwave on high for 5 minutes, check to see how much it has reduced, add 1-2 minutes at a time until you are down to 1/3 cup

You could do this stove top too, but it will take longer and you have to pour it back and forth into measuring cup so I prefer microwave method.

Set aside to cool

For the cookies:

Preheat oven to 350  and Grease a 9 x 13 pan

Cream butter, molasses and sugar until creamy and pale. Add egg  and reduced cider, beat well until everything is well incorporated and the batter is a light brown color

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together

Add 1 cup at a time and mix well until everything is well combined.

Add apples, white chocolate and caramel bits, mix gently until just combined.

Spread evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle with cinnamon (or apple pie spice if you like!)

Bake 35-45 minutes until golden brown, you can do toothpick method, but kind of difficult with the caramel.

Allow to cool in pan, slice into bars and enjoy!

I served slightly warm with some Ginger Ice Cream from Elevated Ice Cream.... (seriously, if you are ever in Port Townsend, WA you HAVE to stop by this place!)

Leftover BBQ and Veggie Tray Soup

 Hello all!! It has been a while since my last post, but  I had a BBQ grillout with some friends on Sunday and had some leftovers. I was actually shocked at how delicious this turned out.....I expected it to just be a next day meal that was meh...but EVERYONE loved it!!! So I had to put it on here! 

This is going to be an inexact recipe but here goes

Leftover Veggie Tray included:

Broccoli

Snap Peas

Baby Carrots

Red Bell Peppers

Celery

I also had about 1/2 sweet onion and 1/2 purple onion leftover as well

I put all my veggies in a food processor and chopped until a fine mince

All together I had roughly 3 cups of minced veggies

Put those all in a large pot

Add

1 can each, cream of mushroom, cream of chicken and cream of celery soups

3 cans of water (I considered using  chicken broth but I thought it might end up too salty, perhaps milk might be a good addition too, but I stuck with water)

Mix well and allow to simmer 1 hour

Add an 8 oz brick of softened cream cheese, stir and melt

I also added 6 slices smokehouse cheddar and allowed that to melt

Simmer until the cheese is all melted and the veggies are very tender

I chopped up grilled 4 hot dogs I had and about 4 slices of bacon too and threw that in at the end and heated through.

You can add garlic, salt and pepper to taste too

Topped with some croutons made in my airfryer from leftover hot dog buns and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes!

Air Fryer Jalapeno Popper Chicken Burgers

Got this idea off of a facebook video and it was a "Giant" burger, I wrote down the general specs but could never find the video again. I modified it into my own single burgers. These do require freezer time of minimum of 6 hours so plan accordingly!

Jalapeno Buns:

2 tsp yeast

1 TB sugar

1 cup milk, warm

1/4 cup oil (I used avocado oil)

2 eggs, beaten

3 3/4 cup flour

2 cups cheese of choice, shredded(I used a Mexican blend)

4 jalapenos, seeded and chopped 

Burgers:

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast cooked and shredded (I did mine in the instant pot with garlic salt, pepper and paprika)

1/2 cup bacon bits , chopped fine

3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped 

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup sour cream

2 TB mayo

1 cup cheese of choice, I used 1/2 extra sharp cheddar, 1/2 mozzarella)

2 tsp +/-  Ranch Seasoning

1 cup flour

2 tsp ranch seasoning

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 c water

Panko bread crumbs (started with 1 cup)

For the Buns:

No process pics this time!

In a the bowl of your mixer combine warm milk, sugar and yeast and allow to proof until foamy.  Add oil and eggs and combine for 1 minute. Add flour, cheese and peppers. Using a dough hook knead until well combined. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for afew minutes, you want it holding together but not too dry . Cut into 6 pieces and roll into balls. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and allow to rise for an hour.

You can brush with an egg wash or a little butter ( I used butter)at this time, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

For the patties:

Sorry not many process pics

Combine cooled shredded chicken, with the bacon bits, jalapenos, sour cream , mayo, cheese and seasoning. Stir until well combined.

Scoop into 6 portions on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. 

Flatten into patties. Freeze for minimum of 6 hours, up to 24. 

When the patties are fully frozen make your self an assembly line with flour/ranch seasoning in one dish, beaten eggs/water in a second, and panko in a third.  

Dip your frozen patties in flour and coat well,  then 

dip in egg 

and finally in the panko and get a good even coat. 

Preheat air fryer to 400, spray each patty with a little oil and working in batches if needed (mine is small so I had to do 2 at a time) air fry for 10 minutes, flip , spray with a little more oil and do 8-10 minutes more

 (You can keep finished patties in the oven preheated to 200 to keep them warm)  

Put on buns (toasted or not up to you) I topped with mayo, red onion, tomato and lettuce!

Kiwi Strawberry Sugar Cookie Bars

 I found a recipe on Pillsbury for Strawberry Lemonade Bars and I ended up loving them with some  modifications. I wanted to make them again for a work bday celebration but I decided to give Kiwi Curd a shot......and oh MY it was a HUGE hit! 

Kiwi Curd:

5 ripe kiwis

1/2 cup white sugar

3 large eggs yolks

1 large egg

3/4 tsp citric acid (find it in jam making aisle)

6 TB unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Sugar Cookie Base:

4 cups plus 2 TB flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups softened butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 TB brown sugar

2 large eggs

3 tsp vanilla

plus  2 TB sugar for sprinkling

Toppings:

2 cups stabilized whipped cream* or Cool Whip 

1 lb strawberries, washed and sliced

1-2 more kiwis, peeled and sliced 

* stabilized whipped cream is pretty easy, lots of recipes out there, I usually use THIS one, but did Cool Whip this time. Don't just use plain whipped cream though, it will liquify pretty quickly.

For the Kiwi Curd:  (make ahead for plenty of time to chill completely!)

Peel the kiwis and puree them in a high powered blender or food processor, add citric acid and while a few more seconds

In a small pot combine egg yolks, whole egg, and sugar, whisk until well combined. Add Kiwi puree and whisk again.

Cook over medium heat whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and reaches 165 degrees. It should coat the back of a spoon.

Once thick remove from heat and add butter chunks, whisking until fully melted and incorporated. 

Transfer to a jar or bowl and chill completely(at LEAST 2 hours) 

For the Sugar Cookie Base:

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 10x15 sheet pan with parchment paper (I spray mine lightly with baking spray too)

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside

In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugars together until very pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla and mix until combined.

Add dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time and mix until combined, do not over mix.

Gather all the dough into a ball and place on parchment lined pan. 

With slightly damp hands, pat until it is in an even layer covering the pan. You can re dampen hands as needed to use wax paper to assist you if you like, gently peeling it off after you have it even.  

Sprinkle with a little extra sugar if you like

Bake in preheated oven 21-25 minutes until browned and crackly. 

Remove from oven and cool completely. 

When the base is completely cool you are ready to assemble

Mix 2 cups of stabilized whipped cream or cool whip with the kiwi curd, stir gently until well combined and spread evenly over base.

 

Top with sliced strawberries and kiwis  

Allow to chill for an hour, slice and enjoy! (I used a pizza cutter 😀

Cuban Sliders

I made these a while back and loved them, but I had been having issues adding pictures to my blog. I finally made them again and got the pictures right! A little time investment but they are so delicious!!

For the Pork- Instant Pot

2lb pork roast 

Marinade:

1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 whole bulb garlic (10-12 cloves!), chopped

3/4 cup grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed is best for the juices!)

1/2 cup lime juice

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 TB oregano

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

For the Crusty Cuban Slider Rolls:

1 1/3 cups warm water

1 TB yeast

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 TB salt (yes TABLESPOON)

3 cups flour

Topping:

3 TB butter, melted

1 TB dijon mustard

1 tsp garlic powder

Remaining Ingredients:

Ham Slices to taste

Swiss Slices to taste

Chopped Dill Pickles

Mayo 

Dijon Mustard

Pork:

In a high power blender combine  all marinade ingredients except the olive oil

Blend until smooth, add the olive oil in a slow stream to emulsify it.

Make about 4 nice deep slices across the pork roast, not all the way through, but enough to open it up a bit.

Place it in a large bowl and cover with marinade. Allow to sit 4-8 hours or overnight if you like.

Preheat the instant pot to sear on high, add a little more olive oil. Remove pork from marinade and sear on all sides. 

Add marinade to the pot with the pork. And cook on high pressure for 50 minutes.

Natural release for 15 minutes.

Remove from the pot and allow to cool until you can shred it well.

On a foil lined pan spread out the shredded pork in a thin layer drizzle with pan dripping. 

Broil under high heat until it is nice and crispy, adding more pan drippings to keep it from drying out too much

For the Cuban Slider Rolls:

In a bowl proof your yeast with the warm water and sugar

When it is bubbly add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt. Mix Well

Switch to a dough hook and add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, Knead until it pulls away from the sides, adding a little more flour IF NEEDED.

Place it in a greased bowl and toss the dough to coat. Cover and allow to rise  in a warm spot for 1 hour.

When it has risen knead again and divide into 12 evenly sized balls. Put into a baking dish so that the are touching slightly. Allow to rise 1 hour more

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes until they are nice and toasty on top

Set aside and allow to cool

When they are fully cooled , remove from pan and slices lengthwise without pulling them apart.

Assembly:

Place the bottom half of the rolls in a baking dish. Spread with Mayo and Dijon mustard to taste,  spread on shredded pork (you dont have to use it all of course), then top with ham slices, pickles and cheese. Drizzle a little more Dijon, spread another thin layer of mayo on the top half of the rolls and set on top.

Combine the topping ingredients and brush evenly over the tops 

Cover with foil and bake 45 minute.

Uncover and bake 15 minutes more.

Allow to set for 10 minutes then slice and enjoy