Fresh Pear Pie

Ingredients

Classic Pie Pastry for one 9 inch double-crust pie

Filling:

½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 Bartlett or Bosc pears (about 6 cups)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Topping:

Approximately 1 teaspoon milk (preferably whole milk)
Approximately 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare pastry for one 9 inch double-crust pie. Line a 9 inch pie pan with the bottom pastry.

Filling:

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Peel, core, and dice pears into small pieces, about ¼ inches thick. Toss pear pieces into sugar mixture, stir until well mixed. Sprinkle lemon juice over pear mixture, stir until well mixed.
Spread pear mixture in the pastry-lined pie pan. Cover filling with the top pastry and flute the edges. Cut slits or decorative designs in the top pastry to allow steam to escape.

Topping:

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush milk over top pastry and fluted edges, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.

Bake:

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F. Bake an additional 60 minutes, or until the pear juices are bubbling and the crust is a golden brown. Tip: During baking, if crust is getting too brown, loosely place a piece of foil over the top to prevent the crust from over-browning.
Remove from oven. Cool on a wire cooling rack before cutting and serving.

Tip: Fruit pies are juicy and usually bubble over while baking; bubbling fruit juices are very sticky and can be hard to clean up. There are a few solutions for easy clean up. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with foil or parchment paper. If using foil, grease the foil for easier removal, or juices that have bubbled over will cause the foil to stick to the bottom of the pan. Discard the paper or foil along with the spilled juices after baking. Or, place a non-stick baking mat on top of un-greased foil, curve up the edges of the foil to keep the juices from spilling onto the floor of the oven, and place the pie directly on the baking mat. Or, place a drip pan lined with foil on a lower oven rack underneath the pie while it is baking to catch the juices when they bubble over.

Easy Pear Butter

INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs. ripe pears, peeled, cored and diced
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of groud nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves

DIRECTIONS:

Stir all ingredients together in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 50 minutes, covering so that the lid is slightly open, and stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the mixture so that the bottom does not burn. Once it has reduced slightly and thickened, remove from heat and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until smooth. (Or you can skip this step and keep the pear butter chunky.)

Transfer to canning jars or a heat-proof container, seal, and refrigerate until ready to use. Keep for up to a week.

*If your pear butter is too thin, feel free to run the mixture through a strainer to remove extra liquid. Alternately, let the mixture simmer on the stove longer to reduce more.

Chipotle Slaw

Ingredients

1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 head purple cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cups whole milk, plus more if needed for thinning
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 cup fresh cilantro, barely chopped

Directions

Combine the shredded green and purple cabbage in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, black pepper, cayenne, salt and chipotles and adobo sauce. Add more milk if you like the dressing a little thinner.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage and toss to combine. Just before serving, toss in the cilantro. You can mix the slaw up to 2 hours before serving.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:
Cabbage Rolls

1 large head green cabbage, about 2 to 2¼ pounds
2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs (not necessary, you can leave them out, but they do make the meat fluffier)
1 medium onion, grated or minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ cup raw long-grain white rice *

Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (medium dice)
2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce or one 32-ounce can whole tomatoes, pulsed in a food processor with juice until pureed.
juice of one lemon or 2 tablespoons (or more to taste) apple cider vinegar
¼ to ¾ cup light brown sugar (Depending on amount of sweetness you prefer. Start with ¼ cup and taste sauce, adding if you like it sweeter. If you prefer it completely savory, add only 1 tablespoon brown sugar and the juice from half a lemon)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup golden raisins (optional)
Chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil. When the water comes to a boil, fill a large bowl with ice water. Cut out as much of the core as you can from the bottom of the cabbage, then drop the whole, cored head into the boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes. Once the leaves separate and are pliable, immediately remove and drop the blanched leaves that separated (or whole head if all the leaves did not separate) in the ice water. Once cooled down, remove and pat the leaves dry. Repeat with any leaves still attached to the head that aren't pliable, if necessary. Alternatively, If you've got time on your hands, you can freeze the wrapped head of cabbage for two days then defrost. The leaves will peel off easily and be soft enough to roll.

Here's some other ideas from readers, although I have yet to try them so I cannot confirm that they work. 1. Place the cabbage in the microwave for 6 minutes. The core will slip right out and the leaves will be perfect for rolling. 2. Take a knife and shave down the vein on each cabbage leaf, but they still need to be softened to roll, so you'd still have to blanch them (extra work), so I'm not sold on this one. 3. You can also throw the whole head in the boiling water without coring it. The leaves just won't separate on their own, but are still easy to peel off.

Set aside about 16 of the largest leaves for stuffing and rolling, then chop some of the remaining leaves to make 1 cup of chopped cabbage and reserve.

Mix the ground beef with the eggs, grated onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and rice. (If you use cooked rice, you can test the seasoning of the meat mixture to your liking by frying up or microwaving a piece of it and tasting, if desired). Divide this mixture into sixteen 2-ounce balls. Using moistened hands, form the balls into cylinders. Place a cylinder of filling near the bottom of a cabbage leaf (if the vein in the leaf is really thick, shave it down with a knife before placing the beef on it, being careful not to cut through the leaf itself.). Begin to roll it up, folding both sides over the filling, and finish rolling to enclose the filling, like an eggroll. Continue, filling and rolling all the cabbage leaves. Place them, seam side down, on a tray or baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a heavy, nonreactive saucepan. Sauté the second onion until soft and golden. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes, then add the reserved chopped cabbage and sauté briefly.

Add the tomato sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine. Increase the heat until it comes to a boil, then lower it and simmer for 5 minutes. Add raisins now, if using.

Line of the bottom of a 13 x 9 roasting pan or glass dish with a layer of sauce. Place cabbage rolls, seam side down, on top of sauce. Top cabbage rolls with remaining sauce then cover the whole pan with tin foil. Bake for 2 hours in a preheated 350F oven

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

2 large cucumbers
1/2 onion
2-3 tomatoes

{For the dressing}

3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions

Make the dressing: add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Slice the cucumbers and onion. Dice tomatoes, removing excess juice. Place in a bowl.
Add the dressing and toss to coat. Salt/pepper to taste if needed.
Best if refrigerated for at least an hour to let the flavors combine.

Chicken Alfredo (by Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients:

12 ounces, weight Bowtie Pasta
4 Tablespoons Butter
2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts 
Salt And Pepper, to taste
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
3/4 cups Dry White Wine (may Substitute Low-sodium Chicken Broth)
1/2 cup Half-and-half
3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream 
Low Sodium Chicken Broth, As Needed For Thinning
3/4 cups Parmesan Shavings Or Grated Parmesan
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced

Preparation Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until deep golden brown on both sides and done in the middle. Remove from the skillet, slice into thin strips, and set aside.

Add additional 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet, followed by the minced garlic. Stir the garlic around the pan to avoid burning, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in wine (or broth), then let it bubble up and reduce for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, cream, and extra salt and pepper, whisking constantly until it's all combined. Allow liquid to heat up and thicken for a few minutes. If it gets too thick, you may thin it with a little chicken broth.

When the sauce looks good, remove it from the heat. Add Parmesan to the pan, then throw the hot pasta right on top of it. Toss it a bit. Add the chicken and continue tossing until it's all combined. Again, if it gets too gloopy, splash in a little broth (you may return the pan to low heat if it needs it.)

On the show she added baby spinach and grape tomatoes. So I did too and it was amazing.

Taste it, adjust seasonings, and top with minced parsley and extra Parmesan. Serve immediately!

Stir-Fry Bok Choy with Garlic & Ginger

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
8 cups chopped fresh bok choy
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
Salt and ground black pepper

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add bok choy and soy sauce cook 3 to 5 minutes, until greens are wilted and stalks are crisp-tender. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

Homemade Steak Seasoning

Ingredients:

½ cup Paprika
¼ cup Kosher Salt
¼ cup Sugar
¼ cup Cumin
¼ cup Granulated Garlic
¼ cup Chili Powder
2 tablespoons Mustard Powder
2 tablespoons Ground Black Pepper
2 tablespoons Cayenne Pepper

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and gently whisk together. Using a funnel, spoon the mixture into 4oz mason jars. Cover and seal.
Rub steaks with Olive Oil then, generously coat with Magic Dust Seasoning. Marinate 1 hour before grilling

Cracker Barrell Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients

2 cups Flour
½ teaspoons Baking Powder
1 pinch Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup Milk, A Bit Less Than A Full Cup
2 quarts Chicken Broth
3 cups Cooked Chicken

Preparation

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry blender. Stir in the milk, mixing with a fork until the dough forms a ball.

Heavily flour a work surface. You’ll need a rolling pin and something to cut the dumplings with. I like to use a pizza cutter. I also like to use a small spatula to lift the dumplings off the cutting surface.

Roll the dough out thin with a heavily floured rolling pin. Dip your cutter in flour and cut the dumplings in squares about 2″x2″. It’s okay for them not to be exact. Just eye ball it. Some will be bigger, some smaller, some shaped funny.

Use the floured spatula to put them on a heavily floured plate. Just keep flouring between the layers of dumplings.

To cook them, bring the broth to a boil. Drop the dumplings in one at a time, stirring while you add them. The extra flour on them will help thicken the broth. Cook them for about 15-20 minutes or until they not doughy tasting. Add the cooked chicken to the pot and you’re done!

Low Country Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4 - center-cut pork chops (inch thick)
salt and pepper
ground cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
2 - tablespoons butter
1/4 - cup all-purpose flour
2 - medium green bell peppers, stemmed, cored, and seeds removed, cut into strips
2 - small onions or 1 large. trimmed, cut lengthwise
2 - cloves garlic, minced
2 - cups low sodium chicken broth or stock
2 - 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Trim the excess fat from the chops and season well with salt, pepper, and cayenne if using. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Lightly roll the chops in flour, shake off any excess, and place them into the pan. Brown well, about 3 minutes per side, and remove to a plate and set aside.

In the same skillet add the green peppers and onions and saute until softened (about 3 minutes). Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant (about one minute). 

Push the vegetables to the side of the skillet. Add pork chops to pan and place vegetables on top of pork chops. Pour in the chicken broth and sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce.

Tightly cover the skillet with foil and allow to simmer for 45 minutes or until chops are tender.

Crockpot Taco Chicken Bowls

Ingredients

1½ lbs. chicken breasts
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
½ lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn
1 Tbsp chili powder
½ Tbsp cumin
½ Tbsp minced garlic
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp salt
to taste cracked pepper
2 cups dry rice
8 oz. shredded cheddar
½ bunch cilantro (optional)

Instructions

Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with ¼ cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.
Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.

Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (Bring the rice and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving).
After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

Baked Parmesan Zucchini

INGREDIENTS

4 zucchini, quartered lengthwise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste.
Place zucchini onto prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan mixture. Place into oven and bake until tender, about 15 minutes. Then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the crisp and golden brown.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Smothered Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion
1 large green bell pepper
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Grill chicken until cook thoroughly.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Warm olive oil in pan, cook onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms until soft. Add in garlic and Italian seasoning and mix together and set aside.

Slice up chicken breasts and place in bottom of 8x8 baking dish. Spread dijon mustard across the chicken. Top with cooked vegetables and then add on mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted.

Smoked Chicken Rub

Ingredients

2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons cayenne
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon black pepper

Directions

This recipe should be seen as a base and can be tweaked depending on your liking. For instance, if you like a little more kick to your chicken, feel free to add a little more chili powder and cayenne to give it some heat. It can be simply made by combining all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. It can also easily be combined with a ¼ to a ½ cup of olive oil if you want to turn it into a paste so it will stick to your chicken. Rub it on any cut of chicken from wings, breasts, thighs or legs. 

Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8-10 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 TBS. freshly ground pepper
1 TBS. paprika
2 TBS. garlic powder
6 TBS. hot sauce

Topping:

2 c. Fiesta Blend Cheese or a mix of Cheddar & Monterey Jack
1 c. crumbled bacon
1 c diced green onion

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500F (This is NOT a typo, 500F is correct!)  In a large bowl mix together theolive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder &hot sauce.  Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat.  Carefully scoop the potatoes into acooking spray coated 9 x 13 inch baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mix as possible.  Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy & browned on the outside.  While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the leftover olive oil/hot sauce mix and stir to coat.  Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400F.  Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken.  In a bowl mix together the cheese, bacon & green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mix.  Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious.  Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing.

Healthy Mexican Casserole

INGREDIENTS

2 red bell peppers
2 green bell peppers
1 jalapeno or 2 chipotle peppers (optional - just for more kick)
½ red onion
2 cups frozen corn
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoon cumin
salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon is a good ballpark measure)
2 cups Mexican cheese (mine was a Sargento blend)
18-20 corn tortillas
1 can refried beans
2 cups red enchilada sauce
cilantro, guacamole, or sour cream for garnishments.

INSTRUCTIONS

Roast the veggies: Dice the peppers and mince the onions. Heat a large nonstick skillet with NO oil over high heat. Add the onion and peppers, sprinkle with chili and cumin, and do not stir. This allows the peppers to roast and brown on the outside. After a few minutes, give the pan a shake or stir and let the peppers sit again for a few more minutes without stirring. Remove and set aside. Repeat the roasting process with the corn, sprinkling with chili and cumin, removing from the heat when browned and roasted on the outside. Sprinkle the roasted veggies with a little bit of salt and toss to coat.

Prep the ingredients: Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tortillas into thin strips. Put the refried beans in a bowl and mix with a little bit of water to make them easier to spread.

Assemble: Spread a little bit of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer in order: half of the tortilla strips, ALL the beans, half of the veggies, half of the sauce, half of the cheese. Cover with the other half of the tortilla strips, veggies, sauce, and cheese.
Bake: Cover with foil (I usually spray mine with cooking spray) and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Serve with guacamole, fresh cilantro, sour cream, or anything in the world that you want.

One Pot Chili Mac & Cheese

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, diced
8 ounces ground beef
4 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 ounces elbows pasta
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and ground beef, and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.

Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer and stir in pasta. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-15 minutes.
Remove from heat. Top with cheese and cover until melted, about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin pan with non stick spray.
Stir together flour, salt, baking powder and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Combine milk, eggs, sugar, peanut butter and oil in a separate bowl; combine ingredients until just moistened. Do not over beat.

Fill 18 muffin tins. Top with a few chocolate chips. Bake for 14 minutes.

Tin Foil Hobo Dinner

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Worcestershire sauce
BBQ sauce
Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Use a large square piece of aluminum foil for each tin foil dinner.  Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.  Separate ground beef into 4 equal patties and place in the center of each piece of foil.  Divide potatoes, carrots, and onion evenly between all 4 dinners and place on top of meat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.  Pour a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce on top of each dinner and fold foil up tightly around the entire meal.  Cook on a grill on medium-high heat or an open fire for 25-30 minutes, or until vegetables and meat are cooked through.  Open foil carefully and top with BBQ sauce and shredded cheese.

Firecracker Chicken

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup canola oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt
pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten
Sauce:
⅓ cup buffalo sauce (if you like more heat use hot sauce, like Frank’s brand)
1¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.

In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture. I have also found that you can put the cornstarch in a gallon sized bag and shake the chicken to coat.

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, buffalo sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, salt and red pepper flakes. Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour.
I stirred the chicken every 15 minutes so that it coated them in the sauce.