Caramel Apple Pie Cheesecake

 I made this for Thanksgiving and everyone raved over it. Cole even asked to take the rest of the pie home.

I made the crust with vanilla wafers because Dad is allergic to graham crackers. I also made the pie the night before and assembled it all and kept it in the fridge. Then I cooked the next day.

Apple Pie Filling:

2 3/4 C apples diced into 1/2 inch cubes (roughly 3 apples)

1 Tbsp melted butter

1/4 C light brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbsp corn starch

1/2 C water

Graham Cracker Crust (Vanilla Wafer option)

2 1/4 C graham cracker crumbs (vanilla wafers)

1/4 C light brown sugar

1-2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)

6 Tbsp butter melted- slightly cooled

Crisp Topping

1/2 C flour

1/2 C light brown sugar

1/2 C quick oats

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 C butter melted

Cheesecake Filling:

12 oz cream cheese

1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp flour

1 large egg

Topping:

Caramel Sauce whip cream, or vanilla ice cream (I forgot the caramel sauce and it was still amazing!)

Apple Pie Filling: 

Peel apples and dice into 1/2 inch cubes. In large saucepan melt 1 Tbsp butter. Add apples cubes, brown sugar, lemon juice, corn starch, water, and spices.

Crust:

Preheat oven 350. In a bowl stir cookie of choice (graham or wafers), cinnamon, and brown sugar. Add melted butter and stir until everything is evenly moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom and the sides of the 9 inch pie dish. Bake 8 minutes and then let it cool.

Crisp Topping:

Stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add melted butter and whisk with a fork to make the crumbs.

Cheesecake Filling:

Beat softened cream cheese with sugar, vanilla, and flour. Add slightly beaten egg and mix just to combine. Spread the mixture in prebaked crust pan.

Then spread the apples over the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle with the crisp topping and bake for 35-40 minutes. If it starts browning on the top too much tent the top with aluminum foil.

Cool before serving. Drizzle with caramel sauce.

Salsa Fresca Chicken Bake

 2 lbs chicken breast (roughly)

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt, divided

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes (sometimes I don't put this in)

2 C grape or Roma Tomatoes diced

1/2 C onion, chopped

1/3 C chopped jalapeno (whatever you can handle)

1/2 C chopped cilantro

1/2 lime juice (fresh is best)

1 C shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400. Chop chicken into small bite size pieces and place into the bottom of a large baking dish. Season it evenly with cumin, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper. Mix the chicken up to coat it evenly.

In a bowl combine chopped tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice with 1/4 tsp salt. Pour over the chicken and top it off with mozzarella.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Grilled Coconut Lime Curry Chicken With Coconut Rice

 A friend made this for us and it was so delicious. It is healthy too. I was surprised at how much I liked it.

Marinade for Chicken

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lime

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 Tbsp Coconut Aminos  or substitute Soy Sauce (low sodium)

1 Tbsp Honey (raw)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp curry powder

4 Tbsp Coconut Milk 

1 dash cayenne pepper

14 oz chicken breast

COCONUT RICE

1/2 C Jasmine Rice

1 1/2 C Coconut Milk

1/4 C water

dash of salt

Optional Sides/Toppings

Pineapple (grilled)

Asparagus (grilled)

Cilantro

Lime

Add olive oil, lime zest & juice, cumin, coriander, coconut aminos, honey, salt, curry powder, 4 Tbsp coconut milk, and cayenne to a bowl. Mix together. Pour half into a bag for marinade and save the other half in the fridge. Slice chicken and add to the marinade. Marinate for 2 or more hours.

Coconut Rice:

Add 1 1/2 C coconut milk, water, rice, and a pinch of salt to a pot. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, stir rice, cover, and let cook for 20 minutes. Stir and remove from heat.

Chicken:

Remove chicken from marinade. Heat up grill to medium-high heat. Add chicken to grill and cook for 5 minutes per side. 

Serve chicken over coconut rice and top with the remaining marinade in the fridge. Optional toppings of chopped cilantro, lime juice.

Lasagna Soup

 I may not make lasagna ever again! Only half kidding. This soup is really good and it is so simple to make. 

1 lb. ground beef (or half sausage half beef)

1 onion diced

4 minced garlic cloves

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 24 oz jar your favorite tomato sauce (I used tomato basil)

8-10 C chicken broth, divided

14 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp tomato paste (I don't think I actually had this)

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 bay leaf

15 lasagna noodles, uncooked (however many you like, I liked the noodles)

1/2 C Heavy Cream

Optional Toppings:

Parmesan Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese

Ricotta Cheese

Cottage Cheese

Heat large pot on stove. Add ground beef and onion and cook until beef is browned. Add garlic and red pepper and saute for 30 seconds. Drain any excess fat.

Add tomato sauce, 6 C chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, spices, bay leaf, and lasagna noodles. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until the noodles are tender. Stir occasionally (roughly 20-30 minutes)

Remove bay leaf and stir in the heavy cream and 2-4 cups of chicken broth to get the desired consistency. Add whatever cheese you prefer. (I just added parmesan the first time and it was delicious!)

One Pot Chicken and Dirty Rice

This is a staple in our home. So much flavor in one pot!

INGREDIENTS

Marinade:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried minced onion

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp lemon juice

Tbsp enough olive oil to make a paste, about 1

Rest of Dish:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 link of andouille sausage sliced into 1/4" slices

4 bone-in skin on chicken thighs (I do boneless skinless and it works great!)

1 medium yellow onion diced

1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced (I've done without this)

2 celery stalks diced

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

1 C DRY long-grain rice

2 1/4 C Chicken stock or broth

sliced green onions for garnish

Minced fresh parsley for garnish (I haven't done this)

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and add chicken thighs to coat. Set aside

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add drizzle of Olive oil to dutch oven and heat over MED-HIGH heat. Brown andouille sausageon both sides. Transfer to a plate.

Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and sear for 2-3 minutes per side, nice crispy skin.

Transfer chicken to plate with sausage and use a paper towel to wipe out any black bits from the pan. Brown bits and pan drippings are good to leave.

Lower heat MED-LOW and ad in chopped onion, jalapeno, and celery. Saute for about 2-3 minutes, until softened.

Add Cayenne, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and stir.  

Add Rice and chicken stock, give it a stir, and let simmer for 1 minute.

Place chicken thighs and sausage on top of the rice, pour in juices on the plate as well, and return to a simmer and cover. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, covered.

Removed cover and bake another 10-15 minutes until liquid is absorbed into the rice.

Garnish if you'd like. 

ENJOY!

You can find the original recipe HERE.

Hidden Veggie Chicken and Rice

 This is a great way to use up your zucchini's you've been growing. You can also shred them and measure them in 2 Cups and bag them and store them in the freezer and pull out whenever you want to make this recipe. This is a huge hit among our whole family!

INGREDIENTS

5 Chicken Thighs
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Dried Basil
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
2 Cups Grated Zucchini
1 C Rice
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 1/2 C Chicken Broth

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the chicken thighs in a bowl with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, dried basil, and dried oregano. Mix until thoroughly coated with the seasoning.

On high, heat olive oil in an ovenproof pot and place chicken thighs, skin-side down, in the hot oil. Cook 3-4 minutes or until the thighs develop brown crispy skin, and flip over. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes to brown the other side, and remove from the pot.

Grate both zucchinis with a box grater.

Add the grated zucchini into a pot, along with rice, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.

Lay the chicken on top of the rice mixture and cover. Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken's internal temp reads 165 degrees F. I usually go off temp, and it seems to cook faster than 30 minutes. 

Remove chicken and broil 1-2 minutes to crisp skin even more (optional), I didn't even know this was a step until now...

Serve chicken on bed of rice mixture and enjoy!

Garlic Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

Garlic Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

1/2 cup soy sauce, divided 1/4 cup each

4 tsp minced garlic, divided 2 tsp each

6 Tbsp brown sugar, divided 3 Tbsp each

2 tsp sesame oil, divided 1 tsp each

1 pound chicken, cut into bite sized cubes

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 cup sugar snap peas

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

2 cups broccoli

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 Tbsp cornstarch

chopped green onions and sesame seeds for garnish, optional

*Don't forget to start the rice!

In a small bow or cup mix together 1/4 c. soy sauce, 2 tsp garlic, 3 Tbsp brown sugar and 1 tsp sesame oil.

In a large skillet over medium high heat saute the chicken with the sauce until chicken in barely cooked through. Remove chicken and sauce to a bowl and cover to keep warm.

Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to skillet. Add all the veggies and saute until almost tender.

In the small bowl/cup from before mix together the remaining 1/4 c. soy sauce, 2 tsp garlic, 3 Tbsp brown sugar and 1 tsp sesame oil. Pour over veggies once almost tender and cook until the sauce has thickened.

Garnish with green onions and sesame seed. Serve over jasmine rice.

**For a meatless meal leave out the chicken portion of this recipe.