Pumpkin Muffins

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
  
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (to taste)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (to taste)
  
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves (to taste)
  
• 3 eggs
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Grease three 12 cup muffin pans, or line with paper muffin liners. Soak raisins in hot water for ten minutes to plump, then drain.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, pumpkin, and applesauce, until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly to make a smooth batter. Stir the raisins and walnuts into the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

• 2 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1tart apple - peeled, cored and sliced
• 3 tablespoons pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done. Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender. Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops. Keep warm in the preheated oven.
Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly. Spoon sauce over apples and chops. Sprinkle with pecans.

Chicken Scarpariello

• 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper

Cut chicken breasts into 1 x 3 inch strips, and dredge in flour.
In 10 inch skillet, heat oil and butter. Add chicken. Cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides (3 to 4 minutes). Using tongs, remove chicken from skillet. Set aside and keep warm.
To same skillet, add shallots and garlic. Saute until softened (1 minute). Add water, wine, broth mix, and seasonings. Mix well. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by 1/2 (3 to 4 minutes). Return chicken to skillet, and cook until sauce is thick and chicken is heated through (2 to 3 minutes). Serve over angel hair pasta.

This was a thank-you dinner for Craig, in my appreciate for his picking me up from the airport. I served it with green beans and pasta; beer for him. Like a white sauce, this isn't nearly as rich and you don't feel like taking a nap immediately after. Very tasty.

Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Marsala sauce

• 2 pork tenderloins
• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup Marsala wine
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 cup heavy cream (I used half and half)
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat pork tenderloins generously with mustard. Oil a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange tenderloins in pan, and brown the meat. Turn to brown evenly. Transfer meat to prepared baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn, and continue cooking for 20 minutes, or until desired doneness.
Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat in the same pan used to cook the pork. Cook shallots in butter until soft. Stir in Marsala, mustard, and cream, and cook until volume of liquid is reduced by half.
Slice pork, and place on a serving dish. Spoon sauce over meat, and serve.

Slow Cooker Chicken Parisienne

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• paprika to taste
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
  
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Sprinkle chicken breasts lightly with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. Place in slow cooker.
In a mixing bowl, combine the wine, condensed soup, and mushrooms. In another bowl, mix together sour cream and flour. Stir sour cream mixture into the mushrooms and wine. Pour over chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with additional paprika, if desired.
Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.


I made this as a 'bon voyage' meal for TJ and Alycia, a couple days before they left for their Roman holiday. I made the chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and broccoli, and took it over to their house, where we ate on the futon watching the Office, and then packed. Alycia thought the 'skirts reaching below the knee must be worn' rule for churches in Italy meant that she must wear skirts...

Morning Glory muffins

• 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1 apple - peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup apple butter
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly oil 18 muffin cups, or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, apple butter, applesauce and vanilla.
In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in carrots, apples and raisins. Stir in apple butter mixture until just moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed.

Peanut Butter Soup

• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
• 1 cup peeled and cubed potatoes
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup canned whole tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, combine the broth, chicken, potatoes, and carrots. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, till vegetables are tender.
Add zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Simmer for about 8 minutes.
Add peanut butter, salt, and pepper; stir until peanut butter is fully blended. Simmer for 3 minutes longer.

Apple Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups chopped apples
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
4. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.
5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Garlic honey chicken

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained with juice reserved
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook chicken thighs just until evenly browned on all sides. Place thighs in a slow cooker.
In a bowl, mix honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, ginger, and reserved pineapple juice. Pour into the slow cooker.
Cover, and cook 4 hours on High. Stir in pineapple tidbits just before serving.
Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Remove thighs from slow cooker. Blend the cornstarch mixture into remaining sauce in the slow cooker to thicken. Serve sauce over the chicken.

Apple Crisp

• 1o-ish apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T vanilla
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 dash nutmeg
• 1/2 C cider (or water)
• 1 box white/yellow cake mix
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 3/4 C oats
• 1/2 C butter, melted
  

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with the lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spread apple slices evenly in a 13x9 pan. Pour the cider or water over the apples (this can be ommitted). You could also add caramel ice cream topping here.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together cake mix, brown sugar and oats. Slowly pour the butter, mixing, until you have a moist, crumbly 'dough'. Spread the mixture over the apples. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until crust is browning. (I put foil on for the second half of baking).


Another volume in the Apple Chronicles. We had a pizza party at our weekly radio show and since I didn't want to make pie, but I did want to use as many apples as possible, I decided to experiment in making apple crisp (which I think is better than pie, anyway).