TWD apple pie cake...

I joined a baking group called "Tuesdays With Dorie"!! Once a week a member picks a recipe from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook "Baking, From My Home To Yours" and we all post our results on the following Tuesday. Fun, huh? This weeks recipe is "Russian Grandmothers' Apple-Pie Cake, chosen by Natalie from Burned Bits.

This pie/cake is amazing. It is two layers of dough that is a cross between cookie dough and pie crust...that sandwiches cinnamon apples...need I say more? It was really fun to make, and tastes spectacular.

For The Dough
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1 lemon
3 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For The Apples
10 medium apples (I like to use Fuji)
Squirt of fresh lemon juice
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

Sugar, preferably decorating (coarse) sugar, for dusting

To Make The Dough: Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes more. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the baking powder and salt and mix just to combine. Add the lemon juice - the dough will probably curdle, but don't worry about it. Still working on low speed, slowly but steadily add 3 1/4 cups of the flour, mixing to incorporate it and scraping down the bowl as needed. The dough is meant to be soft, but if you think it looks more like a batter than a dough at this point, add the extra 1/4 cup flour. (The dough usually needs the extra flour.) When properly combined, the dough should almost clean the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a rectangle. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or for up to 3 days. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months; defrost overnight in the refrigerator.)

To Make The Apples: Peel and core the apples and cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick; cut the slices in half crosswise if you want. Toss the slices in a bowl with a little lemon juice - even with the juice, the apples may turn brown, but that's fine - and add the raisins. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together, sprinkle over the apples and stir to coat evenly. Taste an apple and add more sugar, cinnamon, and/or lemon juice if you like.

Getting Ready to Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 9x12-inch baking pan (Pyrex is good) and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Remove the dough from the fridge. If it is too hard to roll and it cracks, either let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin to get it moving. Once it's a little more malleable, you've got a few choices. You can roll it on a well-floured work surface or roll it between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper. You can even press or roll out pieces of the dough and patch them together in the pan - because of the baking powder in the dough, it will puff and self-heal under the oven's heat. Roll the dough out until it is just a little larger all around than your pan and about 1/4 inch thick - you don't want the dough to be too thin, because you really want to taste it. Transfer the dough to the pan. If the dough comes up the sides of the pan, that's fine; if it doesn't that's fine too.

Give the apples another toss in the bowl, then turn them into the pan and, using your hands, spread them evenly across the bottom.

Roll out the second piece of dough and position it over the apples. Cut the dough so you've got a 1/4 to 1/2 inch overhang and tuck the excess into the sides of the pan, as though you were making a bed. (If you don't have that much overhang, just press what you've got against the sides of the pan.)

Brush the top of the dough lightly with water and sprinkle sugar over the dough. Using a small sharp knife, cut 6 to 8 evenly spaced slits in the dough.

Bake for 65 to 80 minutes, or until the dough is a nice golden brown and the juices from the apples are bubbling up through the slits. Serve warm or at room temp.

I cut the recipe in half and omitted the raisins.I served it up warm with a little vanilla bean ice cream. It was fabulous. This will definitely grace my kitchen many, many more times! Thanks for the great recipe choice Natalie!

pie crust cookies...

I had leftover pastry from the pot pies, so I took a trip down memory lane. My mom used to make pie crust cookies for us at Thanksgiving with the excess dough from her pies. YUM! It's pretty simple...just roll out remaining pastry dough, cut into squares (I use a pizza cutter), "dot" with a fork and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, or until golden brown. I enjoyed every bite!!

chicken pot pie...

*filling*

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cooked and diced

6 Tbsp butter

1 small onion, diced

2 med potatoes, peeled & cubed

3 carrots, thinly sliced

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 -3/4 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup green peas; frozen

2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

1 tsp salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steam carrots & potatoes until almost fork tender. In a med saucepan cook butter & onions until onions are translucent. Add flour and cook about 1 min. Add milk and chicken broth. Cook over med heat, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat and add chicken,vegetables, parsley, salt & pepper.

*pastry*

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 pound cold butter, diced

1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

salt and pepper

Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter. Pulse 10 times, or until the butter and shortening is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Place filling in desired baking dishes. Paint egg wash around edges of dish(es), so pastry will stick. Roll out pastry on a floured surface and cut pieces that are a little larger than baking dish (allowing it to drape over the sides). Carefully transfer dough to cover filling. Try not to pull or stretch dough, just pick up, or wrap around rolling pin and place down. Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with salt & pepper (if desired). Cut a few slits in dough to allow steam to escape. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 min until golden brown and bubbly.

I usually don't cook such a time consuming meal, but this is one I have wanted to try for a while. I had a little extra time this weekend, so I did what I love to do... cook! THIS WAS FABULOUS!! The filling recipe is adapted from the pot pie recipe that was served in the Marshall Fields restaurant for years. I changed it up a little to fit my tastes. The pastry is a recipe from Barefoot Contessa. I know, it is a lot of work...but if you have the time/desire...give it a try. It seriously is the best I've tasted. And...the family loved it!

southwest chicken tenders...

1/2 cup cracker crumbs (Ritz, Townhouse, etc.)

2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 pound (about 12) boneless chicken tenderloins

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Combine crumbs, flour, chili powder, salt and cumin in a shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg whites; coat with crumb mixture. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 min or until golden brown, OR fry in a shallow pan with 3 Tbsp oil, 5-6 min, turning once.

*black bean salsa*

1 15oz can black beans; drained and rinsed

1 15oz can corn; drained

1/2 red onion; diced

3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

juice of one lime or lemon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients and marinade at least 1 hour before serving.

This was a big hit. The chili powder and cumin add a very subtle flavor that is not spicy at all, just good! I never fry food...but I gave it a try on this one. I actually fried half of them and baked half of them. Everyone in the family got one of each and had to tell me which one they liked better...I don't think I need to tell you the results...however, the baked chicken was fabulous, too. Next time, just for health purposes, I will bake them...but if you want to taste something exceptionally wonderful...fry 'em up!

The black bean salsa is so easy and excellent with chips. The longer it marinades, the better it is. The onion was a little strong the first night, but the next day it was just right. Obviously, you could add anything you like to this recipe...tomatoes, avocado, olives, cilantro...mmmmm!

crispy potato wedges...

4-5 med baking potatoes, cut lengthwise into wedges

nonstick cooking spray

1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray; set aside. Combine bread crumbs, parm. cheese, salt & pepper in a medium sized bowl. Spray cut sides of potatoes generously with cooking spray. Toss potatoes 1-2 at a time in bread crumb mixture, tossing to coat generously. Place on baking sheet. Bake about 20 min until potatoes are fork tender and golden brown. Serve with dipping sauces (ranch, honey mustard, etc.)

YUM!!!

chicken & rice soup & butter dipped squares...

*chicken & rice soup*

4 chicken breasts, cooked & diced

2 cups cooked rice

3-4 carrots; diced

1-2 stalks celery; diced

1 small onion; diced

2 Tbsp butter

5-6 cups chicken stock

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

(extra stock or water can be added to desired consistency)

Sautee vegetables in butter until tender. Add cooked chicken, cooked rice, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Simmer 30-40 min. Add soup and sour cream and cook 10 min, or until heated through.

*butter dipped squares*

2 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter (NO margarine); melted

flour

Place 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt in a measuring cup. Add flour to measure 1 cup. In a bowl, combine flour mixture, sugar and milk; mix well. Turn onto a floured surface; sprinkle with flour. Pat dough to 1/2 inch thickness. With a sharp knife dipped in flour, cut into 3-in. x 2-in. pieces (approx). Pour butter into an ungreased 9x13 pan. Dip one side of each piece into melted butter. Carefully turn to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 10 min. or until golden brown.

OK, yummy dinner! For the soup I actually used fat free cream of chicken soup and fat free sour cream...I had to counteract the butter in the bread somehow...Anyways, it was fabulous. I think it would be great with brown rice, too. I got this recipe from my friend, Jennie :), she also suggests making it with wild rice. My kids loved this soup. It makes a lot, but the recipe could be easily cut in half. However, we just had the leftovers the next night...with no complaints!

The bread is a buttery, biscuit-like, crispy edged perfect companion to this or any soup. It comes together really quickly, which is always a bonus! Don't be put off by the baking powder & flour measuring step...this is just a substitute for self-rising flour, which I never have on hand. The dough is really wet and sticky, so don't be afraid to use flour when patting it out on the counter. Also, mine rarely end up looking like squares...you could just cut/slice them any way you like...breadsticks come to mind...

some favorites...

I am a salad girl...I love, love, love salad! I don't love bagged salad, though. In a pinch, it's not that bad...It's just definitely not as fresh, and goes bad too soon. So, I buy whatever salad greens I'm in the mood for and wash them, cut them, and keep them in my handy dandy salad spinner. Seriously, I love this thing. It not only spins all of the water out, but it is a great place to store greens so they stay colorful and crisp. It is also convenient to have the lettuce already washed and ready for a quick lunch or dinner salad.

And...if you have never before tried an English Cucumber (sometimes called Hot House, or seedless)...you are missing out. These little babies don't need to be peeled, and they have the yummiest, freshest flavor. They are definitely more expensive than regular garden cucumbers, but so worth it.