Apple Pie

Mr. Brady is always trying for the perfect apple pie. I don't usually care for apple pie much, but I wanted to get in on the action. So I found a top rated recipe and read a bunch of its reviews. I loved this one.

Lower your oven rack one notch. Preheat oven to 350. Line deep dish pie plate with bottom crust. Plan out your top crust before you start the other stuff: cut strips for a lattice or fun designs (even using cookie cutters) for venting.

The filling involves 2 easy parts: peeling/cutting the apples (easy if you have a corer slicer tool) and making the syrup to go with it. If you're doing it by yourself, do the apples first; the syrup hardens quickly, reviewers say. We used 5 large apples: 2 Granny Smith and 3 sweeter firm apples. We chopped them pretty small.

On stovetop melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Add, stir constantly and bring to a boil:
3 TB flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix about 2/3 of the syrup with the apples and pour onto the bottom crust. Add the top crust (crimping the edges) and brush the rest of the syrup onto the top crust. Bake until golden brown (I forgot to time it)--somewhere between 45-60 min.

Other reviewers suggest brushing the bottom crust with egg white to avoid crust sogginess, as well as adding cinnamon if you like it. I think I'll try those next time.

French Bread

4 loaves! I freeze 2 of them for later.

Let sit until foamy:
4 1/2 cups warm water
4 1/2 TB sugar
3 TB yeast

Add:
1/2 cup + 1 TB oil
2 eggs
3 tsp salt
12-15 cups flour (you know, mix a few cups in, mix, add more while mixing, etc., until bowl is scraped clean)

Let rise.

Form 4 loaves on 2 cookie sheets (I use my kitchen scale nowadays to make them each about the same size). Bake at 375. Actually, I just accidentally baked mine at 350 with my speed bake option and I think I like them better. Also, you can glaze them with egg white mixed with water before baking if you want.

Fajita Marinade

We used this yesterday. I would omit the salt and use half the cayenne next time (too spicy for some of the kids). The flavor was great, though. I used lemon instead of lime juice. We cut the raw chicken/beef in strips, marinated them for a couple hours, and then cooked them with the marinade on the stove.

Red Velvet Pancakes

2 cups  all-purpose flour  
1 cup  powdered sugar
1/2 cup  granulated sugar 
1/2 cup  unsweetened cocoa  
1 1/2 teaspoons  baking powder  
1/2 teaspoon  baking soda  
1/2 teaspoon  salt  

1 1/2 cups  buttermilk  
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons red liquid food coloring
mini chocolate chips (optional but I think it would be a great addition--can sprinkle them once the pancake is already poured)

Cook on 300-325 degree griddle and use butter to grease it each time. I burned my first pancake, so I lowered the griddle temp and thinned the batter a bit. Then it wouldn't stay together as well, so I added another egg. Basically, they cook differently than regular pancakes but they're fun. Serve with whipped cream!

Carrot Cake

This original recipe calls for 2 cups sugar (as much sugar as flour) and it wouldn't come out of the cake pans even after I double oiled them. So I'm reducing the sugar next time I try it. We put extra cream cheese in the frosting without adding extra sugar and it was yummy. This is how I'll do it next time. 2 rounds take about 40 mins to bake.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cake:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups oil

4 eggs

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts (yum yum)

Frosting:

1 1/2 sticks butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar (or more to taste)
1 tsp vanilla

BBQ Pork Chops in the Crockpot

Super easy and satisfying. I did about 6 pork chops. Poured barbeque sauce over the first layer and then the second layer. Most recipes say cook them on low for 6-7 hours, but I didn't have that long so I did the first hour on high and then 4-5 hours on low.

Chicken, Veggie, and Noodle Stir Fry (Lo Mein)

This is an easy stir-fry dish that my family can handle--not too weird and you can even just use plain spaghetti noodles. My kids like broccoli and peppers (and most will eat zucchini), so this is a good fit. I think only one kid didn't like it. I'll make it this way next time:

Whisk together these ingredients for the marinade/sauce. Use 1/2 cup of it with the raw chicken to marinate in the fridge. Save the rest of the marinade for the sauce. Use low-sodium chicken broth and soy sauce if available.
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 TB brown sugar
1 1/2 TB cornstarch
3 TB each rice vinegar and soy sauce (4 was too salty because I didn't have low-sodium chicken broth or soy sauce)
1 TB sesame or olive oil

Cook according to package directions, then drain and rinse in cold water:
10 ounces spaghetti, broken in half 

Stir Fry:
1-1 1/2 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (marinated as stated above) until cooked through

Add these to the chicken with the rest of the marinade/sauce:
1-2 cups (or more) broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
2 red, orange or yellow bell peppers, diced
5 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
pepper to taste

When broccoli is desired tenderness, add drained noodles, then add:
1 tsp sesame seeds
cashews

Once thoroughly heated through, serve and enjoy!