Apple Fritters

After getting the little darlings off to school this morning, I decided to embark upon some fritter making activities. Seemed like a fine way to spend a Thursday morning. 

I had a hard time regulating between burning them and not getting them done in the middle.  But otherwise, they are pretty darned easy, and quite delicious.  

Here's the recipe from No Fear Entertaining if you feel like giving it a try...

Fritter:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup chopped apple

Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Directions: Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon. Stir in milk and egg until just combined. Fold in apple. Pour oil into skillet so that it is approximately 1 1/2 deep. Heat oil on high. (on my stove, high was too high, just above medium worked best for me.) Oil is ready when dough floats to top. Carefully add dough to oil in heaping teaspoons. Cook until brown, about 2 minutes, then flip. Cook another 1-2 minutes, until both sides are browned. Transfer briefly to paper towels to absorb excess oil, then transfer to cooling rack. Make glaze by stirring milk and powdered sugar together in a small bowl. Drizzle over apple fritters. Wait approximately 3 minutes for glaze to harden, then flip fritters and drizzle glaze over the other side. Best served warm.

apple-y good inside shot 

Chocolate Kahlua Cake

I love Kahlua, and I love desserts made with Kahlua.  When I saw this post at one of my favorite blogs, Lick The Bowl Good, several months back, I knew I wanted this cake to be mine.  It turned out moist and delicious! We almost ate the whole thing in one day.

This might be nice to serve for Thanksgiving, if you've got somebody who doesn't care for pumpkin.  Me, I'll be working.  (Time and a half, baby!)

Here's Monica's recipe:

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 small box instant chocolate pudding
• 2 tsp. instant espresso powder
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil
• 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee or water
• 1/2 cup Kahlua
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, place cake mix, pudding mix and instant espresso powder and mix together with a whisk.

In a large measuring cup, mix the remaining wet ingredients together and blend til well mixed.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until well combined with an electric hand mixer or a large whisk. Mix until well combined and lump free.

Pour cake mix into prepared Bundt pan and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, top with glaze (recipe below).

Kahlua Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder
• 1 Tbsp. Kahlua
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients til smooth and pourable. If too thick and a few drops of water. If too thin, add more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.

Pour or spoon glaze over the entire cake. Garnish with mini chocolate chips if desired.  (I didn't have any so I used pecans).   Allow glaze to set before slicing into cake.

Caramel Cream Cheese Apple Dip

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a low-stress Thanksgiving week.  I have to work that day, but will be celebrating a bit on Wednesday since it's also my son's birthday.  Went to a fun baby shower today and brought this dip along.

This dip is kinda the best of both worlds if you like caramel dip and cream cheese dip.  Just put them together and it's all kinds of yum!  Here's the recipe I found from Jane Deere.

2 8-oz pkgs Cream Cheese, softened 

½ cup powdered sugar

1 16 oz carton Old Fashioned caramel apple dip 

1 cup Heath Bits ‘O Brickle Toffee Bits

4 large Granny Smith Apples, sliced thick

In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy.  Spread mixture evenly onto a platter.  Spread caramel apple dip on top of the cream cheese layer.  Sprinkle top generously with toffee bits.  Serve with thick slices of Granny Smith apples.

I also recently made this Black Bean Burrito Bake that I found at Sidewalk Shoes sometime back.  I personally thought it was wonderful and easy.  Some children didn't care for it too much.

 I couldn't get a decent picture to save my life.  And don't get me started on that broccoli.  I've been making it the Ina Garten way lately and just can't get enough of it!  

Here's the black bean recipe for ya:

• 1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (full fat yogurt – whatever floats your boat)
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
• 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup bottled salsa
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove one chile from can. Chop chile. Reserve remaining adobo sauce and chiles for another use. Combine sour cream (or yogurt) and chile in a medium bowl; let stand 10 minutes.

Place half of beans in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add chopped beans, remaining beans, and corn to sour cream mixture.

Spoon 1/2 cup bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread salsa over tortillas; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Serves 4

Greetings & Some Chicken

Greetings to you all....this is my first post on my new blog.  If you've stopped by, you may or may not know me from some other blog.  I doubt this one will be much different, but I just felt like a new location, so here we are!  I'm not really sure how this is going to work out, but new things are always fun.  Usually?  Well, here goes....


I tried a new Rachael Ray recipe a few days ago...I actually found 3 of her books at a thrift store for $2 each and brought them all home with me.  I know she's not everyone's favorite, but she makes some nice stuff now and then.  


She calls this one "Rummy Chicken" and I chose it because I had bought some rum, and used just a little and just couldn't find time to drink the rest ;)

4 bone-in chicken breasts
4 bone-in chicken legs and thighs  
(we had some leg quarters in the freezer so I just used those)
2 tbsp grill seasoning
1 cup light rum
zest and juice of one orange
1 cup fresh basil, shredded


Place the chicken in a shallow dish.  Season the meat liberally on both sides with grill seasoning.  Add the rum, orange zest, juice, and basil to the dish; turn the chicken to coat and combine.  Let stand for 15 minutes.


Grill the chicken for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally, until the juices run clear.  


It was good, no complaints here.  But I can't say the rum added anything major.  I ended up just baking it in the oven rather than grilling it since it was rather stinkin' hot outside.  


So, I wish I had come up with something really amazing to post for the new blog, but I didn't....hopefully you'll come back anyway!