Apple Pecan Cake

This recipe is my all time favorite cake recipe. It's so moist and delicious, made with apples, cinnamon, spices and pecans topped with a wonderful brown sugar icing...it just screams Autumn! It stays fresh several days...in fact it gets better with time! This recipe comes from my favorite cookbook of all time, "Sassafras" The Junior League of Springfield Missouri (my hometown) published it back in 1985. I wore my first copy out, and my husband gave me another one in 2002. There are so many wonderful recipes in it, but since we are getting closer to the holidays, I thought I'd share this cake recipe with you.

Ingredients:

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

3 eggs, well beaten

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups peeled, chopped apples

1 cup chopped pecans

Icing:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a bundt pan. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix oil, sugar and eggs. Add vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda and salt. Blend into oil mixture. Fold in apples and pecans. Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 60 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool. To prepare icing, bring brown sugar, butter and milk to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Beat with a spoon until icing is cool. Drizzle over cake. Serves 12 to 15.

Kielbasa and Kraut

This is such a quick and easy dinner idea! And so delicious! I really like Frank's sauerkraut the best. It doesn't seem as sour or tart as other brands that I've tried.

Kielbasa and Kraut

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb. Kielbasa smoked sausage (or any kind of hard sausage) sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

1 14 oz. can kraut, drained and rinsed

1 medium onion, diced

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Saute' onion until transparent. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute more. Add sausage. Cook until it's almost seared. Add drained kraut and stir ingredients together. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Miss Cindy's Homemade Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

First off, I think the reason this recipe turned out so good was because of the soup base I used. Instead of using canned chicken broth, or bouillon cubes, I used "Better ThanBouillon" you'll find it in the section of the grocery store where the chicken broth is. I love this stuff! It comes in other flavors too, like beef, pork and ham. And I think using heavy whipping cream gives it an incredible creamy texture and flavor! This is by far, the BEST soup I've ever made!! So delicous!

Start out by chopping all of your ingredients, chicken, onion, carrots and celery.

Melt butter and add onion, carrots and celery. Cook until onions are transparent and celery and carrots are soft. About 10 minutes. Add bouillon, slowly add water, whisking together then add chicken and crushed bay leaf.

Cook for about 20 minutes, bring to a boil. Add spices and cook for about 10 more minutes.

In a small bowl add flour and spoon enough of the broth out of the pan, whisking together to adsorb the flour making a runny paste. Whisk the mixture into the soup, this will thicken it a bit and then add the heavy whipping cream. Mix together well. Simmer for 10 more minutes or until noodles are done.

It is so creamy, and delightful!!! Perfect for a cold winter's night.

SOUP'S ON!!!

Miss Cindys Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped (I use rotisserie chicken from grocery store)

large onion, chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

3 tablespoons butter

6 Tablespoons bouillon (I used Better Than Bouillon)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

1 bay leaf, crumbled

1 teaspoon thyme

3 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

Ground pepper, to taste

16 oz. package of Reames Frozen Noodles

7-8 cups water

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

3 Tablespoons flour

Melt butter in large dutch oven on medium/high heat (or a large sauce/soup pan) add celery, carrots and onion. Saute until onions are translucent and celery and carrots are soft. (About 8-10 minutes) Add bouillon and slowly add water, stirring well. Add chicken and crushed bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Add frozen noodles and reduce heat to about medium. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste broth to see if it is too salty, if it is, add more water. Add garlic powder, paprika, thyme, parsley and ground pepper. Cook for 10 more minutes. In a small bowl add flour and spoon enough of the broth out of the pan, whisking together to adsorb the flour making a runny paste. Whisk the mixture into the soup, and then add the heavy whipping cream. Mix together well. Simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve hot.

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

Thursday, September 24, 2015 10:16 a.m. by Cindy Rippe

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 (4 lb.) pork shoulder or butt roast

1 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 large onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

buns

Instructions:

Pour the oil into the bottom of slow cooker. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker, pour in the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. Stir in brown sugar, mustard, soy sauce, chili powder, onion, garlic and thyme. Cover and cook on high until meat shreds easily. (About 5 or 6 hours) Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred the meat using two forks. Return the meat to the slow cooker and stir the meat into the juices. Spoon pork onto buns and serve!

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

e

These are so amazing! I was a bit worried that these would fall apart after removing them from the muffin pans...but they came right out and looked beautiful! The pineapple, buttery brown sugar with cherries....and in cute little individual cakes! Your family will LOVE these!

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 cans (20 oz) sliced pineapple, drained (reserve 1 cup of the juice)

1 box yellow cake mix ( I used Betty Crocker Super Moist)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1/3 cup melted butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

12 maraschino cherries, halved

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 regular-sized muffin pans with cooking spray.

Cut each pineapple slice into 4 even pieces. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, oil, eggs, and reserved pineapple juice with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

In a small bowl, stir together melted butter and brown sugar. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar mixture into each of the muffin cups. Spread evenly. 

Top each with 3 pineapple pieces. (depending on the size of muffin pans)

Place half a cherry, cut side up, in the center of pineapple pieces.

Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each cup. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes.

Run knife around edge of cupcakes to loosen. Turn over onto cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Southern Fried Apples

I love these fried apples for breakfast! It's a perfect addition to your weekend breakfast! And they are so simple and easy to make! (Especially if you fry them up in a old fashioned cast iron skillet) The aroma of the sweet butter and cinnamon will fill up your house! It just smells like autumn. Granny Smith apples work best for this recipe, but I used Honey Crisp (because that's what I had on hand) and they were still delicious!

Southern Fried Apples

Ingredients:

2 large granny smith apples

4 tablespoons sweet butter, cubed

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Peel, core and slice apples evenly. Melt butter over medium heat. Add apples and drizzle them with lemon juice. Let apples simmer until most of the butter is absorbed and apples are tender. Stir together sugars and cinnamon and sprinkle over apples. Gently combine so that apples are coated with sugar and cinnamon. Turn heat to low and cook until sugar is completely dissolved and syrupy. Serve hot. 

Note: Cooking time will vary based on what type of apples used and the thickness of the apples.  

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

It's apple season! I just love this time of year! My family went to The Country Apple Orchard down by Harrisburg over the weekend to pick up some apples. I have been wanting to make homemade apple butter for so long! This recipe is very, very easy to make. All in your slow cooker. This is not a recipe that needs to be canned. You can put it in containers and keep in the refrigerator or freeze it. But it turned out SO GOOOD!!!! And I love the fact that it was made with locally grown apples! It makes about 3-4 pints.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Ingredients:

6 1/2 pounds apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used Honey crisp, but you can also use a combination or Granny Smith or Fuji)

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Place prepared apples in slow cooker. In a medium bow, whisk together the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Sprinkle over the apples and stir gently to combine.

Cook on low for 10 hours.

Stir in vanilla extract, breaking up any large chunks of apples that are remaining. Cover and cook 2 more hours.

Remove cover and use an immersion blender to puree the apple butter until completely smooth. (You can also puree in batches in a food processor or regular blender.)

If you desire a thicker consistency, cook on low with the lid of the slow cooker slightly ajar so that steam can escape.

Let apples cool, then spoon into jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.

.