Apple Streusel Bars

Okay, so maybe I'm a bit addicted to www.ourbestbites.com. It must be, cause the last few recipes that I've posted here are all from there!

Even better, this recipe is SUPER easy, and you probably have all the ingredients at hand.

Seriously, these are so yummy. A friend of mine brought some over to me, and I HAD to know the recipe. Of course, it was from ourbestbites.com!

SWEET PASTRY:

2 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. real butter, softened (no substitutions!)

1 egg, beaten

APPLE FILLING:

1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 c. (about 4 medium) sliced, peeled baking apples (I used Gala, and instead of slicing, I chopped them up with my Pampered Chef food chopper)

GLAZE:
2 c. powdered sugar
About 3 Tbsp. milk (whole milk is best)
1 tsp. almond extract

To prepare crust, mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until you have pea-sized crumbles. Gently mix in beaten egg.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Gently pat about 2/3 of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the dish. Preheat oven to 350 and set aside.

To prepare apple filling, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Toss with apples and spread apples out on prepared crust. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over apples evenly and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. When finished, allow to cool completely.

To prepare glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over cooled pastry and allow to harden (you can place it in the freezer to hurry things along). Cut into bars and serve.

You'd better have someone to share these with, cause otherwise you'll eat the whole pan!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Yum yum! I tried yet another recipe from www.OurBestBites.com, and it was GREAT!

Dough
1 T active dry yeast (1 package)
1/2 C warm water (105 degr F--I did the scientific warm tap water method)
4 1/2 C all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C (1 stick) real butter at room temp

Filling
1/2 C (1 stick) real butter at room temp
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1 T cinnamon

Glaze
1 C powdered sugar
2 T butter, melted
2 T milk or cream
1 t vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the water, allow to bloom for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in 1/2 C of the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot for about 30 min.

Add the eggs, sugar, butter, and remaining 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and knead on medium speed until smooth 10-12 minutes (I did it MUCH shorter). Add a bit more flour to reduce stickiness if needed.

Cover with plastic wrap, set in a warm spot and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

While dough is rising, prepare filling. Take 2 T of the stick of butter and set aside. Beat remaining butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until combined and slightly fluffy, about 1 minute.

Butter a 9*13 baking dish. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Roll out into a rectangle about 15*10 in. Spread filling onto dough and roll up lenght-wise.

Use string or dental floss to score and cut the dough into rolls (didn't work for me, I just used a sharp knife). You can make 12 smaller rolls, 10 medium ones, or 8 large. Place cut side up in baking dish. Melt the reserved 2 T butter and brush on top of rolls. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight (Or, I assume, bake immediately!).

The next morning remove from fridge and let rise until half again as high, about 1 hour. While rising mix glaze ingredients until combined. Preheat the oven to 350. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Spread the glaze over warm rolls and serve!!!

.:Fluffy French Toast:.

We are having this for dinner tonite so I thought I would share!

FLUFFY FRENCH TOAST

1/4 c flour
1 c milk
1 pinch salt
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1 T white sugar
12 thick slices of bread (Texas Toast works great, but we're using Grandma Sycamore bread tonite)

* Mix all ingredients together

* Soak both sides of bread

* Cook on griddle on medium heat

.:Grain and Whole Nut Pancakes:.

Another yummy pancake recipe from my mom. These are sooooo delicious!

* Grind 1 1/2 c. oats to a flour-ish consistency

- 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
- 2 t. baking soda
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1 1/2 c. buttermilk
- 1 c. milk
- 1/4 c. vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1/3 c. sugar

Again, I'm not a huge pecan fan, but a lot of my family likes to top their with pecans and syrup. I just stick to syrup. :)

.:Pumpkin Pancakes:.

This is another recipe from my mom. These are especially delicious in the fall time, but really, you can have them anytime and they are super tasty! We had them last week on our vacation and they were a hit.

MIX:
1 1/2 c flour
3 T sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t Allspice
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 T cinnamon

ADD:
1 c milk
1 c canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 t vanilla
3 T melted butter

Put them on the griddle and enjoy! I'm not a huge pecan fan, but a lot of my family likes to put chopped pecans and syrup on theirs.

.:Mini Mexican Quiche:.

We made these when I was visiting my mom, for a baby shower. They are DELICIOUS!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese. Add flour; beat until well blended. Shape into 24 balls; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Press balls onto the bottom and up the sides of greased miniature muffin cups. Sprinkle a rounded teaspoonful of cheese and 1/2 teaspoon of chilies into each shell.
2. In a bowl, beat eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Spoon into shells. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

We added some spicy sausage to the mixture to give it a bit more flavor. We also used a cheddar cheese blend, instead of Monterey Jack, so that it wasn't as bland. Soooo tasty!

.:Crockpot Mexican Breakfast Casserole:.

I haven't actually tried this yet, but it sounds delicious and I plan to put it on the menu for next week! I'm all about crockpot meals! It says it's a breakfast casserole, but obviously it would be good morning or nite! I found it on this awesome website.

CROCKPOT MEXICAN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
Serves 8

Corn tortillas - 7 or 8
8 eggs
2 c fat free milk
2 c shredded Mexican blend cheese (or just plain cheddar or whatever cheese you want!)
1 can (7 oz.) drained green chilis
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 onion diced
1 c corn
1 c sliced mushrooms (optional)
3/4 t kosher salt
1/2 t black salt
* Optional - add whatever meat you would like
(In my opinion, the onions are optional too!)

- Butter or Pam the inside of your stoneware
- Put a layer of tortillas on the bottom (you may have to tear them to make them fit nicely)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the other ingredients, whisk together
- Pour about 1/2 of the mixture in the crockpot, on top of the tortillas
- Put in another layer of tortillas
- Top with the remaining mixture
- Top with another layer of tortillas
- Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours
- If your crockpot seals well (causing a lot of condensation) uncover 15-20 minutes before serving and cook on high to release the condensation and firm up the top a bit
- You know it is done when the eggs are cooked, edges have begun to brown, and the cheese is slightly crispy

If you don't like corn tortillas, or want to go another route, you can use frozen hashbrowns instead.

YUM!

.:Breakfast Casserole:.

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

1 bag shredded hash browns
Squeeze excess water and press into buttered pan. Bake 10-15 minutes. (Not sure on the oven, probably around 350.)

2 c. cubed ham
8 oz. shredded swiss cheese
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
15 eggs

Beat eggs and mix together with ham and cheese. Pour over hashbrown crust. Bake for 25 minutes or until knife comes out clean.