Caramel Apple Dump Cake

Dump Cake

1-2 can(s) pie filling (any flavor)

1 box cake mix (any flavor)

1 stick butter, chunked

In a greased 9x13 pan, pour pie filling evenly in bottom.

Sprinkle cake mix over top.

Spread chunks of butter over top of mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

NOTE: Caramel Apple Dump Cake: I had left over candied apples that I wanted to get out of the refrigerator, so I put those (with the juice) in with apple pie filling.

Candied Apples

Candied Apples

5 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced in 4-6 pieces

¼ cup butter

¼ cup white syrup

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

In a large skillet, melt better.

Once butter is melted, add apples.  Then drizzle with white syrup.

Allow apples to cook for 5 minutes, then stir.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Allow to bake (on low) or about 10-15 more minutes (stirring occasionally) or until apples are tender.

NOTE: Do not overcook or apples won’t have a crispiness to them, they will be soft.

You can serve these apples plain or it is wonderful to spoon apples and sauce over vanilla ice cream for a quick and easy dessert.



Baking Mix Pancakes

Baking Mix Pancakes

2 cups baking mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Mix all ingredients together.

Put ¼ cupfuls onto hot skillet and cook until bubbly on top.  Flip and cook on other side.

Serve with warm syrup.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

1 tbsp. pepper
1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. ground cumin
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. seasoning salt
1 (4 pounds) pork butt
1 onion, sliced

2-3 cups water

2 cups barbecue sauce

In a large bowl, mix together first 8 ingredients. 

Take pork butt and roll in mixture to coat evenly.

Place in slow cooker.  Add onions on top of pork. 

Cover ½ way up pork with water (about 2-3 cups). 

Cook on low for about 7 hours. 

Remove pork and onions from slow cooker.  Shred Pork.

Remove all juice left in slow cooker, saving about 1 cup.

Return shredded pork and onions to slow cooker and mix well with BBQ sauce and reserved juice.

Allow to cook another 30 minutes until serving.

TIP: I also sometimes add a few dashes of hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce when adding BBQ sauce.



Celebrating National Cheeseburger Day!

In celebration of National Cheeseburger Day I decided to do a plain old burger on the grill.

There is nothing better than a burger with a little (okay... a lot!) BBQ sauce.  Throw some cheese, pickles, and red onions on top... YUMMMM!!!!!

Breaded Pork Chops

Breaded Pork Chops

5 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 cups flour

Seasonings, to taste: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, etc.

4 pork chops

In a large skillet, heat oil.

In a bowl, combine flour and seasonings.  Mix well.

Coat pork chops on each side with flour mixture.

Once coated, add to hot oil and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until juices of pork run clear.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Chicken and Rice Casserole

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

2 cups rice, cooked

1 stick butter, divided

2 cans sliced mushrooms, drained

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup onion, minced

2 cups shredded cheese (Colby jack, cheddar or pepper jack would be wonderful)

Seasonings (to taste): thyme, onion salt, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes

2 cups bread crumbs

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet, melt 3 tbsp. butter and sauté onions and mushrooms.

Once tender, add chicken. Heat through.

In a large bowl, add rice, chicken mixture, soup, cheese, and seasonings.  Mix well.

In same skillet, melt remaining butter.  Add bread crumbs.  Mix well.

In a 9x13 pan, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, pour chicken and rice mixture and spread out.  Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly.

NOTE: I had left over hamburger and hot dog buns as well as plain potato chips.  I put all of them into a blender and made my own bread crumbs.  I added about 2 tbsp. Italian seasonings for extra taste.  The salty chips as well as Italian seasoning made the bread crumbs very flavorful.

Pumpkin Brownies

To celebrate fall being in the air, I thought I'd start off my posts with a delicious fall treat.

Pumpkin Brownies

1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together pumpkin, oil, and eggs.  Slowly add in sugar.  Mix together until well blended.

Stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. 

Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until center is set.

Allow to cool completely.

Top with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. (recipe to follow)

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg. cream cheese (8 oz.), softened

¼ cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. cinnamon

Beat together cream cheese and butter until creamy.

Slow add powdered sugar.  Mix together until smooth.

Add vanilla and cinnamon and mix until fluffy.

Gently spread over top of brownies.

I'm Back!!!

Thanks to all of you who have asked me to keep blogging so you have dinner ideas (and to those of you who have begged!), I'M BACK!!!

 

I will begin with a new recipe tomorrow.  Stay tuned!!