Easy Crumble Top Apple Pie

PIE
1 pie shell (9" - make your own or use a refrigerated one from store)
6 C apples - thinly sliced/chopped
1 T lemon juice (optional)

3/4 C white sugar
2 T white flour
1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
1/2 C raisins (optional)
1/2 C chopped walnuts (optional)

CRUMB TOPPING
1/2 C flour
1/2 C brown sugar
3 T butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place sliced apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired. In a small bowl, mix together white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated. Stir in raisins and walnuts if desired. Spoon mixture into pastry shell.
3. In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over apple filling. Cover top loosely with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Caramel Chicken

1 C sugar
1/4 C water
3/4 C chicken broth
3 T fish sauce
2 T soy sauce
chicken pieces
1 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
4 T fresh ginger, chopped, OR 1/2 t ground ginger
2 T fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1-2 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
4 T fresh mint, chopped
4 T fresh cilantro, chopped
4 T fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 325. Combine sugar and water in a high sided sauce pot. Bring to boil and simmer until the sugar turns a dark caramel color, but not burnt. Do not stir the sugar while cooking or it may crystallize. Add the chicken broth (the broth will boil quickly and spatter because of the hot sugar so be careful. This is the reason for the high sided pan). Stir in the broth and continue stirring over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the fish sauce and soy sauce. Set aside.

Season the chicken pieces with the salt. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. In the same pan, (using the extra vegetable oil if needed) sauté the ginger, garlic, onion and jalapeno over medium heat for a couple minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the browned chicken pieces and the caramel sauce, turning the chicken in the caramel broth to coat all sides. Arrange the chicken in the pan so it is all submerged in the sauce as much as possible and bring the pot to a boil. Cover the pot, put in the oven and braise until done, about 35-45 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, combine the green onion and the other herbs and set aside.

Serve the chicken over your favorite rice, with the herbs sprinkled on top. I like jasmine rice.

NOTE: We dip bite size raw chicken pcs in cornstarch, and then cooked them in oil. This gives a slightly crunchy/crispy "skin" to the boneless skinless breast pieces.

ALSO: We substitute the jalapeno pepper for a red chili pepper too, depending on availability.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

2 C milk
4 T white sugar
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t vanilla
pinch of salt

whisk all together in saucepan on medium heat.

Pumpkin Bread

1 ½ c flour
1 t baking soda
½ t baking powder
¾ t ground cinnamon
½ t ground ginger
¼ t ground cloves
¼ t allspice
½ t salt
4 eggs
1 c sugar
¼ c brown sugar
½ t vanilla
¾ c pumpkin puree
¾ c canola oil
¼ c chopped pumpkin seeds, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan.

Combine the flour, soda, powder, spices and salt in a bowl.

Beat the eggs, sugars and vanilla together in an electric mixer on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin and the oil and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, if desired.

Bake 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool in pan 10 minutes, and then turn onto cooling rack to cool completely.

Sometimes instead of making the bread, I put the dough into muffin papers for muffins. When I do that, I add a crumble topping to the muffin, which is

2 T butter, softened
2 T rolled oats
2 T flour
1/4 C packed brown sugar

cut/mix until crumbly and place a spoonful on each muffin. Muffins bakes for approx 15mins.

Meghan's Brownies

1/4C butter
1 C semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4C sugar
 2/3 C flour
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
 2 eggs
1/2 C chopped nuts, optional
1/2 C chocolate chips, optional

Grease bottom only of square pan (8x8) with shortening. Heat butter and 1 C chocolate chips in saucepan over low heat stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat, stir remaining ingredients except nuts and choc. chips until smooth. Stir in nuts and choc. chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. or until center is set.

"Starbucks" Lemon Loaf

This recipe is a very close replication. The main difference I noticed was the colour in this recipe is not as yellow as the "real" version - perhaps they add a bit of food colouring too.

1 1/2 C flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3 eggs
1 C sugar
2 T butter, softened
1 t vanilla
1 t lemon extract
1/3 C lemon juice
1/2 C vegetable oil

Lemon icing:
1 C + 1 T icing sugar
2 T milk
1 t lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon juice & oil with an electric mixer. Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into a well greased 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 45 mins. Cool, and ice.

Slow Cooker Tacos

3 large or 6 normal sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar of salsa
1 packet (1/4C) taco seasoning

Place all in crock pot and cook for 6-8 hours on low (4-5 on high). Remove chicken and shred with a fork. Return to crock pot until heated through and serve on tortilla wraps with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, cheese and sour cream