Bringing in Fall With a Delicious Homemade Apple Crisp

   I made the most delicious Apple Crisp from the recipe over on Simply Recipes. It's easy to make and taste delicious! All you need are the following ingredients below:

7 Apples (peeled and cut/sliced)

4 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup Rolled Oats

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Cup of Butter (room temp)

   Preheat the oven to 375°F. Begin making the apple filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cut up apple, lemon, and vanilla. I didn't have lemon so I used lime - it made the sweet apples, tart. Next time I would prefer to use lemon. You can cut the apples however you want to. Simple Recipes did slices, I did cubes. If you did slices, layer it for aesthetics. If you did cubes you can just toss them in however. I took this a step further and added cinnamon to my bowl of cut up apples, mixing well for an even tastier spice! I also only used 5 apples so I made mine in an 8x11-inch dish, but if you use 7 apples, add them to a 9x13-inch baking pan.  

   Next, make the topping: Combine the brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in the butter until you have a moist, crumbly mixture. I didn't have Brown Sugar so regular Granulated Sugar worked just fine. I also had butter straight from the fridge so I had to slightly microwave it to soften. It still worked out well :) Then Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the apples. Spread it across however you like, and it's ready to bake! 

   Place your dish in the oven and bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes or until topping looks crunchy and apples are tender. Mine took about 40 minutes or so. I pulled it from the oven, let it a cool a few, and took a bite. It was soooo good. Best warm straight from the oven, and sweet enough to eat on its own, but if you need a little something extra, it tastes amazing with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

This is how it looked before baking. 

It got eaten up before I remembered to take an after baking photo! Oops! :)

The Easiest 3 Ingredient Microwaved Protein Cake For Your Sweet Tooth

   If you're looking for something that is full of protein but also satiates your sweet tooth, try this easy 3 ingredient microwaved protein cake! It can be made in under 5 minutes and you will have something that is healthy and easy enough to eat to slightly curve your craving. I only say slightly, because if you're use to eating really sweet desserts, you won't find this as sweet, but if you're trying to eat healthy, give it a shot! 

All you need are the following ingredients: 

1 Egg

2 TBS Milk

1 Scoop of Protein Powder

   

   You can choose any kind of milk and any flavor of protein powder for this. I used whole milk and chocolate protein. You mix all ingredients together in an oiled coffee mug or bowl, and bake in the microwave for somewhere between 20-50 seconds, depending on your microwave. You can do 20 second increments until the cake is cooked to your liking. Once the cake is ready, you will want to eat it almost right away, because, as it sits, the cake becomes hard. I found mine tastes pretty good with a dollop of peanut butter, or a drizzle of honey, or a dash of cinnamon. You can experiment to find what you like most, and enjoy this special treat without the guilt of a dense caloried piece of cake! 

Deliciously Easy Baked Cheesecake (Made Without Sour Cream)

 

   A simple yet oh so delicious baked cheesecake you can make from the comfort of your home and in a quick amount of time! And the best part is, no Sour Cream required! I found the recipe over at Real Mom Nutrition and I am so happy I did, because it is so good! To make this, first you have to make the crust. Of course, you can always buy a pre-made crust but homemade is always better in my opinion. Here are the following ingredients needed:

• 9 Sheets of Graham Crackers
• 1/4 Cup of Granulated Sugar
• 5 TBS of butter (you will be melting)
• 2 8oz Blocks of Cream Cheese
• 2 Large Eggs
• 3/4 Cup of Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp of Lemon Juice
• Optional to Make Wild Berry Flavors: Mix in Blackberries and Raspberries or any other fruit you desire. This makes it even yummier! 
• 
  

Preheat the oven to 350ºF

Put Graham Crackers in a food processor or smash them up in a ziploc bag, making sure they are finely ground up. Melt butter in a bowl and add 1/4 cup of granulated sugar to it, then pour in the fine cracker crumbs, mixing well. Dump the crumb mix into a 9" greased springform pan, smooshing down the crust across it and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. While that is cooking, you can start on the filling. Begin by adding the blocks of cream cheese to a mixing bowl and beat til fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, continue beating after each. Add in the 3/4 cups of sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Scrape sides of the bowl, continue mixing all together for 5 minutes til all is soft and fluffy. Add in any optional fruits if you like, and blend it well. When crust is done, add in the mixed filling, spreading all across the crust. Bake in the oven for approximately 30-35 minutes. The sides will be firm but the center a little jiggly. Do the cheesecake wobble test to make sure it is finished, by tapping the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. The cake should jiggle all together as one. Check out this video, if you need an example. Once cake is done baking. Allow it to cool on a wire rack. Once it has cooled, refrigerate it for a few hours or even overnight. You can then remove the springform pan sides and slice up for serving! 

Homemade Orange Cranberry Cookies

   Have you ever had the Orange Cranberry Soft Top Cookies from your local Kroger family grocery store? My husband loves those cookies, but they seem to have gone discontinued. Every time we shop, they now have Banana Nut Soft Top Cookies in place of them, which I love, but they're not Orange Cranberry.... So I decided attempt to making a homemade version! I found the recipe over at Laura in the Kitchen, and decided to give it a try. The cookies came out pretty good, not comparable to soft top, but they will due in place until Kroger brings them back!

To make these Orange Cranberry Cookies, you need the following ingredients:

• 1 Egg
• 1/2 tsp of Salt
• 1/3 Cup of Sugar
• 1/3 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 Cups of Flour
• 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
• Zest of 1/2 an Orange
• 1 Cup of Dried Cranberries
• 1/2 Cup of Unsalted Butter Softened

   First combine the Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt together. Then in a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the egg, orange zest, and vanilla, combining until smooth. Dump the dry ingredients from the other bowl into this one, and stir it all together into a nice batter. Then add in the dried cranberries and mix well. 

   Once everything is fully mixed, spoon out dollops of dough onto a greased or parchment covered cookie sheet, leaving approximately 2 inches between each cookie. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees, for approximately 10-12 minutes or more if needed, until a nice golden brown tones the edges. Pull from oven when baked through, and allow to cool before eating. 

Enjoy!

Easy 4 Ingredient Cinnamon Toast Crunch Waffles

   Did you know you can make waffles from a box of cake mix? It's one of my favorite ways to make waffles! It's so easy and SO delicious! All you need are just the following four ingredients:

3 Eggs

1/3 Cup of Oil

1 1/3 Cups of Water

1 Box of Cake Mix  

  Preheat your waffle iron while mixing all of the ingredients together into a bowl. Mix batter until there are no clumps.

 

 Once your waffle iron is ready, spray the grills with cooking spray or swipe with butter. Drop the batter on, close lid, and cook them as you normally would. Once they are done, you can top them with your usual waffle toppings, or eat them on their own -- > (They taste like cake!) 

 

Eat any time of day and enjoy! 

 

Experimenting on Making Beer Bread

 

  We're not a beer drinking household, but was gifted a couple beers to try, from a coworker friend. So instead of drinking said beer, I decided to try my hand at making Beer Bread! This is such an easy way to make a loaf of bread, but if you don't like beer, you might not enjoy eating on this loaf either. I unfortunately didn't know this, until after the bread was cooled and the first bite was eaten. 

   To make Beer Bread, 

you need the following ingredients:

3 Cups of Flour

3 tsp of Baking Powder

1 tsp of Salt 

1/4 Cup of Sugar 

12oz Can of Beer

   Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well. The batter should be the texture of drop biscuits dough. Spoon batter into a greased loaf pan in bake in the oven at 375° for approximately an hour give or take. Once cooked through completely, add a pat of butter to the tap. Let cool and enjoy! It's a very simple recipe and the loaf comes out looking great. Just beware that, depending on the beer you use, the taste is very strong in this recipe! 

 

Easy Homemade Flatbread + Recipe

 

One night for dinner, I made a pork and veggie curry, over rice, and had delicious homemade flat bread with it!! This recipe is so good you won't want to go back to store bought flat bread. It's so simple to make!

To make these Flatbread, you will need the following ingredients:

• 8 ounces of flour (about 1 3/4 cup)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  
• 3 cloves, very finely minced or crushed garlic (or your take on powdered Garlic)
• 1/2 cup hot water

 Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add the shortening and garlic, and work into the flour with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  (I didn't sift any, I just dumped it all in and mixed with a fork)

Pour in the hot water and stir with a fork to combine. Drop mixture on a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands for about 3 minutes to form a smooth, soft dough (add more flour as you knead if the dough is too sticky). (I just kneaded dough in the bowl) Place back in the bowl, cover with a towel and let rest 20 minutes. 

 

Divide the dough into 4-6 balls, and roll each ball between your palms to make each as smooth as possible. With a rolling pin, roll out each ball of dough into a thin circle about 1/8-inch thick. 

Preheat a dry cast iron or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place the flatbread in the hot pan and cook for one minute, or until small air bubbles appear. Flip bread over and cook for another minute, and then finish by flipping over one last time for another minute. During the third minute the bread may puff up (which is normal and desired), and small charred spots will form on the surface. 

 

 Serve with curry or any other yummy food and enjoy!!

Frying Tofu for Stirfry

     One of the ways we like to eat Tofu, is sliced and fried, and added into a Stirfry of veggies, to eat over noodles or rice. A quick trick to fry your tofu better, is to completely drain the water, slice the tofu into pieces, and toss it in Cornstarch for a better fry. 

 

 

   The pieces come out golden and beautiful. I then seasoned the pieces with Garlic Powder and Black Pepper, tossed them in Orange Sauce, and added them to sauteed veggies. We ate the mix stop of white rice. Makes for a delicious, easy, and healthy dinner! 

 

Stove Top Stuffing Breaded Pork Chops

   Are you looking for an easy and savory dinner using Pork Chops, without putting a ton of work into them? 

    I have the perfect recipe for you! It is so easy, all you need are your pork chops and a box of Stove Top Stuffing Mix, in whatever flavor you choose. I used Chicken Stuffing Mix and it came out delicious! 

   To make these breaded pork chops, you crunch up the stuffing mix, in its own bag. Once fully crunched, open the bag and throw in your defrosted pork chops, best to do one at a time. Shake and fully coat each chop, then lay in a cookie sheet that is either greased, or coated with some sort of sauce (I like to use foil with cooking spray or BBQ sauce, for an easier cleanup), and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until done. 

   Sometimes I will add a couple slices of butter around the pan, but it's not necessarily needed unless things are looking dry. I've tried it with and without and it doesn't really change the taste. Small pork chops cook fast, so keep an eye on them, not to overcook! These easy pork chops go great with a side of mashed potatoes, baked beans, and collared greens. They're so good, the whole family will love them!

Super Easy 2-4 Ingredient Sweet Potato Rolls

   These are the easiest Sweet Potato Rolls you could ever make, that literally call for just two ingredients!! 1 cup of Sweet Potatoes and 1 cup of Self Rising Flour. Though if you don't have self rising flour, it calls for a few more ingredients, to bring that total to a whopping 4 ingredients lol. The 4 ingredient sweet potato roll recipe is below:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of sweet potato

Mix all of the ingredients together to form a nice kneadable ball, and break off dough into 6 pieces. Roll each dough piece into their own separate ball, set them on greased baking sheet, and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. So so easy and tastes great with several different foods! I added extra seasoning to mine for a more savory taste. A little Garlic powder and a little Onion powder add a nice flavor. You could even add sugar and cinnamon instead, for a sweet roll! 

Mexican Baked Eggs Cast Iron Comfort Food

   Awhile back, I came across this really delicious Mexican Baked Egg recipe that seemed easy enough to make. My sweet husband decided to make it for dinner one night, using supplies we had on hand, and with a little flare of his own added to it! Ours came out so delicious! This dish is a comfort food of sorts, and really hits that spot when you're craving a hearty Mexican dish.

 To make this dish, you need an approximate of the following ingredients:

 To see the original recipe, visit domesticsuperhero.com for theirs, plus full instructions.

6 large eggs 

shredded cheese

diced peppers

chopped onions

1 tsp olive oil

seasoning (we used Cajun, black pepper, and garlic)

1 can of chopped tomatoes in juice

1 can of beans rinsed and drained

1 can of diced green chiles

(In our recipe, we didn't really follow along exactly, we just used what we had on hand and added in tator rounds for extra deliciousness.)

 

   Preheat oven to 450F. Oil your cast iron pan and begin layering the tator rounds. In a separate bowl, mix together the canned tomatoes with juice, beans, and diced green chilies (I think he used pico de gallo for ours) and place all that atop of the tator rounds. Lots of cheese was also sprinkled throughout all of this. We used Cheddar and Pepper Jack cheese. Once all this was layered into the pan, the eggs were cracked on top of it, and placed in the oven to bake until fully cooked. When the eggs were cooked, more cheese was sprinkled across the top, and set back in the oven on the broil to give the top a nice melted crispyness. Once cooked through, pull out the oven to cool for a few minutes. And enjoy!!

   I recommend adding extra pico de gallo and sour cream to the top! This dish was so very delicious. It's fantastic! One we will definitely be adding to our recipes to continue making in the future!

Smooth As A Pumpkin PB Cocoa Smoothie

What's the craziest smoothie combination you've made? 

 I recently found a delicious mix that tastes as good as a milkshake! 

This smoothie contains Frozen Homemade Pureed Pumpkin, cinnamon, peanut butter, vanilla, hot cocoa powder, and water. It's sweet with some health and protein in there, and oh so delicious! 

 Join the #CentrumSquad to learn more and share your own unique recipes! 

 

Breakfast Stuffed Waffle Biscuits

   Have you ever made biscuits in a waffle iron? They don't quite fit right, at least in my experience, but if you can get the biscuits to fit enough to bake inside, the end result is delicious! 

   I made Breakfast Stuffed Waffle Biscuits, filled with eggs, ham, pepperoni, and cheese. You want the eggs to be precooked, so I made little muffin eggs in the oven, beforehand, but you can also do scrambled. 

You begin by taking a can of layered biscuits, so you can tear each biscuit apart, into two. Roll them flat, as flat as you can get them before they rip, then begin filling them with your eggs/meats ect. Top with the other layer you rolled and crimp the sides together. 

Place in the center of your well greased waffle iron and use as your normally would. When the iron is done, so is your stuffed biscuit! It comes out beautifully, with a little crisp on the edges, and it tastes even better!! 
 

   This is such a quick and easy meal to make, and the biscuits can be filled with all kinds of things that suit your tastebuds. Just beware, it left my waffle iron a mess, so the cleanup is not so fun. This was probably due to the grease/sauce from the cheese/meat, leaking out and burning. I might have just stuffed the biscuits too full 😌🤭

Nacho-Style Twice Baked Potatoes

   As a member of Influencer, I joined in on the My Food and Family virtual vox box, and chose a recipe to make for my family and share it with you. I chose to make the Nacho-Style Twice Baked Potatoes, perfect for a Fall afternoon. To make these, I needed the following ingredients:

4 baking potatoes 

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup Taco Sauce

1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

1/2 cup Jalapeño Cream Cheese Spread

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. 
• Wash the potatoes 
• Prick them up with a fork.
•  Bake in the oven at 400°F for 1 hour. 
• After the hour is up, pull potatoes out and let them cool for a few. Change the oven temp to 350°F. 
• Cut potatoes lengthwise in half; scoop out centers into medium bowl, leaving 1/8-inch-thick shells. 
• Add cream cheese to potato flesh; beat with mixer until blended. 
• Add milk; beat until potato mixture is light and fluffy. * I added in my own touch here. A little salsa, ranch, and seasoning (Cajun, Black Pepper, and Garlic Powder)
• Spoon mashed potatoes into potato shells; place on baking sheet. Drizzle with taco sauce, top with cheese and crushed chips. I also sprinkled some red peppers and drizzled Japanese Kewpie Mayo across the top of ours.
• Bake 20 to 25 min.

~ Enjoy!! ~

These were delicious and so easy to make! The crunched up Doritos on the top were the perfect addition to these baked potatoes. They added a nice texture and the taste was superb! I also added my own touch to a few things. I gave an extra kick to the potatoes by adding a little salsa, Avocado Goodness Ranch, and seasoning (Cajun, Black Pepper, and Garlic Powder) to the mix, as well as sprinkling on red peppers, and a drizzle of Japanese Kewpie Mayo. It was a perfect Fall meal! 

#contest #RecipesByMFAF @MyFoodAndFamily @Influenster


I participated in this campaign as a member of Influenster and compensation has been involved. All opinions are my own.

Leftover Mashed Potato Pizza Crust

A great idea to use leftover mashed potatoes, is to turn them into a fantastic pizza crust! This past Thanksgiving, we had a plethora of leftover potatoes so I had the idea to make a pizza. I came across this Potato Crust Pizza recipe from Home Cooking Adventure. It looked easy enough so I decided to give it a try. To make this crust, you need the following ingredients:

1 Egg

Flour as Needed

2 TBS of Vegetable Oil

3 Cups of Mashed Potatoes 

1/2 Cup of Shredded Cheese (Your Choice)

Salt + Ground Pepper + Any other seasonings you may like

Preheat oven to 425 Degrees Fahrenheit 

Mix all of the ingredients together, whisking egg first. Add in the flour as it is needed, to help thicken dough. Once everything is well mixed, you can begin to spread out the potato mixture on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until it has a nice golden brown tint to it. 

Once it looks complete, begin placing your pizza toppings on! I used BBQ Sauce, pepperoni, ham, and Pepper-jack Cheese on mine. It was delicious! I couldn't believe how well potatoes made a pizza crust. Definitely a recipe to keep on hand when you have an excessive amount of potatoes! 

Sausage And Pancakes On A Stick + Recipe

I came across the delicious and easy recipe from thrillist.com, to make Sausage and Pancakes on a stick. They are so easy to make, and very similar to corndogs, just the batter tastes like a fried pancake, and the meat inside is a breakfast sausage! To make these delicious little breakfast on a stick dogs, you need the following ingredients:

 1 ½ cups flour + 2 tablespoons for dusting

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon sugar 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

12 breakfast sausage links 

2qts oil for frying 

12 wooden sticks

Syrup for Dipping

Begin by heating the 2qt oil in a pot. In a mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients, dry ingredients first, then add in the wet ones and mix thoroughly. Let batter sit, while cooking the sausages. I used Banquet's Brown & Serve Fully Cooked Maple Sausages, and fried them in my cast iron, to give them some char. Once done to your liking, transfer sausage to a paper towel lined plate, to help reduce some of the grease. Let sausage cool enough to handle, then add them to a bowl of the 2Tbs flour saved for dusting. Transfer the previously made batter into a tall container, such as a drinking jar or glass. Put sticks through your powdered sausage, and dip the sausage into the batter. Place sticks of battered sausage into your oil and fry until golden brown. Allow finished dogs to drain on a wire rack, then dip them into warm maple syrup, and enjoy! If you have any left over batter, it also works to make fried pickles. (see above photo next to dogs) Follow the same process, slice your pickles, coat them in a flour bath, dunk them in the batter and fry. You can also drop plain batter directly into the oil, and make mini "beignets". Just add powdered sugar! There are so many things you could make with the recipe! 

Easy Cake Mix Drop Cookies + Recipe

If you're in need of an extremely easy cookie recipe that requires just 3 ingredients, indulge in the recipe below!! 

 1 Box of Cake mix (your choice of flavor)

 1/2 cup vegetable oil 

2 eggs 

1 cup of mix-in item such as chocolate chips, M&M's, sprinkles, ect. (optional)

Dump all of the ingredients into a bowl and blend or whisk til mixed thoroughly, without clumps. Batter will be sticky so scoop dough onto a greased cookie sheet, using a spoon. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. 

Let cool and enjoy!

I used a yellow cake mix for my cookies, and added sprinkles as my "mix-in". They came out delicious and were so easy to make!

 

Yeast Free Fried Dough Balls (Wannabe Donut Holes)

If you are craving fried bread, or donut holes, you have to try this recipe! I found it over at Sugar Spun Run and have made it multiple times since. However, we often eat them without any topping, so they become just little fried dough balls! They are sooo good and really easy to make! To make these scrumptious little bits, you need the following ingredients:

 

 1 tsp Salt

2 cups Flour

3 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

5 Tbsp cold Butter

3/4 cup Milk

Oil for Frying

 

To begin, heat your oil for frying, then gather the ingredients. The instructions say to combine the dry ingredients together before you cut in the butter with a pasty mixer, but if you're anything like me, I just throw all the ingredients into a bowl, form it into a dough, and call it good haha. You want the dough to have a nice consistency so you may have to roll it around in flour until it reaches that point. You then will be able to roll the dough into balls and they're ready for frying! 

 

You can fry several balls at a time, and they cook pretty quickly. You want them to be a nice golden color so make sure you cook them until they are otherwise you might have literal "dough balls" haha. Once they are thoroughly fried, pull them from the oil and drain on a plate covered in paper towels. You can then decide if you want to eat them plain, or roll them around in a cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar mixture. 

These little balls make a yummy snack and they're fun for the whole family to enjoy. Your little ones might even have fun helping roll out the dough balls! Enjoy!

Check out my other recipes here!