Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Adapted from Everyday

1-1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2-3 Granny Smith or Rome apples (about 1 pound), peeled and shredded

1-1/2 cups chewy caramel candies

1 Tablespoon heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350^o F. Line a cupcake pan with baking liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Grate your apples to ensure you'll get apple with every bite of caramel. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugars until smooth. Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the apples.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and cream. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one until caramel is melted and smooth. Dip cupcakes upside down into caramel and let cool.

Turkey, Mushroom, & Spinach Lasagna and Toasted Oatmeal, Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Roaring Branch, Kelleystand Road, Sunderland, VT.

Saturday, oh, Saturday. A cold Saturday. I've been spending today like I usually spend my Sundays (or BumDays, as I call 'em.) I did spend some time up on Kelleystand earlier though.  It was windy and being by the river didn't help with the chill, but I did notice the leaves on the trees revealing bits of brighter hues.  It's safe to say I'm getting Fall fever. I've even been thinking about how to carve my pumpkins this year.  Here's some of my inspiration:

Also, the aroma of pumpkin spice lingers in my house already thanks to Walmart. They have 3oz jar candles for $1.00. I only went by the candles with the intention of "just smelling" them. I bought ten; nine pumpkin spice, one hazelnut cream. I've also had my eye on the wax warmers they now have at Walmart. The owl wax warmer is my favorite.

Owl Wax Warmer

Normally on a day like this, I might throw something together in the crock pot. That's not happening today. Not only is there enough chill in the air to make me appreciate the heat of the oven, but I crave the comfort of a well-prepared lasagna. But not just any lasagna. This one. A lasagna so good you would never know it was healthier. 

Turkey, Mushroom, & Spinach Lasagna

And for dessert?  

Toasted Oatmeal, Pecan, & Chocolate Chip Cookies

With a nice, big glass of milk.

p.s. If you head over & like our Facebook page, you'll be entered to win a handmade crocheted blanket from your choice of colors. Only valid in the U.S. at this time. Drawing will be held when our Facebook likes reach 200, so please like & share!

Creamy Autumn Squash Soup

You know, I've realized that I never officially introduced myself & what I'm all about. My name is Emma Stelling. I achieved my Bachelor's degree in Art History back in 2010.  You'd think I'd be writing about art history, right?  Well, I get in enough on that topic at work. As a child, my grandmother, mother, & father were always cooking. My dad, he's a master craftsman, but as a young adult he was a chef in many local restaurants & eateries.  One of those places was called The Wagon Wheel. It was still in operation until I was ohh, about 7.  I loved that place. The food was good, but the main reason I went in there so often as a kid was because they had a giant moose head mount. I used to pet it and talk to it like it was alive. Some days I was hesitant to walk too close to it, thinking that it might actually move. Oh, kids. I sometimes miss being a kid myself.  They look at everything with a certain curiosity & truth. I love the look on my daughter's face when she's trying to figure something out. 

So, yes. I'm Emma. I wish I could tell you guys a good story of how I got my name, but I can't. I'm just Emma Stelling; daughter of an Irish woman and man of English & Blackfoot decent.  I grew up in a small town in Vermont and no, we're not all a bunch of hicks. I mean sure, I live the country life, but the word "hick" has a negative connotation to it as if I don't work hard for my living. As if I just sit around and drink beer & shoot stuff all day.  That's not how it is at all.  Where I come from, we settle things the old fashioned way. We believe in "love thy neighbor," not "screw thy neighbor's wife."  We home cook our meals, we grow our own food when we can, we chop up firewood all summer long in preparation for winter.  We work hard. We can survive. You want the "American Dream?" It doesn't get much better than this here.  

It's hard for me to explain what I do in my spare time because it varies all the time. I'm all over the place. I like to dabble in different interests at random times. I go on binges with different things. Haha.  I've been painting since I was a tot making finger paintings. Now, I usually paint with acrylics on canvas, but I'm known to experiment with a variety of media. Watercoloring has been a new hobby for me lately.  Mostly landscapes of rolling hills and wavy grain fields with little houses plopped about in random places.  My acrylic paintings are hung around my house. They are usually inspired by dreams from this crazy brain of mine.  Whenever I am trying to become inspired from ideas in my brain, I refer to that process as "A Brain Raid."  Aside from painting, I also crochet blankets, hats, socks, you name it.  Around fall time is when I really get cranking out the crocheted, creating warm blankets for my bed, gifts for family members for Christmas, and blankets for children's hospitals & charities.  

When it comes to movies, I'm big on the horror, comedies, & of course, children's movies.  Chick flicks aren't my thing and I'll tell ya' why.  The sappiness, the unrealistic aura of it all, the endings just leave me feeling depressed, so instead I fill my head with gory monstrosities, crude humor, & Shrek.  Obviously the prior two I watch after my little one goes to bed.  You know what kid's movie was really well made?  The Polar Express.  One year, my husband watched it like 5 times with our daughter & he didn't complain one bit. He looked seriously engaged. Honest to goodness. The characters in the movie look so realistic. And Tom Hanks as the conductor, well played.  

I hope to share more about myself to all of you readers with every new post I write.  I'd like to get to know my readers, too, so join me. Comment & let me know what you're all about.  

And here's tonight's recipe. You didn't really think I'd leave you without a recipe, did you?  Shame, shame.

Ingredients

1 medium kabocha squash

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed (optional – I like it both ways)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1¼ cup milk

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

toasted walnuts

salt to taste

cream to taste

Instructions

Cut the squash into wedges. Scoop out the seeds, cut off the rind, and dice the squash.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the squash, onion, and garlic. Sprinkle with a little salt and saute until lightly browned and the squash is cooked through.

Place the cooked squash in a blender and add the milk and cayenne. Blend for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is very smooth. Season generously with salt. Top each serving with toasted walnuts, cheese, or cream.

Notes

You can adjust the taste and consistency to your liking by adding more milk, salt, or even vegetable broth, etc. I also like to add the walnuts into the blender sometimes (about ½ cup) in addition to putting the whole ones on top. Add, taste, add, taste, add, taste. That’s my method. 

French Onion Grilled Cheese

Have you ever veered off the traditional grilled cheese route? Maybe it's time.

Let's start with the primary "rules" on what makes a grilled cheese a grilled cheese.  

A Grilled Cheese Must...

• be a closed sandwich, griddled on both sides.
• have cheese as the primary ingredient. Other ingredients can complement, but not overwhelm the cheese.
• be made with sliced bread. Thus a sandwich made with whole, crust-on loaves like an Italian panini or a Cubano do not qualify.
• be served hot all the way through, with the cheese melted.
• be cooked on a flat, greased surface until golden brown. In extreme circumstances it may be cooked on an outdoor grill over an open fire. A grilled cheese may never be baked.

Now that that's out of the way. How about this French Onion Grilled Cheese which captivates the flavors of French onion soup in a simple, handheld grilled cheese.

French Onion Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

2 onions, sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup beef broth

2 sprigs thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

4 slices bread

6 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded

softened butter as needed

Instructions:

To make the caramelized onions, heat the sliced onions with the butter over very low heat. Stir occasionally, cooking slowly for about one hour, or until the onions are sweet and brown. More butter may be needed as the onions cook.

Add the beef broth, thyme, and garlic to the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as the liquid sizzles. Cook until all the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

Build the sandwiches by dividing the cheese and onions between two slices of bread. Top with the remaining slices of bread.

Butter the tops and bottoms of the sandwiches and heat in a pan over medium heat until crispy.

The Eggs Benedict Burger

It’s part breakfast, part dinner, and part 75% arterial blockage. Okay maybe it isn’t that terrible for you…

Crispy bacon, a poached egg, and a spoonful of dreamy hollandaise sauce top a plain burger. Okay, it’s definitely that terrible for you.

Ingredients

For the hollandaise sauce:

3 large egg yolks

1 Tbsp water

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Salt

Pepper

For the burgers:

1 lb lean ground beef

Salt

Pepper

Worcestershire

3 eggs, fried or poached

3 slices of bacon, cooked to a crisp

Burger buns

Instructions

Heat grill to medium-high heat.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisk egg yolks with water, whisking vigorously, until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice.

Whisk in 1-2 pieces of butter at a time until melted.

Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over the doubler boiler, whisking occasionally and adding 1-2 tsp hot water if the sauce thickens too much.

Season ground beef with a pinch of salt, black pepper, and a few dashes of Worcestershire.

Divide ground beef into 3 equal portions and form into a patty.

Cook on the grill 4-5 minutes each side, until cooked to desired doneness.

Assemble on buns and top with crispy bacon, an egg, and a spoonful of hollandaise sauce.

7 Easy Chicken Recipes

Simplify dinner with these quick and easy chicken recipes that will get you in and out of the kitchen in no time. Click on the titles or photos below for recipes.

7.  Crispy Chicken Wraps

A delicious crispy chicken wrap that can be on the table in less than 15 minutes.

6. Baked Chicken & Roasted Red Pepper Taquitos

A healthier and tastier taquito!

5. Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

4. Chicken Bacon Wild Rice Soup

3. Tennessee White Chicken Chili

Easy white chicken chili is a lighter alternative to ground beef and tomato chili. Ready to expand your chili repertoire?

2. Chicken Gyros

1. Chicken Enchilada Lasagna

Mom’s Baked Chicken & Spinach Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta (I used whole wheat shells)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.), diced

1/4 cup olive oil

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

5 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1/4 cup white wine

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Set a large pot of water to boil. Once it comes to a rolling boil, salt it and cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, set a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, heat the olive oil then add the chicken. Brown the chicken on all sides – about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and simmer with the chicken until it’s fragrant and begins to turn golden – about 3 minutes.

Add the salt. spinach and white wine to the skillet and cook for an additional 3 – 5 minutes, or until the spinach begins to wilt. Toss the contents of the skillet with the pasta and place in a casserole dish. Cover with cheese and bake for 25 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings.

5 Simple & Quick Microwave Made Indulgences

Click titles for recipes.

5. Chocolate Covered Reese’s Rice Krispie Treats

4. Salted Almond Brittle 

3. Two Minute Chocolate Raspberry Cake

2. Peanut Butter Popcorn Fudge

1. Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake

No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookie

You don't even realize how excited you are right now. That's because you're still in awe drooling over this chocolate-y, peanut buttery deliciousness. Yes, they really are as easy to make as they sound. No, do not hesitate to make them. : )

No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooling Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) butter

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup milk

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

½ cup peanut butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups quick-cooking oats

Directions:

1. Add the first four ingredients (through the cocoa powder) to a 4-quart saucepan.

2. Bring to a rolling boil and let boil for 1 minute.

3. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth, then stir in the oats.

5. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper-lined baking sheets.

6. Let cool until set.

Good Ol' Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

(Recipe below)

If you are a cat owner, please do me a favor: (besides spay &  neuter), try whistling at a very high pitch & see how your cat responds. I'm not sure if it works on all cats, but my kitties become very affectionate and silly. I've read all sorts of things about why this might be. One place said it could be because kittens have a very high pitched cry & instinctively hearing the whistling makes them think you're in distress & need comforting.  If you know why this is, feel free to comment! Love hearing from my readers! 

Meet my felines:
<--Smokey & Gabriel-->

Now, on to the soup. Yes, the soup. What's the scoop on the soup, Scotty! No, but seriously. Homemade Chicken Noodle. Ya' know, I'm kind of surprised at how cold it's been today. I mean 62 ° F isn't that low, but in comparison to this summer's heat, it's a tad chilly. There's a wicked draft that comes through the french doors toward the back of the house that needs to be fixed before winter.  Go figure my office is the room with the french doors. Har, har.  Though we haven't fired up our wood stove yet, I am guilty of using the space heater today.  I am also guilty of wearing fuzzy socks; very warm fuzzy socks.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

4 cups cubed peeled potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

2 cups uncooked yolk-free wide noodles

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

Directions:

In a stockpot, saute the onion, carrots and celery in oil for 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour, oregano, thyme and poultry seasoning until blended.

Gradually add the broth, potatoes and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in chicken and noodles; simmer for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Reduce heat. Stir in milk; heat through (do not boil). Yield: 8 servings.

Spinach & Chicken Tortilla Bake, Plus an Update

Weather: 60°F, cloudy & windy.

What I'm listening to: the leaves of trees rustling in the wind.

Bath Time! (Ellie)

First things first. Ellie fell asleep on the potty this morning. First time she's ever done that. It was the cutest thing and even though we were in a hurry, I took a minute to laugh and be in the moment.  It's important to be in the now.

I did some grocery shopping this morning. With list in hand & lots of coupons, I set out on my usual journey of acquiring all the ingredients for all the new recipes I'm trying this week. Stay tuned, they will be revealed throughout the week.  Also, starting next week, we will be featuring lots of ghoulish grub in preparation for Halloween.  I asked Ellie what she wanted to be for Halloween this year. You know what she tells me, she says, "I want to go as you, Momma." She melts my heart.  We did finally settle on her costume for this year though. She's going as a busy bumble bee.  As for Mom, well, I'm going as a mermaid. Ellie says it would be fun having a mermaid as a mom.  

Another thing I wanted to mention to all of you: I am a HUGE fan of Etsy.  I've been a member for about 2 years & could not be happier with the items I purchase.  One of those items I purchased last week from a shop called Long Leaf Soaps.  Their Black Raspberry Vanilla Sugar Scrub Cubes are heavenly. I use one cube in the shower about twice a week and am enveloped in it's aroma as I exfoliate.  My review of this shop is that they serve up quality products at decent prices.  I am very pleased with my purchase. Check out their other items, too. 

So, back to what this blog is all about.  Do you know what I made for dinner last night? Of course you don't. I didn't tell you yet. My hubby isn't exactly keen on spinach, but when it was blanketed in between layers of chicken, cheese, salsa verde, & tortillas, he didn't complain.  Actually, he raved about it. Planning on adding this to our dinner rotation.  It was pretty easy and the flavors meld so perfectly.  

Spinach & Chicken Tortilla Bake

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 chicken cutlets (about 1 pound)

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups store-bought salsa verde

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

4 large (8″) flour tortillas

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

3 cups baby spinach (about 1/4 pound)

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Let cool, then shred the meat.

Whisk together the salsa verde and ricotta; season with salt and pepper. In a greased 9-inch square baking dish, layer one-third of the salsa mixture, tortillas, chicken, onion, spinach and pepper jack; repeat twice. Bake until golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield:  4 servings

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

Salty and sweet.  Crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth.   Peanut butter and chocolate.  Dangerous and delicious (you know what I mean).  One little bite, so much to experience.  Why did I wait so long to give these a try?  A perfect treat to share with a large group of people that you love a whole lot, or to share with yourself on a self-indulgent sweats and sofa sorta day.  

Yield 60 – 80 pretzel bites

Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp softened butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar (maybe more)

3/4 cup brown sugar (maybe more)

Pretzels

1 bag  semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Combine peanut butter and softened butter in a large bowl with a fork or whisk, or in a stand mixer.  Add the sugars and mix to combine.  At this point if the filling will roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands you’re ready to go.  If not, add a little more of each sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll (I used about 3/4 cup of each sugar).

Use a teaspoon measure to scoop the filling.  Roll each portion into a small ball, then sandwich them between two whole pretzels.  When all the balls are rolled and successfully sandwiched, stick the whole tray in the freezer for about half an hour.

Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted.  Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer and quickly dip each half-way into the melted chocolate.  Return to the tray and repeat with remaining sandwiches.  When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely.  Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until serving time.