Chicken Taco Soup

It's that time of year again.... Fall! And Fall makes me want soup. So today I made Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup. It was the first time I've made this recipe, but I had some cooked chicken that I needed to use and I knew I'd be out all day.

I made a couple of changes based on what I had in the kitchen. I used:

• frozen corn instead of canned
• a large can of diced tomatoes and 2 cans of green diced chilies
• two cooked chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup taco seasoning instead of a package
• Modelo especial beer

The soup is very tasty and has a little kick to it. I think I'll be making this again.

It's a very chunky soup

I put a little sour cream in mine

Rick put cheese in his

Old Fashion Apple Sauce

The other day I made apple sauce. It's so simple. Plus homemade apple sauce is so much better than the stuff you can buy in the store.

I used the recipe that my mother and father always used. Growing up in my house, my dad actually made better apple sauce than my mother. Sorry Mom! I think it was the brown sugar and cinnamon he added.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
8 apples, cored and quartered
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar packed (you can also use white sugar if you prefer)
cinnamon
apple pie spice

Directions:
In a saucepan, simmer apples with the water, covered for 15-20 minutes (or until fork-tender). Be sure to stir occasionally so the apples won't get scorched. Use a potato masher to mash up the apples to the consistency you like. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Add cinnamon and/or apple pie spice to taste.

I've read that you can substitute the water for apple juice and add lemon juice to perk up the flavor. This past time I tried adding a little bit of lemon juice for the first time since the apples were a little older.

Apples peeled and cored ready to simmer in water

Apples mashed after simmering for 20 minutes

The finished product cooling

Great Simple Dinner

Last week we had some out of town guest coming for the weekend. I needed to figure out a dinner that was easy to make while I was working. So naturally I used my slow cooker.... I love that thing!

For the main dish I made Spicy Pop Pulled Pork that I've made for Rick before. He absolutely loves it and asked me to make it this time as well. It's super easy and very flavorful. I used Dr. Pepper for the pop portion of this recipe. :)

I also had some small yellow potatoes that I needed to use. So I made some Garlic Roasted Potatoes to go along with the pork. Delicious! Rick said these were his favorite roasted potatoes I've made. The only change I made to this recipe was the parsley.... I didn't have fresh so I used some dried parsley I had in the cabinet.

Since I didn't have a vegetable I pulled some Corn Casserole with Red Bell Peppers and Jalapeños out of the freezer. I had made this a few weeks before and froze it in smaller portions. It worked out great. Just defrosted it and heated it up on the stove. A couple of changes I made to this recipe:

• I used frozen corn
• Substituted half and half for the heavy cream (it's not as thick but I don't think it's an issue)

Even with the changes the corn was wonderful!

Since my guests seemed to be really pleased with this meal I thought I would share all the recipes. They are all super easy and full of flavor! Enjoy!

Squash

I picked up some delicata squash at Nicewicz Farm when I was apple picking. The woman working the stand raved about this squash. No peeling necessary and really easy to cook. This was my lunch today and it was so delicious. The squash is really sweet.

To prepare, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and cut into rings. Toss with a little olive oil, lay flat on a sheet pan, and roast at 425 for about a half hour, flipping over every 10 minutes or so. The squash will get soft, and the sides will brown. It's a good side dish, though today it was all I had.

I found some easy directions online, because I hadn't discussed temperature at the farm. The Summer Tomatoes blog is pretty cool; some great recipes and good health articles. Check out the History link too.

Apple Crisp and Apple Picking

The closest apple orchard to me is an hour away. There are tons of them, and depending on which direction, they could be between 30 and 50 miles. Getting up early on Saturday and beating the traffic and orchard crowds was my best bet so I was on the road at 7:30. After getting some cider donuts at Bolton Spring Farm I went down the street to Nicewicz farm, where I picked a peck of Macoun and Fuji apples. This farm is really low key, not like the big orchards with big gift shops and hay rides and animals. Don't get me wrong, those are good in their own way, but this place felt peaceful. I talked to Ken, one of the owners, and also the woman who worked in the little farm stand. She gave me a tip on cooking delicata squash, which  I'll post later this week after I cook it.

One of the apple trees was just laden with fruit.

With about 9 Macouns I made Martha Stewart's apple crisp that Julie made last week. It's quite tasty. I ended up overcooking it, because I winged it on the number of apples, and it took longer for them to get soft. I waited too long to check them again, so the apples are almost like sauce. The flavor is good though. Next time will be better.

Amazing Apple Bread!

A couple of weeks ago we bought a big bag of apples at an orchard. I've been trying to find different ways to use them up (other than apple sauce - my usual). Last week I made apple crisp. This week's adventure... apple bread.

I've never made apple bread before, so I had to do a little research to find a recipe. I came across this Apple Bread recipe on allrecipes.com. Based on some of the reviews I changed it up a little. I used 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar, along with a teaspoon of vanilla. I also baked it at 350 degrees for 1 hour rather than 300 degrees for 90 minutes.

It makes the house smell amazing when it's baking! I wish I could bottle that smell! :)

We finally cut into it this morning... so yummy! Moist and reminds me of apple pie. I highly recommend this recipe (with the changes). Hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Food Expiration Dates Clarified

How many times have you gone to your refrigerator or pantry to get an ingredient just to find that it's past or approaching the expiration date? I know I've done this many times. I hate getting rid of food that is past the expiration date. It's such a waste of money (and food).

This morning on the Today Show they had a Rossen Report on this very subject, Confusing sell-by dates on food may be costing you money. Check it out... it's enlightening. Apparently most foods will last longer than we think. However the exceptions are meat and diary. Either way, it was helpful information for me and I thought I'd pass it along!

Apple Crisp!

I love apple crisp! I had a bag of apples from the orchard that I needed to use, so I decided to make one of my favorite desserts. Last time I made apple crisp I used a box mix for the crisp part. Yesterday, I decided I wanted to make it from scratch. Boy am I glad I did!

I searched for an apple crisp recipe online. One of the recipes I came across was from Martha Stewart. I figured you can't go wrong with Martha!?! So I decided to take a shot at her Apple Crisp recipe.

Not only was it easy to make... I think the most work is pealing and coring the apples... but it was delicious! It made the house smell so yummy!

I made it early in the day and then put it back in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees to warm it up. Worked out perfectly. One other thing I would add is that the recipe tells you the amount of apples in pounds to use. I use about 6-7 good sized apples. Seemed like a good amount.

As a matter of fact I think I may go get some of the leftovers..... :)

Comes out smelling and looking delicious.

Added a little whipped cream to top it off.