Top Ten #6 and #7: Apple Goodness

Last week, I was scrolling through my "Recipes I've Tried" board searching for the Orange Peel Shrimp recipe.  As I was searching, I was trying to find some of our other favorites that I hadn't made in awhile.  I came across two of my FAVORITE apple dishes:  Apple Egg Rolls and Apple Cake.  Looking at my pins, the first time I made both dishes was more than two years ago.

The apple egg rolls are a quick and easy dessert that originally came from thriftyfun.com.  The first time I made this recipe, I followed it exactly.  Since then, I have cut waaaaaay back on the sugar and I do not even bother with the whipped cream. The whipped cream was tasty, but the egg rolls are so full of flavor, you really don't need any additional flavor, especially sweetness.  Aother main difference I found is, I believe the original post used wonton wrappers. I continue to use egg roll wrappers.  As a result, I make 6 apple egg rolls each time.  My last change, is that I do not do the egg wash to wrap the egg rolls.  Just like in my crab rangoon, I seal the wontons shut with water.  

Apple Egg Rolls

Ingredients:

- 2 Macintosh apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces

-juice of 1 lemon

- 3 Tbsp. of sugar

-4 Tbsp. of flour

-2 tsp. cinnamon

-1/4 tsp. allspice

-1/8 tsp. salt

-6 egg roll wrappers

Optional

-cinnamon sugar

-butter

Once your apples are peeled and chopped, squeeze the lemon juice over the apples.  Mix well.  In a separate bowl, combin the remaining ingredients.  Then mix the flour, sugar, and spices in with the apples.  

Next, place about 1/6 of the apple mixture onto each wrapper.  Fold and seal with water.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, you may coat with butter and sprinkle on cinnamon sugar.  Finally, bake for 5 more minutes and enjoy!

Another apple (and all time) favorite recipe comes from Paula Deen for Uncle Bob's Fresh Apple Cake.  This recipe is honestly, the best apple cake I have ever made.  I follow the recipe exactly from Paula Deen.  

The batter is nice and thick so I always use my mixer.

Be sure the apples get nicely coated from the spices.

Be sure the apples get evenly distributed in the batter and that your bundt pan is nicely greased and floured. My cake always plops right out!

After the cake cools for an hour, you can mix up and pour on the glaze.

I didn't go through this recipe because I do follow it exactly from Paula Deen.  This recipe is so wonderful.  Be sure to check out both of these recipes, that apple egg rolls are quick to whip up!

Enjoy and happy baking!

Top Ten Post #5: Orange Peel Shrimp

So you have heard before that Wednesday night is shrimp night.  I've been feeling in a rut lately and not knowing what to make.  Thankfully Pat suggested this, which has been one of our favorites since we first made it!  Whenever we go to P.F. Chang's I have to have the Orange Peel Shrimp.  Everything that I have ever eaten there has been great, but nothing will beat the Orange Peel Shrimp. So you can image my delight (about 2 years ago) when I came across a Pin for Orange Peel Shrimp.  The pin I found came from EatLiveRun blog.  However, the recipe comes from PBS.

This recipe results in crispy, flavorful shrimp.  We do always serve the Orange Peel Shrimp with brown rice and another favorite green, edamame (Yes, Pat eats a few green things now!).

I know I say you have to make each recipe I blog about, but really...I wouldn't waste your time reading the post if the results weren't well worth it.  When your closest P.F. Chang's is an hour away, you'll be really glad you have this recipe in your inventory!

We just cut the sauce recipe in half from the original since it's just for two and use half a pound of shrimp.

Here's our ratio for the recipe, but the recipe comes from PBS.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb. of shrimp, peeled and deveined
-2 cloves of garlic
-4 scallions (I cut the white parts to use too)
-1 orange (zest and juice)
-3 Tbsp. orange marmalade (I do use the reduced sugar)
-1/4 C. of soy sauce
-1/4 tsp. of crushed red peppers
-1/8 C. of cornstarch
-2 Tbsp. of canola oil, divided


Brown rice and Edamame for sides

Start by adding 1 Tbsp. of oil over medium high heat.  Once heated, add the garlic, scallions, and orange zest.  Then add the juice from the orange, orange marmalade, soy sauce, and crushed red peppers.  Bring it to a boil and maintain the boil for about 5 minutes so the sauce thickens.

Meanwhile, get the salted water boiling for rice and stick your edamame in the microwave per bag instructions.





Peel your shrimp and pat it dry.  Then lightly coat the shrimp in the cornstarch.  Add the remaining oil to another pan (only bummer about this recipe is the amount of pans it requires).   Once heated, add your shrimp.  After about 2 minutes, it's ready to flip.  When it is cooked through, remove the shrimp from the pan and mix it into the sauce.

Serve and enjoy!

My chef notes:
1.  I probably do a tablespoon and a half of minced garlic.
2.  I also cut the white parts of the scallions to use, too.
3.  For the marmalade, I used the kind with reduced sugar.
4.  The original recipe calls for optional Thai chili peppers, we do not add those, so we keep with the original 1/4 tsp. of crused red peppers.

I definitely use more soy sauce than the average person....this is not the only jug we've been through this year!

Apple Rose Pastry Roll

I may have made this for the first time last night.  It was so incredible, I couldn't wait to share this recipe with you!  The recipe for Spiral Apple Bread with a Caramel Apple Glaze comes from Inspired by Charm.

I decided to call this an Apple Rose Pastry because it looks so beautiful, that I do not feel Spiral Apple Bread does this decadent pastry any justice.  Please note that this recipe would definitely be a Top Ten post, but I didn't make it in my first 300 pins.  It is without a doubt the best thing I have made since reaching the 300th recipe mark!

My mom had us over for dinner last night and I offered to bring dessert.  I had been thinking about this  recipe since I pinned it.  As I read over the blog post this week, I knew I had to make this recipe very soon.

I made two minor adaption to this recipe.  Inspired by Charm used Granny Smith apples; I used Macintosh apples.  Macintosh are my absolute favorite apple to use when baking.  The glaze calls for apple cider, and I substituted milk instead.  The glaze had a wonderful flavor and there is nothing else I would do to change or adapt this recipe. The dough was a great texture and consistency for rolling out and it had a great flavor.  There was a perfect blend of dough and of apples.  Also, despite the butter and cinnamon sugar, plus the glaze, this recipe wasn't too sweet...it was just right!  The last and final thing about this recipe is that it makes two! Let's just say my day started out by baking the second one for breakfast.  As my mom would say, "The breakfast of champions!"

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 package of instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cinnamon
3/4 cup  milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 Macintosh apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced 

2 Tbl. of melted butter (for each pastry roll)
1/8 C. of cinnamon sugar (for each pastry roll)

2 Tbl. of butter (for each pastry roll)
1/8 C. of brown sugar (for each pastry roll)
1/4 C. of powdered sugar (for each pastry roll)
1 Tbl. of milk (for each pastry roll)

Mix the first five ingredients together in your stand mixer.  Melt the butter in the microwave and stir in the milk.  *Please note the original recipe calls for warm milk, but I melted the butter then poured in the milk and it was nice and warm from the melted butter.

Add the butter and milk into your bowl and kneed for several minutes until it's formed into a ball.  Lightly spray the bowl and cover with saran wrap or a towel.  Allow the bread to rise for 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile, peel and slice the apples. I used my apple corer/ slicer.  Then I cut each slice into fourths.

After the dough has risen, punch down the dough and split into two.  Using half of the dough, roll it out thin, then cut into 1/2 inch strips.  

Begin to spiral the dough from the center out using a pie pan (The pan doesn't need to be sprayed).  Tuck in apple slices between the layers.  When the strip of dough runs out, pinch on another strip of dough.  Continue until you're out of dough.  I prepped both pans at the same time.  Then allow the dough to rise for another 45 minutes.

I then baked one and placed the second in the fridge to bake this morning.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Once the roll is out, melt all of the remaining butter (4 Tbl.) in a sauce pan.  Drizzle half of the melted butter on the roll and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

While that sits, add the brown sugar, powdered sugar, and milk to the saucepan with the remaining butter. Mix together and allow to boil.  Pour this on top and enjoy!

This recipe took a long time from start to finish, but it was not challenging to make.  It looks wonderful and tastes even better.  I was afraid I was going to have wished I made apple pie, but no one was disappointed to say the least!

Top Ten Post #4: Shrimp and Grits

Somehow Pat and I decided to try shrimp and grits for our weekly shrimp night a couple of years ago.  I have no idea how we decided on this because our only grits experience was with a lot of butter from the Waffle House...

Anyway, this recipe is one of our more regular recipes and it definitely is in our top ten!  We made it this week for dinner and Pat asked, "Have you blogged about this?"  Good thing he asked.  We make it so much I would have never thought to.

Our favorite recipe comes from the Food Network.  Check out their set and see the high rankings for this dish- Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits.

This is one of those recipes that we don't ever look at to prepare anymore.  I cook the shrimp and Pat cooks the grits.  The first few times we made this, we followed the recipe exactly.  It is now adapted to be our favorite. Here's what we do based off of the Food Network's recipe.

This recipe is for two!

Ingredients:
2 C. of water
1/2 C. 5-minute grits (not instant like their recipe says)
Salt and Pepper sprinkled in to your liking
1 Tbl.  butter, unsalted
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 lb. of shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbl. minced garlic
Salt and pepper to season shrimp
1 Tbl. of butter
1 lemon, juiced

Bring water to a boil.  Whisk in the grits, until the grits thickens (when the grits stick to the whisk).  Next add the butter, salt, and pepper. Once the butter is melted, add the Parmesan cheese and whisk until melted in.








While the grits is cooking, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add in the garlic and let it cook for 1 minute.  Meanwhile, pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel and coat both sides with salt and pepper.  Add the shrimp and cook about 3 per side.  Once the shrimp is cooked through, chop the shrimp into bite sized pieces and squeeze in the lemon juice.



Scoop grits into bowls and top with the shrimp and lemon/ butter sauce.  Enjoy!