Peach Crumb Pie

I modified another peach pie recipe to include the crumb topping from Cena that I love so much, and it turned out heavenly. I love the way the taste of the peaches shines through, and the crumb topping is the perfect addition to it all. Enjoy!

Peach Crumb Pie

6-8 cups sliced, peeled fresh or frozen peaches
2/3 cup white sugar
2 TBSP. all-purpose flour
1 pastry for single 9-inch pie crust
topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 375* F. Place the pastry into a 9-inch pie plate and flute the edges. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, sugar and flour, mixing well. Pour the peach mixture into the pastry lined pie plate. In a separate bowl, mix the topping ingredients together, cutting the butter into the dry mixture until crumbly. Spread the crumb mixture evenly over top of the peach mixture in the pie plate. Bake @ 375* F for 45-55 minutes, until bubbly and the top is lightly browned. If the edges of the crust are getting too brown, cover them with foil until the pie is done baking. Let cool completely. Store any leftovers in the fridge.
Makes about 8 servings.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

An easy casserole to throw together that bakes up beautifully and is totally delicious. And yes, you guessed it, this is another yummy recipe from my friend 'Holly Homemaker'.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

3 cups cooked rice
3 chicken breasts, cooked & diced OR 1 pint home canned chicken
1 bunch broccoli cut up OR 1 (16. oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli, steamed**
Sauce:
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. milk
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
crushed cornflakes
melted butter (optional)

Spread cooked rice over the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Top with the cooked chicken, then the steamed broccoli. Mix ingredients for sauce in a small bowl, then pour over rice mixture. Mix everything together slightly. If using the butter, toss it with the crushed cornflakes, then sprinkle them over top of the casserole. Bake at 350* F degrees for 30-45 minutes or until casserole is heated through and sauce bubbles. Makes about 8 servings.
*When I made this, I tossed my crushed cornflakes with 3-4 TBSP. melted butter before I sprinkled them over top of the casserole.
**Steaming the broccoli before adding it to the casserole will give you perfectly cooked broccoli every time, and the resulting casserole a sure fire hit.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

These are simply delicious, and I love how moist these are with so little fat. And just like the "Yummy Banana Cupcakes", this also uses a cake mix as the base, and freezes wonderfully for school lunches. These need no frosting however, and make a yummy treat that whips up in no time.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1 (18 oz.) yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 oz.) box instant butterscotch pudding mix
4 egg whites
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350* F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, combine the first six ingredients and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and mix well until evenly distributed. Scoop about 1/3 cup batter into each paper lined muffin cups. Bake @ 350* F for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Remove from pan to wire racks and cool completely. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Applesauce Limette

Another great recipe from my friend Holly Homemaker. I also use water, like Holly does, and our favorite J-ello to use with the applesauce is Lime, although Strawberry is also quite good. We love this topped with whipped cream or Cool Whip, and it has become a Sunday supper staple for a light dessert. I also make the doubled version of this recipe since I can use an entire quart of applesauce and it still turns out perfectly every time.

Applesauce Limette

1 1/2 c. applesauce (cold from the fridge is best)
3/4 c. water 'or' lemon/lime soda (I just use water)
1 (3 oz.) pkg. lime jello

Heat water or soda until boiling, then turn off heat and stir in jello, whisking until completely dissolved. Add cold applesauce to the jello mix and whisk to combine, then pour into an 8x8 or similar dish and refrigerate until set.
**Holly always doubles the recipe and has found she can easily use a whole quart jar of her home-canned applesauce and it turns out great every time. I know a quart of applesauce should measure 4 cups, but it always seems to come out less than that. So this is a great way to use up home canned quarts of applesauce, especially if you're like me and have 6 apple trees and 3/4 of your food storage is made up of quarts of applesauce from last years apple harvest. **If doubling the recipe, this fits perfectly into an 11x7 glass dish. *Try orange soda/orange jello, raspberry soda/raspberry jello, etc. *Using cold applesauce just helps to cool everything down sooner and it will set faster.

Potato Refrigerator Dough

This recipe is one that has seriously changed my life, and comes from the blog of my awesomely smart friend Holly. Hands down, the best rolls I have EVER had, seriously delicious and oh so easy too. I love being able to make the dough ahead of time, and then I am able to just pull it out of the fridge to use a few hours before diner time. Better than Rhodes rolls, these are an absolute staple in my recipe files. I posted the recipe that way I make it, which is not really all that different from the original, but I wanted to make sure I never lost this gem of a recipe, so I posted it here for "safekeeping".

Potato Refrigerator Dough

2 packages (or 5 tsp.) active dry or instant yeast*
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 cup lukewarm mashed potatoes**
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil, or melted butter or margarine
2 large eggs
2 tsp. Kosher salt
7 to 7 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached or bread flour, divided
 
**Mashed potatoes can be made from just very hot water and instant mashed potato flakes mixed in to equal 1 cup. Cool to 105° F. before adding to the yeast mixture.

1. Pour the warm water into your mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over top. Let sit for 5 minutes or so to proof.
2. Mix in the warm mashed potatoes, sugar, oil, eggs, and salt. Mix.
3. Stir in the flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is slightly sticky, but firm and cleaning the sides of the bowl.
4. Turn onto a floured counter and knead by hand or with the mixer’s dough hooks until smooth and elastic – about 5 to 8 minutes.
5. Place in a greased or sprayed bowl, turning dough so greased side is up. Cover bowl with sealing lid or plastic wrap. (you may want to spray it with non-stick cooking spray so it doesn’t stick)
6. Place in the refrigerator. Punch down when doubled (about 30 minutes for fast-acting, 45 minutes to an hour for active dry yeast).
7. Keep dough refrigerated for up to 6 days, punching down if doubled in size.
8. About two hours before baking, shape dough into rolls.
9. Place on/in greased pans and cover with sprayed or greased plastic wrap or a large tea towel. Let rise until doubled, about 1 ½ hours.
10. Bake at 350° F for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

-This recipe makes enough dough for 4 dozen rolls, so one quarter of the dough will give you 1 dozen rolls. This dough is best used up by the 5th day as by day 6 it starts to taste quite yeasty. You can also make cinnamon rolls or shape it into loaves of bread with this dough, it's up to you.

Sausage and Peppers Rustica

The first time I had this, it was made with hot Italian, which was good, but it was so spicy it was hard to really enjoy the dish. So I prefer to make with a mild Italian sausage, but if you can take the heat, by all means go for the hot stuff!

Sausage and Peppers Rustica
2 TBSP. olive oil
1 (12 oz.) pkg Italian sausage links, sliced
2 (12 oz.) pkgs. frozen sliced red, green and yellow sweet peppers
1 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large onion, sliced
2 (29 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
salt to taste
minced garlic to taste
dried basil to taste

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the sausage slices. Add the onions, mushrooms, peppers and saute until the onions are translucent. Add the remaining ingredients ans bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over hot cooked pasta with a sprinkling of parmesan on top. Enjoy!

Yummy Banana Cupcakes

After getting tired of only making banana bread when I needed to use up some over-ripe bananas, I turned to this recipe instead. I tweaked it just a bit to suit our tastes, and it has become a fast favorite. It's easy and delicious, and makes fantastic cupcakes that I love to pack in my kids lunches for school. The cupcakes freeze wonderfully, and this also makes a great bundt cake.

Yummy Banana Cupcakes

1 (18 oz.) yellow cake mix
1 (3.5 oz) pkg. instant vanilla or banana pudding mix
4 egg whites
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2-4 ripe bananas, mashed
frosting (chocolate, cream cheese, or vanilla)*

Preheat oven to 350* F. Using two muffin tins, line the 24 cups with paper liners and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and pudding mix. Add the egg whites, water, oil and mashed bananas. With an electric mixer, mix on low until combined them on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scoop the batter into the paper lined muffin cups, using about 1/4 cup batter per cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched. Let cool completely on wire racks. Once cool, frost with your favorite frosting (chocolate is our favorite). Store in the fridge or freezer. Makes 24 cupcakes.
*Once the cupcakes are frosted, I flash freeze them on a cookie sheet, then place them in individual plastic baggies and store them in the freezer. In the mornings when I am packing school lunches I can easily grab one to toss into the kids lunch sack for a fun, home-baked treat at school, and they are defrosted in time for the kids to eat.
**Variations**
-Pour the batter into a greased 10-inch bundt pan and bake @ 350* F for 55-65 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack and let cool completely. Once cooled, mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 1 1/2 TBSP. milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract into a glaze and drizzle over top of the cooled cake, then sprinkle with chopped pecans.
-Add 1 cup of mini chocolate chips to the batter before baking and just skip the frosting.
-For a breakfast muffin variation, add 1 cup chopped pecans to the batter, pour into paper-lined muffin tins, then sprinkle a streusel-crumb topping over each one and bake as usual.

Tangy Beef Stroganoff

This is my favorite Beef Stroganoff recipe, I have been making it for years. I love that I can use sliced beef strips or even ground beef, and it always tastes delicious! You can also make this in your slow cooker if you prefer.

Tangy Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. beef top sirloin steak (or ground beef instead)
1/4 cup butter
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cup water
2 TBSP. lemon juice
2 TBSP. red wine vinegar
4 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream
Hot cooked egg noodles

Cut beef into 1/8-in. thick strips. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef in butter until no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In pan juices, cook mushrooms, onion and garlic until tender; stir in flour. Add water, lemon juice, vinegar, bouillon, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream and beef; heat through (do not boil). Serve over noodles. Yield: 4 servings.
*Slow Cooker Method*- I don't brown the meat, instead I just toss the meat, onions, butter, 3 (4 oz.) cans of mushroom slices drained, beef bouillon, and 2 cups of water into my slow cooker, turn it on LOW and let it go for the day. About 1 hour before serving, I whisk the flour into the lemon juice and vinegar, then add it to the crock pot along with the salt and pepper. I give it a good stir and let it go until right before serving, then I stir the sour cream in. Then serve it over the hot cooked egg noodles.