Apple® Apple pie!! ♥ Look closely

For my friend Gordon's birthday I cut a Apple® logo in the
center a tribute to the most helpful friend and tech support.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cups white sugar
3 teaspoon salt
3 tsp of squeezed lemon
2 stick of butter
8-10 apples - peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges
pie crust recipe (x1.5)

Directions:
1. Peel and core the apples. Slice into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the apples with 1/4
cup of the sugar, place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for approximately 1 1/2 hours.
2. Transfer the drained liquid to a small saucepan, place over medium heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool.
3.Toss the apples with the remaining sugar, flour, lemon juice, salt.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
5.Place the apples into the unbaked pie shell in concentric circles starting around the edges, working towards the center and forming a slight mound in the center of the pie.
6. Pour over any liquid that remains in the bowl.
7. Roll out the second pie dough as the first.
8. Place this dough over the apples and press together the edges of the dough around the rim of the pie. 9. Brush the top crust with the reduced juice everywhere except around the edge of pie and trim any excess dough.
10. Place the pie on a half sheet pan and bake on the floor of the oven for 30 minutes.
11. Transfer to the lower rack of the oven and continue to bake another 20 minutes or until the apples are cooked through (but not mushy).
12. Remove to a rack and cool a minimum of 5 hours or until almost room temperature.
13. Serve and enjoy with a large family or  group of friends!

Easy Chocolate Fondue Recipe

Follow up post to my fondue party!

For those of us that don't have a double-boiler, a very basic chocolate fondue, the college way aka microwave style.

Popular Dippers:

2 pints of Strawberries

Pretzels rods (especially good with toasted coconut)

Oreo Cookies

Bananas

Graham Crackers

Marshmallows

Popcorn

Pineapple Chunks

Potato Chips, ridged

Ingredients:

2 cups (12-oz pkg.) of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

3/4 cup of heavy cream

2 tbsp of butter

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.

3. Microwave on at high power for about 1 minute.

4. Take out and stir (it will look lumpy but keep stirring)*.

5. Put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds.

6. Stir until smooth (if it still looks lumpy put it in the microwave for another 20)*

7. Set the pot over a candle or canned heat and serve hot with dipping items.

(Optional) Pour into cute ceramic hershey kiss fondue warmer

*all microwaves are different, it's best to make to microwave less as chocolate burns easily and milk forms a film if over heated

Additional ingredients you could add are 2 tbsp of Cognac, liqueur, or brandy.

I also love using some of this sauce for sundaes!

Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe

An easy cheese fondue with a sauce pan.

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp of dry mustard

1/2 tsp of nutmeg

1/2 tsp of pepper

1 tbsp of cornstarch

1tbsp of lemon juice

1 cup of white wine, dry

1/2 lb of Gruyere Cheese*, Shredded

1/2 lb of Swiss Cheese*, Shredded

*personal preference

Dippers suggestion:

Bread Cubes, preferably day old

Chips

Broccoli/Celery, Crispy or Blanched

Carrots

Grape Tomato

Apple Wedges

Potato Wedges, roasted

Button Mushrooms, roasted

Cauliflower

Directions:

1. Put cheese and cornstarch in a bowl or large plastic bag, toss to coat. Set aside until ready to use.

2. Bring wine, lemon and garlic to a simmer in saucepan over medium heat.

3. Slowly add in cheese while continuously stirring to prevent clumping.

4. Add the spices* stir well and cook stirring until the mixture is smooth (3-5 mins)

5. Set the pot over a candle or canned heat and serve hot with dipping items.

*add spices to taste

Hot Pink Velvet Cake!! ♥ UW

Today my love, Jordan, is coming to UW for her business school orientation!! She is one of the most hardworking young woman I've met and I''m so proud of her accomplishment. I was so excited that I decide to bake her a cake, and what better than a HOT PINK Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. I just reduce my Red Velvet Cake Recipe into a fourth of the serving size and used less red food coloring. Unfortunately people will probably mistaken the pink frosting for red, which is our rival school's color (WSU); a purple & gold cake (UW) didn't seem as appetizing. Oh well let critics be i guess...

Funfetti Cookies Recipe

I've made my own Funfetti Cake Mix Recipe but using the box also works.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Funfetti Cake Mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix Funfetti Cake Mix, eggs, and oil until completely combined.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness.
3. Bake at 375°F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

Yield: 3 dozen

Espresso Double Shot Brownies!! midterms week ♥ good luck!

Need a shot of esspresso but Starbucks is closed? Solution! I've created Espresso Double Shot Brownies!! midterms week ♥ good luck!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp of espresso powder (2 packets of VIA)
1 1/4 cups of semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cups of AP flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sugar
1⁄4 cup water
2 tsp of vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease an 8x8" baking pan with butter.
3. Bring 1⁄4 cup water to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan. Whisk in espresso; let dissolve. Whisk together espresso, beans, 1 cup sugar, chocolate chips, flour, oil, vanilla, salt, baking powder, and eggs in a bowl.
4. Pour batter into pan; spread evenly. Bake until set, 45–50 minutes. Let cool slightly.