Thursday, September 30, 2010

Spiced Apple Drops

Here is a sure crowd pleasing cookie for anyone who loves apple!
It's got little chunks of apple and yummy cinnamony flavor.
Very easy and the Apple Spiced Frosting really tops it off;)

First peel and slice an apple, then throw it in the food processor or finely chop it.

Beat the butter on med-high speed for about 30 seconds.
Add half of the flour, then add the sugar, brown sugar, egg, half of the cider,
cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and cloves.


Beat til thoroughly combined, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally.
Then beat or stir in the remaining flour and cider.
Stir in chopped apple.
Add the chopped pecans.
Stir until combined.
Drop onto greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 mins or til edges are lightly browned.
Cool on cookie sheet for about a min.
Remove and place on cookie rack.
Once they are cooled frost with Apple Spiced Frosting.

Apple Spiced Frosting

Look at 'em all! Sooo much apple goodness!

They sure don't last long...

Enjoy!!


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Caramel Apples

DSC_5876

This year I decided I was going to make caramel apples from scratch instead of the store bought caramel to melt and use..Oh my stars!! It is soooo much better and really easy which is a plus in my book!!! In the past I have always wanted to make it from scratch but I had only came across other recipes that call for heavy whipping cream and of course I never had that on hand when I wanted to make them…but with this recipe you should have everything in your pantry:)

Ingredients

8-10 Granny Smith Apples (with popsicle sticks)

1 c. butter

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 1/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. corn syrup

1 t. vanilla

Instructions

Wash and dry apples. Stick popsicle sticks in the stem. Place aluminum foil or wax paper sprayed with non-stick spray on 9×13 pans.

Melt butter and brown sugar together over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Add in sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup and keep stirring constantly! Heat until 245 degrees (keep stirring!) on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into cup of very cold water forms a firm ball that holds its shape until pressed. Immediately remove from heat and add vanilla.

Roll apples in caramel and place on foil/wax paper lined pan. Allow to cool for 2 hours. (We didn't really wait for two hours my girls were too impatient:)

Printable Recipe

Monday, September 27, 2010

Blackberry BBQ Meatballs

This one is a quick and easy meal for those crazy busy school nights!
The kids really loved it {the adults did too;)}

You'll need a bag {gasp} of meatballs
If you want you could totally make your own meatballs,
I just don't happen to have a ton of time on my hands these day:)
1 c. blackberry jam
2 c. barbecue sauce {your favorite brand}-I used Sweet Baby Rays

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Arrange the meatballs in an 8x8 baking pan and heat in the oven for 10 mins.. Place the jam and BBQ sauce in a medium sauce pan and simmer on medium heat for about 5 to 10 mins. Pour sauce over meat ball and return to oven for 15 mins. Let cool for 5 mins. Serve with your favorite side dish.

Enjoy:)


Thursday, September 23, 2010

Fall Inspired~ Apple Crisp


There are a few things that say "Fall is here"...and one of them is Apple Crisp!
Speaking of Fall-we are going to be posting a bunch of new Fall inspired recipes over the next few weeks! Some tried and true and some that are new;)
Make sure to check back to see what's up!

Now this recipe I have been making for years!
I'm pretty sure I've got it perfected:)

Start off with some apples-about 6 to 8.
Peeled, sliced and cored.

Place in the ramekins or 13x9 inch baking dish.

Add a little cinnamon, sugar and a dash of nutmeg.

Throw on a chunk of butter-Yum-can't go wrong there!

Here they are ready to bake-@ 350 degrees for about 35 mins.
This is the cookbook with the recipe I kinda go by:)
Does anyone else have it?
I love it!
Fresh out of the oven and ready to eat!
YUM!!!

Drop on some whip and you are good to go!

Enjoy with your favorite hot beverage;)

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

And the WINNER is.....

Bridgett from La Bella Cook!!!

Congrats, Bridgett! Please send an email to pepperedpantry@gmail.com to claim your gift card!

Thanks to everyone for participating in the giveaway!!

Keep checking back for new recipes! (We know we have been neglecting our blog but are hoping to change that very soon!! :))

Friday, September 17, 2010

Giveaway!!

Is there any better way to start your weekend than getting in on a giveaway??

Once again CSN store is sponsoring a giveaway here at The Peppered Pantry!
Yay, right;)

CSN offers hundreds of different items like Corelle dinnerware, unique dishes, and even office supplies, shoes and much more! Follow the directions below for your chance to win a $35 gift certificate to use at any of the 200+ online stores:)

Rules:

*Residents of the US and Canada only.

*One entry per person.

*Become a follower and leave a comment answering this question:

"As Fall arrives, what food you are inspired to make?"

{If you are already a follower, leave a comment with your answer.}

*All entries must be made by 12 pm on Tuesday, September 21st!

The winner will be announced Tuesday evening in a separate post.

Good Luck!!!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Pops


I don't know about you all, but my kids are always starving when they get home from school! So when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make 'em for my starved children;)
This is a quick and easy after school snack for the kiddos.
These pops got rave reviews from my kids and their cousins:)

So yummy:)

Perfect for a kids birthday party!
You could choose not to make them into pops if you wanted to skip that step:)

Quick, easy and portable!

Now for the recipe: 2 cups peanut butter
4 cups rice crispy cereal
1/2 cup butter
1 lb powdered sugar
Thats it! Melt the butter and peanut butter together in a medium saucepan, remove from heat and add powdered sugar and cereal. Blend well and chill. Roll into balls, add the sticks and dip into whatever chocolate you like.