A+ Apple Recipes

I have major ADD moments sometimes. Last Tuesday night in the middle of dinner with my family I randomly decided to make a apple pie. So I did. It looked so yummy and good I was super excited to try it! I was extremely proud of myself too because I even made the crust by hand! Then, I took a bite of my first pie I ever made. That pie crust was super gross. Not wanting to admit to myself I made a bad pie crust I checked the go bad date on the Crisco. That Crisco expired 2 years ago. So the morale of the story is before you make these next two recipes PLEASE check your go bad dates! Now onto the recipes that if you make them for your teacher you would defiantly get a A+ (how else do you think I have passed 4 years of math?).

Killer Caramel Apple Pie: 

After my regular apple pie fail I decided to take a break from it and do a Caramel Apple Pie. This apple pie has to be the best pie ever to be made. So if you know a apple pie loving person you better make this for them! I use Gravenstein apples! 

Ingredients

1

box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

1

cup granulated sugar

1/4

cup all-purpose flour

1

teaspoon ground cinnamon

5

cups thinly sliced peeled apples

1/2

cup caramel apple dip (HAHAHA I used the whole thing) 

2

tablespoons milk

1

cup all-purpose flour

1/2

cup packed brown sugar

1/2

cup butter

How to make this beastly pie: 

• 1Heat oven to 375°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie plate. In large bowl, mix granulated sugar, 1/4 cup flour and the cinnamon. Add apples; toss to coat. Spoon apple mixture into crust- lined plate. In small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons caramel apple dip and the milk; drizzle over apples.
• 2In medium bowl, mix 1 cup flour and the brown sugar. With pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over filling.
• 3To make the fancy top, cut second crust into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Place half of the strips across filling in pie plate. Weave remaining strips with first strips. Trim ends of strips even with edge of bottom crust. Fold trimmed edge of bottom crust over ends of strips, forming a high stand-up rim. 
• 4Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Drizzle remaining caramel apple dip over pie (i put like the whole tub on top). Cool at least 2 hours before serving.

Caramel Apple Bars:

These are tasty little treats too! They are like apple crisp but in bar form! you can cut them into little squares and they fit nicely in lunches too! I use Gravenstein apples for this too!

INGREDIENTS:

1

cup packed brown sugar

1/2

cup butter or margarine, softened

1/4

cup shortening

1 3/4

cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2

cups quick-cooking oats

1

teaspoon salt

1/2

teaspoon baking soda

4 1/2

cups coarsely chopped peeled tart apples (3 medium)

3

tablespoons all-purpose flour

1

bag (14 ounces) caramels*

How to make these beautiful bars! 

• 1) Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix brown sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Stir in 1 3/4 cups flour, the oats, salt and baking soda. Reserve 2 cups oat mixture; press remaining oat mixture in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches.
• 2) Toss apples and 3 tablespoons flour; spread over mixture in pan. Heat caramels over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted; pour evenly over apples. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture; press lightly.
• 3) Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. For 36 bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows while warm. Store covered in refrigerator.
• * I experimented when I got sick of melting caramels and used caramel apple caramel instead! Its like the same thing! Guess what else! It is already melted:)

Thanks for reading these yummy recipes:) 

How to Pimp your Potatoes

You may have wondered why I am the Spud Queen. I am the Spud Queen because I live on a fabulous potato farm! My family pimps potatoes for a living. So that is why this lovely entry is all about potatoes, they are simply the best vegetables on earth! So the next time you eat anything with a potato in it you should think of the farmers who grew what you are eating. Then, you should go find a farmer and hug them (only if you know them otherwise it would be creepy if you hugged a random farmer)  because they are pretty cool and hardworking people!. But before I give you some super potato pimping recipes I am going to give you some potato background!

Here is a fun fact: you can grow potatoes in space. Yep, its been done before. Potatoes are pretty out of this world!

Here is a picture of how potatoes are harvested!:

The tractor and the truck have to stay in sync or else the boom (the arm like thing going into the back of the truck) could be damaged. (photo credit: Jeff)

Here is a picture of a bunch of potatoes in storage! Yes those are all potatoes. This is just not even halfway full potato bin either. We have a lot of warehouses full of bins like these stuffed with potatoes.

 

Another fun potato fact: The leaves of the plant are poisonous. The reason for this is most likely because potatoes are in the nightshade family. So don't eat them.

 

 The most common question I get asked is if I eat potatoes every night. Here is the answer: No I don't, but that most likely will change in college when I cant afford anything but to steal potatoes from the farm. So now you know a little about the life of a potato here are some fun recipes for these little buggers! Now lets begin getting stuffed...

 

Twice Baked Potatoes:

The directions for this recipe I looked at, then laughed at, and then totally stuffed the potato with my own thing which you can totally do too! So here is the recipe for twice the yummy goodness a potato can offer! LOVE A SPUD!

 

• 2 large potatoes, scrubbed (I prefer Allegra or Yukon Gold but use whatever kind you like:)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons sour cream  
• 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (or whatever kind of cheese you would like and however much you like. I put a TON of cheese because I am a cheese addict)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, (plus more for garnish if you want to be on Martha Stewarts and Rachel Rays level)
• Ok here is where you get creative I have put in bacon, garlic, even more cheese, and some different types of herbs (I have used basil and/or rosemary). Do whatever you want!      

Directions

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake on oven rack until tender, 1 1/2 hours. Cool 10 minutes. You can cook them in a microwave too but ovens I think are better for potato cooking!
2. Halve potatoes lengthwise, leaving a thin shell (you don't need to get every last piece of flesh out. Just roughly take enough out to have a good size hole); scoop flesh into a medium bowl. Add milk, butter, sour cream, and 1/4 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper; fold in chives to combine or whatever you really want to put in.

3. Step 3

   Scoop filling into potatoes and place in a baking dish just large enough to hold them. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese (or whatever you want). Bake until heated through, 15 to 20 minutes.

This is a really really yummy recipe! It is fast after you get through baking the potatoes!

 

Now onto the next recipe with a ton of room for creativity too and it is very simple!

 

Pimpin Potato Pancakes:

I am posting this sort of boring recipe because you can do so much with them after you make them! From sour cream to tzatziki (ta-ziki) there are a million different combos!

 

•  1 1/4 pounds of potatoes (Whatever kind you like. I use Yukon Golds.)  
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• Whatever topping you want! I have done tzatziki with chicken and cheese on top and I have also done sour cream, cheese, and bacon. It is all up to you on what you want to stick on top! The options are endless!       

Directions

1. Step 1

   Peel potatoes, and grate on the large holes of a box grater. Place grated potatoes in a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze tightly, removing all excess moisture.
   
   
    (I put the grated potatoes in a bowl and mix them with a little bit of minced garlic after the first step)

 

1. Step 2

   Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and add 1 teaspoon canola oil (I use garlic infused olive oil if I want to get crazy). When the pan is hot, add grated potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to press potatoes into a flat, round shape. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, shaking pan periodically, until pancake is nice and brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip pancake, and add remaining teaspoon of oil, drizzling around the edges of pancake. Gently swirl pan to distribute oil. Season again with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until golden brown and crisp on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes more.

2. Step 3

   put on cutting board and cut into as big of pieces as you want! Then top with whatever you feel like!

Now onto one of the more complicated but SUPER cool recipes!

 

Sliced Baked Potatoes:

One of my lovely friends showed me this recipe! Then One of my other friends gave me a few more ideas to make it even better then the recipe! The potatoes have a odd texture but they are really good all the same! Its more of a chip texture then baked potato texture. Lets get slicey now!

 

Ingredients

6 Medium Size Potatoes
2 - 3 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced (or however much you want)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Butter
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

I have also inserted herbs between the slices and if you want to get really crazy stuff cheese between the slices and dump chili all over it when its done baking and eat a chili potato! You would probably stuff bacon bits and cheese between the slices too. just use your creativity!

Method

Preheat the oven to 425. Put the potato on a chopping board, flatter side down (if there isn't a flatter side take a little bit off of one side so it will sit still). Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals.

Arrange the potatoes in a baking tray and insert the garlic in between the slits. Scatter some butter on top of each potato. Then drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft. I still cant figure out exactly how much time is takes but just keep checking them until they are crispy on the outside and sort of soft on the inside.

 

Now you know three of my favorite potato recipes! Remember to think of the farmers out there that grew all the food you eat! Support farmers and make everything on my blog!

May the force be with you in the kitchen and thanks for reading:)

Lets Get Comfy: Comfort Food

I am weirdly in love with warm starchy things. I also am in love with those days at home where it is raining outside, and you are inside cozy in sweats and a sweatshirt, and watching CSI reruns with your cat. But then your perfectly cozy moment with your super lazy cat on your lap is ruined because you begin craving something really yummy and really warm. Usually on those days you really don't want to go anywhere to buy food because you are in your cheetah print pajama bottoms and an old ratty t-shirt. With this blog post my goal is to let you stay hanging out with your cat in your not public appropriate attire and make your own comfort food. So let the helping start with this cheesy beginning:

Macaroni and Cheese:

Once upon a time, I was craving macaroni and cheese VERY badly but was in zebra pajama pants and a tshirt that has probably been around longer then I have been, so to say the least I was not going anywhere that day. That was the moment I decided to enter the world wide web and discover the secret recipe of the macaroni god Martha Stewart. I did make some revisions to make is faster and less confusing but here is the oh-so-magical recipe:

• 1 pound macaroni      
• Coarse salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (sometimes I might add a LITTLE more)
• 4 cups milk
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (these two things I never add but you could try)
• 3 cups shredded (12 ounces) sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1 cup finely grated (2 ounces) Parmesan cheese
• (With these cheeses I always use whatever cheese I have (like cheddar) and I always put more cheese then it calls for because I am a cheese addict)
• 3 cups very coarse fresh breadcrumbs
•  (In the picture I didn't put breadcrumbs on, but I have before and I was really good. I do both ways depending on how lazy I am)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water 1 to 2 minutes less than package instructions. Drain, rinse with cool water, and return to pot. (it is ok if its really tough because it gets softer when baking)
2. Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add milk, cayenne, nutmeg, and 2 teaspoons salt; bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes.(it always takes more time then that for me so after like 5 minutes I give up and move on) Whisk in cheeses until smooth (dump as much as that stuff as you want). Pour over pasta; toss to coat. Divide among baking dishes (or put in a giant 9 by 13 one)
3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter; toss with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over pasta.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. bake uncovered until golden and bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.

This is the best recipe for homemade mac and cheese I could find on the world wide web.

 

Now to live up to my Spud Queen title:

 

Stuffed Baked Potato Casserole:

I am a potato pimp and this is one of the best recipes ever! It is sooo easy and super quick after you boil the potatoes. So here it is:

 

• 3 1/2 - 4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters (I used Youkon Golds)
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided (or however much you want)
• 8 slices bacon, cooked, chopped, divided (I used microwave bacon to minimize mess and it gets crunchier I discovered)
• 1/2 bunch green onions, sliced

Preparation:

Place potatoes in saucepan with salted water until covered. Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Cook until tender, then drain well.

Preheat oven to 375° degrees F.

Transfer potatoes back to the saucepan. Mash with a potato masher until almost smooth. Add cream cheese, sour cream, butter, milk, salt and pepper.

 

Continue mashing until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese (or however much you want) and half the bacon. Spoon mixture evenly into a lightly oiled 3-quart casserole dish. 

 Bake for 20 minutes. Top with remaining cheese, bacon and green onions.

 

Bake for 5 more minutes to melt cheese. Serve immediately.

 

 

Thank you for discovering the ways of the comfort world with me...YAY FOR COMFORT FOOD!

Being a Brownie Babe

Hello there! My name is Clara the Spud Queen and I am addicted to brownies.  I began a quest to find the yummiest, most bad for you, and chocolaty brownies possible. It took me a few tries on different recipes, and a few minutes that happened to turn into hours on Pinterest till I accomplished this quest but it was worth it. They are probably the most addicting things you will ever eat. So let me introduce you to two recipes that create a little bit of heaven on earth:

The Crack Brownie:

The name basically says all you need to know about this sinful concoction. Its addicting. A blend of brownie, peanut butter cups, mini marshmallows, and a whole lot of chocolate. I first created this for my birthday last year, and ate probably about 10 of these little buggers in a span of a hour. here is the delectable recipe for this treat:

The Base:

1 batch brownies (I just use brownies out of the box)

 

1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups

(lets get real you can add as many as you want. I use mini ones and cut them in half or regular size and cut them in 4 pieces)

 

2 cups mini marshmallows 

(or as many as it takes to do one layer over the top of the brownies, or however marshmallow obsessed you are)  

 

Chocolate peanut buttery Rice Krispie Cereal topping:

1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal

 

1)Mix brownies according to directions, and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

 

2)Remove the brownies (no need to wait for them to cool just don't get burned), then top with marshmallows and peanut butter cups, and bake for about 5 more minutes or until the marshmallows are puffy and light brown. While waiting to get these marshmallows perfectly gooey do the next step.

 

3) *While these fabulous things are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl (I start with 45 seconds and then take it out and stir it and then estimate how much longer it needs until fully melted) after melted Stir in cereal.

 

4) Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour the peanutbuttery, chocolate, and ricekrispy goodness  over the top.

 

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving

 

*Notes on this recipe: Whenever I babysit I will make these for the family, and if it was a especially stressful night, and I don't feel like cleaning up peanut butter chocolate messes I will just forget it and not put it on top. It will still taste fine its just slightly gooeyer a lazier way to make it! Or you can forget the Rice Krispies and just do the chocolate and peanut butter!

I discovered this recipe on Pinterest!

 

Now to introduce you to my second addiction....

 

The Brownie Bomb:

<- look enticing?

 

This brownie is the bomb.com forward slash awesome. I do have a warning for you before you begin this enticing endeavor: this is a very time consuming but yummy recipe. I never thought of combining cookie dough with a brownie before until now. There are multiple types you can make like carrot cake, monster cookie, Snickers, and I am sure you could get creative and create your own (I was thinking one with a mini twix and caramel inside). So if you are ready to get diabetes from too much chocolaty goodness please meet the Brownie Bomb:

Ingredients

• ¾ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch salt
• 2 cups miniature chocolate chips, divided
• 1 package fudge brownie mix, baked and cooled (I baked them in a 9 by 13)
• 1 package Candiquik or chocolate almond bark (or 4 cups chocolate chips)

Instructions

1. To create this delicious dough filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the milk and vanilla; beat to combine. Then, beat in the flour and pinch of salt until a soft dough forms. Stir in ONE cup of the mini chocolate chips.
2. On a foil-lined baking sheet, drop rounded, Tablespoon-sized balls of dough (make them on the smaller side though). I used a tablespoon but didn't fill it completely full since later on I discovered the smaller the balls the easier it is to cover in brownie). Freeze the cookie dough balls for about an hour to firm up (I did longer then a hour since I was too busy to finish and nothing bad happened)
3. Cut the brownies into small squares, about 1″ in size (I did a inch and a half). Pick up a square and gently flatten it with your palm. Fudgy brownies will flatten easily and retain their moisture which is why it’s important to make sure you use a fudgy brownie mix rather than a cake textured one.
4. Place a cookie dough ball in the middle of the flattened brownie and very gently, wrap the brownie around the cookie dough ball. If the brownie cracks, that’s okay; just kind of roll it in your fingers until the brownie completely surrounds the cookie dough. Repeat until all cookie dough balls are covered, then return to the freezer for 30 minutes or so.
5. *Prepare chocolate bark according to package directions. Using a fork, dip each brownie truffle into the chocolate, coat completely, and allow excess to drip off. Return to the foil-line sheet and sprinkle the tops with the remaining cup of mini chips, for garnish.
6. Store these yummy creations in the fridge in a airtight container

Note: I saw another version of this recipe and it said to use a bag and a half of chocolate chips so I just used about 4 cups worth of regular chocolate chips and melted them in the microwave. It worked like a charm:)

 

I found this recipe on another fantastic food blog about brownies: http://thedomesticrebel.com/2013/02/20/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-brownie-bombs/

 

After trying these scrumptious concoctions you will probably be addicted to them, but hey just tell yourself there is more expensive and worst things you could be addicted to. So good luck my cooking friend and have a blast making these great recipes!