Homemade Crock Pot Applesauce

Finally uploading this post! .......

My brother has this amazing crab apple tree with hundreds and hundreds of apples! It's amazing and I love that tree. I want it at my house. So I took the kids there to pick some more bags of it so I could make some applesauce! You can use applesauce for more than just a snack...you can use it on pork chops, in baked goods, on breakfast foods, or just a side dish! Granted, you are going to need to sugar these up a bit, they are still healthier than applesauce you buy in stores with high fructose corn syrup and artificial coloring.

Ingredients:

Apples, sliced (I didn't peel mine)
2-4 tbsp of Lemon juice
Sugar or Brown Sugar
Cinnamon

Directions:

-Cut up apples into sections and place in crock pot.
-Add lemon juice to cover the bottom of the crock pot.
-Cook on low 4-6 hours until apples become soft.
-Mash them with a potato masher.
-Add sugar and cinnamon to taste.
-Serve warm or refrigerate/freeze for later.

Enjoy!

Green Chile Queso Fresco Enchiladas

It's Hispanic Heritage Month and what better way to celebrate than by sharing a deliciously easy enchilada recipe?! This is a great recipe to freeze ahead of time as well or bring to a friend before baking. This is a great recipe for kids, I promise green chiles are NOT spicy at all. And who doesn't love enchiladas?? 

Green Chile Queso Fresco Enchiladas

Ingredients:

4 cups shredded chicken
1- 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 can green chiles, diced 
1 onion, diced
1 container of green enchilada sauce
1 package of about 12 corn tortillas (gluten free)
1/2 cup Queso Fresco cheese, crumbled 

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-In a large bowl mix together shredded chicken, cream cheese, diced green chiles, 1/3 of the green enchilada sauce and onion until combined.
-Coat a 13x9 baking dish in cooking spray.
-Assemble each tortilla with about 1/4 cup of mixture in each.
-When all your tortillas are assembled, top the enchiladas with the rest of the enchilada sauce.
-Bake about 30 minutes. 
-When finished, top with queso fresco.

Enjoy! 

Italian Chicken

I found this recipe on Pinterest from http://baconbuttercheesegarlic.blogspot.com/2013/12/time-to-impress.html?m=1 and it was tasty!!! I highly recommend you try it! I made this for a large group of people but here is what you would need for making it family size.

Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
One 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 package Italian dressing mix (make sure it's gluten free) (I made my own)
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
6 ounces fresh spinach
2 teaspoons garlic powder
8 ounces shredded Mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

-Cook the onions and the mushrooms in the 2 tbsp of butter or olive oil until tender.
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
-Put the chicken stock and cream cheese in a bowl and microwave a minute or two to melt the cream cheese. 
-Whisk in the Italian dressing mix, garlic powder, and salt/pepper into the cream cheese mixture until smooth. 
-Stir in the tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, onions, and spinach. 
-Place the chicken breasts into a casserole pan. 
-Pour the cream cheese mixture over the chicken. 
-Bake for around 45 minutes or until the chicken is done. 
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top and stick it under the broiler a few minutes to melt the cheese. 

Gayle's Apple Salsa

My grandma, uncle (the apple peeler), mom, and I got together today to make salsa! This has a nice little heat to it but yet the sweetness of the apples. Hope you like it!

Gayle's Apple Salsa

Ingredients:

8 lbs tomatoes (diced)
12 apples (cored, peeled, diced)
12 onions (diced)
1 tbsp pepper
1 sweet bell pepper (chopped)
2 cups apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1- 4 oz jar jalapeno peppers (diced) (or 2-3 fresh)

Directions:

- In a large kettle bring tomatoes, apples, and onions to a boil.
- Stir occasionally and continue to boil one hour.
-Add the rest of the ingredients and boil an additional two hours.
-Stir occasionally, salsa will thicken slightly.
Freeze or can or put in Tupperware container for the freezer!

Enjoy!

Italian Sausage Penne

My kids actually really loved this dish. This literally takes minutes to throw together a healthy weeknight dinner. I have all of these items on hand all of the time so it can be throw together whenever!

Italian Sausage Penne

Ingredients:

1 box gluten free penne pasta
2 lbs Italian sausage
1 onion, diced
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 can chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package of frozen, chopped spinach
Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

-Cook pasta according to directions and set aside.
-Meanwhile heat a large skillet and cook sausage and onion.
-When sausage is almost done, add in minced garlic.
-Add in chicken broth and tomatoes to skillet and simmer about 5 minutes.
-Add in frozen spinach and simmer until spinach is soft.
-Mix in with your pasta and top with Parmesan cheese! 

Enjoy!

Stuffed Green Peppers

I had bought a bunch of HUGE fresh green peppers at the Farmer's Market the other morning and my husband wanted me to stuff them. There is really no way of screwing these up, they seem to always taste good!

Stuffed Green Peppers

Ingredients:

4 large green peppers, cut in half lengthwise
2 lbs Italian Sausage
1 onion, diced
1 can tomato sauce
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
3 cups rice, cooked
2 cups shredded cheese, plus more for tops
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

-Brown Italian sausage in a large skillet with onion.
-Meanwhile, cook rice according to directions (I used Minute Rice Brown Rice)
-Prepare your peppers by cutting them in half lengthwise.
-When sausage is done cooking, add in cooked rice with half of the tomato sauce.
-Stir in Italian seasoning and cheese until well blended.
-Stuff each pepper half with sausage/rice mix.
-Add the rest of the tomato sauce on each pepper half.
-Bake for about 40 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.
-Remove aluminum foil and top with a little more cheese.
-Bake about 10 more minutes, uncovered, until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Fried Plantains

I love plantains. If you have never had them before, they look like large, ripe bananas and should be at your local grocery store. They are incredibly versatile and can be used to make a sweet treat or a savory meal. This is the simplest way possible of making these! 

Fried Plantains

Ingredients:
2 plantains
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:
-Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt butter and oil.
-Place pieces of plantains evenly throughout the skillet.
-Fry 2-3 minutes on each side until golden.
-When finished, place on paper towels to soak up excess oil.
-Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and drizzle with sweetened condensed milk for a really tasty treat!

Enjoy!