Cinnamon Roll Dutch Apple Pie

After seeing the crust recipe on Pinterest about 1,001 times, I finally went for it. Combined with the apple filling, and the topping...heaven on a plate!  I have to totally give all the credit to Taste for Adventure, but I  wanted to have it here on my blog for easy reference.
First is the crust.. the video is on Taste for Adventure's site, it is just pie crust, I had to use two, but you spread about 2 tablespoons butter on the rolled out crust, sprinkle with a bit of sugar and cinnamon...

 Then roll up and slice as evenly as you can.

Press into pie plate and up the edges, don't leave any holes. Brush with melted butter. ( this was my addition so the crust doesn't get soggy. )

Fill with about 8 cups of sliced apples mixed with about 1/4 cup sugar and 2 Tablespoons flour. 

I forgot the pic on this one.. oops, LOL

Then top with 1 stick softened butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. 

( you make a struesel topping by combining all ingredients)

Like she said, it looks obnoxiously huge but it does shrink while baking, which, by the way, is 40 min at about 400. I did use the directions exactly, and I should have checked it a bit sooner...

OOPS, I forgot the icing... I have a 3 year old mind you that has to be watched while all this is happening.. 

Icing~ 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons milk, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla..

it may not be pretty, but sure is a delight! I used Granny Smiths and some Cortland for the apples. 

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you try this soon!

Heavenly Peanut Butter Pie

This pie is so light and airy.. and ohhh so wonderful!! A special thanks to my awesome foodie friend, fellow Taste of Home field editor, and baking mentor, Maria Castle.
I highly recommend this for Cookouts and holiday events, but you might want to make two. :)

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12 graham crackers, crumbled
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 (3 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup milk
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
1 cup chopped peanuts ( i used walnuts and peanuts)
Hot fudge sauce or ganache
Crust: Mix crumbs, 1/2 cup melted butter, cinnamon,and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Pack into 9-inch pie plate.Bake at 375, for 6 min.
In chilled bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. beat in milk, peanut butter, and vanilla.
In chilled bowl, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Stir one third of it into peanut butter/cream cheese mixture.
Gently fold in well. Fold in remaining cream.
Gently fill grahm cracker crust with mixture. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and chill a few hours or overnight.
Top with~
 Ganache. ( Stolen from Alton Brown)

• 3 tablespoons corn syrup
• 6 ounces heavy cream
• 12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• In a small saucepan combine the corn syrup and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and add the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract
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 Once the ganache reaches 70 degrees F, it is ready to be used. At this point it can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
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I hope you enjoyed this. It was faitrly easy to make, and like she had written, you can use hot fudge sauce instead of ganache.
Don’t forget to leave your 2 cents! Or 10, or whatever you prefer!

Bacon- Asparagus Roasted Red Pepper Strata

 I had originally made this for Thursday nights dinner for the family after failing to read the entire directions that it has to sit in the fridge for 2 - 24 hours. I am kinda glad I saved it for Friday because we ended up at Brenda and Kenny's( supposed to be gardening but somehow that didn't work out, LOL)

I adore her chickens. 

My beautiful daughter. 

I can't get over the look on Ryan's face!!

                               Brenda's son, Tim, with his twins. He certainly has his hands full!

                       Gail was the first one to comment on the aroma of the strata. Bless her heart.

• 3 Quart baking dish. I used my 15 x 10 cast iron dish.
  10 slices bacon, cooked till crispy and crumbled 
  1 pound fresh asparagus, ends cut off and sliced into 2 inch pieces 
  2 roasted red peppers, sliced
  1 vidalia onion, sliced thin
  12 slices dry white bread, I cut up as loaf of Italian bread and toasted the cubes. 
  2 cups shredded Smoked Gruyere
  2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  10 eggs
  3 1/2 cups milk
  2 Teaspoons mustard , I used deli mustard
  1 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  1/4- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  Lightly grease pan with spray or oil. 
  Combine bacon, asparagus, peppers, and onion in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. 
  Place half of the bread cubes in bottom of baking dish. Top with half the veggie mixture and half the cheese. Repeat with the rest of the bread cubes, veggies and cheese. 
  Mix together the 10 eggs, milk, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper and pour evenly as possible over the bread, cheese, veggie mixture. 
  Press down slightly. Cover and refrigerate 2-24 hours. 
  Preheat oven to 325. Bake approximately 1 hour or until puffy, lightly browned and set. 
  
  
  *Recipe inspired by BHG.com*
  
  

Taste of Home~ Search for Mrs. Holiday~ Talent Search

Being a field editor for Taste of Home magazine and having multiple recipes published in their and several of their partner magazines I am proud to announce the newest talent search for Taste of Home. This person will represent all holidays with videos, blogging, interviews, appearances at Taste of Home Cooking Schools, ect. With a paycheck of 50,000!!!
This was a pre-press released email I received today, and was so excited I had to post!
Contest starts June 4th, so get your video cameras and favorite holiday recipes ready!!!

 MOVE OVER MISS AMERICA,
THERE’S A NEW CROWN IN TOWN AND HER NAME IS MRS. HOLIDAY

Taste of Home Conducts Nationwide Search for
Ambassador of the Holidays

Spokesperson to Receive Role With Company and $50,000

NEW YORK, NY – May 17, 2012 – As we sit here wedged between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, it’s pretty clear that America loves the holidays.  According to independent market research, more than $80 billion is spent annually on food during holidays.  That represents about 15% of total supermarket food sales in the U.S.*

There are more than 25 million women who are fans of Taste of Home magazine, its iPad edition, website, books, and special interest publications.  They count on Taste of Home to be their go-to resource for the holidays.  For example, website traffic at TasteofHome.com increases by 25%-40% before every holiday.  Geared up with recipes and ideas, these women head right to retail to start their holiday food shopping.

Recognizing the enormity of the holidays to peoples’ personal lives and the U.S. economy, Taste of Home has begun a nationwide search on Facebook.com/TasteofHome to identify candidates for the position of Mrs. Holiday, a spokesperson role at the company, which includes a $50,000 payment. “Mrs. Holiday will be a new type of pageant queen,” said Cassidy. “She’s an advocate, an ambassador and an inspiration who cooks for her family to bring everyone around the table at the holidays.  She’s got memorable recipes combined with a celebration attitude.”

To audition for the role of Mrs. Holiday, people age 18 or older must visit Facebook.com/Taste of Home to enter a virtual pageant.  There they can submit a video entry of no more than two minutes to show/tell us how they bring the holidays to life and convince us why they should be Taste of Home's Mrs. Holiday.  They also should submit a signature holiday recipe in 200 words or less. The full entry rules and instructions are provided at Facebook.com/TasteofHome.  All entries will receive a free chocolate chip cookie recipe as a thank you for auditioning.

Unlike the Miss America pageant, consumers will have a hand in picking Mrs. Holiday by voting for their favorite entrant at Facebook.com/TasteofHome starting on June 4 and ending on September 7.  Mrs. Holiday will be selected from among the top 100 vote getters by a panel of experts.

Once officially crowned, Mrs. Holiday will be available to conduct interviews, cooking segments, and blogging, as well as to make appearances across the country at retailers and some of the more than 300 Taste of Home cooking schools.

~~About Taste of Home
Taste of Home is America’s connection to the personal recipes of people who like to cook at home as a way to bring family and friends together, particularly at the holidays. Each year, thousands of people from across the United States and Canada submit more than 40,000 recipes, of which 3,000 are published. Every recipe that is published is carefully evaluated and selected by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, which ensures that it can be prepared with affordable, everyday ingredients. Taste of Home content is available in print; online at Tasteofhome.com; in books; via digital download on iPad, mobile apps and Kindle; and Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Obtain a subscription at www.TasteofHome.com or on your favorite digital download device. ~~~