Microwave Baked Apples

Happy New Years Eve, everyone!

This is something I've been making during these super cold nights to help keep me warm. It's super simple and easy- 5 ingredients, and it takes under 5 minutes to make. These taste yummy, slightly sweet, and cinnamon-y, without the oven! Let's keep things easy and get to the recipe!

Ingredients: apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter.

Peel and chop your apple to about this size.

Toss with the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Then top with butter and a splash of water.

Microwave Baked Apples
-apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
-2 teaspoons brown sugar per apple
-a sprinkle of cinnamon per apple
-1/8-1/4 teaspoon butter
-a splash or two of water per apple
Mix apples with brown sugar and cinnamon in a microwave safe bowl/dish. Top with butter and a splash or two of water.
Microwave for about 45 seconds, then stir, then microwave for 30 more seconds and stir again (this is for my microwave, which I do not know the wattage of but it is pretty strong- adjust for your microwave and for your taste in terms of how firm you like the apples).
Enjoy!

And here's your finished product- eat it while it's hot!

Savor it!
love, rue

Cheesy Corn Souffle

Hey everyone!

I know this is a little late, but I made this for Thanksgiving this year, along with my traditional apple pie (check out other posts for how to make the pie!), though I think this would go well with almost any holiday meal. This was super easy to throw together and is amazingly delicious, moist, and cheesy. It got rave reviews and I was so glad to have an opportunity to make it for so many people! Let's get started.

Your super-simple arsenal- cream cheese, butter, eggs, cheese, corn, muffin mix, and green onions

Start out by creaming together your butter and cream cheese.

Mix in the whole kernel corn and creamed corn.

Add in your muffin mix and stir well.

Mix in your eggs...

Then mix in the green onions and cheese.

Pour mixture into a greased pan (this is a double batch in a 9x13'').

Then cover the top in cheese. Yumm!

Cheesy Corn Souffle
-2 tablespoons butter, softened
-1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese or neufchâtel, softened
-1 can whole corn, drained
-1 can creamed corn
-1 (8.5 oz.) package corn muffin mix
-2 eggs
-2 green onions, thinly sliced
-1 cup shredded cheddar, 1/4 cup mixed in, 3/4 cup on top
Cream together butter and cream cheese. Mix in corn, then muffin mix. Add the eggs and mix well. Season with a little salt and pepper, then stir in the green onions and cheese.
Top with the remaining cheese.
Bake in a greased 2 qt. casserole at 350 F for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

And here it is finished- nice browned cheese on top, creamy and fluffy in the middle- sorry I don't have more pics, at this point the dish went through reheating, then got chowed down on by a big group of people!

Savor it!
love, rue

BLT Lettuce Wraps

Hey everyone,

This isn't so much a recipe as a twist on the classic BLT. Essentially, you take all the ingredients you would use in a BLT, and wrap them up in a lettuce leaf instead. It's totally filling, good for you, and completely delish- even I was surprised. But it's hard to go wrong with bacon- let me show you!

Here's your super-simple arsenal of ingredients...

BLT Lettuce Wraps
-head of lettuce, carefully take off each leaf to use as a wrap
-bacon, fried and crumbled
-tomato, chopped
-onion, sliced thin (optional)
-mayonnaise
-salt and pepper
Assemble all other ingredients inside of the lettuce leaf, then wrap up and enjoy- super easy, and yummy.
*another great idea is to wrap this all up inside a tortilla, something I discovered a few days after making this post*

The finished product (unwrapped so you can see!)! Mine is on the left with only a little mayo and no onions, and my BF Jordan's is on the right, with more mayo and onions. Delish!

Savor it!
love, rue

Tacos

Hi there!

Today is more of a concept-than-recipe day again- Jordan and I made tacos for his family the other week, and I'm going to show you one way to go about doing that! Feel free to substitute or add in your favorite meats, veggies, cheeses, etc.- this is all about creating it yourself.

Our arsenal (yours can be different!)- tortillas in the middle, fillings on the right, and toppings on the left.

Tacos
-tortillas, flour, corn, or both
all of the rest of the ingredients are ideas and are optional- just choose what you like.
-meat- ground beef, chicken, steak, whatever you like
-refried or regular beans
-white or brown rice
-salsa
-tomatoes
-onion
-lettuce
-avocados/guacamole
-cheese
-sour cream
-etc!
Just heat up your tortilla slightly, or fry in a dry pan real quick, then top with whatever you'd like from the list above, and add anything you like or can think of!

My (giant- we only had big flour tortillas) taco- refried beans, rice, veggies, and cheese- yumm!

And Jordan's tacos- flour on the left with meat and everything, and corn on the right, made vegetarian.

Savor it!
love, rue

Cheesy Bacon Roasted Potatoes

Hi everyone!

Today I've got a delish side dish that's warm and filling for these cold times that are creeping up on us! Roasted potatoes are one of my favorite things, but these are kicked up a notch with cheese, bacon, and garlic powder. Also a plus? these potatoes are super easy to make, and you can just stick them in the oven while you do other things or prepare the rest of dinner or lunch. And with this recipe, feel free to alter the amounts or kinds of cheeses, ranch, or bacon. Let's go!

Mix up all ingredients except the potatoes- cheese, ranch, bacon, and seasonings.

Then chop up your potatoes and mix it together well.

Pour mixture into a greased pan- I made a half recipe, so I used an 8x8'' pan.

After an hour at 350 under the foil and 15 minutes at 400 sans foil, remove and sprinkle with extra cheese before broiling.

Cheesy Bacon Roasted Potatoes
-6-8 russet potatoes
-1/2-3/4 cup ranch dressing
-1/3 cup shredded cheddar, and more for topping
-1/3 cup shredded monterey jack or pepper jack
-6 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbed
-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
-1/2 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
-salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients except potatoes in a medium sized bowl.
Chop potatoes into bite-size pieces, then mix with the cheese, bacon, and ranch mixture.
Pour potato mixture into a greased 9x13'' pan (or 8x8'' for a 1/2 recipe)- use a larger pan if you want the individual pieces more crisped.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for 60 minutes, stirring potatoes halfway through.
Remove foil and raise heat to 400 F. Bake for 15 more minutes.
Sprinkle potatoes with cheese, then stick the pan under the broiler for 2-4 minutes, watching closely, until cheese is bubbly and brown.

And here's your finished product- yumm!! Enjoy.

Savor it!
love, rue

Jordan's Chicken Soup

Hey everyone, Jordan here!

Rue was sick so I made her some chicken noodle soup! Nothing super fancy, though you could do it up pretty good with a little extra planning. You can really add the veggies you like, but I'd recommend that you at least use what we have on the list (the peas aren't so important). They are cornerstone aromatics. The amount we made would serve about 4.

Put your chicken in a pot and cover with stock and water. Boil for 30-40 minutes (adjust time for amount you have).

Here are your chopped veggies, pasta, and peas.

Here's your stock after your remove the chicken and skim off any fatty bits.

Meanwhile, you have sauteed your veggies, and they are ready to add to the pot!

Cool chicken until you can handle it, then shred into small pieces. You can add it to the pot, or leave it to add to individual bowls.

And here's the soup after you've added the veggies, added the pasta and cooked it, and thrown in the peas for just a minute or two.

Jordan's Chicken Soup
-1 Quart Chicken stock (or bullion) plus enough water to cover the chicken/Cornish hen
-Chicken (I picked up a Cornish game hen because I wanted the bones in and this was cheapest)
-Season to taste. I just used salt and pepper, but stuff like rosemary and thyme would be good.
-1.5 cups chopped Carrots (we used baby carrots for ease)
-2 Celery Stalks
-1 Small Onion
-1/2 to 2/3 cup Peas (we used frozen ones)
-2-3 cloves Garlic
-1 Tablespoon Butter
-1/4-1/3 lb. pasta of your choice (I used rigatoni)
Skin then place the chicken in a medium sized pot and cover with stock and water. Boil for 30-40 minutes (give or take, depending on poultry size).
Chop up the celery and onion. Add them along with the carrots to a saute pan with the butter. Saute until onions are translucent. Mince the garlic and add to the pan. Saute for a few minutes.
Take the chicken out of the stock/water and put in a colander to drain. Skim the chunks/fatty bits out of the stock (I used a small hand strainer).
Add the vegetables to the stock and simmer.
Let the chicken cool until handle-able. Remove the bones and connective tissues. At this point you can either add the chicken meat to the soup or you can set it aside for people to add individually to their bowls (Rue does not eat much meat).
Making sure your soup is at a boil, add your pasta, then cook according to the package.
Add in the peas at the very end.
Serve quickly and hot, as you do not want the pasta to overcook.

Your finished soup! Easy, simple, and delicious.

Eat well! (which includes this soup :) )
Jordan

Baked Broccoli Fritters

Hey there everyone!

I hope you had a great Halloween! Now let's get on to a simple and delicious dish that's good for almost any time of day and comes together in minutes. I made this recipe as outlined below, but I imagine it would work equally well with different cheese(s), cauliflower instead of broccoli, or adding different seasonings- experiment! These are great for any meal of the day or a snack, and are great to have in the fridge or freezer to pop in the toaster oven for a snack.

Just put all your ingredients into a bowl...

And mix together well! Your mixture should look about like this.

Form into patties and place on parchment or an equivalent, or a greased baking sheet if you have none of the above.

Baked Broccoli Fritters
-16 oz. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
-3 eggs
-1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
-1 cup breadcrumbs (seasoned or plain)
-salt and pepper to season
Mix all ingredients together.
Form into patties (whatever size you like) and place on parchment paper (or an equivalent, or grease the baking sheet) on a baking sheet.
Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes.

Bake for 25 minutes, flipping about halfway through, and you'll be rewarded with these delicious morsels!

Savor it!
love, rue

Peanut Butter Butterscotch No-Bake Treats

Hey everyone,

These are super delicious. And even better, super easy. There's no big story to go along with these, other than the fact that I think they'd be even more phenomenal if you dipped the bottoms in chocolate after they set. These taste a lot like Butterfingers, and I bet even more so with the chocolate! Yumm! Let's go.

Put your peanut butter and butterscotch chips in a microwaveable bowl.

Melt, and mix well.

Then add in your peanuts and rice krispies.

Stir well!

Peanut Butter Butterscotch No Bake Treats
-1- 11oz bag butterscotch chips
-1 cup peanut butter
-1 cup peanuts, chopped- I used toffee peanuts
-4 cups rice krispies cereal
Melt together the butterscotch chips and peanut butter- I did it in the microwave and it took about a minute to a minute and a half. Stir together well.
Stir in peanuts and cereal.
Drop by the spoonful onto parchment or wax paper. Let set.
Refrigerate if you plan on keeping them for more than a day or two.
Optional: melt chocolate chips and dip the bottoms of the treats in chocolate, refrigerate.

Drop by the spoonful (I used my cookie scoop) onto wax paper, done!

Savor it!
love, rue

Cheese Fondue

Hey all!

While my mom was in town we made Cheese Fondue (and Chocolate, but I've already blogged that!), and let me tell you- it is easy, and it is fantastic. I will say you can do cheese fondue many different ways and with different cheeses, so use this as guidelines, and do a little research to find a cheese combo that knocks your socks off. Let me show you how to fondue!

Your cheese- sprinkle the flour and ground mustard over top.

Then add everything into the pot in handfuls, stir well, and enjoy!

Cheese Fondue
-1 1/2 cups white wine
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 lb. cheese, your choice (we used various cheddars etc.)
-3 tablespoons flour
-1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
-1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
Put white wine and garlic into a small pot over medium heat. Heat until slowly simmering.
Sprinkle flour and ground mustard over cheese, then add cheese to the pot by the handful, stirring after each addition.
Stir in the Worcestershire.
The longer you let it simmer, the more the wine taste will cook away, so adjust that time as to what you prefer.
Dip whatever you can think of into this cheese- delish!

Here's our spread- roasted veggies, raw veggies, bread, and apples. Dip away!

Savor it!
love, rue

Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hola!

I have a huge collection of cookie recipes, but I look at them so often and have made most of them at least once that every once in a while I need to do a new search online and find some new recipes. That's what I did a few weeks back and when I came across this recipe, I just knew this is what I had been waiting for. Yeah, I found other good recipes that I can't wait to try, but I had to try these first! Peanut butter, pretzels, chocolate chips, and sea salt all in one cookie? Why didn't I think of this? Alas, I did not (I was inspired by this recipe), but either way, I got a great new cookie recipe. These are sweet, salty, just a little chewy, with a little crunch- perfection! Enough talk! Let's go!

Cream together butters and sugars.

Then add in your eggs and vanilla (I only made a 1/2 batch, that's why only 1 egg!)

Add in your chocolate chips and crushed pretzels.

Here's the finished dough- beautiful and almost impossible to resist trying!

Scoop onto your baking sheets (shout out to Dare, thanks for the Silpat for my bday!), and sprinkle with sea salt.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe mostly from The Cooking Actress)
-1/2 cup butter
-1 cup peanut butter
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup white sugar
-2 eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1 cup flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-2/3 cup chocolate chips
-1 cup crushed pretzels (I used my mini-cuisinart)
-sea salt for sprinkling
Cream butters and sugars together. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Add in dry ingredients, and stir well. Mix in pretzels and chocolate chips.
Chill dough for 2 hours or up to overnight.
Scoop onto a baking sheet (silpat or parchment paper ideal), and sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake at 350 F for 10-14 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

And the beautiful finished cookies!

Savor it!
love, rue

Zucchini Muffins/Bread

Hey everyone!

Today is a super simple recipe for delish Zucchini bread or muffins. These are easy to make and great to have on hand for a healthy and filling snack. You can hardly tell the zucchini is there at all! Let's get going.

Add your first six ingredients to a mixing bowl.

And mix well.

Add in all of the dry ingredients.

And mix well!

I made mine into muffins- it helps to grease the papers if you are using them.

Zucchini Muffins/Bread
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup milk
-1/2 cup oil (I substitute applesauce for half)
-1 cup sugar (I use 2/3 cup to make them healthier)
-2 cups shredded zucchini
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-3 cups flour
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-2 teaspoons cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
-1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
Mix eggs, milk, oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla well in a mixing bowl. Add in the dry ingredients and stir well. Stir in walnuts if you are using them.
Put batter into greased muffin tins or two loaf pans (or a combo thereof!).
Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes for muffins, 40-50 minutes for loaves- test with a toothpick, when it comes out clean, they are done.

Here are the finished muffins- just lightly browned and perfect!

Savor it!
love, rue