Martha Stewart's Applesauce Spiced Cupcakes

It is Christmas time which means it is also time for the annual office party.  My husband was asked by several of his colleagues for me to bake the mini apple bundt cakes.  But that recipe only makes 6 mini bundt cakes and I wasn't sure if I had enough apples to make more.  My husband thought cupcakes might be a better idea but something "appley" (is there really such a word???)  So off to my vast collection of cookbooks knowing somewhere I would find a cupcake that would be "appley."

Well, Martha stepped up to the plate!!  In her appropriately named cookbook Martha Stewart's Cupcakes I found this recipe and life was good again!!  It did involve sending my son and his girlfriend to Walmart for a jar of Mott's Applesauce.  And, fortunately, I did have cream cheese and pecans on hand!!

Martha Stewart's Applesauce Spiced Cupcakes
 makes about 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/8 t ground cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup chopped and toasted pecans

Icing:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
8 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 cup packed light brown sugar

Directions:

To toast the pecans, heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spread the chopped pecans over a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool before adding to recipe.

Line muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is blended into the dough.

Add the applesauce, mix and then add the flour.

Stir in the pecans by hand.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling about 3/4 full.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake center comes out clean.

 (I should have filled them a little bit more than I did)

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing

Using an electric mixer, combine the butter, cream cheese and brown sugar.  Mix until smooth.   

Using a small spatula, ice the cupcakes.

Entire Recipe:

Martha Stewart's Applesauce Spiced Cupcakes
 makes about 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/8 t ground cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup chopped and toasted pecans

Icing:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
8 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 cup packed light brown sugar

Directions:

To toast the pecans, heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spread the chopped pecans over a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool before adding to recipe.

Line muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is blended into the dough.
 
Add the applesauce, mix and then add the flour.
.
Stir in the pecans by hand.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling about 3/4 full.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake center comes out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing

Using an electric mixer, combine the butter, cream cheese and brown sugar.  Mix until smooth.

Using a small spatula, ice the cupcakes.

Enjoy!! 

Verdict:

Well, good ole Martha didn't let me down!!  These were good!  Both my husband and son loved them.  Now the real test is to see how well they do at the office party - stay tuned!

Updated Verdict:

My husband said the cupcakes were a huge success at the office party!!  This is definitely a keeper recipe!!!
 

Kentucky Bourbon Butter Cake

In honor of "National Bundt Cake Pan" Day, I made this for my husband.  Do you ever wonder where they get this "national" days?    Does someone wake up on morning and thinks this would be a great day to make a bundt cake, so let's make this a national day for bundt cakes???  Who knows??  Maybe we should have a "I don't feel like getting out bed" national day!!  I digress . . .

I found this recipe on Pinterest (I love that website!!!).  The recipe was from a website www.hummingbirdhigh.com (love that name!!!).  My husband loves his bourbon, so I knew he would love this cake.  It might require a trip to the store for the bourbon.  This is a pretty easy recipe.

You will need a 10 cup bundt pan that has been greased with either butter or sprayed with Pam (or something similar).  I always then dust the pan with flour.

Cake Ingredients:

3 cups cake flour, sifted *
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firmly
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature **

Glaze Ingredients:

6 T unsalted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey

*if you do not have cake flour - you can make your own - for every cup of flour, take out 2 T of flour and replace with 2 T of cornstarch   
** to make your own buttermilk, add 1T lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of whole milk, let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk together and set aside.

Using a mixer, cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add the 4 eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is thoroughly mixed into the batter before adding another egg.

Whisk together the bourbon and buttermilk in a measuring cup 

Alternating add the flour mixture and buttermilk/bourbon to the batter making sure all is mixed completely.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.  Use a spatula to smooth out the top. 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the cake is a nice golden color and springs back when touched.

When the cake is removed, make the glaze immediately.

For the glaze, add the butter, sugar and bourbon in a small saucepan.

Heat until the sugar and butter melt while whisking to combine.

Leave the cake in the bundt pan.  With a wooden skewer, poke holes in the base of the cake.  Pour 3/4 of the glaze slowly over the cake (save the remaining portion of the glaze).  Use a rubber spatula to spread the glaze.

Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes, do not take it out of the bundt pan.

After 30 minutes, flip the cake onto a serving plate so that the glazed part is now on the bottom.

Brush the remaining glaze on top of the cake (you might have to reheat it).

Entire Recipe:

Cake Ingredients:

3 cups cake flour, sifted *
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firmly
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature **

Glaze Ingredients:

6 T unsalted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey

*if you do not have cake flour - you can make your own - for every cup of flour, take out 2 T of flour and replace with 2 T of cornstarch   
** to make your own buttermilk, add 1T lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of whole milk, let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk together and set aside.

Using a mixer, cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add the 4 eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is thoroughly mixed into the batter before adding another egg.

Whisk together the bourbon and buttermilk in a measuring cup 

Alternating add the flour mixture and buttermilk/bourbon to the batter making sure all is mixed completely.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.  Use a spatula to smooth out the top. 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the cake is a nice golden color and springs back when touched.

When the cake is removed, make the glaze immediately.

For the glaze, add the butter, sugar and bourbon in a small saucepan.

Heat until the sugar and butter melt while whisking to combine.

Leave the cake in the bundt pan.  With a wooden skewer, poke holes in the base of the cake.  Pour 3/4 of the glaze slowly over the cake (save the remaining portion of the glaze).  Use a rubber spatula to spread the glaze.

Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes, do not take it out of the bundt pan.

After 30 minutes, flip the cake onto a serving plate so that the glazed part is now on the bottom.

Brush the remaining glaze on top of the cake (you might have to reheat it).

Comments:

Oh yes, this was good!!  My husband loved it!!  With baking it, the bourbon loses its alcohol content, but leaves the flavor behind.  It is not a strong flavor, but a subtle hint of the bourbon - just right.  This is definitely a keeper recipe!
 

Mini Apple Bundt Cakes

What a perfect fall snack!!  And apples are in full harvest right now.  All sorts of apples - red delicious, granny smith, honey crisp - you name it, you can probably find them at a local orchard, farmer's market and always at the grocery store.

A good friend of mine found this absolutely adorable mini bundt pan at a flea market and knew I would love it!!  So whenever I use this pan, I always save two for him and his partner.

I found this recipe on Kimberly Layton's blog (www.kimberlylayton.com).  As always, I did make a few modifications because my husband doesn't like nuts, and, secondly I didn't have any orange juice.  But, I think the little cakes turned out delicious despite my two omissions.

This is such an easy recipe.  The hardest part is peeling and chopping the apples.  You can "whip" this up in a matter of minutes . . . onto the recipe:

Mini Apple Bundt Cake


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped in small pieces (I used granny smith apples)
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup crushed walnuts (I omitted)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup orange juice (I didn't have any, so I omitted)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350

In a small bowl, mix the apples, cinnamon and 1/2 cup of the sugar.  Set aside.

In a separate, larger bowl, add the other half of the sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice (if you have it), vanilla and eggs.  Mix together until blended.  Add flour.

Add the apple mixture and crushed walnuts (if you are using).  Mix again.

I disagree with her on this part - she says not to grease the mini bundt pans. I did grease and flour the pans and still had a problem with a few of them sticking.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into one of the bundt pans.

Let the cakes cool in the pan for about 10 to 15 minutes before "flipping" them out.  I did have some trouble getting them  out, so I ran a knife around the edges.

Glaze

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 T milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, mix the brown sugar, milk and butter.  Bring to a boil while stirring constantly to prevent burning.  Boil for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from the burner and add the powdered sugar and vanilla.
Mix with an electric mixer until slightly thick.

Spoon over the bundt cakes.  If using the walnuts, sprinkle extra walnuts on top.

ENTIRE RECIPE:


Mini Apple Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped in small pieces (I used granny smith apples)
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup crushed walnuts (I omitted)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup orange juice (I didn't have any, so I omitted)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350

In a small bowl, mix the apples, cinnamon and 1/2 cup of the sugar.  Set aside.

In a separate, larger bowl, add the other half of the sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice (if you have it), vanilla and eggs.  Mix together until blended.  Add flour and mix.

Add the apple mixture and crushed walnuts (if you are using).  Mix again.

I disagree with her on this part - she says not to grease the mini bundt pans. I did grease and flour the pans and still had a problem with a few of them sticking.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into one of the bundt pans.

Let the cakes cool in the pan for about 10 to 15 minutes before "flipping" them out.  I did have some trouble getting them  out, so I ran a knife around the edges.

Glaze

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 T milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, mix the brown sugar, milk and butter.  Bring to a boil while stirring constantly to prevent burning.  Boil for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from the burner and add the powdered sugar and vanilla.
Mix with an electric mixer until slightly thick.
Spoon over the bundt cakes.  If using the walnuts, sprinkle extra walnuts on top.

ENJOY!!!

Comments:

My husband loved it!!!  They were really good.  Perfect for a light snack!  Great with a cup of coffee in the morning.  Raisins would be a great addition also.  This is definitely a keeper recipe! 


 

Spaghetti Squash with Bacon, Spinach and Goat Cheese

I am not sure where I found this recipe on the Internet but I have been wanting to make this for some time.  But, I haven't been able to find spaghetti squash at the farmer's market until this past Sunday!  And I found a big one!!!
 

This is a pretty simple recipe to make.  You probably need to run to the grocery store to get some of the ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 T olive oil
6 slices bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T maple syrup (didn't have that, so I just used good ole Log Cabin syrup)
2-3 handfuls of baby spinach (fresh - not frozen)
2 - 3 T goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil.

Slice the squash into 1 inch thick rings, discarding the two ends.  Cut out the middle seeds.

Place on the parchment sheet, season with salt and pepper, flip so the other side will get coated with the olive oil and season that side with salt and pepper.
Roast the squash in the oven for 30 minutes.  When done, set the squash aside for 10 minutes, makes it easier to peel the outer skin off.
I bought the best bacon at the meat department at our local grocery store, big thick slices - yum!!!

Over medium heat, cook the bacon slices until the edges start to brown slightly.

Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook until the bacon is crispy - about 5 minutes.
Add the red wine vinegar, this will deglaze your pan so the bacon will not stick to the bottom of the pan. 
Add the maple syrup (oh, your house will smell wonderful!!!)

Stir until everything is combined.  Add the spinach, a handful at a time until the spinach wilts.

Turn off the burner.
Peel the skin away from the squash, using a fork or your hands, pull the strands of spaghetti squash apart and add them to the skillet.
Add the goat cheese and toss everything together!!

Entire Recipe:

Ingredients:1 medium spaghetti squash
1 T olive oil
6 slices bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T maple syrup (didn't have that, so I just used good ole Log Cabin syrup)
2-3 handfuls of baby spinach (fresh - not frozen)
2 - 3 T goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil.
Slice the squash into 1 inch thick rings, discarding the two ends.  Cut out the middle seeds.
Place on the parchment sheet, season with salt and pepper, flip so the other side will get coated with the olive oil and season that side with salt and pepper.
Roast the squash in the oven for 30 minutes.  When done, set the squash aside for 10 minutes, makes it easier to peel the outer skin off.
Over medium heat, cook the bacon slices until the edges start to brown slightly.
Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook until the bacon is crispy - about 5 minutes.
Add the red wine vinegar, this will deglaze your pan so the bacon will not stick to the bottom of the pan. 
Add the maple syrup (oh, your house will smell wonderful!!!)
Stir until everything is combined.  Add the spinach, a handful at a time until the spinach wilts.
Turn off the burner.
Peel the skin away from the squash, using a fork or your hands, pull the strands of spaghetti squash apart and add them to the skillet.
Add the goat cheese and toss everything together!!
ENJOY!!!

COMMENTS:

Oh, this was good!!  A couple of mistakes that I made.  First, I think I should have used a smaller spaghetti squash - at least, one a little bit smaller than the one I did use.  Secondly, I should have cooked the bacon a little bit longer.  But, overall, this was really good!!  My husband loved it.  This definitely will be made again!

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My Search is Over!! The Perfect Pizza Crust

After years (well, maybe not years . . . more like 1 year but it seemed like years!) I think I FINALLY found the "perfect" pizza dough recipe that my resident expert really loved!!  And where else would I find it but on the Fleischmann Yeast website!!  Of course!!  They have a HUGE section devoted to pizza making - every type of pizza imaginable - dessert pizzas, calzones, vegetarian pizzas . . . you named, it is probably there!!

And I found this recipe there . . . Thin Crust Pizza - what I have been looking for!!  My husband hasn't been thrilled with my pizza dough recipe and I was about ready to throw away my baking stone (not really!!).  But I didn't want to buy store bought pizza and the pizza stores' pizza can be expensive.  And I do prefer homemade!  So I was thrilled with I saw this recipe and decided to give it a try.  Of course, I didn't have all the ingredients to make a pizza (no pepperoni, so I just substitute polish kielbasa instead - made for an "interesting" pizza!!)  But my main objective was to see how good the pizza dough was.

So onto the recipe . . .

Thin Crust Pizza by Fleischmann's Yeast

Ingredients:

1 3/4 to 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast or RapidRise Yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 cups very warm water (120 to 130F)
3 T oil (I used olive oil but I think any vegetable oil would work)
pizza sauce or tomato sauce
your favorite toppings
Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F

Mix together 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

Add the very warm water and oil.

Mix until blended.

Gradually add the rest of the flour, the dough will be sticky.

Take the dough and knead on a floured surface, adding more flour as needed.  Knead the dough until smooth and no longer "sticky" - about 4 minutes.

If you used the RapidRise yeast, let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.

Here the directions said to divide the dough into two equal parts (this is supposed to make 2 12 inch pizzas).  I was only going to make one big pizza, so I skipped this step.

Roll out the dough on flour countered top and place on a greased pizza pan or baking sheet.  Form a rim around the edge of the dough.

Spread with the pizza sauce or tomato sauce and cover with your favorite toppings.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, the cheese should be bubbly and the crust should be brown.

Enjoy!!!

Entire Recipe:

Thin Crust Pizza by Fleischmann's Yeast

Ingredients:

1 3/4 to 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast or RapidRise Yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 cups very warm water (120 to 130F)
3 T oil (I used olive oil but I think any vegetable oil would work)
pizza sauce or tomato sauce
your favorite toppings
Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F

Mix together 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

Add the very warm water and oil.

Mix until blended.

Gradually add the rest of the flour, the dough will be sticky.

Take the dough and knead on a floured surface, adding more flour as needed.  Knead the dough until smooth and no longer "sticky" - about 4 minutes.

If you used the RapidRise yeast, let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.

Here the directions said to divide the dough into two equal parts (this is supposed to make 2 12 inch pizzas).  I was only going to make one big pizza, so I skipped this step.

Roll out the dough on flour countered top and place on a greased pizza pan or baking sheet.  Form a rim around the edge of the dough.

Spread with the pizza sauce or tomato sauce and cover with your favorite toppings.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, the cheese should be bubbly and the crust should be brown.

Enjoy!!!

Comments:

My husband loved it!!  This will now be my "go to" recipe when I make homemade pizza.  It was good.  Perfect crust - if you like thin crust pizzas.  The only mistake I made was baking it on the baking stone, parts of the crust stuck to the stone.  The next time I will use a pizza pan or baking sheet. 


 

Peach Cobbler Revisited

The search for the PERFECT peach cobbler continues . . .

This irecipe is a combination recipe from two different cookbooks.  If you will remember, I recently made one by Paula Deen which I thought was too soggy but my husband liked it.  Since then, I tied another recipe by Better Homes and Gardens, he hated it.  So I found one in The Fannie Farmer Cookbook that sounded good but I didn't like how she prepared the fruit.  So I used the method in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  So here is my Peach Cobbler from both Fannie Farmer and Better Homes with a few slight modifications (of course!!)

Peach Cobbler

Fruit Filling by Better Homes and Gardens

4 cups fresh, sliced and skinned peaches (removed the middle stone)
1/3 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/4 cup water

In a saucepan, add the sliced peaches.

Add the sugar, cornstarch and water.

Heat over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Pour into a buttered 3 quart casserole dish

Crust by Fannie Farmer

1 3/4 cups white flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
6 T butter, chilled and sliced in pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream or milk ** (the recipe calls for 3/4 cup cream - made dough too wet)

Preheat the oven to 375

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a  large mixing bowl.


Add the pieces of butter into the flour.  I used a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the sugar and stir to combine.

Slowly add the cream or milk and mix.


Gather the dough into a "shaggy mix" and knead 4 or 5 times.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and place on top of the fruit.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned.

Entire Recipe

Peach Cobbler

Fruit Filling by Better Homes and Gardens

4 cups fresh, sliced and skinned peaches (removed the middle stone)
1/3 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/4 cup water

In a saucepan, add the sliced peaches.

Add the sugar, cornstarch and water.

Heat over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Pour into a buttered 3 quart casserole dish

Crust by Fannie Farmer

1 3/4 cups white flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
6 T butter, chilled and sliced in pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream or milk ** (the recipe calls for 3/4 cup cream - made dough too wet)

Preheat the oven to 375

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a  large mixing bowl.

Add the pieces of butter into the flour.  I used a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the sugar and stir to combine.

Slowly add the cream or milk and mix.

Gather the dough into a "shaggy mix" and knead 4 or 5 times.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and place on top of the fruit.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned.

Fantastic with a scoop of ice cream!!

 Enjoy!!

Verdict:

So what did my resident expert think . . . he thought it was very good.  He still thought Paula had the better cobbler, even though I thought it was soggy (what do I know??).   I did think this was a good recipe and you could make any type of cobbler with it - apple, blueberry, etc.

Patty Pan Squash Italian Style

The farmer next to me at the market had the most beautiful Patty Pan squash - nice big ones.  It is about this time of the year when all the squash are available.  You normally don't see these in the supermarket.  They are great for stuffing!!

I found this receipt on the Wishful Acres Farm Blog.  Another really easy recipe!!  The hardest part was scraping out the insides of the squash. 

Patty Pan Squash Italian Style by Wishful Acres Farm

3 medium to large patty pan squash
1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage
1 small size onion, chopped
2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cut a circle around the top of the squash like you were craving a pumpkin.  Scoop the seed cavity clean disposing of the seeds.  The inside should be hollow.  I sprinkle it with garlic powder and black pepper.

In a pan, brown the meat with the onions.  Drain any fat.  Add the marinara sauce.  Remove pan from stove.

Fill the squash cavity with the meat sauce.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of each squash.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the squash feels soft.

To eat, you eat the whole thing!  Cut with a knife and fork and eat the squash along with the stuffing.


Entire Recipe:

Patty Pan Squash Italian Style by Wishful Acres Farm

3 medium to large patty pan squash
1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage
1 small size onion, chopped
2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cut a circle around the top of the squash like you were craving a pumpkin.  Scoop the seed cavity clean disposing of the seeds.  The inside should be hollow.  I sprinkle it with garlic powder and black pepper.

In a pan, brown the meat with the onions.  Drain any fat.  Add the marinara sauce.  Remove pan from stove.

Fill the squash cavity with the meat sauce.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of each squash.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the squash feels soft.

To eat, you eat the whole thing!  Cut with a knife and fork and eat the squash along with the stuffing.

ENJOY!!

VERDICT:

It was very good and also VERY filling.  I think next time I will pick smaller squash.  My husband did enjoy it, thought it was very good.  Though he likes acorn squash better.  Thought the squash really didn't much taste to it.  Will I make this again, maybe.   Like I said above, Patty Pan squash are great for stuffing -you can do a meat/rice mixture, rice/spinach/cheese mix, just let your imagination run wild.

Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler

It is getting that time of year when peaches are going out of season at the farmer's markets - though I am sure you can still find them in the grocery stores.  I had a few peaches left, not enough to make a pie, but enough to make a peach cobbler.

After searching through all my cookbooks, I decided on Paula Deen's recipe.  She's from down South and cobbler just sounds like a good ole southern recipe, doesn't it.  I figured Paula won't do me wrong! 

I found her cobbler recipe in her book, Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics.  Another real easy recipe to make.  It does call for self-rising flour.  WAIT before you make a mad dash to the grocery store, you can make self-rising flour right in your own home - AMAZING!!  I know - life just doesn't get any better than this and I will share my secret recipe for homemade self-rising flour here:

Self-Rising Flour - makes 1 cup of flour

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together

Viola!! you now have 1 cup of self-rising flour without leaving your kitchen!!  Life is beautiful again!!

On to Paula's recipe:

Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler

8 T butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup self-rising flour (see above)
3/4 cup milk
one 28 ounce can slice peaches or see below

Using fresh peaches

Peel and remove stone from 2 peaches. 

Slice 2 cups of peaches and place in a small sauce pan.

Add 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. 

Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir often to make sure sugar dissolves.


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Put butter in a deep baking dish or casserole and place in oven to melt.

Mix the sugar and the flour together.  Add the milk slowly to prevent any lumps from forming.

Remove pan with melted butter, pour sugar/flour/milk mixture over melted butter - DO NOT STIR!

Using a slotted spoon, place the fruit on top of the batter.

Gently pour the rest of the syrup over the fruit/batter.

The batter will rise during baking.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. 

Entire Recipe:

Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler

8 T butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup self-rising flour (see above)
3/4 cup milk
one 28 ounce can slice peaches or see below

Using fresh peaches

Peel and remove stone from 2 peaches.  Slice 2 cups of peaches and place in a small sauce pan.  Add 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water.  Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir often to make sure sugar dissolves.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Put butter in a deep baking dish or casserole and place in oven to melt.

Mix the sugar and the flour together.  Add the milk slowly to prevent any lumps from forming.

Remove pan with melted butter, pour sugar/flour/milk mixture over melted butter - DO NOT STIR!

Using a slotted spoon, place the fruit on top of the batter.

Gently pour the rest of the syrup over the fruit/batter.

The batter will rise during baking.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. 

Great with whipped cream and even better with vanilla ice cream!!

ENJOY!!

Verdict:

I thought it was good, but mushy.  Not like the cobblers that I am used to.  BUT my husband loved it.  So what do I know - LOL!!  He thought it was great!!  Will I make it again - probably.  There is another recipe I do want to try first before I make a final decision on this one.