Homemade Caramel Apples

I would say that I tried out several different recipes in search of the perfect one, but actually this is the first one I tried and it turned out really good. These caramel apples were much easier to make than the candied apples that I made earlier this week. They are also, in my opinion, tastier and easier to eat. However, if you have any dental work you may want to reconsider! This recipe is rather easy to make and easy to clean up after following the easy tips that I will be including. I actually enjoyed making these!

Here is what you will need:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
 2 cups packed brown sugar
 1 cup light corn syrup
 Dash of salt
 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 popsicle sticks
8 medium apples, washed, dried, and destemmed

Destem all of the clean apples and make sure you get all the stickers off that come from the grocery store. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

So pretty much all you do here is combine all of the ingredients, except the apples and the sticks of course, and bring it to a boil over medium low heat. You'll want to use a heavy pan like stainless steel. This will need to be stirred constantly. 

Tip: If you use a stainless steel spoon to stir with, you can simply dip it into boiling water when you're finished and wipe it clean with no problem.

Using a candy thermometer, watch until the mixture comes up to 245 degrees which is softball. Make sure the thermometer does not touch the bottom of the pan. This will take about a half hour and yes you do need to stir it the whole time. As the caramel reaches the correct temperature, you will notice a change in the color. It will begin to get darker as you can see in this photo:

When the caramal is up to the correct temperature, work quickly dipping the apples and rolling them in the caramal. I don't turn the heat off until I'm almost done with only a few apples left to go. In my experience if you turn the heat off too soon the coolness of the apples will begin to cool down the caramal and you will not be able to get the last apples fully coated. Just be careful not to let the caramel burn. I used my stainless steel spoon to help coat the entire apple getting caremal up on the top part. If you want to dip these and nuts or sprinkles now is the time to do it.

When they are coated, set them on a tin foil lined baking sheet to cool. Mine turned out a little ugly. So when they were cool enough to handle, I smoothed them out with my hands covering the areas that lacked caramel and smoothing out any ugly places. (This is what you have to do with the store bought wraps anyway.)

Tip: For easy cleanup, simply boil water in the pan in which you cooked the caramel. As the water comes to a boil, grab a toothbrush and just scrub away all of the caramel as it begins to get soft. Then you just pour it out and your pan is all clean. Please note that my toothbrush has never melted in the hot water. I cannot guarantee that yours will not melt though! o_O

Now, since you have been really good and you have tried a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Adventures, you get a special treat! You get the privilege of eating any of the leftover caramel! If there's any left in the pan just lay it out onto the tin foil and let it sit for a little while. Don't let it cool off all the way just eat it as soon as it cool enough to eat. I have a guilty confession: I put a glob of leftover caramal into my cup of coffee! I then enjoyed a marvelous caramel latte! :-P

Saffron and Toasted Almond Fried Rice

This rice is amazing and is perfect for pairing with fish and chicken especially, but would be a good side dish for just about any meal. Although it is a fried rice, it is not Asian influenced.It is, however, delicious and versatile.

Here is what you will need:
1 TBSP cooking oil
1 cup rice
1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup almonds

2 cups water

1 cube chicken bouillon
1 tsp saffron
1 can mixed vegetables, drained
2 eggs

Heat 1 tablespoon of your favorite cooking oil in a heavy pan. Saute the onions and garlic over medium low heat until they begin to turn translucent.

Add in the rice and almonds. Saute until the rice and almonds begin to toast.

Meanwhile, dissolve the bouillon into 2 cups of water. Add in the saffron. When rice and almonds are toasty and fragrant, add in the mixed vegetables and the bouillon saffron water.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.Remove the lid and make a hole in the rice right in the middle of the pan. Crack the eggs into the hole and begin to scramble them. When egg is completely scrambled, stir into the rice.

Makes enough for 4 people.

Milanesa (Mexican Breaded Steaks)

This is an authentic Mexican recipe that I got from my mother-in-law. My husband loves these steaks. His mother served them with mashed potatoes and a salad of lettuce and cucumbers dressed with lime juice and salt. You can also make some killer Milanesa sandwiches topped with refried beans, lettuce, queso fresco, tomato, jalapenos, and mexican cream, which is something that is on many menus at Mexican restaurants.

Here is what you will need:
1/2 cup cooking oil
3 thin steaks
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy pan. While waiting for the oil to heat, sprinkle each steak with salt and pepper. Pound out the steaks until they are super thin.

Dredge each steak in egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Put each steak directly in the hot oil. Don't prepare the steaks until you are ready to fry them as this will make the breadcrumbs soggy.

Depending on how big your steaks are, you may need to do one at a time. Cook until brown on each side, approximately 4 minutes per side.
Remove the steaks to a plate lined with paper towels. This makes enough for three people.

Grape and Asian Pear Slaw Salad

This delicious and fruity slaw salad is great for accompanying fish. For a healthier version you can substitute the mayo for plain Greek yogurt.

Here is what you'll need:
2 cups Shredded Cabbage
1 Asian Pear, chopped
1 small carrot, grated
6 radishes, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 cup grapes, quartered
1/4 cup slivered almonds or chopped pecans
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp celery salt

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, Asian pear, carrot, radishes, celery, grapes, and nuts. Add in the mayo and sprinkle the celery salt over the entire salad. Mix well.

French Onion Chipotle Fish

This is the best fish recipe I have come up with so far. This time I fried the fish but it can also be baked. Please note if you bake the fish instead of frying it, you will have to turn the fish halfway through cooking. It should be cooked on 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Additionally, I used flounder fillets in this recipe, but you can also use tilapia.

Here is what you will need:
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 pound flounder fillets
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch chipotle dipping sauce
1/2 mayonnaise
1 pack onion soup mix

Heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan not prone to sticking. I used red palm canola oil because it is a healthier option. However you can use any kind of cooking oil. 

While the oil is heating, make and assembly line for the fish. Pour the breadcrumbs into a large shallow bowl and whisk together. Into another large shallow bowl, combine the mayo, Chipotle dip, and onion soup mix. 

Make sure the cooking oil is hot. Coat one piece of fish with the mayonnaise mixture, and then completely cover the fish and bread crumbs. Put this directly into the hot oil. Do not prepare the fish before you are ready to fry as this will cause the breadcrumbs to become mushy.
Fry fish until completely done on each side, probably about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Homemade Candied Apples

No matter how easy a recipe for candied apples claims to be, I will be honest with you- they are a little bit hard to make in my opinion. I guess that's because I seriously lack the kind of patience it takes to stand at a pot for such a long time. Nevertheless they are a fun fall treat and I will probably keep making them even though they are a pain. Here is my recipe:

You will need:
6 Gala apples
6 popsicle sticks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons red food coloring

Add the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a heavy saucepan (like stainless steel) and bring it to a boil over medium heat (I use the setting 4 on my stove dial). You must continually stir this until it begins to boil.

Tip: use a stainless steel whisk to stir this with so that when you are finished all you have to do is dip it into boiling water and all of the hardened candy will just dissolve right off.

Once it has begun to boil, put the tip of a candy thermometer into the sugar mixture. Be sure the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan. You want to boil this until the candy thermometer reads 285 degrees or soft crack. Don't make the mistake of walking away from this. Although you don't need to keep stirring, it does need to be monitored. This will take a while. In my experience, about 30-45 minutes depending on the depth of your saucepan. 

While you're waiting on the mixture to to achieve the correct temp, prepare your apples. Be sure and remove all stems and take off all stickers from the grocery store. Stick popsicle sticks into the center of the apples about halfway down. 

Also prepare a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil which has been greased.
When your sugar mixture reaches 285 degrees, add the cinnamon and red food coloring.

Now begin working quickly to coat the apples. Roll each apple in the mixture and then allow them to drip over the pan until the excess mixture has dripped off. Put each apple on to your greased aluminum foil lined cookie sheet.  If you want to add any nuts or sprinkles now is the time to do it. 

This recipe is easy to double, but be aware that you will have to work very quickly so that the mixture will not cool off while you are still rolling the apples. You can leave the heat on under the apples while you do the first few, but it is not advisable to leave it on the whole time because the candy could burn. Room temperature apples work best.

Tip: For easy cleanup, simply boil water in the pan you used to make the candy, and use a toothbrush to brush away any excess hardened candy as the water begins to boil. I personally have never had a toothbrush melt as I was doing this, but I cannot assure you that this would not happen! o_O

Warning: if you have dental work you are going to want to be very careful when you eat these! They do get pretty hard! Just be very careful.

Hamburger Steaks and Mushroom Gravy

This is my absolute favorite meal! I love hamburger steaks and this is my very easy version of mushroom gravy. It also happens to be the most tasty version that I have ever come up with. This is comfort food at its best. I hope that everyone else will enjoy this recipe as much as I have!

Here is what you will need:
1 pound of ground chuck made out into quarter pound patties
1 medium onion , sliced into half rings
4 cups sliced white mushrooms
6 tablespoons brown gravy mix
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon margarine

In a large, heavy pan, cook the hamburger patties over medium-high heat. 

Meanwhile slice  the medium onion into half rings. Also slice the white mushrooms. You should have 4 cups of mushrooms once they are sliced. I bought two packages of the whole mushrooms at the store. Of course you can buy them sliced, but they cost a little bit more so I usually buy them whole.

Once the hamburger patties are completely cooked on both sides, remove them to a clean plate. Add the margarine to the rendered fat that is in the pan. If you use a good ground chuck, there should not be that much fat in the pan. The margarine gives a better flavor to the gravy and is not quite so cholesterol unfriendly. Once the margarine is melted, add in the half onion rings and saute them until they just begin to turn translucent. 

At that time, add in the mushrooms and drizzle the soy sauce over the mushrooms. Cook these on medium heat until the mushrooms are done, about 8 minutes. 

Now make a hole in the middle by moving around the mushrooms and onions. Add the 6 tablespoons of brown gravy mix to the pan in the little hole that you made. Immediately add 2 cups of hot water and begin to whisk the brown gravy mix around. Whisk it until there are no more lumps; usually there are no problems with lumps as the gravy mix is made to dissolve.

Now add the hamburger patties back to the pan and simmer over medium low heat until bubbly and thick.

This will make enough for 2 hungry people. In my opinion, these hamburger steaks must be served with mashed potatoes. That is why I make so much extra gravy with these. There must be plenty of gravy for the mash potatoes!

Chipotle Chicken with Rice and Vegetables

I love a hint of chipotle! But just a hint, because it can get hot! This dish has just the right amount of Chipotle flavoring giving it a nice smoky flavor without too much heat. It is a easy meal perfect for a busy weeknight utilizing one pot.

Here is what you will need:
4 chicken thighs
1 medium onion or 1 half large onion, diced
One lg can of whole tomatoes
2 Chipotle chiles in adobo
1 teaspoon cumin
3 carrots, cut into sticks
3 stalks of celery, cut into sticks
3 small potatoes, cut into sticks

3/4 cup rice

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Cilantro and limes for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken thighs and brown them skin side down in the hot oil. 

When the skin side is brown turn them over and brown the other side as well.  

Meanwhile put your can of tomatoes your Chipotle chilis with the adobo that they come in and the cumin into a blender and puree all of this together. 

When the chicken is brown, take it out of the skillet and put it onto a clean plate. Reduce heat to medium low. Add your coarsely chopped onion to the pan and cook until translucent scraping the bottom every now and then to loosen the pieces of chicken that were left.

Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and stir around with the onion. Strain the tomato mixture through a sieve into the pan. You can use a spatula to help get all of it through the sieve. This will get out the chili and tomato seeds and I did not get blended up.

Turn up the heat to medium. Simmer until the tomato sauce is bubbly (about ten minutes) and then add the chicken back in. Now take your potatoes carrots and celery which have been cut into sticks, and arrange them around the chicken and on top of the chicken. Cover and simmer on medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Take the chicken and vegetables out of the pan and put them on a plate, add one cup of water to the skillet, and raise heat to medium-high. Bring the water and tomato mixture to a boil and add the rice. Reduce heat to medium low. Make sure that all of the rice is submerged in the liquid. Put the chicken and vegetables back on top of the rice and put the lid on the skillet. Cook on medium low heat for 25 more minutes.

Serve with torn cilantro and lime wedges. Makes enough for two hungry people.