Recipes for the First Day of Autumn
It’s not too late to get your name in for this months’ drawing for Darlene Dixon’s “Apple Delights” cookbook!
If you have a favorite recipe to send in - always feel free to add a photo of the dish. (Cell phone photos work great!)
This week we are featuring a few recipes submitted by one of our own test kitchen cooks. Enjoy!
Submit your recipe and register to win at: clickit.entries@gmail.com
(All submissions will be entered into the drawing and need to be received by Sept. 30, 2023. Each winner will be announced and contacted. We do not ship the prizes, but are available for pick up Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
3/4 C. milk
1-1/2 T. vinegar
1 C. flour
3 T. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon - (if you really love cinnamon, you can add another 1/2 tsp.)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
2 T. oil
Apple Topping
2 T. butter
2 apples - peeled, cored, and diced
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 C. maple syrup
Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat (275°).
Whisk together the milk and vinegar and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
While milk is curdling, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk egg and oil into milk. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined (don’t over-mix, it should still have some lumps).
Spray skillet with cooking spray. Use a 1/4 C. measuring cup to pour batter onto skillet. Cook about 2 minutes until bubbles form and the edges start to look “dry”. Use a spatula to flip the pancake and cook another 1-2 minutes on the other side. Set pancakes aside and repeat with remaining batter.
Add butter, apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat 3-5 minutes until apples are very tender. Stir in syrup. Serve apple topping over warm pancakes.
Notes: Be sure not to overmix the batter or you’ll lose that fluffiness factor.
Butter your griddle or skillet instead of using cooking spray if you want to make your pancakes a little more on the buttery side.
These pancakes will store well in an airtight bag or container in the fridge for 3-5 days. They also freeze really well, you can stack them up and put them in a freezer bag or another airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw completely in the fridge before reheating.
The topping works best only kept in the fridge for about 3-5 days. Freezing it can cause the apples to turn mushy and watery.
Zucchini Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
servings: 12
Submitted by Lisa Parker – Drummer Test Kitchen
2 lg. eggs
1-1/3 C. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 C. packed grated zucchini
¾ C. Unsalted butter, melted
2-3/4 C. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
1 C. walnuts
1 C. raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
Preheat oven to 350° F
Coat each muffin cup in your muffin pan with a little butter or vegetable oil spray.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Mix in the sugar and vanilla extract. Stir in the grated zucchini and the melted butter. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and salt.
Stir the dry ingredients into the zucchini mixture. (Do not overmix). Stir in walnuts, raisins or cranberries if using.
Use a spoon to distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups, filling the cups up completely, just below the surface of the muffin tin.
Bake at 350°F on the middle rack until muffins are golden brown and the top of the muffins bounce back when you press on them, 22-30 min. Test with a long toothpick to make sure the center of the muffins are done.
Set on wire rack to cool for 5 min. Remove muffins from the tin and let cool another 20 min.
Cracked Out Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 8 people
Submitted by Lisa Parker – Drummer Test Kitchen
3 C. chopped cooked chicken
16 oz. sour cream
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (1 oz.) pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
1 C. chopped cooked bacon
2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1 (30 to 32 oz.) bag frozen tater tots
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together chicken, sour cream, soup, Ranch mix, bacon and cheese. Fold in frozen tater tots. Spoon mixture into prepared pan.
Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes, until bubbly.
Note: You can use turkey bacon. You can also use low-fat sour cream. You do not need to thaw the tater tots before making this recipe.
Make ahead, refrigerate, or freeze for later. If removing from fridge, add more cooking time. If removing from freezer, thaw completely before baking.
Special note: After making this recipe, I would cut the amount of sour cream in half.
Pesto Pasta with Chicken
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
1 (16 oz) package bow tie pasta
1 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 C. pesto sauce
1/3 C. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into strips
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 min; drain.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic until tender, then stir in chicken and season with red pepper flakes. Cook until chicken is golden and cooked through.
Combine pasta, chicken, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes in a large bowl; toss to coat evenly.
Fresh Cucumber Pickles
7 C. sliced cucumbers
1 C. sliced onions
1 C. sliced green pepper
2 T. canning salt
2 T. celery seed
1 C. cider vinegar
2 C. sugar
Combine cucumbers, onions and green pepper; mix in salt and celery seed. Simmer vinegar and sugar until sugar is melted; pour over vegetable mixture. (the Mixture will look like it needs more liquid.) Let stand overnight, covered. It will have lots of liquid by morning. Spoon into jars; need just enough juice to cover the pickles. Cover and store in refrigerator. Ready to eat!
One-Pan Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Skillet
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 8
3 T. butter
3 T. all-purpose flour
2 C. chicken broth
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 (4 oz) can sliced black olives
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. chipotle chile powder
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 C. sour cream
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut into bite-size pieces
1 C. shredded Colby-Jack cheese, or to taste
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour; cook for 1 minute. Whisk in chicken broth; cook and stir until sauce is smooth and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir green chiles, olives, salt, oregano, and chile powder into the sauce. Add chicken and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165°F. Remove chicken from the skillet, leaving heat on low. Place chicken on a plate; shred into bite-size pieces.
Stir sour cream into the sauce. Return chicken to the skillet. Add tortilla pieces. Stir until combined and top with cheese. Cover and cook until bubbly and melted, 5 to 8 minutes.
Noodle Rice Pilaf
4 servings
1/4 C. butter, cubed
1 C. uncooked long grain rice
1/2 C. uncooked fine egg noodles or broken vermicelli (1-inch pieces)
2-3/4 C. chicken broth
2 T. minced fresh parsley
In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add rice and noodles; cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until noodles are lightly browned. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in parsley.
Easy No-Bake Buckeye Hedgehogs
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 min
Servings: 24
Submitted by Lisa Parker – Drummer Test Kitchen
2-1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 C. creamy peanut butter
6 T. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Chocolate topping
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or wafers
1 tsp. vegetable oil
For Decorating as Hedgehogs (optional)
Chocolate sprinkles
Black writing gel icing
In a large mixing bowl, beat powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla until well combined.
Scoop or roll into balls and place on lined cookie sheet. Freeze 30 min.
Microwave chocolate and vegetable oil in 30 second increments, stir until smooth.
Using a toothpick, dip peanut butter balls into the chocolate.
Optional: Dip in sprinkles and place on cookie sheet.
Refrigerate 30 minutes until solid. Serve at room temperature.
To Turn into Hedgehogs: Dip in chocolate sprinkles before chocolate fully sets, and place on the cookie sheet.
Use black writing gel icing to add eyes and a nose to each buckeye.
Quote of the Week:
“Nothing says fall like pumpkin spice, except maybe for the millions of leaves falling from the trees.”
~ Anonymous
