Apple Dumplin's

My friend Keri shared this recipe while we were shopping at Sam's Club on Saturday. These are my favorite kind of recipes! We made them on Sunday evening with the Tuckett's and everyone (even the kids) loved them. There wasn't a drop left over.

1 can Grand's biscuits (I used the buttermilk kind)
2-3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cube butter
2 tsp. vanilla
cinnamon
nutmeg
vanilla ice cream

Open the biscuits and cut each biscuit in half. In an 8x8 pan, place eight biscuit halves. Place sliced apples all over the top of each muffin (you can also place some extra sliced apples around on the sides and bottom of pan). Top each muffins with another half.
In a saucepan, melt the sugar, water, butter & vanilla. Bring to a rolling boil, then remove from heat. Pour sauce all over the top of the biscuits and apples. Sprinkle cinnamon & nutmeg all over the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. For the first 20 minutes, I covered the pan with aluminum foil, then uncovered the pan for the last 25 minutes to brown the biscuits nicely.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Dad's Goulash

This is a throw together recipe that you can make over the stove top or in a crock pot. My dad use to make this for us growing up.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion (chopped)
salt & pepper
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can corn (don't drain)
5 T. spaghetti seasoning mix
3-4 cups water
2-3 handfuls elbow macaroni
mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef together with chopped onion, season with salt & pepper. Drain. In a crockpot, add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, stewed tomatoes, corn, spaghetti seasoning mix and water. Stir in the ground beef. Simmer on high for 2-3 hours. The last hour, add the macaroni. Watch and stir the mixture. If it is getting too thick, add more water. If it seems thin, cook it a little longer. Before serving, sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the top. This is even better as leftovers the next day!

***We like to eat this with saltine crackers or bread sticks.

Pumpkin Muffins w/Cinnamon Topping

These muffins are dense, moist and full of fall flavor. I love the healthy addition of applesauce and grated apple.

2 1/2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1/2 c. egg substitute (or 3 large eggs)
1 c. canned pumpkin
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and grated

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, soda, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg) in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, pumpkin, oil and grated apple. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Spoon into paper-lined muffin cups until 2/3 full. Sprinkle with topping. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes about 2 dozen.

Topping:

1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 t. cinnamon

Mix with fork or pastry blender until a crumbly mixture is formed. Sprinkle on top of muffins before baking.

7-Layer Green Salad

I was assigned to bring a green salad to our fall enrichment dinner last night. I found this recipe in a church cookbook and altered it a bit. It looked so pretty in the glass bowl and I was surprisingly pleased with the dressing on top.

Layer:

Chopped lettuce (romaine and/or iceberg)
Shredded carrots
Frozen peas (thawed)
Chopped green onion
Chopped or sliced tomatoes
Dressing (see recipe below)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Bacon

Refrigerate overnight or for several hours before serving.

DRESSING RECIPE:

2 cups Mayonnaise (I like Best Foods or Hellman's)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1-2 Tbsp. dry ranch dressing mix

***TIP: You can omit or add any of your favorite veggies for this recipe (cucumbers, celery, mushrooms, etc.) It would be good with Feta or Bleu Cheese also.