Apple Crisp

Apple crisp can be made with *fresh apples or dried apple slices. This is a good way to rotate through your food storage as well!

I came up with this recipe this afternoon as a challenge from my Dad. This one's for you!

In a large bowl combine and let sit for 5 minutes:

7 cups dried apple slices
3 cups boiling water

Combine the following and mix for 2 minutes:

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Now add 1/2 cup at a time:

1, 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Now dump the apple slices in your 9 x 13 baking dish. No need to grease the dish. Drain off any excess liquid. Now top with granola topping.

Bake uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream...note to self: Buy vanilla ice cream!

*for fresh apples just use 8 green smooth-bottomed apples. cut them up. I like to "cube" them rather than slice them. No need to peel the skins. Leave 'em on!

Penne Pasta Sauce

Little Miss went out to the garden and brought in a bowl full of ripe tomatoes. What's for dinner? Another Ruby original

Ruby's Pasta Sauce

Dump the following into a blender and chop until slightly chunky:

5 tomatoes
a bunch (about 6 leaves) basil

In a pan saute

2 garlic cloves in
3 T olive oil

After you have sauteed the garlic for about 2 minutes add to the pan:

the tomato puree
1 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
6 oz tomato paste

now let this simmer for 20 minutes on low. Serve over 1 1lb Penne pasta. Garnish with basil and fresh Parmesan or mozzarella.

Fresh Blueberry Syrup

I have been looking for a good blueberry syrup recipe and finally decided I would come up with my own. All the recipes I could find had tons of sugar. Here is Ruby's Blueberry Syrup!

In a blender dump and blend:

1 pint blueberries (1, 1/2 cups)

dump the blended berry puree into a saucepan. Then dump the following:

1 T lemon juice
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 T butter

Heat slowly to a light simmer. Then turn the heat down to low until butter melts. Don't drip onto your shirt ;)

Creamy Chicken and Potato Soup

We have had upset stomachs this weekend. I whipped up this recipe for dinner using what I had in the pantry and freezer. It really hit the spot and settled the tummy ;)

In a large pot bring to a boil:

5 cups chicken broth (or water with chicken bouillon)

Once the water is boiling throw in:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up (I keep cooked shredded chicken in the freezer in zip lock baggies)

While the chicken is simmering (mine were frozen) cut up the following:

3 potatoes (I used russet. I never peel my potatoes. Just clean 'em and cut 'em)

Throw the potatoes into the chicken and water. Simmer for 10 minutes

While the potatoes are cooking saute the following:

1/2 cup onion
2 T butter

After potatoes have cooked for 10 minutes throw in the cooked onions along with:

1 cup frozen mixed veggie
1/2 cup cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Let simmer on low for 2 minutes. Serve!

Lazy Sunday Truffle Pie

Dump the following into a pot on the stove:

2, 1/2 cups chocolate chips, semi-sweet
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

heat this on the lowest possible setting. Stir constantly even while the chips haven't started melting.

Remove from the stove. The pot shouldn't be too hot. The chocolate should just be a bit warm. Now add the following into the pot:

4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour

whisk this until smooth. Poor into greased pie plate. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes. Cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with lots and lots of milk!

Poor Man's Stew

This dish was inspired by Mother's Goulash. I added a few things and played up the ground beef a bit. It is a favorite at our house!

In a large pot get 2 quarts of water boiling, then add:

1 tsp salt
2 cups macaroni noodles

Cook the macaroni about 8 minutes

Drain the macaroni and return to pot along with:

1 quart bottles tomatoes (or 2 large cans tomatoes if you don't bottle tomatoes)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 Tbl brown sugar
1-2 lbs of meatballs (I use leftover meatballs. Click here for my recipe!)

Now put the pot back on the stove top on low low heat. Put the lid half on. Stir occasionally. You can serve as soon as the meatballs get heated. But I like to let the stew sit for a half hour. Don't let it get too dry. You can add water if you think it is too dry.

Serve with bread and grated cheddar!

Peanut Butter Cookie

This recipe is a Ruby original! I LOVE peanut butter cookies but could never get them chewy. They were always crispy or crumbly. After experimenting I found that the salt added in most recipes dries up the cookie. Think of what salt does to a snail. The salt draws out all the moisture. Peanut butter is SALTY! There is no need to add salt to the cookie. Also, in most cookie recipes I use half butter and half shortening. Why? because that's what Mother always did. The science behind it? Butter has good flavor and shortening holds its molecular shape better when under heat, thus making a puffier cookie! When I use all butter the cookie tends to be more transparent and flatter and crispier.

Cream the following for 2 minutes:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1, 1/4 cup brown sugar
1, 1/4 cup white sugar

Now add the following one at a time:

2 eggs (one at a time)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup peanut butter (I just use Walmart brand)

Now add the following and mix on high for just a few seconds. Don't over mix:

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

bake at 375 for 9 minutes. Now don't get caught up in how long the cookie needs to cook. What really matters is how the cookie looks. This picture was taken right as the cookies were being taken out of the oven. They are soft, doughy, puffy, with miniature "ant holes" punctured all over. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer to the cold counter top.

Enjoy!