Mini Apple Pies

Ingredients:

Crust
2 level cups all-purpose flour
1 level teaspoons salt
1/4 cup Crisco or vegetable shortening
4 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons cold water

Filing
2 21 oz cans apple pie filling

Topping
1 cup granola
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 pinches allspice
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
remaining dough scraps

4 10 oz baking dishes
non stick cooking spray


Instructions:

Crust

Spoon flour into measuring cup and level.
Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
Cut in Crisco and butter using pastry blender (or a heavy wire whip) until all flour is blended and forms pea-sized chunks.
Sprinkle with water, one tablespoon at a time.
Toss lightly with fork until dough will form ball.
Place dough on a large sheet of wax paper and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Remove dough after 15 minutes and roll into a circle between two sheets of wax paper or without wax paper if dough is sticky.
Place your baking dishes on top of your dough and cut around your dishes edges.
Gently place the dough cut outs into your sprayed baking dishes.
Carefully mold the dough around your dishes.
Evenly pour the pie filling into the 4 dishes and set aside.

Toppings

Granola
In a small bowl mix together, cinnamon, allspice, and both sugars then set aside. (Spice Mixture)
Mix together in a medium sized bowl granola, flour, butter and 2 tbsp of spice mixture.
Carefully top granola mix on top of desired apple pies.

Lattice

Roll out scrapped dough then cut 1/4 inch strips.
Evenly place 5 strips of the dough onto the pie.
Gently roll back strips 1,3, and 5. Then place strips across the top of strips 2, and 4 until you reach the other side of the pie.
Gently unroll strip 1, 3. and 5 and lay over the newly inserted strip. Either repeat the previous steps for the remaining strips or just add remaining strips along the pie.
Use excess pie dough to form a crusts edges.
Roll and tuck overhanging excess pie dough onto baking dishes lip.
Using your index finger and thumb pinch the edges in together to make ridges.
Sprinkle 1 tbsp of spice mix and a sliver of butter on top of pie.

Bake

Bake pies in a 350 degree oven until golden brown or until bubbly.

Dutch Oven Series: Round Steak & Onion Gravy

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Beef Round Steak, cut into large pieces, rinsed
2 sprigs marjoram
2 sprigs thyme
1 cup flour
1/8 cup marsala wine
1 large onion, sliced
3 1/4 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon olive oil or as needed
1 tablespoon butter or as needed
1 teaspoon dry beef bouillon base
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet

Instructions:

In a small bowl mix flour, salt, pepper, and beef bouillon then set aside.(Seasoned Flour)
On a plate sprinkle a layer of seasoned flour. Lightly flour steaks on both sides in seasoned flour.
Then set aside.
In a Dutch Oven pan melt butter and olive oil on medium high heat.
Add floured steaks to the pan and sear on both sides until they're lightly browned.
Once browned remove from pan then set aside on a clean plate. (Use additional butter
and olive oil to cook all the steaks.)
Saute garlic, thyme, marjoram sprigs and onions in the pan drippings; then stir in 4 tbsp of seasoned flour.
Continuously stir and cook until flour turns light brown.
Once flour browns stir in beef stock and wine.
Continue to stir sauce until it reduces on medium heat and thickens.
Stir in kitchen bouquet.
Once sauce thickens return steaks to the pan then submerge into the gravy then cover pan with lid.
Place the pan in 350 degree oven and cook until steaks are tender.
Once steaks are tender remove from the oven and serve.

Dutch Oven Series: Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
3/4 stick butter
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons dried dill
3 sprigs rosemary
3 sprigs thyme
8 red potato, rinsed
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste
1 large zip lock bag
non stick spray as needed


Instructions:

In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt and pepper then set aside. (seasoned flour)

In a medium size bowl whip together the honey, mustard, and orange juice, then set aside.

Place potatoes in a large bowl. Coat potatoes with a layer of non stick cooking spray then sprinkle with rosemary, and thyme leaves then set aside.

Place chicken inside the zip lock bag then add seasoned flour. Shake bag until chicken is well coated. Then set aside.

On medium high heat melt butter in the dutch oven. Then position chicken inside the Dutch oven skin side down.

Let chicken cook until both sides are browned.

Once chicken is browned pull Dutch oven away from heat. Give the honey mustard sauce a stir then ladle half of the sauce on top of chicken.

Cover Dutch oven with lid then place into a 350 degree oven.

Bake chicken for 10 to 15 minutes then remove Dutch oven from the oven.

Remove the lid then place potatoes around chicken. Ladle the remaining honey mustard sauce on to potatoes and chicken.

Place back into the oven and cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees.

Remove Dutch oven from the oven then ladle pan drippings over the chicken and potatoes.

Then serve.

Dutch Oven Series: Chili

Ingredients:

2 pounds of hamburger
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced small
1 red pepper, diced small
2 pkg. chili mix
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1/4 teaspoon of cumin powder
1 cans of chili beans
1 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans of tomato sauce
1 cup of Bloemers
1 tablespoon beef base
2 cups of water or more as needed

Instructions:

Saute, onions and peppers.

The add hamburger, occasionally stir and cook until hamburger browns, drain well with a colander.

Add remaining ingredients.

Let simmer for an hour on medium heat and occasionally stir chili.

Serve with cooked spaghetti.