This is an ode to decadence and that magical combination of peanut butter and chocolate.  I got it from a cookbook I've had since before I was married and made it for the first time a few weeks ago.  Hi, my name is Lauren, and I'm a recipe hoarder.




So, anyway, the pie.  It's easy to make, and it's rich.  It's super tasty and decadent, and since it's a refrigerator pie, it's perfect for warmer weather.  No cooking/baking involved.  Yay!  It'd be dreamy with a glass of cold milk or with a nice cup of coffee.



Chocolate and Peanut Butter Mousse Pie
from Eagle Brand recipes

1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup honey roasted peanuts, finely chopped
6 Tb butter, softened
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, peanuts, and butter; press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate.  Set aside

Pour 1/2 cup of the cream into a microwave safe bowl; microwave on high 2 minutes.  Stir in 1/2 cup of the condensed milk and all the chocolate chips until smooth.  Spoon mixture into the prepared crust and refrigerate 1 hour.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the remaining 1 cup cream until stiff peaks form; set aside.  In another mixing bowl, beat the remaining condensed milk, cream cheese, and peanut butter until smooth.  Fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream until incorporated and then gently fold in the rest.  Spoon this mixture over the chocolate filling.  Chill at least 2 hours.  Store covered in the refrigerator.


Notes

• Chocolate graham crackers were difficult for me to find, but I did find them.  You can of course substitute regular graham crackers or just buy a graham cracker crust.  I think the Oreo crust might put it over the top in terms of sweetness so I wouldn't recommend it, but if you do this, please let me know how it turns out!
• If you leave this pie out in a warm room for a while, it will get really loose and not keep its shape well.  This is definitely best eaten straight out of the fridge.  

Mac and cheese is so good, isn't it?  Creamy, cheesy, hearty.  Oh gosh, no wonder it's one of the top comfort foods out there.  Just telling you about this recipe makes me want some.

A few years ago a coworker started bringing crock pot mac and cheese to our staff potlucks and it was some of the best macaroni and cheese EVER.  I don't have her recipe, but it did cause me to start pinning slow cooker mac and cheese recipes like crazy and this past summer, I finally tried one of them out.  I've since made it again, and Drew thinks it's his favorite recipe yet.

It's creamy, cheesy, and smooth, and it's pretty hands-off.  If you need a lot of macaroni and cheese, this is your recipe.  Since it's made in a slow cooker, it's great for any time of the year, because the slow cooker doesn't heat up the kitchen like the stove or oven.  Love that!

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
from Trisha Yearwood via Food Network

Cooking spray
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked
One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick ) of butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
Two 10-ounce bricks sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 5 cups)
Dash of paprika

In a large 4-quart slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray (or greased with butter), mix the macaroni, evaporated milk, milk, butter, salt, pepper, eggs and all but 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top of the mixture and then sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours and 15 minutes. Turn off the slow cooker, stir the mixture and serve hot.

This is one of the recipes I remember my mom making a lot.  We didn't have it every week or anything, but we had it pretty often, and with good reason.  Everyone loves it, even those who don't usually like meatloaf.  For whatever reason there was a span of time I don't remember eating it at all- I'm sure it was partially because I was away at college or living on my own, but recently mom has broken the meatloaf out for some family dinners, and I am immediately transported to second grade, and that's a good thing.



Since rediscovering the meatloaf, I've made it for a family reunion and Drew has made it for the fire station.  This recipe is older than I am, and it's not going anywhere any time soon.

Meatloaf
from my mom's recipe collection

1.5 lbs. ground beef (85/15 is recommended, but any kind will do)
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup milk
4 Tb (1/4 cup) ketchup
1 egg
Salt and pepper

Mix above ingredients and lightly press into a 9x13 baking dish.  Pour over the sauce (recipe to follow) and bake, uncovered, at 350 for 1 hour.

Sauce
4 Tb (1/4 c) apple cider vinegar
2 Tb (1 oz) Worcestershire Sauce
4 Tb (1/4 c) brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup

Combine sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Heat until warm and pour over meatloaf.

Notes

• my mom recommends 85% lean ground beef and I won't question it.  I'd say if you choose to go leaner, you may want to cover the meatloaf for the first 20-30 minutes.
• You want to use ground beef that is in a square package, not the tube.  The tubes compress the meat too much.  

Weird name, delicious dish.  I promise!

Zucchini season is mostly over here, but it can still be found at farmer's markets and maybe other parts of the country.  Thanks to my mother in law, we had a couple zucchini plants that gave us enough for a couple different dishes.  Thanks, Barbara!



I had this recipe pinned for a couple years when we had zucchini coming out our ears, and you can only make so much zucchini bread before you feel like you're going to need the Biggest Loser Ranch, am I right?  So anyway, I pinned this recipe a while back but hadn't made it yet.  I've made several other zucchini recipes, but I like to try new recipes (hence the blog).



I can remember pinning this one and not being too sure about it.  Zucchini pizza casserole?  Sounds weird.  I like zucchini on pizza, so maybe it will work, but what if it's one of those attempts to be healthy that ends up with a dish that doesn't taste very good?  Oh, well, it's rated pretty highly on Taste Of Home's website so I'll give it a go.

You've just had a peek inside my mind.  I hope that doesn't deter you!


Anyway, I tried it and we liked it!  This casserole has a zucchini and cheese crust topped by a sauce that is like meat sauce for spaghetti.  The one way I'd like to improve this dish is to make the sauce taste more like pizza sauce than spaghetti sauce.  The next time I make this dish I may try to not cook the tomatoes before baking the casserole.  That crust, though.  It is delicious!  If you like the taste of cheese when it gets a little cooked and browned, you want to eat the entire crust without sharing.

So I recommend this recipe.  It's easy and tasty, and is probably a good one to take to a potluck or a friend who may need a meal.

Zucchini Pizza Casserole
from Taste of Home

4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (15 ounces) Italian tomato sauce
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

Preheat oven to 400°. Place zucchini in colander; sprinkle with salt. Let stand 10 minutes, then squeeze out moisture.

Combine zucchini with eggs, Parmesan and half of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Press into a greased 13x9-in. or 3-qt. baking dish. Bake 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat, crumbling beef, until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce; spoon over zucchini mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; add red pepper. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes longer.

Freeze option: Cool baked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap casserole; reheat on a lower oven rack until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°. Yield: 8 servings.

Other Zucchini Recipes
Zucchini Ribbons With Almond Pesto
Zucchini Bread
Grilled Pizza
Ricotta Pasta with Zucchini and Corn
Italian Greens Soup (Ed Fretwell Soup)
Vegetarian Fajitas
Summer Squash Sauté
Ratatouille
Roasted Vegetable Minestrone

My go-to salsa during winter when fresh tomatoes aren't available is the Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Salsa.  It has an impressive flavor and is quick and easy to boot.  I've made it dozens of times, and each time there's just never enough, even though it makes a ton.

I can't remember if this salsa remix was born out of the desire to experiment or just because I didn't have plain tomatoes, but a couple weeks ago I decided to try making the salsa with fire roasted tomatoes instead of plain ones.  This discovery has to rank right up there with sliced bread.  It's more complex- slightly smoky, spicy, and the flavor just feels...deeper.  It's so good!

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Y'all, I have had this recipe in the stack for almost seven years.  It was way past time to try this one out, and now that I did, I know I'll be going back again and again.  This baked ziti is easy, quick, and tasty, and has a big bonus: the leftovers stay moist and well sauced, which as you may know, is a hazard with baked pasta dishes.  Both Drew and I really enjoyed this.  Drew even said it may be the best he's had, which is saying a lot, because he used to live in Upstate New York, where there's a lot of Italian influence.

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With the country standing at the cusp of grilling season (sounds so dramatic, doesn't it?), this dish is one you'll want to make again and again.  It's one of those recipes that you unfortunately won't have a lot of leftovers if you take it to a potluck and one that almost everyone will ask for the recipe.

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• I decreased the original amount of sugar by about half, and I'd probably decrease it further next time.
• I will also decrease the olive oil next time, likely to about 1/3 cup.
• The onions said "sweet" in the store, but they were hot!  If your onion is hot, I'd encourage you to cut it back to 1 onion AND/OR to rinse the onions under cold water and let them drain a couple minutes before adding them to the rest of the mix OR to quick pickle them in the vinegar before the vinegar and sugar are mixed together and heated.

This was one of the first dishes I ever pinned to my food board, and after nearly 3 years on Pinterest I am finally trying it out, and I'm glad I did.  It's really good.  It's a solid recipe for your repertoire that is one of those go-to, sure bets.  It's almost stupid-easy and is quick to prepare.  Serve with a salad or other vegetables on the side.

Maple Dijon Chicken
from Witty in the City blog

1.5 lb package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 Tb vinegar (rice/rice wine/white wine/apple cider)
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

Preheat oven to 450.  Line a 9x13" baking dish or pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.  If you wish (and I did), trim excess fat from thighs and salt and pepper both sides.  Place into a single layer into the dish.

In a small bowl or mixing cup, mix together the maple syrup, the Dijon mustard, and the vinegar.  Pour over the chicken, turning the chicken to coat.  Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for a total of about 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the thighs reaches 165.  About halfway through cooking time, baste and or turn the thighs in the sauce for even cooking and flavor distribution.

Remove from oven and sprinkle rosemary on top of the chicken.

Chocolate Chip Pie
From Just Desserts by Paula Deen

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell

Preheat  your oven to 325.  In a medium bowl, mix together flour and sugar.  Add all other ingredients, stirring until moistened.  Pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake 45-60 minutes, until set.  The top will also be lightly browned.

Serve with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Notes

• I used mini chocolate chips, because I liked the idea of smaller chips of chocolate scattered throughout.
• If you use a glass dish like I did, it's best to reduce the heat of the oven by 25 degrees Fahrenheit and extend the time a little, which allows for a better browning of the crust while not burning everything else.

This recipe is simple to make and comes together pretty quickly.  It uses a vegetable peeler or mandoline and a food processor, so your work is minimal.  If you have a pile of zucchini silently screaming to be used before it goes bad, try this.  You won't be disappointed.

Zucchini Ribbons With Almond Pesto
from Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

1/2 cup almonds, toasted and cooled
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 pounds medium zucchini, trimmed (about 4 medium, thin and longer if you can find them)

Grind almonds, Parmesan, garlic and red pepper flakes in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Add the lemon juice, salt and olive oil and pulse a few times until incorporated. Pour the dressing into a large salad bowl and let it roll up and around the sides.

Peel the zucchini with a vegetable peeler or mandolin and place zucchini ribbons in the dressing-coated bowl. Toss the ribbons gently (your hands work best) attempting to coat the zucchini as evenly as possible. Serve at room temperature.

We all enjoyed it.  I want more.

Mexican/Southwestern style dishes are some of our favorite dishes to make.  There's just something about the spices and the simplicity.  And the chips and salsa.  One day I made a Smitten Kitchen original that is featured in her cookbook, black bean and spaghetti squash tacos.  They sound weird, and they are, but they're also pretty addictively good.  Anyway, at the same time I had planned to make these tacos, I caught an episode of The Pioneer Woman on Food Network and saw the recipe for these chiles rellenos.  I made them with the tacos.  We loved them.  The end.  The rest of the story is told here.

It is (I hope) nearing the end of soup season, but it's cold and rainy here this week, so I thought I'd share one more soup recipe with you.  You may already have a killer vegetable-beef soup recipe, but in the case that you don't, I submit mine to you.  It actually took me a few tries and reading through/testing several recipes to get this recipe right.  It's such a simple, basic, and iconic dish, but like fried okra, success eluded me for a while.  Actually, success may still be eluding me on the fried okra, but that's another story for another day.  On our last snow day, though, I think I pretty much figured it out.  I actually came up with a good recipe, which makes me feel pretty excited.

We all have our own ideas of what goes into vegetable-beef soup, so feel free to change as you see fit.

Vegetable Beef Soup
serves 6-8

1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tb vegetable oil
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1- 28 oz can diced tomatoes in their sauce (or 1 qt home canned tomatoes)
1- 8 oz can tomato sauce
1- 16 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1/2 cup uncooked macaroni
2 medium sized red skinned potatoes, cubed
1 1/2- 2 qt. beef broth
Freshly ground black pepper


In a large pot or dutch oven, heat your oil over medium to medium-high.  Add the beef, onion, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper and cook until onion is softened and beef is cooked.  Add in the tomatoes, their juice, and the can of tomato sauce.  Cook for a minute.  Add in the vegetables, potatoes, and broth.  Bring to a boil and boil 15-20 minutes or until potatoes and vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, bring a medium- large pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Salt the water and cook the pasta until al dente.  Add to the soup at the end of the cooking time.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Notes

• The soup got better the longer that it sat, so feel free to make this in advance and refrigerate or even freeze it.  
• I wrote myself a note to watch the salt level.  If you don't drain/rinse your pasta and just use a slotted spoon to add it to the soup, that will add some salt as well.  Since people have different salt sensitivities, taste and season to your own liking.  Is "liking" when used that way a Southern thing?
• As I mentioned before, this is the first real breakthrough success I've had with vegetable beef soup, so it'll likely be a work in progress.  I made myself a note that I might try adding some tomato paste in with the beef and onion and cook a minute, just before adding the other tomatoes.  
• I also made myself a note that I might have missed the texture and even flavor that lima beans add.  
• From experience and probably various TV cooks, I have learned to cook the pasta separately, and that it seems to expand to approximately 237 times its original volume when you add it to a soup and let it sit in your soup, so that when you come back to the soup, it seems like it's been overtaken by noodles.  Cooking it separately and keeping it separate will help solve that problem.  If you don't do this, be prepared to add extra liquid.  
• This is great served with cornbread!

Fact:  banana pudding is on my list of all time favorite desserts.  I can remember my parents taking me to eat at the Holiday Inn in Kannapolis, NC after church on Sundays as a child, and my favorite part of the whole experience was the little bowl of banana pudding on the dessert table.  I felt so fancy, being able to eat there.  As you can see, I am clearly dated to my 80's decade, and it doesn't take much to please me.



Certain treats from childhood have just stuck with me that way- rice krispie treats, banana pudding.  Their appeal doesn't wane with age; they remain just as dear to my heart and palate, and maybe even get better.  Do you have foods like that?



Growing up, we always made banana pudding with instant pudding mix.  I didn't know of any other way to make it.  Then I met Drew, and he insisted I'd been making an imposter all these years, and that the only real way to make banana pudding was to make the pudding from scratch.  While I still disagree that it's the only way, homemade is hard to beat.  There's a thickness and a richness to the pudding that you can't get from the boxed mix.  It's so good, and it makes me sad that I don't have a bowl to eat right now.



Banana Pudding
From the Honeycutt family
Serves 8-10

4 egg yolks
1/2 c sugar
3 cups milk
4 heaping TB flour
1 TB butter
1 TB vanilla extract
Pinch salt
2-3 ripe bananas
Vanilla Wafers
Meringue (recipe to follow) or whipped cream

Take about 2-4 TB milk and pour into a small bowl.  Add the flour and combine to make a slurry.  In a medium pot over medium or medium low heat, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, salt, milk, and slurry.  Gently heat to boiling and thickened to resemble very thick paint or thin pudding.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla until mixture is smooth.

In a 1 1/2 to 2 qt casserole dish, layer vanilla wafers and bananas, layering until dish is mostly filled.  This takes 2-3 bananas and about half the box of wafers.  Pour pudding mixture over wafers and bananas and place in fridge overnight.  When serving, top with meringue or whipped cream.

Meringue
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 c confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixture, add the egg whites and beat on high, whether using a hand mixer or stand mixer.  As the mixer is running and the whites are being beaten, sprinkle in the cream of tartar.  When soft peaks form, stop the mixer and add the sugar and vanilla.  Beat to medium-stiff peaks.  Spread over the pudding and place into a 350 oven until the meringue is lightly browned.



Notes

• It is absolutely necessary for you to let your pudding "rest" in the refrigerator overnight, or for several hours.  If you eat it right away, it sort of tastes floury and like paste.  If you let it wait, the flour flavor mellows, the vanilla becomes more pronounced, and the wafers soften.  Everything thickens and melds together and, well, it's just wonderful.  
• The EdibleGivens household is divided on the meringue vs. whipped cream topping debate.  Drew thinks it's meringue or nothing.  I tend to prefer whipped cream.  This choice, however, is an easy one.  You really can't go wrong.  Put the meringue on the pudding, however, right before you're going to serve it and not when you stick it into the fridge.  Same with the whipped topping.

For the love of all things sweet, make these as soon as possible!

These are so good; so very, very good.  If I follow the guidance of previous teachers, good is a bit of an understatement.  They're delectable.  They're scrumptious.  They are among my Pinterest Hall of Fame pins.  Gooey cookie, fluffly marshmallow, salty pretzel, peanut butter, and chocolate converge to form something that is so rich, and so much greater than the sum of its parts.

They're also easy.  The ingredient list is short, the prep is quick, and if you use pre-made cookie dough, it's all semi-homemade.  I'm that obnoxious person who made the dough from scratch, so I can give some pointers there.



This wonderful creation comes from the kitchen of the author of the food blog, Cookies and Cups, which I would never have found without Pinterest.  See the original blog post by clicking the recipe title.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookie Bars
from Cookies and Cups

1-16.5 oz roll of cookie dough, or same amt. homemade dough
3 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups peanut butter filled pretzels
1/2 cup chocolate or peanut butter chips
1 tsp shortening

Preheat your oven to 350.  Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil or parchment and spray or butter the foil.  Press the cookie dough into the pan to form an even layer.  Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the dough is lightly golden at edges.

Remove from oven, sprinkle marshmallows over the top, and return to the oven an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the marshmallows are puffy but not done.  Remove from heat and sprinkle pretzel. Uh gets over the top.  Press the pretzels into the marshmallows and cookie dough.

Melt chocolate or peanut butter chips and the shortening in microwave in 30 second intervals until melted.  Drizzle over the bars with a spoon and allow the bars to cool before cutting.

Notes

• I used the original Nestle Tollhouse cookie dough recipe.  I already had all the ingredients for cookie dough on hand but would have had to go to the store to buy the pre-made dough.  If you go this route, make the dough ahead of time and chill in fridge, or more will end up on your hands than in the pan.  Also, weigh the dough or don't use the whole recipe.  It took my dough a lot longer to bake.  It ended up working out ok, but I was concerned about them being underdone.
• The original recipe called for peanut butter chips, but I already had chocolate chips on hand, and it turned out great.  I wonder if mixing chocolate chips and peanut butter instead of shortening would yield similar texture and more flavor?
• Do not skip the step of lining the pan.  It makes removal so easy, and I think that otherwise a lot more cookie bar would have been stuck to the pan.
• These are, like so many baked goods, best the day they're made.  They're pretty good the next day, too, but after that the pretzels start to get a little stale.  
• Because there's so much going on, they can be cut small and you can get quite a few servings out of them- 20+.  They're great for a crowd! 

What a mouthful!  I like short names for recipes, like "taco soup" or "cornbread."  I tried to think of a shorter name, but the above title best captures it.  Several years ago, I fell in love with butternut squash and promptly wanted to incorporate it into everyday life.  Rachael Ray made a recipe with it that she called "butternut bowties," (nice and short name, nice dish) and I made it and loved it, but Drew insisted that this was not acceptable main course dinner material.  I'm still learning how to feed a man.  So, the dilemma was presented:  how to continue making this dish into a main course?  The answer I've found is to add cooked, diced chicken.  In doing so, you have proteins, carbs, veggies, and dairy all in one tasty dish, and it can be eaten alone or with a side salad.  Yay!  Why did it take 3 or 4 years to try that?



The dish itself is so tasty.  We loved it, and it probably gave us 6 servings with the chicken added in.  It's also a good way to lighten up mac and cheese without losing anything in terms of taste or texture.  The butternut squash and sage add a nice fall/winter flavor.  It's a good dish for any day, but I will warn you that it's a solid hour and a half prep, if not longer.  You can break that up into stages, though.



Butternut-Chicken Mac and Cheese
inspired by Rachael Ray



Preheat oven to 400F.

• I can't remember how I cooked my chicken, whether it was poached (boiled), baked, or grilled, but as long as it's cooked- this can of course be done ahead of time, utilize leftovers, etc.  We used about 1/2 lb. boneless skinless breast, but any boneless skinless meat will work.
• You can also do the butternut squash ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until needed.  That would allow this to be a quicker, weeknight meal.
• As with a lot of pasta dishes, this one is best the day it's made, but it's still good as leftovers.

Thanksgiving for us Americans is such a time honored tradition, and I'd bet that most of you already know what will be on your table, and who will make what dish.

For my side of the family, there's always my grandmother's dressing (that's stuffing for those of you in other parts), there was until last year my great grandmother's green beans, a turkey prepared by my parents, sweet potato and broccoli casseroles by my aunt, and pies by Sarah Lee, with the occasional wild card dessert or bread thrown in by me.  It's a true feast and honestly a day of unabashed gluttony.



What food traditions do you hold and look forward to each year?

I'd like to submit a new classic:  Rachael Ray's Apple and Onion Stuffin' Muffins.  I first made this recipe 8 years ago, for a staff Thanksgiving lunch at my first "professional" job.  It was a total experiement and they were the guinea pigs.  Thankfully it turned out great, and is pretty foolproof, which is good for a then novice like me.  This is a good recipe for any skill level.  I have since made these little guys 1-2 other times, and the latest was for my office building's Thanksgiving lunch today.



This recipe is easy, relatively quick, and can be made ahead of time.  The ingredient list is not ridiculous and the flavors are close enough to standard to not rock the boat while being innovative enough to reinvigorate your dressing/stuffing routine.

The recipe title is also a link to the original recipe.  I am posting as I made it.  If you're more a visual learner, there's a video link near the top of the page that will allow you to see Rachael Ray making the stuffin' muffins (which is a concept that Sunny Anderson has adopted with vigor).

Apple and Onion Stuffin' Muffins
makes 12-24 muffins, depending on your scoop size and tin

2 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 stick butter, divided in half
1 bay leaf (original calls for fresh; I used dried)
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 med-lg onion, chopped
3 apples, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 tsp each dried marjoram, dried parsley, and dehydrated onion (or 2 Tb poultry seasoning)
8 cups stuffing mix (such as Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing)
2-3 cups chicken stock

Preheat an oven to 375 and butter the cups of 1-2 muffin pans.  In a wide pot with sides (dutch oven, saute pot), heat oil and butter over medium to med-high heat.  Add in bay leaf, celery, onion, and apple and season with salt, pepper, and other herbs/spices.  Allow to cook and soften, approx 5-6 mins.

Add stuffing mix into the pan and stir.  Moisten the entire pan with chicken broth, so that the bread and other ingredients are softened and moistened but not wet (not soupy).

Use an ice cream scoop or cup measure to scoop out stuffing and mound into the muffin tins.  Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until browned on top.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  These can be made ahead and reheated.

Notes

• Original recipe called for McIntosh apples, which I can rarely find around here.  Use your favorite "cooking/baking" apple.  I used gala, and they worked well.
• Original recipe also called for poultry seasoning, which I didn't have and didn't want to buy.  I looked up a couple DIY recipes online and improvised using what I had on hand.  Still good!
• I used approx 2 cups chicken broth.  

Finished cake- I only lament I couldn't take a picture of the inside for you, but that's against family reunion rules.

This past weekend was a family reunion, which of course is a good opportunity to catch up with family, but a good opportunity to experiment with recipes.  I've got two new ones to share with you, and this is the first of the two.  It's a great introduction into fall recipes. 

While the pumpkin is currently enjoying a reign of fall produce homecoming queen, the apple shouldn't be overlooked.  I love apple recipes, from the sweet to the savory.  It's such a versatile fruit, eaten both raw and cooked.  One particular favorite is the apple cake, and I've probably made 3-4 different recipe variations.  I love it heartiness, moisture, and even that it's a bundt cake.  This year's version comes from a 2010 special periodical publication of Southern Living Recipes.  It's Honey Apple Cake, drizzled with a sauce made with honey, butter, and brown sugar, and it's delicious.  I wanted to share it with you as soon as possible.

The delicious honey-sugar mixture

It's easy to throw together, and not temperamental.  It has a relatively short ingredient list, and even after two days, it's moist and flavorful.  What's not to love?!

Honey Apple Cake
from Southern Living

1 cup chopped pecans, divided
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup clover honey
3 large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and chopped
Honey Sauce (recipe to follow)

Preheat your oven to 350.  Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan; sprinkle bottom of pan with 1/4 cup pecans. 

Beat the sugar, oil, and honey at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until well blended.  Combine the flour and next 4 ingredients in a bowl .  Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating at low speed just until blended.  Stir in vanilla, remaining pecans, and chopped apples.  Spoon batter over pecans in pan. 

Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes.  Remove from pan, and place on a wire rack over wax paper.  Drizzle 1/2 cup Honey Sauce over warm cake.  Let cool 1 hour or until completely cool.  heat remaining Honey Sauce and serve cake with sauce, and if desire, ice cream. 

Honey Sauce
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup honey

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil, stirring constantly, for 5 mintues.

Notes

• Know your oven.  My oven has four possible rack placements.  I started the cake out on the next to lowest rack (where the top of the cake pan is about middle of oven) and after 45 minutes, the cake wasn't done in the middle, but the top of the cake was very dark.  I moved it up a level and it finished baking on the next to highest rack position, which was a good place to finish.  Total baking time for my crazy oven: 55 minutes.
• I used Granny Smith apples rather than Golden Delicious.  They were a better price and I like them better.

Do you want to hear a rambling story?  If not, I won't be offended if you scroll on to the bottom of the post, where the recipe lies, but this story does connect.  So, this weekend Drew and I were having two separate dinners, one with my family and one with his.  I was to make the desserts for each.  Since my family is larger, I opted to bring two desserts, one chocolate and one fruity.  I thought my fudge pie recipe would produce enough batter for two pies, but I was gravely mistaken.  There I was on Saturday morning with only two desserts and neither for the dinner with the Givens family that night.  I was determined not to go back to the store, so I looked through my files to see what recipe I could create with ingredients I had on hand.  While I narrowed it down to a few contenders, this recipe was the winner, and boy was it ever a winner. 



Like a thick, barely baked cookie, this recipe satisfies all your sweet teeth.  It comes together fairly quickly and is pretty easy.  I recommend using a stand mixer to mix the batter/dough, but if all you have is a hand mixer, try it out.  You could just about term this a pie and not be wrong- no crust but closer to the consistency of a pie than a cake.  Whatever.  A rose by any other name, right?



Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
from That's So Yummy

1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
½ cups Butter, Unsalted
1 cup Light Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 whole Large Egg
1-¼ cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream the butter, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.  Increase the mixer speed to high and beat for 15 seconds.  Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the egg.  Blend on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Add the dry ingredients and combine on low speed until just a few dry streaks remain.  Add the chocolate chips and mix for a few seconds until combined.

Scrape the batter into a greased and lined 9-inch round cake pan.  Press the batter into a smooth and even layer in the pan. Bake until lightly golden and puffy around the edges (the center should still feel quite soft), 18 – 22 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes and then run a paring knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake.

Cool for at least 4 hours before turning the cake out of the pan and onto a large plate.
Slice then serve.  Note: If you’re real naughty, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and hot fudge!

Notes

• I made the recipe as is, but my cookie cake was not baked at the end of the baking time.  I probably baked it an extra 10 minutes.  You want gooey but not runny. 
• I transported this cake in the pan in which I baked it.  If you want to display it you'll either want to make sure it's well baked or even use a springform/cheesecake pan.