Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

I went home a couple of weeks ago for Mother's Day. It was so nice to spend the weekend with my parents and have the chance to visit with Kansas City friends.  Before heading back to Chicago, my mom and I made an apple pie. I had been craving pie and it sounded nice to spend Mother's Day baking with my mom. We used a couple of different recipes for our apple pie and it turned out fantastic.  As soon as I boarded the plane I was kicking myself for not finding room in my carry-on for a piece of leftover pie!

This picture was taken before baking the pie.

Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

Prep/Cook Time: 1 hour

1 pie crust- I use Pillsbury but you could certainly make a homemade crust

Pie Filling:
2/3 c. sugar
2 T. flour
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
dash nutmeg
6 -8 tart apples, pared, cored, and sliced (6 cups) - I used half Gala and half Granny Smith

Crumb Topping: 
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450.

Press pie crust into a pie dish. Flute the edges. Put the sliced apples in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the first 4 filling ingredients; stir into apples. Turn the apple mixture into the pie shell.

In a small bowl, combine the dry topping ingredients. Pour the cooled melted butter into the dry ingredients and stir until small to medium sized crumbs form. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples and bake at 400 for 45 to 50 minutes.

Maple Sesame Salmon

I have been holding off on posting this recipe since Monday because I honestly couldn't think of anything to write. I'll blame my writers block on all of the end of the school year craziness! What I can say, is that this is an incredibly simple way to prepare salmon. I've made Asian glazed salmon recipes in the past but I loved the addition of the maple syrup in this marinade, it adds a little sweetness and browns nicely under the broiler. I served the salmon with a little sauteed boy choy and black rice and it was the perfect healthy weeknight meal.

Maple Sesame Salmon

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

2 salmon fillets
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce
sesame seeds


Preheat the broiler. 

In a small bowl, combine the garlic through Sriracha sauce. Place the salmon in a ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the salmon. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Line the inside of a small baking dish with foil and coat with cooking spray. Place the salmon in the pan and pour half of the marinade over the fish. Broil for 5 minutes and then baste with more of the marinade. Broil another 5 minutes or until cooked. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving. 

Personal Pan Pizzas with My Favorite Salad

I love to make pizzas for dinner because they are so versatile. You can use any combination of ingredients and it's a great way to use leftovers in the fridge. Brady made the below personal pan pizzas for us a couple of weeks ago. The below recipe is so simple, I shouldn't even call it a recipe, more a suggestion for a great pizza combo!

I have also included a recipe for my absolute favorite salad. Every once in a while, on a crazy busy night, Brady or I will pick up a pizza from Homemade Pizza Company. Their pizza is good but I LOVE their Cabo Salad. I recreated The Cabo salad awhile back and it has become my go-to salad because it goes great with any meal.

Personal Pan Pizzas

2 individual pre-made pizza crusts or homemade
1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into small pieces
pesto, homemade or store bought
feta cheese
cherry tomatoes, chopped
kalamata olives, chopped
red onion, thinly sliced
fresh basil, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 350. Spread a little pesto on the pizza crust and top with a handful of chicken, some tomatoes, olives, and sliced red onion. Top with a sprinkle of feta cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes (or according to the directions on the pizza dough). Remove from the oven and top with chopped basil.

My Favorite Salad (aka, Cabo Salad from Homemade Pizza Company)

For the Salad: 
1 bag spring mix lettuce
1 avocado, sliced
a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
2 corn tortillas, thinly sliced
sprinkle of cumin

Honey-Lime Salad Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Vegetable Enchiladas

Over Christmas, Brady and I ate at Good Earth, a restaurant in Minneapolis. I was pleasantly surprised by the restaurant. It's located inside the mall and the decor needs some updating but the food was great. The menu is full of healthy food that you aren't going to feel guilty about eating. I had vegetable enchiladas that were fabulous and I've been wanting to recreate them ever since. I used bits and pieces of different recipes to come up with the below recipe and honestly, these turned out just the way I remembered them. These enchiladas are so full of flavor and hearty even though they are meatless. I had never made my own enchilada sauce before and honestly I will never go back to canned- talk about easy to make and much more tasty!

** Sorry no picture, both of the pictures that I took turned out blurry. I'll spare the blurry photos and say the enchiladas looked even better than the ones you'd get at a restaurant. Luckily there is no photo to prove me wrong!

Vegetable Enchiladas

Serves: 4
Prep/Cook Time: 40 minutes

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (recipe follows)
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
cooking spray
sour cream (oprional)

Enchilada Sauce
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1  T. cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sugar
1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper







Preheat the oven to 450. In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil. Saute the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and tomatoes for about 5 minutes or until softened. In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, black beans, and corn.

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and then cook the onions for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic, cayenne, cumin, and sugar. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the can of tomato sauce and a 1/2 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Spray a large 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Generously spoon enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish to thoroughly coat. Take a tortilla and fill it with a large spoonful of the vegetable mixture and place in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Spoon on more of the enchilada sauce, I would recommend using a lot so that the enchiladas don't dry out. Sprinkle the enchiladas with cheese and then bake for 20 minutes. To serve, garnish the enchiladas with chopped cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.

Rosemary Garlic Pork Chops

The past couple of weeks have seemed busier than normal. I haven't spent as much time in the kitchen as I normally do and I feel like most of meals have been quick one's on the go. I can only do quickie meals for so long though. I miss cooking and I miss actually sitting down and enjoying my dinner. Last week, I made rosemary and garlic coated pork chops for Brady and I. Minimal ingredients and quick preparation sold me on the recipe. These were super simple and full of flavor.While the pork chops are in the oven saute some fresh green beans or asparagus and you've got yourself a perfect healthy weeknight meal in under 20 minutes!


Rosemary Garlic Pork Chops
** adapted from Cooking on the Weekends

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

2 bone-in pork chops
2 T. minced garlic
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375.

Combine the minced garlic, grated Parmesan, and rosemary in a small bowl.

Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium high heat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Meanwhile, season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Use a spoon to press some of the garlic coating on to each of the pork chops. When the pan is hot, add the pork chops. Cook for 2 minutes, drizzle a little olive oil on the pork chops, and then flip them over. Press on the remaining garlic coating to the other side of the pork chops and cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the stove and place in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temp of 145 degrees. Remove the pork chops from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.