Philly-Beef Stuffed Sandwich

This recipe is thanks to Dana and her Pampered Chef days. I fixed it a little different from her and a little different from the original recipe, but it turned out great, and Nate says it must be a keeper.

Philly-Beef Stuffed Sandwich
8 servings

1 c green bell pepper, chopped
3/4 c onion
1 T olive oil
2 t minced garlic
1/2 t dried oregano leaves
2 pkgs refrigerated crescent roll dough
8 oz thinly sliced deli roast beef
8 oz thinly sliced Provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Chop bell pepper and onion. Heat oil over medium until it is hot. Add garlic, bell pepper, onion, and oregano. Cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove pan from heat. Lightly flour a surface to roll out crescent dough and roll one package out to 12" x9"; cover with half of beef, cheese, and vegetable mixture to 1/2" of edges of dough. Starting at longest side of the rectangle, roll up dough jelly-roll fashion; press seam together to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and ingredients. Place roll, seam side down, on baking sheet. Join ends to rolls together to form one large ring; press ends together to seal. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Carmel Apple Bread

I found this recipe in the September 2005 Southern Living Magazine.

Carmel Apple Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 1 hour
Cool: 2 hours

10 small apples
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted and divided
Quick Carmel Frosting (recipe below)

Peel and finely chop apples (to equal 3 cups). Set aside.
Stir together sugar and next three ingredients in a bowl.
Stir together flour and next three ingredients; add to sugar mixture, stirring until just blended (batter will be stiff). Fold in chopped apples and 1 cup pecans.
Divide batter evenly between two greased and floured 9x5-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 for one hour or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.
Spoon warm Quick carmel frosting over loaves adn sprinkle with remaining pecans.

You can also do this is 8-inch round cake pans for an apple coffee cake. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Quick Carmel Frosting
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a heavy 3-quart saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly over medium-low heat. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture reaches a pudding-like thickness. Remove from heat. Optional add-ins: pecans (1 1/2 cups per recipe above), coconut (1 1/2 cups)

Pumpkin Pie Crunch

I've pulled lots of variations of this recipe out of different books over the years, but finally tried it this Thanksgiving and really enjoyed it. Yummy!

Pumpkin Pie Crunch
Makes 12 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 45 minutes
Cool: 2 hours

1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin
1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 1/4 c sugar
4 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t salt
1 package yellow cake mix
1 c chopped pecans
3/4 c butter, melted

Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Combine pumpkin and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl; pour into pan. Sprinkle cake mix over pumpkin mixture and top with pecans. Drizzle with melted butter.Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden. Let cool 2 hours or until completely cool. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Candy Apple Pie

6 c thinly sliced peeled baking apples
2 T lime juice
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t salt
Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
2 T butter

Topping:
1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar
3 T heavy cream (or evaporated milk)
1/2 c chopped pecans

In a large bowl, toss apples with lime juice. Combine dry ingredients; add to the apples and toss lightly. Place bottom pastry in a 9-in oie plate; fill with apple mixture. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Flute edges high; cut steam vents. Bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and apples are tender.

Meanwhile, for topping, melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in brown sugar until it is dissolved. Then add the cream; bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Pour over top crust. Return to oven for 3-4 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm.

Italian Subs

This is a recipe I got from my mom, and it was a favorite of mine from the first bite... I am a hot-sub kinda gal.

Italian Subs

Sub rolls
Deli turkey
Deli ham
Deli Salami
Sliced Provolone Cheese
Italian Dressing
sweet onion, thinly sliced
tomato, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350. Brush italian dressing on sub roll. Layer on turkey, ham, a slice of salami, a slice of cheese, and onion. Wrap in tin foil and bake for about 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Top with sliced tomato before serving/eating.

Family Pleasing Meatballs

Nate and Emma love meatball subs, so in my quest to find a healthy version, I came across these yummy meatballs. I am going to, in the future, make a double batch and freeze the extras for easy meals.

Prep: 20 min Cook: 20 min

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
10 RITZ Reduced Fat Crackers, crushed (about 1/3 cup)
1 egg white
1/4 tsp. pepper

PREHEAT oven to 375ºF. Combine meat, cracker crumbs, egg white and pepper. Shape into about 30 meatballs, each about 1 inch in diameter. Place in 15x10x1-inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 20 min. or until meatballs are cooked through.

WWPoints: Using 4 meatballs made of 90/10 ground beef, a White Wheat bun, 1/4 c 2% milk Italian cheese blend, and 1/4 c spaghetti sauce, it is 6 points per sandwich. Yummy.

Candy Fudge Bars

This is a yummy Southern Living recipe I pulled out of the 2004 Christmas with Southern Living book. Enjoy!
2 c uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 c chopped pecans
1 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 c butter, melted
1 1/2 c M&M's, divided
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring well. Add butter, and stir or beat at low speed with an electric mixer until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 c crumb mixture; press remaining crumb mixture into a lightly greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350.

Place 1 c M&M's in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 30 seconds. Press M&M's with back of a spoon to mash them. (The candies will almost be melted with the coating still visible.) Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Spread mixture evenly over crust in pan, leaving a 1/2 inch border on all sides.

Combine reserved 1 1/2 c crumb mixture and remaining 1/2 c M&M's; sprinkle evenly over chocolate mixture, and press lightly.Bake at 350 for 25 to 28 minutes or until golden; cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Yield: 3 dozen