As promised..Apple Pie "Cupcakes" and another sweet surprise

As most people probably already know, I like to cook, but I absolutely LOVE baking!   I love trying new recipes as well as some old favorites.  This week, I did one of each!  Apple Pie "Cupcakes" and one of my old favorites, Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip and Caramel Cookie Bars!  If anyone is a fan of Sandra Lee from the Food Network (I LOVE her!) then you will want to know both of these recipes definitely qualify as "semi-homemade."


When we first moved to LA, I started my cake decorating class.  For the first several weeks, we had to bake a cake, or cupcakes, to practice our decorating on.  Well, instead of letting the cupcakes go to waste, or even worse having them sit here for E and I to eat them, I would just send them to work with E on Fridays.  Well, one week we didn't need a baked good for class, and therefore I sent NOTHING on Friday to work...and boy did I hear about that!!  A lot of E's friends were pretty disappointed to not have a sweet treat on Friday ;o) Luckily for them, baking makes me happy!  So I have made it a routine to try to send something for them every week; they are like my guinea pigs to test out a new recipe!  And thats where these Apple Pie "Cupcakes" came in.  Everyone said they were delicious!  Without anymore delay, here is the much anticipated recipe

Apple Pie "Cupcakes"

**This recipe will only make 8 cupcakes. 
Apple Pie Filling
2 Tbsp butter
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
4 tsp lemon juice

Topping
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts

Base
1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls

Instructions
Heat oven to 400.
Spray 8 cupcake cups with cooking spray

In a skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat.  Cook apples in butter for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with 2 tbsp brown sugar, the cinnamon and the salt.  Continue to cook about another 5 minutes, until the apples are tender.  Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.

In a small bowl mix all the topping ingredients until crumbly. 

Separate the cinnamon roll dough into 8 rolls.  Flatten each roll, and place in the cupcake pan as your "crust" for your apple pies. Put some of the apple pie filling into each roll, and sprinkle with the topping.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until bubbly. Cool completely and garnish with whipped cream and caramel syrup. (In this case, I used store bought whipped frosting) 

I think these would be best served warm out of the oven, but a lot of the guys ate them without warming them up and still loved them.  They are A LOT messier than a cupcake, so they used plates and forks with these babies!

Today we are heading to Baton Rouge to have dinner with some friends.  I decided to bring a dessert (go figure!)  and pulled out one of my old favorite recipes.  These are super yummy and SO easy.

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip and Caramel Cookie Bars

Ingredients
1 roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookies
1 cup oats
2/3 cup caramel syrup
5 Tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350
Set aside 1/2 cup of the cookie dough
In a small bowl, mix the caramel, flour and vanilla. Set aside

Knead the oats into the remaining cookie dough, and press into a 9 in sq pan.

Bake 10-12 minutes until the dough starts to puff.

Sprinkle the walnuts and chocolate chips over the crust.  Top with the caramel mixture.  Crumble the reserved cookie dough on top. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Cool completely and cut into square cookie bars.

As Sandra would say... "Keep it simple, keep it smart, and always keep it semi-homemade."

Wilton, West Virginia, and staying cool

So I started course 3 of the Wilton classes-the fondant and gumpaste class!  I was terrified of fondant, because it seems so hard to work with!  But, so far so good!  Here is what we have done so far:

a bow

calla lily

We have done 2 classes so far-Wednesday will be class 3.  We did not have class last week, partially because I have been SO busy!

My sister came to visit us a couple of weeks ago.  It was so fun to have her here for a few days!  We did some shopping, and our big purchase was our new "Moments" bracelets-they are kind of like a knock off of the pandora charm bracelets.  So far we each only have one bead/charm.  It is sooo pretty I LOVE it.  So if anyone needs a gift idea for either of us ;o)

Last week, Eric and I spent the week in West Virginia!  I always love going back there.  It is seriously SO peaceful and pretty-it feels like time stops! 

Reese loves WV too!

The worst part about the trip was the 17 hour drive up there and back-it never gets easier!  We always try to drive straight through so that we don't waste too many days on the road.  For some reason, whenever it comes time for our LONG drive I am always so pumped and ready to fly down the highway!  I get really excited for our Pilot Travel Center stops so I can get my french vanilla cappuccinos!! 

We spent a week in WV.  We had a lot of "business" to get done like getting the vehicles registered and inpected and stuff, it made it hard to get around to visit people but it was still so nice to be there and get to see everyone!  We went camping memorial day weekend with my in-laws and some of our friends.  It was so hot, but I got a pretty good tan!  And we got to do a lot of riding which is always so fun, but also scary at times when my hubby is drivin! haha.

Something new we did while we were there was to stop in at the Heston Farms Winery/Pinchgut Hollow Distillery-for some wine and moonshine!  It was a super pretty farm in the mountains.  Wine tasting was only $4 and included the souvenir glass!  WHAT?  I am so used to paying like $12-20 in CA!  And the wine was GOOD!  The shine tastings were...FREE!  I didn't taste any, but Eric did.  They had regular, peach, apple pie, buckwheat, and hot pepper shine.  E tasted a bit of a few of them, and said they were strong! I have yet to try any of it.

Pinchgut Hollow Moonshine

We headed out of Parsons on Saturday morning.  We towed Eric's newest purchase back, so we had to drive a little slower.  The drive home seemed to take FOREVER.  Boy was I excited to finally lay in our bed.  The past couple days I have just been playing catch up with housework.

It is getting very hot here in Louisiana.  and HUMID.  I think our a/c runs pretty much all day.  I try to do indoor activities as much as possible- yesterday was cooking.  One of the things I made was a recipe for a Pineaple Cool Whip pie that my mother in law shared with me.  It is seriously SO good and really refreshing on a hot summer day!  Plus, its super easy and no bake-perfect to take along to a cookout!  I want to share the recipe:

Pineapple Cool Whip Pie

1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 tub cool whip
1/4 cup sweet condensed milk
1 packet vanilla pudding mix (unprepared)

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a graham cracker crust (I bought the premade one!) and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Hope yall enjoy!