by Jessica Beck
Directions
Peel and core all of the apples, then cut them into thin slices. In a large bowl, mix the apple slices together thoroughly to evenly distribute the different kinds of apples in the pie. Next, in a smaller bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then stir the dry mixture into the apple slices until they are evenly coated. Add the apple slices to the pie shell. Then, in another bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar, then cut in the butter with a fork or a pastry cutter. The mix should be crumbly and formed into small chunks the size of lima beans to peas. Add this mixture on top of the apples. Then bake the pie uncovered in a 425° F oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and a butter knife slips into the pie easily. Cool the pie as long as you can stand it, but if you want a bite when it’s fresh out of the oven, be prepared for a deluge of lovely, sweet juices from the slice.
Momma’s Pot Roast
We make pot roast much the way Momma does in the donut shop books, using a slow cooker to let the meat and veggies cook long and slow. The smells that waft through the house are absolutely incredible, and I’m always hungry well before the meal is ready! It’s worth the wait, though. If you watch for appropriate meat cuts to go on sale, this is an extremely economical meal, and delicious to boot!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 boneless beef chuck roast, 2 to 2½ pounds
2 medium russet or red potatoes, peeled and cubed
carrots, baby or peeled, cut into 1-inch sections, about 1 lb.
Any good onion soup mix packet, about 1 oz.
1 cup tap water
1 tablespoon of either cornstarch, all-purpose flour, or powdered tapioca
1/3 cup cold water
Directions
Over medium heat, add the canola oil to a nonstick frying pan and warm until a drop of water sizzles when dropped into it. While you’re waiting, mix the flour, salt, and pepper together, and then coat the roast with the mix. Brown the meat on all sides in the hot pan, and then drain off the fat. In the slow cooker, spray the pot with nonstick vegetable spray (or use a slow-cooker liner, which makes cleanup super easy), and then add the potatoes and carrots to the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the browned roast next, and then sprinkle the soup mix on top. Next, add the water until the veggies are almost covered, but not the roast. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 6 hours, or until the roast falls apart with gentle prodding from a fork. Remove the roast and veggies to a serving plate and cover everything with aluminum foil to keep it all warm, then strain the liquid and pour it into the pan you used to brown the meat originally. In a small bowl, add the thickening agent (cornstarch, all-purpose flour, or powdered tapioca) to the cold water, and then stir it all together in the pan, heating it at a simmer until the gravy is formed. Serve the gravy directly on the roast and carrots if you’d like, or serve separately. If you want to skip making the gravy, the meal’s just fine without it! Either way, it should be delicious!
Serves 4 to 6 people, depending on serving size
Momma’s Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
It’s easy to see why chicken pot pie is a favorite around Momma’s table, and ours, too. When we have leftover chicken, this is the go-to meal that gives it an entirely different life! You can make your own crust for this, but I like the premade refrigerator kind. They are just as tasty as mine, and a whole lot easier to use. For sides, you can’t beat cranberry sauce, and some lima beans really top off the meal for my household.
Ingredients
1 cup chicken, cooked and cut up into bite-sized pieces, light, dark meat, or a mix of the two, depending on preference and availability
4 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1 box or bag of mixed vegetables of your choice, any frozen mix, about 12 to 19 oz. We use the blend with corn, peas, carrots, and green beans.
4 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 dashes table salt
2 dashes pepper
1 1/4 cups milk (whole, 2%, or 1%)
1 pie crust, from the frozen section for a quick meal
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425° F.
While you’re waiting for the oven to preheat, melt the butter over low heat in a large skillet. While the butter is melting, defrost the veggies in the microwave, and if you’re using a store-bought crust, let that rest on the counter at room temperature until you’re ready for it. When the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour, salt, and pepper, combining it all thoroughly until it’s all incorporated. Put the pan back on low heat and cook this flour/butter mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring repeatedly. Next, add enough milk (3 to 4 tablespoons) to the pan to make a smooth mixture. Stir this constantly, still on low heat. When the mixture is smooth, add the rest of the milk and turn the heat to high, stirring constantly now. When the first bubbles begin to form, remove the pan from the heat altogether and continue stirring. Now it’s time to add the chicken and frozen veggies, mixing them all in thoroughly. Transfer the mixture into an 8- or 9-inch pie pan and cover the top with a store-bought crust (or the handmade one you made ahead of time using the directions written on the next page), pinching the edges and cutting slits in the top of the crust to let the steam escape during the baking process. Now’s the time to gently wash the top of the crust with egg white for a shinier crust if you like before the pie goes into the oven.
Bake the chicken pot pie in the 425° F oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the crust on top is golden brown. Take it out, let it cool for five minutes, and then it’s ready to serve!
Serves 4 to 6 people, depending on the serving size
Author’s Note:
Sometimes I like to make my chicken pot pies in smaller, one-serving portions using bowls that are oven safe. These can be festive during the holidays, when I also tend to get a little fancier with the crusts, making lattice patterns or cutting out sections of the dough with small cookie cutters before baking.
Momma’s Homemade Pie Crust
My late, truly great mother-in-law taught me how to make these crusts. As hard as I’ve tried, I’ve never gotten one to come out as wonderfully as hers, but they are still pretty tasty, and it hasn’t stopped me from trying!
Ingredients
1/3 cup lard (Yes, I just wrote lard. If that’s too much for you, grab a ready-made crust from the store. I won’t tell if you won’t!)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 dash salt
3 to 4 tablespoons water
Directions
In a small bowl, work the lard into the flour/salt mixture with a fork until you’ve formed pea-sized pellets. Next, sprinkle in the water, one tablespoon at a time, and work that into the pastry as well. Once that’s all been incorporated, add more cold water slowly in 1-teaspoon increments until the mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl and the flour is incorporated into the dough. Be careful not to add too much water too quickly, or you’ll have a gooey mess on your hands. When you’re happy with the results, form the pastry into a ball, and then flatten it with a rolling pin to ¼- to ½-inch thickness. It’s ready to use now, but if you’d like, you can store it in a ball in the fridge for a few hours before you need to roll it out!
Hot Chocolate Delight Donuts
This donut is based on the one Suzanne created in this book. While I know that my offerings can never match hers, we like these, especially in cold weather. I just had to offer this recipe so you’d have at least one new donut to try!
Ingredients
Dry
1 cup bread flour (unbleached all-purpose flour can be used as well)
½ cup hot chocolate mix (see recipe, or use a store-bought powder)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspo
on cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Wet
1 egg, beaten
½ cup chocolate milk (2% or whole preferred)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, hot chocolate mix, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt) and sift together. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients (beaten egg, chocolate milk, butter, sugar, and vanilla). Slowly add the wet mix to the dry mix, stirring until it’s all incorporated, but don’t overmix.
Bake in the oven at 350° F for 10 to 15 minutes in cupcake trays or small donut molds. I bought a dedicated donut baker that sits on my countertop, and I absolutely love it. It’s easy to use, reliable, not expensive at all, and makes perfect donuts every time. These donuts usually take 6 to 7 minutes to make.
Once the donuts are finished, remove them to a cooling rack. After they cool just a bit, they can be covered with chocolate icing or a chocolate glaze with chocolate sprinkles for an extra jolt, but actually, they are good enough to eat as they come out of the oven.
Makes 5 to 9 donuts, depending on baking method
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