I made this semi-simple dessert when we had company over recently. They all were impressed when they saw it on the counter and couldn't wait to try it. I thought it almost looked like a slab pie. Everyone talked about how much they liked it but the best compliment came from my husband when he declared it his new favorite dessert. WOW!! That is something I will be making again.

Originally I had this at my Grandma's house one afternoon when I stopped by and she had it sitting on the counter. I decided to make it because I had cornflakes that need to be used up. I got the recipe from Grandma but I have also seen it other place such as Family Fun magazine.

Apple Strudel

Crust
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Shortening

Cut shortening into dry ingredients. Blend 1 egg in cup and fill to 2/3 cup with milk. Beat and pour over dough. Roll out half of dough on rimmed cookie sheet.

Filling: Place 3 handfuls of cornflakes on top of dough. Sprinkle with 3-4 apples cut in pie slices. Sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over top and follow with cinnamon. Use as much or as little cinnamon as you like.

Roll other half of the dough and place on top. Beat an egg white and brush over top of crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Enjoy with ice cream!

I made these last week to go with our Peanut Noodles and Chicken I blogged about last Tuesday. These were a great side dish for an Asian infused meal. Very tasty and original.

The only down side was they were a little messy to make and roll out but nothing about them was hard. I originally saw them in Family Fun Magazine back in February 2010. It was an article about cooking with kids and while I wouldn't recommend making them with kids they were still not advanced by any means.

Scallion Pancakes

3 Cups Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Water, plus more for mixing
1/2 Cup Plus Two Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1) In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt then form the mixture into a mound. Make a well in the center and add the water, first filling the well, then pouring what remains around the sides of the bowl. Use a large spoon or rubber spatula to combine the ingredients into a soft, raggedy dough. If it doesn't pull together after about a minute of stirring, add water, one tablespoon at a time(up to 4), to help the dough take shape.

2) Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Working with floured hands, knead the dough until it's smooth and springy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Shape it back into a ball and set it aside to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

3) While the dough rests chop the scallions then set aside.

4) Roll the dough into a log. Halve it crosswise, then cut each half into three pieces. Place five of the portions in a large bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.

5) Dust your hands and work surface with flour. Roll the sixth dough portion into a fairly round, 1/4 inch thick pancake. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil onto the dough and spread it evenly over the pancake. Scatter 2 generous tablespoons of chopped scallion on top, leaving a 1 inch border.

6) Roll the pancake into a log. Beginning at one end, wind the log into a spiral as if shaping a cinnamon roll, then tuck the loose end underneath. Use your palm to gently press the dough into a disk. Dust the dough lightly with flour, then roll it into a pancake 6 to 7 inches in diameter.

7) Warm a medium size skillet over medium high heat, then coat the pan with 1 1/2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. use a scallion slice to test the temperature of the oil. If it sizzles at once, the oil is ready for frying. If it doesn't , wait about 30 seconds and retest the oil with another scallion slice, repeating as necessary until the oil is hot.

8) Carefully lay the pancake in the skillet and fry it until its edges puff up and the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancake, drizzle another 1/2 teaspoon of oil around the edges of the pan, and continue frying until the second side is golden brown, about 3 minutes m0re. Transfer the pancake to a serving plate.

9) Repeat Steps 5 through 8 for each remaining dough portion. Serve the pancakes hot or warm, cut into quarters or sixths.

Since some of these steps are a little hard to visualize so check out this link with pictures to Family Fun Magazine.

Enjoy!

Whenever I make a dinner that my husband gets excited about it makes me happy. When he ate this one he said "Put it in the binder!" referring to the binder of our family favorites. I was happy about that because it was EASY!

I pulled this recipe from Family Circle Magazine back in October 2010 and it took me until now to try it. I was prompted by the desire to use up stuff in my freezer and chicken was on the list. I cheaped out on the bean spouts and cucumbers the recipe calls for but maybe when I make it this summer and we have more cucumbers than we know what to do with.

If you have leftover chicken this recipe is perfect.

Ok I think I have gone on and on about this enough. Add it to your menu plan for next week and you will be happy.

Peanut Noodles and Chicken

1/2 Pound Linguine
2 T Soy Sauce
2 T Lemon Juice
1/2 t Cornstarch
1/3 Cup Peanut Butter
2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1/2 t Sugar
1/4 t Red Pepper Flakes
1 t Sesame Oil
1 Pound Cooked Chicken, shredded
1/2 Cucumber, peeled and cut into 2-inch matchsticks
1/2 Cup Bean Sprouts

Cook linguine following package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Mix together the soy sauce, lemon juice and cornstarch. In a medium size saucepan, combine peanut butter, garlic, sugar, reed pepper flakes and 1/2 cup hot water. Whisk in the soy sauce mixture and bring to a simmer. Whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat; stir in the sesame oil.

In a large bowl, toss together linguine, chicken and peanut butter mixture. Scatter cucumber and bean spouts over the top and serve at room temperature.

Tonight I made a new recipe for my little family - me, my husband, and our cat who was looking at me and so I let him smell it. Needless to say, he did not like it. Should I be offended? : ) Anyways, I was looking through recipes online and found this recipe on Eating Well. I think I made too much dressing because the arugula was a little soggy. It is a fun and interesting idea to have arugula in your pasta so I might try this again. It definitely helped us reach our veggie count for the day. Overall, I am not sure about this recipe but the reviews are great on the Eating Well website. My final suggestion would be to add bacon or walnuts. That would make this dish much better. If you decide to try it, let us know in the comments section below.