Apple Crisp

The only thing that beats picking apples from the orchard is eating apple crisp for weeks after the trip! After much experimenting during the past two weeks, this is my favorite combination. It's not too sweet and has the perfect ratio of apples to crisp. With my new apple peeler-corer-slicer, the dessert is super-quick to make!

Ingredients:

6 medium sized apples

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp apple pie spice (or cinnamon)

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1/2 C oats

1/4 C brown sugar

1/4 C oat bran

1/8 C flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp butter

Directions:

1.) Peel, core, and slice apples.

2.) Place apples pieces in a pan.

3.) Mix lemon juice and spice into apples.

4.) Combine second set of ingredients and cut in butter.

5.) Sprinkle crumble on top of apples.

6.) Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes or until apples are tender.

7.) Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 4-6.

Taco Noodle Salad

Unfortunately, garden season is coming to an end. This recipe was one of our favorites this summer with vegetables fresh from the garden. It's great because you can use just about any combination of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc. You can also add cheese, mixed in or sprinkled on top, but I prefer it without cheese. This dish can be served hot or cold; I prefer hot.

Ingredients:

14 oz pasta

1 lb chicken breast (sliced) or ground beef

3-5 tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 bell pepper

1 hot pepper

1 package taco seasoning

1/2-3/4 C creamy French dressing (Ken's Steakhouse)

Directions:

1.) Cook pasta and drain.

2.) Meanwhile, cook meat and drain excess grease.

3.) Dice vegetables.

4.) Mix taco seasoning and French dressing.

5.) Combine all prepared ingredients.

6.) Heat or chill to desired temperature.

Serves 4-6.

Sauteed Sweet Potatoes

Until this recipe came along, Mitch had never enjoyed eating sweet potatoes (one of my all-time favorite foods). Now he loves them! Needless to say, now we are both happy.

Ingredients:

2 large, whole sweet potatoes

1/2 sweet onion

2-4 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 C hot water

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.) Wash sweet potatoes (do not peel).

2.) Cut sweet potatoes into 1/4" slices.

3.) Chop onion.

4.) Heat skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat.

5.) Add onions and saute until tender.

6.) Use additional olive oil and salt and pepper, as desired.

7.) Add sweet potatoes and saute until beginning to brown.

8.) Add hot water and cover.

9.) Stir occasionally, until sweet potatoes are tender.

Serves 4.