Miniature Apple Pies

On December 2, 2015 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes1 Comment

We were thinking about what to do for dessert on Thanksgiving and we decided to go with apple pie instead of doing our traditional pumpkin cheesecake (which is also delicious). We try to make the holidays, or anytime we entertain, as relaxing as possible, so we try to prep as much ahead of time as possible. We also like the idea of individual portions, so the miniature pies worked out perfectly. We didn’t make the pies in advance, though, so we were left trying to figure how to make the pies without having to do a bunch of last-minute prepping. It was our daughter who came up with the ideal solution. We cooked the filling in a slow cooker, allowing us to focus on dinner while the apples simmered away during the day. It turned out perfect. The original pie recipe was from one of our mothers, the miniature pie maker was a gift from our other mother, and our daughter came up with the idea to slow cook the filling, truly a family affair. Not only did it turn out to be easy to make, but it was truly delicious. Although we made miniature pies, the same recipe will work for a regular pie, you would just double the recipe and bake the filling inside of the pie crust instead of making it ahead of time.

Ingredients

4 Granny Smith Apples – cored, peeled, and diced
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Fresh Grated Nutmeg
1 tbsp Flour
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Unsalted Butter
2 sheets Pie Crust – pre-made or you can make your own
Dash of Salt

Instructions

Spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray and turn on to low. Core, peel, and dice the apples and add to the slow cooker. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, sugar, butter, and salt. Stir the apples until they are well coated. Cover and simmer on low in the slow cooker for about 6 hours, stirring occasionally, until the filling is juicy and the apples are tender. Turn off the slow cooker and let the filling cool to room temperature. Following the instructions for the miniature pie maker, place the bottom crusts into the pie maker, add the filling, place the top crust over the filling and cook for 8 to 12 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Makes 4 miniature pies.

Herb Roasted Game Hens with Pancetta

On November 25, 2015 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn RecipesLeave a comment

When entertaining, we will often serve game hens so that everyone can have their own hen. For this recipe, we served them whole, but when having guests over, we will usually cut the hens in half so that it is easier to eat and is a smaller portion. This recipe is really easy and the flavor of the hens was sensational. It would even be good as a holiday meal and works great for a special occasion. The vegetables soak up the flavor from the hens and the pancetta, making them decadently delicious. Rice Pilaf or stuffing would make a great accompaniment or you could add potatoes to the vegetables for a simple one pot dinner. We only cooked two hens since it was just the two of us, but we’ve provided the recipe for six people.

Herb Roasted Cornish Game Hen with Pancetta

Ingredients

6 Cornish Game Hens (approximate 24 oz each)
1 Onion – roughly diced
6 Stocks of Celery – roughly diced
36 Baby Carrots (or 6 Large Carrots – roughly diced)
2 Large Red Peppers – roughly diced
3 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tsp Fresh Rosemary – finely chopped
3 tsp Fresh Sage – finely chopped
3 Garlic Cloves – minced
1 tsp Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
2 tsp Kosher Salt
6 Thin Slices of Pancetta

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Combine the onion, celery, carrots, and red pepper in the bottom of a roasting pan or baking dish. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Set the hens on top of the vegetables and drizzle with olive oil. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, rosemary, sage, black pepper and salt. Rub the herb mixture over the hens until well coated. Lay a piece of pancetta over the breast of each hen and secure with wooden toothpicks. Roast the hens for 15 minutes. Decrease the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to roast the hens until fully cooked, 45 to 60 minutes. Let sit at room temperature for 3 to 4 minutes before serving.

Bacon Wrapped Crackers

On November 18, 2015 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes1 Comment

Needless to say, sometimes something super simple can be absolutely delicious, especially when it has bacon. This is the case with these bacon wrapped crackers. They don’t take much time, are simple to do, and are truly a crowd pleaser. They are perfect for a holiday or tailgate party and can be served warm or at room temperature. If they weren’t so decadent, we’d make them for a weekend afternoon snack while we’re watching sports, but these aren’t your everyday type of snack food. While you can probably make these with almost any type of cracker, we’ve found that rectangular crackers work the best. And don’t choose a saltine cracker, you need one with some buttery flavor to it, after all, you won’t find this in any diet books. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Ingredients

36 Buttery Crackers – Rectangular (such as Town House)
12 Slices of Bacon (not thick sliced)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese – finely grated

Instructions

Cut the bacon strips into thirds, which should result in 36 slices of bacon approximately 3 to 4 inches in length. Wrap each cracker around the narrow side with a slice of bacon, being sure to overlap the edges where the strips meet. Place the bacon wrapped crackers, with the side where the bacon edges meet down, onto a baking sheet with a rack or parchment paper. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees. Cook the bacon wrapped crackers for 12 to 15 minutes or until the bacon is crispy. Immediately upon removing the crackers from the oven, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve warm or at room temperature.