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.

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.

Generously Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese

Tequila Lime Chicken

On November 4, 2015 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes2 Comments

Perhaps because we’re about to leave for Mexico in a couple of days, we’ve had tequila on the mind. We originally found this recipe from Ina Garten, but we’ve modified it slightly over time. The original recipe calls for boneless chicken breast with the skin on, but we chose to do bone in chicken thighs this time. We’ve also used this recipe on pork tenderloin as well, since it is very versatile and definitely quite tasty. The key is letting the chicken marinate overnight and letting the chicken soak up all of the flavor. Jalapeño corn bread is a great accompaniment or a corn salad goes really nice as well. We hope that you enjoy it.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Tequila (silver or gold)
3/4 cup Lime Juice – fresh squeezed
1/3 cup Orange Juice – fresh squeezed
3/4 tbsp Chili Powder
3/4 tbsp Jalapeño Pepper – freshly minced (seeded if you prefer less heat)
3/4 tbsp Garlic – freshly minced (about 2 cloves)
1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
3/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
4 Chicken Thighs – skin on

Instructions

In a large bowl or measuring cup, combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, garlic, jalapeño pepper, salt, and black pepper. Whisk the ingredients together. Place the chicken thighs into a shallow pan or baking dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken so that it covers the chicken thighs. Cover and place in a refrigerator overnight (turning the chicken thighs over occasionally). Heat a grill pan or grill to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill the chicken thighs, skin side down, until golden brown, approximately 10 – 15 minutes. Flip the thighs, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to grill until cooked through, approximately 10 – 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest at least 5 minutes before serving.