Honey Glazed Carrots

First of all, don't forget to enter to win free holiday cards from Tiny Prints here! 

These carrots are a delicious and easy side dish! I rarely make complicated side dishes (I tend to focus on whatever main dish I'm doing), so these are nice and simple and perfect. I love to serve them with Honey Garlic Pork Chops. So yummy! 

Recipe adapted from here. Ingredients: 1 1/2 to 2 pounds baby carrots 3/4 tsp salt 3 tbsp butter 2 tbsp honey 3 tbsp packed brown sugar juice from 1/2 lemon freshly ground black pepper (optional) Directions: 1. Rinse carrots and put them in a medium saucepan. Fill saucepan with enough water to cover the carrots. Add salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook on medium low, covered for 15 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Drain.  2. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add honey and brown sugar and cook (stirring constantly) until sugar is dissolved. Add lemon juice and stir in the carrots. Stir until all carrots are coated, then continue cooking until carrots are hot and glazed. 3. Garnish with ground black pepper and serve! 

(carrots in water)

(cooking over medium heat)

(drain and set aside)

(melted butter...)

(butter + brown sugar + honey)

(sugar is all dissolved!)

(adding lemon juice)

(adding carrots and stirring to coat)

(all done!)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts with Applesauce Glaze

I sometimes think that people get so excited about pumpkin recipes in the fall that they don't give enough credit to another amazing fall flavor - apple! I'm completely guilty of this, so this year I decided to make sure I gave enough attention to fall apple recipes too! 
My little sister Karoline helped me to make some apple cinnamon donuts, and they were delicious! In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you that this recipe makes quite a mess, but it's worth it! 

Oh, I forgot to mention - this recipe makes a LOT of doughnuts. :)

Recipe adapted from here.
Ingredients: 5-6 cups flour, divided 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tbsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 1 cup granulated sugar 1 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, divided 1/2 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup melted butter Vegetable or canola oil for frying 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/4 cup water
Directions: 1. Combine 4 cups flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk. Add granulated sugar, 1 cup applesauce, buttermilk, and melted butter to the whisked eggs. Mix well.  3. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Mix until combined (don't be afraid to use your hands!). Add additional flour 1/3 cup at a time until the dough stops sticking to everything (you want it to be a bit sticky still, but not so sticky that it won't detach from the sides of the bowl). I use about 5 cups of flour total (the 4 original ones, plus an extra cup at this stage).  4. Cover dough and chill for 2 hours or more.  5. On a heavily floured surface, roll out dough so it's about 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into doughnuts and holes using a doughnut cutter or cookie cutters. 6. Pour about an inch of oil in the bottom of a large skillet or pan. Heat oil over medium heat until it reaches 365 degrees (or, do what I do and just test the oil temperature by sticking a donut hole in there and seeing how slow/fast it cooks).  7. Fry doughnuts and doughnut holes in the hot oil, flipping once, about 1-2 minutes per side. Place cooked doughnuts on paper towels.  8. To make applesauce glaze, combine powdered sugar, water, and 3/4 cup applesauce in a bowl and mix well. Dip warm donuts in the glaze before serving. 

(dry ingredients)

(wet ingredients)

(dough)

(roll it out...)

(cut it out...)

(fry 'em up!)

(applesauce glaze!)

(what. a. mess.)

(drain on paper towels)

(so many doughnuts!)

(after being dipped in the glaze)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

Slow-Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Biscuits

When the weather starts to get colder (this is finally starting to happen a little here in Texas), there's nothing quite like a warm, hearty meal. Chicken Pot Pie is always a good comfort food staple, and this slow-cooker version makes it extra easy! 

Recipe adapted from here.
Ingredients: 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced 5 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 medium onion, diced 1/2 cup water 1/3 cup flour 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 thighs) salt and pepper 1 sheet thawed puff pastry 1 cup frozen corn 1 cup frozen green beans 1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions: 1. Put the mushrooms, carrots, onion, flour, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 cup water in a slow cooker. Stir. 2. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and season with salt and pepper to taste. 3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours (until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender). 4. 30 minutes before serving, prepare the biscuits. Use a jar lid or cookie cutter to cut the puff pastry into four circles. Put the four circles on a baking sheet and bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes, or until golden.  5. Ten minutes before serving, shred the chicken with two forks. Remove the bay leaf. Add the corn, green beans, and heavy cream, and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low until ready to serve.  6. To serve, place the chicken mixture in bowls and top with the pastry rounds. 

(veggies w/ flour and bay leaf)

(all mixed up!)

(chicken on top)

 

(puff pastry cut into circles)

(ready for the oven...)

(10 minutes before serving)

(adding the last ingredients)

(cooking for the last half ten minutes)

(biscuits are done!)

(all ready!)

Ta-da! 

Enjoy!

Honey Garlic Pork Chops

This recipe is super easy (especially if you get your husband to do the grilling for you), and it tastes way better than any 4-ingredient recipe should! We've made this a few times now, and it always turns out great! 

Recipe adapted from here. Ingredients: 1/4 + 1/8 cup honey 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 6 cloves garlic, minced 6 boneless thin pork loin chops (about 4 oz each), trimmed to remove excess fat Directions: 1.  Whisk together honey, soy sauce, and garlic. 2. Coat pork chops in the mixture. Reserve the leftover mixture for basting. 3. Heat a grill using medium high heat. Cook pork chops on the heated grill, basting 2 times with reserve honey-soy mixture. 

(honey + soy sauce + garlic)

(coated pork chops)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

French Coconut Pie

This pie is ridiculously easy to make, and if you like coconut - it's delicious! I've even heard people that don't normally like coconut say they love this pie, so it's a people-pleaser for sure! 

Recipe adapted from here. Ingredients: 3 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup shredded coconut flakes (unsweetened) 1 stick butter, melted 1 tbsp white vinegar 1 tsp vanilla pinch of salt 1 9-inch uncooked pie crust (I used the Pillsbury one, but you could make your own!) Directions: 1. Beat the eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Add all other filling ingredients (everything except the pie crust) to the eggs and mix well. 2. Place the pie crust into a pie pan, then pour in the filling. Crimp the pie crust edges. 3. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until the top is lightly browned. Cool before serving (so the filling with firm up). 

(crust in pan)

(mixing the filling)

(filling in crust)

(crimped pie crust edges)

(all done baking and lightly browned!)

(mmmm!)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!