Apple Butter and Croissants

I made these on Saturday for an apple-themed potluck dinner, and they were awesome! I really loved this. I want to make them again... just need to get some more pastry sheets. This recipe comes from Southern Living--I saw it while I was at the doctor's and took the page with it (oops! But I'm actually using it instead of just leaving it there to be recycled...) The apple butter really just seems like applesauce, but still delicious.

Easy Apple Butter
Ingredients:
3 lb. crisp and sweet apples (Gala, Honeycrisp, etc.), peeled
1 cup apple cider
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1. Cut apples into one-inch pieces. Bring apples, cider, and 1/2 cup sugar to a rolling boil in a Dutch oven (or a big pot) over high heat. Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar, and boil 20 minutes or until apples are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated; stir every 5 minutes.
2. Process cooked apples and cooking liquid in a blender until smooth (or use an immersion blender) until smooth. Stir in cinnamon, cloves, and remaining 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered and stirring often, 15 minutes or until thickened. Cool about 45 minutes, and then spoon into airtight containers and refrigerate up to 2 months or freeze up to 6 months.

Note: I'm not sure why the puffs recipe tells you to do it all in two stages. I did them all at once--it makes a lot more sense. You can fit them all on one large baking sheet.

Apple Butter and Cheddar Puffs
Ingredients:
1 (17.3 oz) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
2 egg whites, beaten
1/2 cup Easy Apple Butter
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Parchment paper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unfold pastry sheet, and cut into 9 rectangles or squares. Brush edges of rectangles with a small amount of egg whites. Stir together apple butter and thyme leaves, and spoon about 1 tsp apple butter mixture into the center of each rectangle. Sprinkle each with about 1 tbsp cheese. Fold 2 opposite corners together, and pinch to seal.
2. Gently transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush pastries with egg whites, reserving remaining egg whites for second batch; spring each pastry with about 1/2 Tbsp cheese.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. While first batch bakes, repeat procedure with remaining pastry sheet, egg whites, apple butter, and cheese. Serve immediately.

Creamy Vegetarian Enchilada Pasta

We made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was FANTASTIC--crazy easy, cheap, and took absolutely no prep at all. We all loved it!

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/08/creamy-vegetarian-enchilada-pasta/

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil $0.16
• 2 cloves garlic $0.16
• 1 (4 oz.) can green chiles $0.87
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels $0.60
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto (or black) beans $1.19
• 1 tsp cumin $0.10
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes $0.02
• 8 oz. wide egg noodles $1.46
• 2 cups vegetable broth $0.27
• ½ cup sour cream $0.71
• 3 green onions, sliced $0.20
• ¼ bunch cilantro (optional) $0.25
• 2 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese $0.69

Instructions

1. Mince the garlic and sauté it in a skillet with olive oil over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until soft and fragrant. Add the can of green chiles (with juices), frozen corn kernels, can of beans (rinsed and drained), cumin, and red pepper to the skillet. Stir well.
2. Add the uncooked pasta and vegetable broth to the skillet. The broth will not fully cover the noodles. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to high, and allow the liquid to come up to a full boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let the skillet simmer for 10 minutes, stirring well half way through.
3. While the skillet is simmering, slice the green onions, roughly chop the cilantro, and shred the cheese.
4. After ten minutes of simmering, the noodles should be tender and most of the liquid absorbed. Stir the skillet well, then add the sour cream and stir until it has fully coated the pasta. Stir in most of the sliced green onions and cilantro, reserving a little to sprinkle over top.
5. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the skillet, place the lid back on top, and let the residual heat melt the cheese. Once melted, add the remaining green onions and cilantro to the top of the pasta. Serve hot.