Apple Crisp

'Tis the for apple crisp. Warm, cinnamon-y, deliciousness, topped with vanilla ice-cream that melts and is like gooey lava love. Yeah. I love this season. This was super easy and delish. Just imagine the cool crisp fall air, the leaves falling and having a bowl of this warm goodness, whilst wearing your favorite fluffy socks. Heaven. I know.


Ingredients
Filling:
5 to 6 medium-size apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices. (About 7.5 cups)
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, well-softened
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 cup quick oats

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease an 8×8 baking pan with butter.

Place a layer of apple slices in the bottom of the pan and dust with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Continue layering apples and dusting with cinnamon/sugar until done. Toss the apple mixture until evenly coated in cinnamon sugar. The apples should be just about to the top of the pan (they will cook down).

Cut up a bunch of apples, like so:

Then make your topping,

For the topping, place the flour, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and oats in a large bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. Work the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Take one full handful of the topping and toss it into the sugared apple mixture. Spread the rest of the topping evenly over the apples. (I usually end up with a dough-like topping that I just lay on top of the apples).


Bake the crisp in the dish on a baking sheet on the center oven rack until the topping is crunchy and the apples are bubbling, 55-60 minutes.
And then....mmmm

Whatever you do, DO NOT FORGET ICE CREAM. That would be illegal. It would just be wrong.
Enjoy fall everyone :)
smooches, gigi

Love biscuits.

I'm keeping this love theme going, because its super duper.  Love Biscuits. You read that right.

I have never made rolled out biscuits. I always make drop biscuits. I don't really know why. I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to dough. So weird, but whateves. I was in a mood to bake this week and i thought I'd just keep adding to things I've never made. I'm hard core like that. I'm so hard core that i used a heart shaped biscuit cutter :) hehehehe awwwww!!!!

How adorable are they??? And you get to eat them. Eat your heart out!!!!!! OMG! I totally just made that up right now!!! wowwwwwww! The talent...

Anyway, make these, keep that love theme going and make these and slather them with butter and jam :) then looooooove!!!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

Directions:
1. In small bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. in a separate bowl beat the egg with the milk and stir it into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
3. Turn onto a well floured surface ad knead about 20 times.
4. Roll to a 3/4 inch thickness and cut out hearts :) with a heart biscuit shaped cutter.
5. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet
6. Bake at 450 F for about 8-10 minutes until they are just golden on the top.
7. Serve them warm and with love...

Happy hearts my friends!
love, gigi!!!

Chicken and dumplings are my new bff's.

So! I had soooo much chicken left over from the ginormous chicken i made in the last post and decided to make chicken and dumplings. Why? Well, first, because i've never had them before (i know, right?!), second, because i heard it was mucho delish, and third because it is getting chilly in Detroit. Ok. fine. I'm totally lying. I made them because my Marko loves chicken and dumplings :) so i thought I'd make something i could brag about forever!! Bwhahahahaha! 
However, all bragging aside...it was soooo amazing. Like, beyond amazing. Like if amazing was earth, this meal is mars (go with it). It was super creamy, spicy, hearty and warrrm. Did I mention super duper easy? It is. Make this. Now. And!!! As a total bonus, this is my gift to all my single peeps! Because, if you don't have a significant other, and you want one - feed them this. Trust me. They will be smitten foreves. It's like a love spell. Truth.

Chicken and Dumplings
re do!

8 cups chicken broth (1 box plus 2 cans) or 2 boxes
1 lb. left over chicken – shredded
1 c. sliced carrots
1 onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 bay leaf
1 handful of chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried parsley)
1/2 tsp. basil
salt and pepper (lots of pepper) to taste
2 14-oz. cans evaporated milk (fat free is fine)
Dumplings: the recipe below

Directions:
In a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes until translucent. To this add about 3-4 soup spoons of flour to make a roux, which will make your soup thick. Let this cook for a few minutes to get rid of the the raw flour flavor. Next,  and then add chicken broth, carrots, chicken, bay leaf, and basil. Bring to a boil. Cover cook for about 10 minutes and add chopped parsley. Add evaporated milk.

Add the dumplings: 
Dumplings:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

Combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares and drop each square into the simmering stock. Use all of the dough.

The dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until thick. Stir often.


This is great right away, but honestly, the leftovers are even better. I don't know why, but once the flavors have a chance to marry, its like angels singing. For realz.
Now go get yourself some lovin!!!
smooches!
gigi

Whole-y chicken!! hehehe

So, my posse and i went to Eastern Market a couple weeks ago and scored some amazing veggies for super duper cheap. For those of you who dont know what Eastern Market is, it is only the best farmers market on the planet. Truth. Anywhoo, i decided once we got home, i'd try my hand at making a chicken with vegetables. Do you think this is lame? whatevevs. I've never done it before. Everyone has a first time.
SO! moving on....i bought this really super rub spice thingy:

So, i rubbed this rubz guy all over a big chicken, along with some olive oil that i got from the grocery store and added some fingerlings and green beans.  I baked it at 375 for about 1.5 hours and came out with this:

Hey daddy...how you doin??? He was doin dammmmmmn fine. Make this. Its so easy and so good.

Ingredients:
1. awesome huge chicken
2. a pound of fingerling potatoes
3. a bunch of green beans
4. a packet of flavored rub
olive oil

Wash your chicken really well and rub it with olive oil.  Sprinkle it very liberally with spice mixture and massage it in. Stick it in a pan and add potatoes that have been sprinkled with spice as well and add the green beans.
Cover it with tin foil and bake at 375 for about 1.5 hours or until the thermometer measures 180 degrees in the thigh.

Enjoy!! Smooches!
gigi!