Apple Pie

*You can either make your own pie crust for this recipe OR, I can honestly say that I have never known a pie crust to taste any better than the Pillsbury pre-made unbaked crusts you can buy in the cooler section at the grocery store. They taste just as good as any homemade pie crust I have ever had.

1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar, depending on your taste (you can also use Splenda substitute here but take note of measurement equivalent)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Dash of salt
8 medium apples, peeled and cut into pieces (I prefer McInstosh Apples as they are tart)
2 Tbsp butter cut into pieces
Milk

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Place apples into large mixing bowl. In separate dish mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour mixture over apples and combine thoroughly. Set aside.

Line a pie plate with one unbaked pastry crust. Pour apple mixture onto pastry. Top apple mixture evenly with butter pieces. Place second unbaked pastry crust on top of apples. Fold edges of top crust under edges of bottom crust and pinch together to seal the two crusts. Using your fingers, pinch crusts into peaks along entire edge of pie. Pierce a few random holes in top crust using a fork or thin knife to allow steam to escape while baking. Using a pastry brush, apply a small amount of milk to edges of pie crust for even browning.

Cover edge of pie crust with a 2 inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking time. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. You may see juices bubbling through slits in crust and that is okay. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Deb's Dashing Paul Newman Salad

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken breasts
Mrs. Dash Marinade - Zesty Garlic Herb w/a touch of orange
Romaine lettuce washed, dried and torn into bite size pieces
Baby Arugula washed and dried
1/c cup Celery sliced
1/2 cup Baby carrots slice
2 boiled eggs chopped
1/2 cup Almond slivers
Grape tomatoes
Newman's Own "Lighten Up" Light Red Wine Vinegar & Olive Oil Dressing

Marinade chicken breasts for 2 hours. Cook on grill until done but not dried out. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and set aside. Mix enough Romaine and Arugula for two people, keeping in mind you have all these other ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and chicken and toss. Place into salad bowls and add 2 Tbsp of Dressing.

This was a wonderful well rounded salad and the marinade/dressing combination was awesome!

Scallops and Asparagus over Pea Pesto Linguine

1 lb Whole Wheat Linguine

2 c. Asparagus, rinsed and cut into 2" pieces

1 lb Bay Scallops, rinsed

2 Tbsp Olive Oil divided

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Coarse black pepper and sea salt

1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 c chopped unsalted walnuts

1 c frozen peas thawed

Juice from one lemon

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

Cook pasta per package directions. Add asparagus to pasta during last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking time. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain pasta and asparagus. Return pasta and asparagus to pot and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cover and set aside.

Sprinkle scallops with sea salt and coarse black pepper to taste. Heat pan for one minute on high. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to pan and swirl around. Add scallops to pan and sear on each side being careful not to overcook scallops. Cook for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Cover to keep warm.

Reduce pan heat to medium and add 1/4 cup chicken broth. Using wooden spoon, scrape any bits from bottom of pan and leave in pan. Add garlic and peas long enough to heat peas through. Pour peas, including liquid into blender. Add walnuts, cheese, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste to blender. Process until mixture is smooth. Add pea mixture into pasta and toss, adding reserved pasta water as necessary until pea pesto and pasta mixture is well blended.

Serve pasta mix onto plates and lay scallops on top and serve. If desired you can top with additional grated Parmesan cheese.

A recipe very similar to this was published in Clean Eating magazine last month. I altered it slightly based on what I had available and it was wonderful!!!

Baby Back Ribs With Bourbon Glaze

5 Tbsp Honey
1/4 cup Bourbon Whiskey
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp molasses
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup pineapple juice
2-3 racks baby back pork ribs

Whisk together honey, bourbon, mustard, molasses, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Set aside (this can be made a day ahead, covered and refrigerated).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a large piece of heavy-duty foil on each of two rimmed baking sheets. Sprinkle rib racks with salt and pepper on both sides and place rib rack on foil sheet. Fold up sides of each foil sheet to form an open pouch. Pour pineapple juice over each rib rack. Fold up foil to seal pouches. Bake until ribs are tender, approximately 1 hour. Remove ribs from foil packets. Transfer to roasting pan and pour juices from foil over ribs and cool. (This can also be done a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate).

Heat grill to medium. Cut each rib rack in half. Grill until browned, brushing glaze on ribs frequently and turning often for about 10 minutes. Cut racks between bones and ribs and serve.

Enjoy!