My Favorite Things: Apple Dumplings

So for those who don't know one of the jobs I had before I started college was working at Cracker Barrel.  I have actually worked at 3 different locations, in Danville, KY; Evansville, IN; and Bloomington, IN.  I can say a lot of things about Cracker Barrel.  Their managers are mostly assholes and they don't care about employees that much.  Tips are shit there since they cater to mostly old people who still think $1 is a good tip and they don't serve alcohol to maintain their "family" feeling (must be a baptist family).  But one thing I will never say about them is anything bad about the food.

I am a weird person in the fact that even after I have worked at a restaurant I still tend to love the food they make.  I worked for a cafe called Three Babes and a Monkey for over a year and to this day I still crave the chocolate muffins and tuna salad.  I worked at McDonalds for a summer and I still love me some chicken McNuggets.  And I worked at Cracker Barrel for a combined time of over 2 years and to this day I still love things like their grilled chicken tenders and pecan pancakes.  But one of my all time favorite things from there is their Apple Dumpling.

I was not a fan of desserts involving baked fruit until I had this dumpling. It.Is.Awesome.  I am especially a fan of the pecan streusal on top. The best part about all this you can get the stuff from Cracker Barrel to make this dessert at home.  Though I like to doctor it up a little by adding pecans to the topping.  To make the apple dumpling, though really it becomes an apple crumble when you make it at home all you need is...

And

Just place the apples in an 8x8 pan.  Mix the topping mix with cold butter until it looks crumbly.  Fold in pecans if you like them, I go with pecan halves and crush them a little. then just serve with ice cream!

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

This is one of those recipes I have had around for so long I can't even remember where it came from.  More than likely it came from Taste of Home, but which issue it was in I have no clue.  And of course I have tweaked it here and there to cater to my own tastes.  The key I find is to grill the chicken instead of pan frying it like some recipes do, and to not over cook the peppers and onions.  No one likes a soggy bell pepper.  If you like a bit more spice you might add some jalapeno peppers as well.




Grilled Chicken Fajitas

From the Kitchen of: Mary Holfelner

Makes: 4-5 servings    Start to finish: marinade+30 mins

1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl cider vinegar
1 Tbl lime juice
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb chicken breast, pounded 1/4 inch thick
2 Tbl butter
1 small onion, sliced into wedges
1 bell pepper, sliced into strips
flour tortillas

Combine first 9 ingredients and toss with chicken in a food storage bag.  Marinade for at least 1 hour, but longer is better  Grill chicken over medium high heat. Meanwhile use butter to saute onions and peppers in a skillet for 4-5 minutes until tender crisp. Let chicken sit for a few minutes before slicing it to strips. Serve with the peppers and onions on the flour tortilla and other topping like sour cream and cheese.