Caramel Apple Cheeseball

We went apple picking and now are eating 10,000 apples. I mixed up a caramel apple inspired cheeseball and it was a hit! I initially wanted it to be cutesy and look like an apple but was stuck on what I could roll it in that’d be green or red. It is tasty – but it doesn’t look like an apple.

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cheeseball

I already had a request to make it again. We had it as an apps for dinner night then snacked on leftovers a few times.

Caramel Apple Cheeseball
Ingredients:

1 brick of cream cheese
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
Let cream cheese come to room temperature.
Add cream cheese, powdered sugar, caramel sauce, and cinnamon.

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cheeseball

Beat with a hand mixer (or in a food processor) until completely mixed.

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cheeseball

Chop the chips and spread them in the center of a piece of plastic wrap. Then spoon the cheeseball mixture onto the chips. Roll it around to cover it, then gather up the plastic by the corners and twist together.
Refrigerate for at least an hour (or for a few days).
Serve with apples, pretzels, graham crackers or anything you like! Add some whole chips before serving.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cheeseball

This keeps well so make it and snack all week or spread it onto a bagel. Nuts would be good to roll on the outside but they don’t keep as well if eating it again later.

Pssst! Extra butterscotch chips? They’re great in pancakes & waffles so I use them to make McGriddles and Apple Cider Cookies! They’re fun on yogurt or in your trail mix or granola too.

Elvis Would Love: Peanut Butter Banana Bread

When I saw the discount bananas I couldn’t pass them by. Seriously, $0.38 for 4 bananas! How crazy is that? I love the discount produce. The discount alone was my motivation to make banana bread.

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When I thought about Banana Bread, I figured I should consult a baker since I am not one. I stopped by Jess’ blog and she even has a whole banana section! Chippy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins (adapted from Noble Pig by way of Flying on Jess Fuel)

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3-4 ripe bananas
1 cup milk
1 cup chunky peanut butter
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup cinnamon chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flours, sugars, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl.
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In another mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Then add the milk, egg, vanilla, oil and peanut butter and mix well.
Pour the wet ingredient into the dry and mix until just combined.
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Fold in the chips.
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Pour the batter into muffin tins lined with cupcake liners or sprayed with nonstick spray. Depending on how big you like them, the batter will make 12-18 muffins.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Mine made one loaf and 6 small muffins. They were pretty gooey since I upped the banana and peanut butter ratios. I really liked the peanut butter in there…it made it richer. Peanut butter and banana are so great together.
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Guest Post: A Special Meal For The Birthday Girl

Here’s the special guest post I mentioned earlier from Justin:

While I do not share the same enthusiasm for my birthday, I know that birthday celebrations are one of the most important times of the year for my wife. I knew I wanted to cook a special meal for her, and I wanted something without a complex list of ingredients. I also wanted something I had cooked before, to save myself the pressure of testing new things. I went with Columbus’ Pork Chops, and substituted the suggested side of salad and crusty bread for wilted spinach. This recipe is from one of our go-to cookbooks, Rachel Ray’s 365: No Repeats (http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Ray-365-Repeats-Deliciously/dp/1400082544). When I first started reading through the directions, I was thinking it was too simple for a guest blog post, but once I started preparing and taking photos, I felt like there was enough substance for the many readers of The Three Bite Rule.

Columbus’ Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4 boneless, thick-cut pork chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1 cup basil leaves, chopped
1/4 balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Season the chops with salt and pepper and let them come to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
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In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the basil and vinegar and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.

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Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO to the skillet and sear and caramelize the meat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
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Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 10 to 12 minutes, until the juices run clear and the meat is firm but not hard (I always use our meat thermometer and it never fails to produce perfectly cooked meat!). Let the meat rest for 5 minutes.
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Mound the macerated berries on top of the chops and serve.
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I was really impressed with how it turned out, and even more impressed with my plating. I am confident it would have been enough to win over the toughest Chopped judges! It was a pretty straightforward, yet elegant presentation, and Emily was really happy with it.

I also wanted to add in a special dessert, and decided that I could gamble on baking something new after the success of the main course. I grabbed a box of Betty Crocker Decadent Supreme Molten Lava Cakes, and to my surprise they turned out perfectly!
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Curry Chicken Salad fit for Dr. Seuss

Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss! This Curry Chicken Salad was the best I could do to honor the late writer of The Butter Battle Book, the Lorax, and Sneetches as an example of ooblek or wumbus because of the zing, bam, wow, pow this has.

I expect my birthday tomorrow to have the same kind of impact! My birthday food theme might be my best yet!

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I pretty much only like sandwiches when I make one myself and eat it immediately, or if it has all sorts of crazy things on it and it gets pressed, and occasionally when a restaurant makes it. That might sound like all the sandwiches you can think of, BUT I don’t bring them to work as lunch. If I’m going to have one, it has to be packed separately and assembled and eaten immediately.

I thought of curry chicken salad because it doesn’t have to be a sandwich and it is different. It was a great use of some leftover rotisserie chicken.
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Ingredients:
2 cups, chicken breast or rotisserie chicken
2 tbs curry sauce
1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1 tbs light mayo

Directions:
Shred chicken into bite size pieces
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Mix chicken with curry sauce, grapes, and add mayo to taste.
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Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
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This made about 3 size-able servings. I had one as a sandwich and two other servings topped salads. I think the grapes are necessary to cut the spice with some sweetness. The zing makes this great.
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Even More Calzones

I hosted bookclub for some super fun ladies and I was racking my brain about what to make. Mr. J and I were on the verge of officially owning the house and I wanted to host despite the boxes all over and Christmas gift wrapping station. There’s a core group each time we get together and a few others come and go so I was looking for a crowd pleaser that would be easy for me to enjoy the crowd while dinner was almost ready. I went to my trusty signature calzones.

I knew I could make these and cook them 75% the night before, which would allow me to visit with them. It also meant most of my cleanup was already done!

I made a broccoli and cheddar one in wheat dough and prosciutto, apple, and brie. I started with carrots and hummus since all other apps were seeming to compete with the calzones and I served some salad and we finished with s’mores bars.
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Ingredients

1 ball of pizza dough
6 slices of prosciutto
1 granny smith apple
6 oz brie

Directions

Spread room temperature dough out.
Core and chop apple into thin slices.
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Roll prosciutto into logs and chop chiffonade.
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Slice brie.
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Layer brie, apple, and proscuitto. Layer and layer until you think there’s too much and keep going.
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Close the dough around the filling and make a few slices across the top.
Brush with egg wash for a shiny outside.
Bake 375 degrees for 40 minutes on a pizza stone or lined baking sheet.
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I freeze the brie to make it easier to slice. 15-25 minutes should be enough to cut through. I chiffonade the prosciutto because it can be tough to bite through when the pieces are too big. Let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing so the filling doesn’t ooze out.

Check out just how crazy the filling looked and then when baked it looks like the right amount. That is my prime suggestion for calzones.
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I usually put sage in, but I forgot it when grocery shopping. I wasn’t sure if it would be everyone’s taste so I thought the broccoli one would be well liked too. Now, How many pennies?

Here’s the costs for the Proscuitto Brie and Apple Calzone:

Pizza dough: $1.50
1 Granny Smith apple: $0.79
1/4 pound Prosciutto: $1.68
6 oz brie: $4.99
total: $8.96 or $2.24 per person for 4 servings