Double-Post Monday

Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday. Here are six recipes to get you through the day, including Slow-Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup and Chicken Pot Pie Turnovers. Enjoy!

CROCKPOT APPLE BUTTER

I love homemade apple butter, and this is probably one of the easiest recipes I've found. It comes from Erin Huffstetler, About.com's Frugal Living expert. Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 720 minutes; Total Time: 750 minutes; Yield: Varies

To view this online, click here.

Erin writes, “Pull out your crock pot, and whip up a delicious batch of apple butter. Here's how:”

Ingredients

6 lbs apples

1-1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preparation

Peel, core and slice apples.

Put the apples, sugar and spices in a crock pot (4 quarts or larger), cover and cook on high for one hour.

Remove the lid, and cook on low (stirring occasionally), until the apple butter reaches a spreadable consistency and is dark brown in color.

Transfer to hot, sterilized jars, taking care not to fill past the headspace line.

To Can: Process the jars for 10 minutes in a water bath canner.

Refrigerate any jars that fail to seal properly.

To Freeze: Allow the jars to cool. Then, place in the freezer. Use within a year, for the best quality.

Tips:

Use a variety of apples for the best flavor

Want to speed up the process? Turn your crock pot on high, and stir more frequently

Have a super-big crock pot? This recipe doubles and triples beautifully

Prefer to make your apple butter on the stove? No problem. Just set your pot to a low simmer. No recipe modifications are required

Warning: Processing times vary by altitude. Check with your local extension office for times specific to your area.

APPLE CRISP WITH PUMPKIN SPICE MORSELS

This easy, yummy recipe comes from Very Best Baking. Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cooking Time: 20 minutes; Skill Level: Easy; Makes 16 servings, 1/2 cup each

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 cans (21 oz. each) apple pie filling

1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Pumpkin Spice Morsels, divided

1 package (17.5 oz.) oatmeal cookie mix

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces

Whipped topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Spread pie filling into ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 cup morsels over filling. Place cookie mix into large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Stir in remaining 3/4 cup morsels. Sprinkle mixture over filling.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly around edges and topping is lightly browned. Serve warm. Top with whipped topping, if desired.

SLOW-COOKER CHEESY POTATO SOUP

This soup recipe comes from Tablespoon.com, and starts off, “A hot, hearty soup is waiting for you when you get home if you rely on your slow cooker!” Prep Time: 15 min; Total Time: 6 hr 45 min; Servings: 6

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Reynolds™ Slow Cooker Liners

1 bag (32 oz) frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes, thawed

1/2 cup frozen chopped onion (from 12-oz bag), thawed

1 medium stalk celery, diced (1/2 cup)

1 carton (32-oz) Progresso™ chicken broth

1 cup water

3 tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 bag (8 oz) shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (2 cups)

1/4 cup real bacon pieces (from 2.8-oz package)

4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

Directions

Place Reynolds™ Slow Cooker Liners inside a 5- to 6 1/2 -qt slow cooker bowl. Make sure that liner fits snugly against the bottom and sides of bowl and pull the top of the liner over rim of bowl.

In lined slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, celery, broth and water.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.

In small bowl, mix flour into milk; stir into potato mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.

CHICKEN POT PIE TURNOVERS

This yummy recipe comes from Melissa d'Arabian, The Food Network's Ten Dollar Dinners. Total Time: 1 hr 25 min; Prep: 20 min; Inactive: 10 min; Cook: 55 min; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/chicken-pot-pie-turnovers-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 tablespoon flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 1/2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook the onions, carrots, and celery with salt and pepper, to taste, until the carrots soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute, stirring frequently. Add the flour and cook off the raw flavor, about 1 minute more. Turn up the heat to medium-high and deglaze the pan with the wine. Whisk in the stock and Dijon mustard. Add the peas and chicken and cook on a very low simmer until the sauce thickens up into a gravy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, unfold the pastry dough and cut into 4 even squares (cut once horizontally and once vertically). Gently roll out each square, increasing the size of the square by about 20 percent. Place the squares on a baking sheet and spoon the chicken mixture in the center. Fold the squares diagonally to create triangles. Pinch the edges together to create turnovers (use a little water if needed to bind). Press the edges with a fork to create a decorative border. Whisk the egg with a splash of water and brush the turnovers with the egg wash. Cut a small slit in the top to allow the steam to escape during baking. Bake the turnovers until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving as the insides will be very hot.

CLASSIC BEEF CHILI WITH BEANS

This comes from Danny Seo, also in a recent TODAY Show Recipes email. This begins, “Green lifestyle guru Danny Seo uses grass-fed beef in his delicious classic chili. Since there are no strict standards for grass fed beef in the United States, the next best thing is to look for a mark on the package from a third party operation. The best mark is from the American Grassfed Association, which most sustainability experts agree has the best definition, procedures and certification methods for ensuring you're getting real grass fed products.” Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Servings: 6

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and medium diced

1 pound ground grass-fed beef

2 tablespoons chile powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups beef broth

15 ounces canned diced fire-roasted tomatoes

16 ounces jarred store-bought tomato salsa

15 ounces canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed

15 ounce canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Tortilla chips, for serving

Preparation

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent.

Add the ground beef. Using a wooden spoon, break up the beef, cover the pot, and cook for 5 minutes, until the beef is browned.

Stir in the chile powder, cumin, coriander, salt and cayenne. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in the beef broth, tomatoes and salsa. Bring to a simmer, then add the kidney and pinto beans. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve the chili garnished with the cheese, scallions, and cilantro. Accompany with tortilla chips.

DEVIL’S FOOD MARSHMALLOW CUPCAKES

This comes from Nichelle Stephens, About.com’s Cupcakes expert. Nichelle wrote, “Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, and Cocoa Cremes are the chocolate snack cakes that have been the dessert for kids and adults lunches for decades. However, there's a better way to get a chocolate fix by baking the cakes from scratch. The essential components are chocolate cupcake, marshmallow filling and chocolate ganache frosting.

“Tip: An easy way to make chocolate ganache is to use chocolate candy melts. I have used Chocoley's Bada Bing dark chocolate candy melts.

“This chocolate cupcake recipe is from the cookbook, Home Baked Comfort by Kim Laidlaw.

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Yield: 18 cupcakes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Devil’s Food Cupcakes

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup natural cocoa powder

2/3 cup boiling water

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cream Filling

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tbsp heavy cream

1/2 cup of marshmallow fluff

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache

1 cup of dark chocolate candy melts

6 tbsp of heavy cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place one 12 cupcake cavity and one 6 cavity pan with cupcake liners. In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder into the boiling water. Let cool to lukewarm, then whisk in the buttermilk. In a small bowl, pour the cocoa powder into the boiling water and whisk. Let cool and set aside. Using another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, use the attachment to butter and sugars together on medium until well combined.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the vanilla along with the final egg. Reduce speed to low to add the dry ingredients ins 3 additions alternately with the cocoa buttermilk mixture in 2 additions. Beat until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Use a scoop to divide the batter evenly into 18 wells of the baking pans.

Bake until the cupcakes are puffed and slightly springy to the touch and toothpick inserted into one of the cupcakes comes out clean which will be about 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for about 5 minutes. Then remove from pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the filling, in the mixing bowl, sift the sugar over the butter. Use the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the marshmallow fluff, vanilla and cream. Beat until light and fluffy.

Using a paring knife or an apple corer, create a hollow about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep in the center of each cupcake. Fill each hollow with a spoonful of the filling.

To make the ganache, in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water in a saucepan. Melt the butter and chocolate with the corn syrup and cream, stirring constantly with a whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly.

Spread the filled cupcakes with the ganache. The filled and frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.