Welcome to Happylifeblogspot! A food blog with drool worthy recipes
When Fall rolls around everyone has their favorite local spot to buy Apple Cider Donuts, but my new favorite this year might just be homemade. Nothing beats the taste of a hot, fresh Apple Cider Donut right out of the frying pan. There’s something about […]
Fall is officially here and I’m ready for all the Fall things like apple picking!!! I’ve been wanting to go for a few years now but either our schedules or the weather hasn’t allowed for it. Growing up I always looked forward to our school […]
Looking for the perfect last minute side to bring to your holiday gathering? Well Tennessee Apple Maple Glazed Green Beans are here to help! Dress up green beans with a delicious maple glaze that’s simple, sweet, and savory. A little splash of Jack Daniels Tennessee Apple takes this easy recipe to the next level. These are not your Grandma’s green beans. I’m talking flavor-packed, jaw dropping, make you beg for seconds type of amazing! Loaded up with savory bacon, delicious onions, tart cranberries, sweet maple syrup and a wallop of whisky, seriously how could you go wrong? Your family will be talking about this show stopper all year long.
Here’s all you’ll need: green beans, onion, bacon, dried cranberries, maple syrup, salt and pepper, and Jack Daniels Tennessee Apple.
First things first let’s trim and cut the green beans. To really save time you can buy cut beans at the grocery store. Frozen green beans will work in a pinch too!
Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the green beans once the water begins to boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a low boil and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the beans are tender. Drain the water and set aside.
Meanwhile roughly chop the bacon and add it to a large skillet. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Next add in the chopped onion. Continue to cook over medium heat until the bacon is crisp and the onion is tender. You’ll want to stir constantly towards the end so they don’t stick to the pan.
Turn the heat down to low, then mix in the cranberries. Stir in the maple syrup, Jack Daniels Tennessee Apple, and season with salt and pepper. We first heard about Tennessee Apple when we toured the Jack Daniels Distillery back in September. I knew it would be an instant hit in our house but I didn’t realize just how much of a staple it would be until I added it to this recipe. Seriously so good!
Lastly add the green beans back to the skillet and toss to combine until the beans are heated through. We want everything green bean to be smothered and covered in that delicious whisky maple glaze!! Things that make you go Mmmmmmm…….
Move over green bean casserole there’s a new star in town! I’m not asking you to make this Tennessee Apple Maple Glazed Green Beans, I’m telling you that you absolutely HAVE to!!! Just trust me on this one. Looking for Thanksgiving sides that are both easy and delicious? Try our Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing or Aunt Lisa’s Sweet Potato Casserole too!
We’d love to hear from you! Leave us your comments and love down below!
Happy Fall Y’all! I wanted to share this quick and easy Rustic Apple Tart with you before you get bombarded with all things pumpkin (not that there’s anything wrong with that). But this one’s gonna be for team apple. The delicious little Fall dessert starts […]
Ok so I know that every single store has flipped the switch from Halloween to Christmas, but you guys, I’m not done with pumpkin everything season yet! You can take away my pumpkin spice lattes but I’m still gonna celebrate. So this next recipe not […]
I really, really, REALLY wanted to go apple picking this year! But it seemed like every weekend we were either traveling, or sick, or it was raining. BOO! Oh Fall I had such high expectations for you this year!! So I set my sights on some Fall baking instead. Apple Hands Pies are an easy to make dessert that’s sure to delight. These nostalgic little hand pies are sweet, comforting, and simply adorable. The tender, flaky pie crust is easy to work with and filled with delicious cinnamon-apple filling. And next year they’ll be made with hand picked apples from myself (promise!), but this time around we used the next best thing, locally grown NY State apples!
Here’s all you’ll need: cream cheese, butter, flour, salt, allspice, apples, sugar, cinnamon, egg, and water.
First in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and 1 cup of butter until smooth. You can nuke it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up a bit if you need to. Just keep in mind, we want it to be soft, not melted. The addition of cream cheese makes this pie crust absolutely melt in your mouth fabulous!! So I’m not gonna lie, Apple Hand Pies are a little bit of work. But it’s all easy, I promise. And it’s totally worth it!
Next gradually add in the salt and the flour. Toss the salt in first and then using a hand blender, mix the flour in 1/2 cup at a time until well blended. The dough will be a bit sticky. Divide it in half, then shape each half into a ball and flatten slightly into a disc shape. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour to firm.
Once your dough is almost ready to use, start slicing up those apples. We don’t want to prep them too early otherwise they’ll get all brown and mushy. Peel and chop the apples and add them to a large bowl. Top with allspice, cinnamon and 1/3 cup of sugar and toss to coat. Be sure to use a good baking apple and not an eating apple. Yes, there’s a difference. Baking apples tend to be on the softer side while eating apples are more crisp and firm. Look for varieties like Granny Smith, Crispin, Cortland, 20 Ounce, Fortune, Idared, Northern Spy or Rome.
Next remove the dough from the fridge and divide each section into 12 portions. This recipe makes a pretty big batch, 2 dozen Apple Hand Pies to be exact. But trust me when I say you’ll be eating these babies two at a time. Shape each portion into a ball. Then on a lightly floured surface roll each ball into a round, 4-inch mini pie crust. Look how cute the minis are!! Or if you’re a perfectionist, roll the entire ball of dough out into one big pie crust and then cut it into circles using a 4-inch biscuit cutter. Either way will work just fine. I promise they’ll all get eaten!
Place a tablespoon of chopped apples on one side of the mini pie crust. Dot with butter. Basically that means we’re just adding a couple of teeny tiny pieces of butter on top of the apple mixture, because everything’s better with a little butter. Next in a small bowl, combine the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of water to form an egg wash. Brush one edge of the pastry with the egg wash. The egg wash basically acts as a “glue” to hold everything together. Set aside any remaining egg wash. We’re not quite done with it yet!
To finish fold over half of the pie crust to cover the apples and press down to seal. Crimp down the edges with a fork. Place the finished apple hand pies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Most of you already know that I use parchment in just about ANY baking recipe, but it’s really essential here to prevent these little mini pies from sticking to the pan. Trust it. Live it. Love it.
In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Brush the pie tops with the remaining egg wash and quickly sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Lastly cut three itty bitty slits into the top of the apple hand pies so they have some room to breathe.
Bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for 11-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Serve warm, or cold, or with caramel sauce for dipping. Apple Hand Pies will disappear quickly no matter how you serve ’em! Looking for more Fall baking ideas? Try our Over the Top Apple Pie Cheesecake!
We’d love to hear from you! Leave us your comments and love down below!
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If ever there were a dish that tastes like Fall, this is it! Pear & Sausage Rigatoni is a truly unique combination of flavors and textures. A delicious mix of sweet, savory, creamy and even crunchy make this rustic pasta dish an instant hit. There’s […]
Zucchini bread is great and all but aren’t Zucchini Cupcakes even cuter?!? I mean it just doesn’t get any better than these adorable hand held little bundles of joy. In fact, I’m already planning on growing zucchini in my garden next year just for this recipe! […]
You’ve probably made it through your Thanksgiving leftovers by now and if you’re anything like me, you’re still not quite ready to bust out a full blown meal just yet. Most people would rather be Christmas shopping and decorating trees this weekend than stuck in the kitchen! And I am right there with ya on that. But at the same time I’m not quite ready to give up that Thanksgiving state of mind. I still want those Fall flavors and I’m most definitely NOT ready for snow yet! Don’t get me wrong….I absolutely LOVE Christmas!!!! I just try to hold out until December 1st before I flip the switch and jump into full blown Christmas mode (because I get carried away!!) So here is my easy solution, a little lazy girl cooking is going down in my kitchen tonight! Let me introduce you to Cheesy Sweet Potato Pizza. Yup! You heard me right! Sweet potatoes ON pizza!!! And let me tell you something………It.Is.Delish!!!! Oh and it’s super easy too!
Here’s all that you’ll need: sweet potato, water, salt, pepper, pizza dough, mozzarella, fontina, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, and Parmesan cheese.
Peel and cut the sweet potato into thin strips. Place in a microwave safe dish. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are almost tender. 
And while you’ve got the cutting board out, we might as well mince up those herbs! My hubby bought me this herb mincer years ago as a stocking stuffer and I absolutely cannot live without it. It makes cutting herbs so, SO much easier! This makes a great inexpensive gift idea for that food lover in your life (think under $20). You just roll over the herbs and they’re all chopped up in half the time. So easy!
Season the sweet potato with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. 
Roll out your pizza dough to fit your pizza pan. May I suggest our recipe for Pizza Dough With Or Without A Bread Machine? It’s bakes up into the perfect pizza crust! You can totally use pre made dough too. I’m not here to judge. 
Spread the dough into your pizza pan and pinch the edges to form a crust. Thin crust or thick crust it’s all up to you! I went with the full pizza dough recipe for a thick crust pizza….well…because I have heart eyes for carbs!!
Sprinkle with mozzarella and fontina cheeses and then drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. If you can’t find fontina cheese at your local grocery store, a gruyere, gouda, or provolone will do just fine too. 
Top with the sweet potato slices. Then sprinkle with herbs and Parmesan cheese. Then drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
Bake in a 450 degree preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is nice and melty! OMG!! Yum!!!!!!! Pizza perfection! Why don’t you have a slice…..or three?!? I love sweet potatoes so this pizza is kinda my spirit animal.
We’d love to hear form you! Leave us your comments and love down below!
So if October is for pumpkin, then November is for squash. At least in my mind it is anyways. In fact, my family doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving with a pumpkin pie. We celebrate it with a squash pie. It’s really a thing if you haven’t heard […]
Hi There! I’m Lisa. I’m a lover of all things crafty, creative, DIY, and delicious!!! Oh yeah and puppies too! I love cooking and baking for my friends and family but especially WITH my friends and family. I show my greatest affection through food. If I cook or bake for you, it means I really like you!
