Becky's Apple Pie

7-8 Apples, sliced
1 C Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1½ Tbsp Butter

Crumb topping:
1/2 C Butter
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1 C Flour

Heat oven to 425°. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Mix in apples. Put in crust, dot with first measure of butter. 

Mix crumb topping by letting second measure of butter get very soft and mix with brown sugar and flour by hand. Top pie with crumb topping and bake 50 minutes.

Recipe from southernliving.com.

Simple Syrup

This is used in the making of Classic Sweet Tea.

1 C Water
1 C Sugar

Bring 1 C water and 1 C sugar to a boil in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Recipe from southernliving.com.

Classic Sweet Tea

12 regular-size tea bags (or 3 family size)
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 qt. water
1 qt. ice cubes
1 1/4 C Simple Syrup

1. Place tea bags and baking soda in a large heat proof glass pitcher.
2. Bring water just to a rolling boil in a sauce pan or kettle, and immediately pour over tea bags, making sure bags are submerged. Cover and steep 7 minutes. Remove tea bags without squeezing: discard tea bags.
3. Add ice, and stir until ice melts. Stir in Simple Syrup, and serve over ice.

Recipe from southernliving.com.

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 C chicken broth
1/2 C soy sauce
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 C cashews
red pepper flakes
1-2 green onions, chopped, for garnish
2 C rice (jasmine rice is recommended, but any kind will do.)

Combine flour and black pepper in a large zip-lock bag. Add chicken and shake to coat.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sear/brown for about 2 minutes per side. Place chicken in crock pot.

In medium bowl, combine chicken broth, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, and ginger; pour over chicken.

Cook on low for about 2.5 - 3 hours. Mix in cashews. Serve over rice. (Jasmine rice is recommended, but any kind will do.) top with green onions and red pepper flakes.

Recipe from: http://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/

Pollo Loco Mexican Chicken and Rice

Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Rice
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 C uncooked long grain rice
1 tbsp onion (finely chopped)
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp taco or other Mexican seasoning
2 C chicken broth
1/2 C tomato sauce

Additional ingredients
1 container Mexican Queso
chopped tomato

Marinate chicken according to Chicken Marinade recipe. Then grill until chicken reaches 165. Cut chicken into strips or cubes as desired.

While chicken is grilling, prepare the rice. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking sprinkle with garlic salt and taco/Mexican seasoning. Stir in onion, tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Heat cheese dip according to package directions.

To serve, place 1/4 C rice onto plate, top with grilled chicken. Pour 2-3 tbsp cheese dip over the chicken and top with chopped tomatoes. Enjoy!

Chicken Marinade

1/3 to 1/2 C Olive Oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Liquid smoke (optional)
1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Pierce chicken breasts with a fork all over. Place in a large zip lock bag. pour marinade over chicken. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. 4-5 hours is ideal.

Recipe from modernhoney.com.

Homemade Pizza

1 1/2 C warm water (105° - 115°)
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
3 1/2 C bread flour
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Plus desired toppings

1. In the large bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer, add the warm water. Sprinkle on the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is activated. Stir to dissolve completely if needed after 5 minutes is up.
2. Attach a mixing paddle to the mixer. Mix in the olive oil, flour, salt, and sugar on low speed for about a minute. Remove the mixing paddle and replace with a dough hook. Kneed using the mixer and dough hook, on low to medium speed, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If you don't have a mixer, you can mix and kneed by hand. If the dough seems a little too wet, sprinkle on a bit more flour.
3. Place ball of dough in a bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place (75°-85°) until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or several hours longer, a longer rise will improve the flavor). If you don't have a warm spot in the house, you can heat the oven to 150° and then turn off the oven. Let the oven cool till it is just a little warm, then place the bowl of dough in the warmed oven to rise. 
4. The dough can be frozen in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
5. Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 450° for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.
6. Remove the plastic cover from the dough and punch the dough down so it deflates a bit. Divide the dough in half. Form two round balls of dough. Place each in its own bowl, cover with plastic and let sit for 10 minutes.
7. Prepare your desired toppings. It is recommended you use no more than about 1/3 C of tomato sauce and 1/3 C of cheese per pizza.
8. Working with one ball of dough at a time, flatten it with your hands on a slightly floured work surface. Starting at the center and working outwards, use your fingertips to press the dough to 1/2" thick. Turn and stretch the dough until it will not stretch further. Let the dough relax 5 minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired diameter (10-12"). Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker. You can pinch the edges if you want to form a lip.
9. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil. This prevents the crust from getting soggy from the toppings. Use your finger tips to press down and make dents along the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Let rest another 5 minutes. 
10. Repeat the process with the second ball of dough.
11. Lightly sprinkle your pizza peel (or flat baking sheet) with cornmeal. Transfer one prepared flattened dough to the pizza peel. If the dough has lost its shape in the transfer, lightly shape it to the desired dimensions.
12. Spoon on the tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and place desired toppings on the pizza.
13. Sprinkle some cornmeal on the baking stone in the oven without burning yourself. Gently shake the peel to see if the dough will easily slide, if not, gently lift up the edges of the pizza and add a bit more cornmeal. Slide the pizza off of the peel and onto the baking stone in the oven. Bake pizza one at a time until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden, about 10-15 minutes. You can add more cheese near the end of the cooking time, if desired.