Ree Drummond's Exciting New Favorites

New York Times bestselling author and Food Network favorite Ree Drummond drops by 'Fox & Friends' to share delicious dishes from her latest cookbook 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier.'

Caramel Apple Quesadillas
Makes four 10-inch quesadillas (to serve 8)

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk (see Note)
Pinch of kosher salt
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 burrito-size whole wheat tortillas
3 Granny Smith apples, cored and very thinly sliced (reserve about 12 slices for garnish)
4 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
Unsweetened whipped cream, for serving

Method:
1. In a medium skillet, combine 4 tablespoons (½ stick) of the butter and 1 cup of the brown sugar and set over medium-low heat. Add the vanilla, then stir as it starts to cook and dissolve. Stir in the buttermilk and salt and let it bubble up gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove the caramel sauce from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Set it aside.
3. In a separate medium bowl, combine the cream cheese with the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and smush it together until smooth.
4. Spread a tortilla with one-quarter of the cream cheese mixture. Lay apple slices all over the cream cheese and sprinkle on some of the cinnamon sugar and 1 tablespoon of the chopped pecans.
5. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Lay the filled tortilla in the skillet then top with a second tortilla. Let the bottom tortilla cook for a couple of minutes then flip the quesadilla and let it brown on the other side, another minute or two. Set aside and repeat to assemble and cook the other 3 quesadillas.
6. Remove the quesadillas to a board, cut them into wedges, and sprinkle on more cinnamon sugar.
7. Transfer the caramel sauce to a pitcher and pour it in a swirl over the top.
8. Serve a few wedges with a dollop of (preferably unsweetened) whipped cream, extra apple slices, and more caramel sauce!

Note: If you don’t have buttermilk, just measure a little less than ½ cup regular milk, then top it off with distilled white vinegar to reach ½ cup. Let it stand for 5 minutes and stir. Buttermilk!

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
Makes six 8-inch quesadillas

Blue Cheese Ranch Dressing
Ingredients:
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup whole milk
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons minced dill
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup blue cheese crumbles

Quesadillas
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced, plus celery leaves for garnish
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1½ cups Louisiana hot sauce, such as Frank’s
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
12 small (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup blue cheese crumbles, plus more for garnish

Method:
1. First, make the blue cheese ranch dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until mixed well. Keep in the fridge until serving.
2. Make the quesadillas: In a large cast-iron skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, celery, and green onions. Continue to cook, stirring, until the chicken is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the hot sauce and Worcestershire then stir and allow to thicken slightly for a minute or two. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. In a separate skillet over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and add one of the tortillas. Sprinkle on ⅓ cup of the Jack cheese, ½ cup of the chicken, and 2 teaspoons of the blue cheese. Top with a second tortilla, and when the cheese has started to melt, about 2 minutes, flip the quesadilla over. Press to stick everything together, then cook until the bottom tortilla is crispy and golden, 1½ to 2 minutes. Remove and repeat with the remaining butter, tortillas, and filling ingredients.
4. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve garnished with celery leaves and extra blue cheese crumbles alongside the blue cheese ranch dressing.

Carrot Cake Baked French Toast
Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:
Butter for the dish
1 loaf crusty multigrain bread
1½ cups grated carrots
½ cup finely chopped pecans
8 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold salted butter, cut into pieces
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup finely chopped pecans

Glaze
4 ounces cream cheese
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Warm pancake syrup, for serving

Method:
1. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter. Tear the bread into large chunks and evenly distribute in the dish. Sprinkle the carrots and pecans over the top. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture over the bread, taking care to coat it all well. Cover the pan tightly with foil and keep it in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
3. Make the topping: In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and salt and mix well. Add the chunks of cold butter and the cinnamon and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles pebbles and coarse crumbs. Stir in the pecans, then cover the bowl and refrigerate the topping until you’re ready to bake the French toast.
4. Make the glaze: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve the French toast.
5. When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the foil and sprinkle the topping all over. Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes for a softer, bread pudding–like texture or 70 minutes for a firmer, more crispy baked texture. Remove the glaze from the fridge to allow it to soften.
6. Scoop out individual portions, drizzle the cream cheese glaze on top, and serve with warm pancake syrup.

Teriyaki Shrimp And Pineapple Parcels
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice
One 8-ounce can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup frozen peas
2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
¾ cup thick teriyaki sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1½ pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
Toasted sesame oil, for drizzling
3 green onions, thinly sliced, for serving
¼ cup chopped cilantro, for serving
1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Cut six 12 x 20-inch pieces of foil.
2. Pour the rice into a large bowl and let cool a little. Add the pineapple and peas to the rice along with the bell peppers, garlic, and ginger. Pour in the teriyaki sauce, add the salt, and toss the ingredients together until well mixed.
3. Spoon an equal amount of the rice mixture onto each foil sheet. Divide the shrimp evenly among the parcels. Drizzle a tiny amount (about ⅛ teaspoon) of the sesame oil over each parcel.
4. Seal the parcels by folding the two pieces together and rolling up the ends.
5. Place the parcels on a sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque.
6. Place a parcel on each plate and carefully open the foil. Add a sprinkle of green onions and cilantro to the top and serve each with a wedge of lime for squeezing.

Drunken Spaghetti
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons (½ stick) salted butter
1 pound baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pound white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pound spaghetti
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bottle red wine, such as Chianti
12 fresh basil leaves, torn, for serving
½ cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese, for serving

Method:
1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and stir and cook until the mushrooms have cooked down and given off liquid, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vinegar, reduce the heat to low, and cook until most of the liquid has reduced. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add the spaghetti, and cook for no more than 3 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
3. In the pasta cooking pot, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and stir and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the burner and add ½ teaspoon salt and the wine. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the wine to a boil. Add the cooled pasta to the wine, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the wine is completely absorbed by the pasta, about 5 minutes. Look at that gorgeous purple! Turn off the heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the cooked mushrooms. Toss everything together.
4. Tip the pasta and mushrooms onto a platter, add the torn basil leaves over the top, and serve with a sprinkling of Pecorino-Romano. Dig in! You are in for a serious treat.

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