Recipe(tried): My First Post + Some Recipes from Me - Sesame Chicken Shred Noodle, Best Apple Pie

This is my first post to Kitchen Link, but I have been enjoying going through the past few years of posts from you all. I have found some wonderful-sounding recipes, and hope to try many of them soon. I am a full-time working mom with two young daughters, so I don't get to cook as much as I wish. Sunday seems to be the day when I make it a priority to cook a good family meal. My girls are still picky eaters, and my husband and I love spicy, ethnic foods that the girls don't usually like, so I usually include fresh wheat bread and fresh fruit with every meal so that they have something good to eat too! Here is my very favorite recipe--we especially like it in the summer. I often make the sauce ahead of time and take the ingredients up to our cabin at Little Bear Lake so I can just throw it together without spending all day in the kitchen when I'm on vacation.

A special "thank you" to Gina and to Debbie D., whose recipes I seem to like the most. Hope you enjoy some that I will share with you!

SESAME CHICKEN SHRED NOODLE

10 oz. vermicelli, cooked
1-1/2 cup Nappa cabbage, chopped
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 red pepper, diced
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted in pan 10 minutes
3 tbsp. peanut oil
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 cup diced scallions
1 dried chile pepper, torn (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp. ginger
3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
12 tbsp. soy sauce
8 tbsp. red wine vinegar
4 tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. creamy peanut butter

Spread noodles on large platter. Spread cabbage and chicken on top of noodles. Sprinkler red peppers, sesame seeds, and parsley over top.

Combine scallions, chile pepper, ginger, garlic, pepper, and cayenne. Heat peanut and sesame oils in pan and cook scallion mixture for 5 minutes.

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and peanut butter. Add to pan and cook until foamy. Pour over chicken.

BEST APPLE PIE

1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. minute tapioca
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter
5 cups diced, peeled apples
Pillsbury pie crust (top and bottom)

Combine sugar, salt, and tapioca. Add lemon juice, cream, and cinnamon.

Put apples in pie crust. Pour cream mixture over apples. Dot with butter. Add top crust. Cut slits in crust.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake 1 hour more.

Note: I usually sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on top crust. I also cover the edges of the crust with foil for the first half-hour or else it will burn.