Fruit Salad

If you are looking for something quick and easy this fits the bill. I made it last Sunday for dinner and they polished it off. We didn't have pineapple and it was still yummy! Next time I think I will let it sit overnight so that the pudding can mingle with the juices. Original recipe found here.

2 tablespoons dry instant vanilla pudding mix
1 pound of strawberries, quartered
1/2 pint blueberries
1/2 pint raspberries
1/2 pineapple, cubed
1 bunch grapes

Sprinkle fruit pudding powder and stir. Serve immediately or allow to sit overnight.

Raspberry Crisp

The original recipe is here but I made a few changes for what we had in the house and how many I needed to make.

2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
6 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine berries and sugar. Mix and set aside.

In another bowl mix together flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add in butter using a pastry mixer until crumbly.

Put berries into 4 - 4 oz. wide mouth jars and add crumble on top. Place on a cookie sheet for stablity and spills. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the fruit is bubbly and the topping will be golden brown.

Peach-Nectarine Fruit Roll-Ups

Steve just bought me a dehydrator and I have been drying all different kinds of fruit but when I looked at the peaches and nectarines on the counter they were too ripe.  I have wanted to try fruit leather and this was the perfect opportunity.  I did a Google search and came up this recipe from Blissfully Content.  It worked out perfect.  I have apricots in the fridge that may end up as roll-ups as well.

About 3 pounds nectarines and peaches {combined}. You can use ANY combination of fruits.
1 TBS lemon juice
1/4 cup honey {this really gives it a great texture and flavor}

Wash your peaches and nectarines really well. Cut into quarters, pit, and put into a pot on low. Use a potato masher to cook down. Add lemon juice and honey.

When fruit is heated through and it looks fairly mashed, put into a blender. Blend until smooth.

I have non-stick sheets for my dehydrator and I was able to spread one cup of puree per tray.  I tried to leave the edges a little thicker, about 1/4 inch, and the inside, about 1/8 inch.  Smooth out as evenly as possible with a spoon

Dry at 135 degrees until leathery and pliable...about 4-7 hours. Make sure there are no sticky spots in the center. 

While fruit leather is still warm, cut and roll in parchment paper.  I used scissors to cut even pieces. Store in glass jars.

Plum Muffins

The original recipe was to make a loaf of bread but it is all about portion control for me.  The original recipe served 8 (338 calories) while mine serves 12 (211 calories) saving over a 100 calories per serving.  I substituted some of the flour for whole wheat and used half the brown sugar it called for.  I have a cookie scoop that is 2 tablespoons that works fantastic for muffins as well as cupcakes.


1 cup pitted, chopped plums
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons brown sugar


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Sprinkle chopped plums with 1 tablespoon of flour in a bowl and toss to coat.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, beat the butter, white sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs.  In another bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cups of flours with salt and baking soda.  Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, alternating with yogurt until the mixture forms a smooth batter.  Lightly stir in the flour-coated plums and pour the batter into the greased or paper-lined muffin pan.  Sprinkle the top or the batter with brown sugar.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Raspberry Buckle

I was lucky enough to be in SLC when Becky was coming through and she gave me a bucket of fresh raspberries.  I made a batch of jam but wanted something else tasty to enjoy this great harvest.  Yes I did another Pinterest search and came up with this recipe from Martha Stewart.  I bet you could use any fresh fruit that you have handy.  It was sweet enough that we didn't serve with whipping cream or ice cream.  It makes 8 servings and 300 calories per serving.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking dish
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 containers (1/2 pint each) raspberries (2 3/4 cups)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart oval or square baking dish. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition to combine. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder; with mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture until incorporated.

 

Spread batter in baking dish. Scatter raspberries on top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean and top is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes.

Mini Apple Pies

Four Granny Smith apples were in my Bountiful Basket and Steve will eat about every apple on the earth except these.  I like Granny Smiths with salt on them but pie sounded better.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and I like individual portions to help control what I put in my mouth but I have to remember to stop at one.

Pie Crust I made homemade but you could use store bought, I did have left over dough which I froze
4 cups apples, cut into small pieces
6 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Mix apples with flour, sugar and cinnamon.

Roll out pie crust and cut 4" circles.  I have a graduating set of cookie cutters so these worked great because I used the smaller 3" circle for the tops.  Line each muffin tin with a crust.  Fill the crusts with your apple mixture, they will be mounded.

Divide the butter into 12 pieces and place one piece on top of each apple mound.  Cover with dough and bake at 400 for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Especially good served warm with vanilla ice cream. 

If you want just a little larger pie you can use the Chicago Metallic Nonstick Cup Pie Set.  The portions below will make 2 mini pies with tops.

 1 cup apple, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon & 1 1/2 teaspoons flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons butter

Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Pear Bread

Received a lot of pears in my Bountiful Basket and needed to do something with them.  I found this recipe and I really like it.  I sliced pears and placed them on top but most descended into the bread.  Steve liked the bread just not the chunks of pear.  Next batch they will be omitted. 


Handy tip - to shred pears, peel the pear while it is whole and grate until you get to the middle.  You will end up with a square core when you are done but it is better then having your fingers in the grater.  I finally figured this trick out when I was on the last pear, up until that point I was coring and peeling and trying to grate the slippery pieces.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups peeled and finely grated ripe, firm pears
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or two 9″x 5″loaf pans.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of this mixture and combine it with nuts to coat. Stir back into the flour mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine butter, eggs, sugar, pears, and vanilla. Add the pear mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until flour disappears and batter is evenly moistened.

Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until bread is browned and firm on top. A pick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, remove from pan and place top side up on a plate or wire rack to cool completely.

Plum Crumble

We picked up our Bountiful Basket on Saturday and we had 12 plums, some very ripe. I needed a way to use them quickly. I found this recipe on Tartelette and have scaled it down so that you could make one or how ever many you might need. 319 calories per serving

For the plums:
1 plum
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the crumble topping:
1/4 cup flour
dash cinnamon
dash nutmeg
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Prepare the crumble topping:

In a bowl, stir together the flour and cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and pinch of salt. Add the butter and sugar and start mixing everything together with your fingertips. You want to form a few large clusters of dough. It will be easier to grate once cold. Freeze the mixture while you prepare the fruit.

Preheat the oven at 350F and position a rack in the middle.

Prepare the plum:

In a bowl, combine the plum and the rest of the ingredients. Toss well. Spoon into a ramekin and place on a baking sheet as the fruit is most likely to release its juices, causing a spill. When ready to bake, grate the crumble over the ramekins (use a box grates) and bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve with whip cream or ice cream.

Fruit Smoothie

Remember sitting in the hot tub with the light snow following and enjoying Becky's smoothies at our cabin in the woods, Girl's Weekend 2003. It was so awesome!

12 oz. Sprite
10 ice cubes
8 oz. fruit of choice
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar

Mix in blender.

Apple Crisp

Another recipe from Becky from Girl's Weekend 2003.

4 cups sliced pared apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup melted margarine

Place apples in greased 8x8x2" pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and oats. Add melted margarine. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375 for 25 - 30 minutes or until apples are tender and top is golden brown.

Cranberry Sauce

I like craisins and cranberry juice so why not cranberry sauce. I kept seeing recipes for homemade sauce so I gave it a whirl. I didn't have the exact ingredients, like an orange, can you believe that they didn't have an orange at the store they had tangerines but no oranges, so I did my own thing.

3/4 cup water

1/4 orange juice

2/3 cup sugar, plus more to taste

12-16 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries

Combine the water, orange zest and juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the cranberries and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer uncovered, about 15 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Store in the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before serving.

Mixed Berry Empanadas

This was an experiment and I thought it worked quite nicely. Quick and easy and you could use any flavor canned pie filling your family likes. They taste great the next day as well.

16 oz. mixed berries - mine were frozen
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
8 - 10 flour tortillas
butter

Place berries and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. While berries are thawing, mix cornstarch into the cold water. After cornstarch is dissolved add to berries and cook until berry mixture has thickened. Remove from heat.

Butter the top of each tortilla, stacking them and placing them between two damp paper towels. Heat in the microwave until softened.

Scoop 1/4 cup berry mixture into the middle of a tortilla and fold like a burrito and place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet with the seams down. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream.

The Pioneer Woman's Apple Cake in an Iron Skillet

Just because I have lost some weight doesn't mean that I am going to give up on the good things of life, dessert to be exact. I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman and it is wonderful with vanilla ice cream.

1 3/4 sticks butter

3/4 cup sugar

4 to 5 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into six equal slices

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 small apple, peeled cored and chopped finely

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a 9 to 10-inch skillet, add apple butter to the pan, then place apple slices, wedge side down, in the pan. Don’t pack them too tightly, but try not to leave overly large gaps. Allow this to cook over low/medium-low heat while you make the cake batter.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat applesauce and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Add sour cream and mix well. Gradually add flour mixture until just combined. Gently stir in chopped apple.

Remove skillet from heat. Spoon batter over the top, then spread gently so batter is evenly distributed. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and bubbly. Place a cookie sheet or aluminum foil under the skillet to catch any spills. Allow cake to sit in skillet for five minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Don’t worry if some of the topping isn’t perfect—it’ll taste perfect!

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Apple Butter Tartlets

This one is for you Melody! At Enrichment Melody shared her Rustic Apple Butter Tart and inspired my version.

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 powdered sugar

apple butter

nuts - I used almonds but any kind will work

Mix butter, flour and powdered sugar together. Place papers in your mini muffin pan, easier clean up. Spoon 1 teaspoon of dough into each cup and press down. Bake for 15 minutes in a 325 degree oven.

Spoon apple butter over each crust to coat. Add chopped nuts to the top if desired. Return to the oven for 10 minutes or until apple butter is bubbly. Immediately remove from muffin papers to prevent sticking. Makes approximately 36 tartlets.

This recipe will also works well in an 8 x 8 pan or can be doubled for a 13 x 9 pan.

Melody's Apple Butter

We had Enrichment the other night and this is another recipe, original at the bottom of this post, that was shared. I have to admit that I made one recipe last night and there was so much cinnamon, 1/2 cup, in it that I couldn't taste anything else so I made a second batch and mixed the cinnamon batch in and now I can taste the apples. If I make it again I will start with a lot less spices and add to taste.

The good thing about having to make a second batch was that it let me try placing the apples and most of the juice in my crockpot last night and this morning when I got up they were ready to be blended and strained.

6 pounds tart Apples
96 oz. Unsweetened Apple Juice
3/4 cup Lemon Juice
3 cups Brown Sugar

6 cups Sugar
2 - 4 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons Cloves
1 1/2 teapoons Allspice
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Wash apples and then quarter them only removing any bad spots. That means that you thrown the cores and seeds into the pot as well. Cover with juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 2 hours. Place your apples in a blender and then through mesh sieve. Now place apples and juices back into the pot. Add lemon juice and all sugar and spices. Bring to a slow boil then reduce heat to low. Let it cook on the stove for up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally to reduce and get a wonderful thick butter. Can pour into sterile jars and process for 25 minutes. Makes 8 pint jars.

MELODY BARRIE’S APPLE BUTTER 2 WAYS
~In the crock pot:
5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped
4 C sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ Teaspoons Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place apples in a slow cooker. Combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt; pour over apples and mix well. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 9-11 hours or until thickened and dark brown, stirring occasionally (stir more frequently as it thickens to prevent sticking). Uncover and cook on low 1 hour longer. If desired, stir with a wire whisk until smooth or use a stick blender on low. Spoon into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Cover and refrigerate or freeze.

~On the stove, my favorite!
Enough tart apples to fill a 20 quart Heavy stock pot at least half full
Enough apple cider or apple juice to cover the apples
1 ½ C. Lemon Juice
10 – 12 C Sugar, depending how sweet you like it. Up to 1/3 can be brown sugar
½ -3/4 C Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Cloves
1 Tablespoon Allspice
1 Tablespoon Nutmeg
1 tsp. Salt

Wash apples and then quarter them. Cover with juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 2 hours. Strain and force apples through a strainer (like one used for pasta) then force through mesh sieve. Now place apples and juices back into the pot. Add lemon juice and all sugar and spices. Bring to a slow boil then reduce heat to low. Let it cook on the stove for up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally to reduce and get a wonderful thick butter. Can pour into sterile jars and process for 25 minutes.

CrockPot Peach Cobbler

I found this recipe on A Year of Slow Cooking and thought it worked wonderfully. This recipe has me wondering about how we make cobbler in a dutch oven and I am going to have to try those ideas and let you know how they work. One thing that I would for sure do differently is to spray my crockpot with Pam before putting in the ingredients.

2 - 15 oz. can peaches with the juice - I used two pints of peaches I had bottled this year
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice

I used my 3.5-quart crockpot that I have had for 28 years and it still keeps on cooking. Got to love it baby!!!

Pour the canned peaches into the bottom of the crock. In a separate bowl, melt the butter, then add the dry ingredients and vanilla. Stir with a fork to combine. The topping will be crumbly. Pour mixture on top of peaches. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. The pie is done when it has begun to brown on the edges and the fruit is bubbly and looks like the juice has caramelized a bit.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Everything is an experiment around our house any more. A little over a month ago I had bananas in my house for company and they didn't get finished off. Steve and I were still on our diet and bananas were not on the list of approved foods to eat at that time so I put the bananas in the freeze. I just left them as they were, brown, and put them in the freezer. Today I pulled them out and made banana bread, it worked out really well. Below you will see a banana bread recipe that I have modified to be a little healthier, I substituted applesauce for shortening and milk, used whole wheat flour and used brown sugar for half of the sugar called for in the recipe. I really enjoyed it but you can definitely tell that it is made with whole wheat flour.

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 eggs

2 cups mashed bananas

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1 tablespoon flax seed (optional)

In mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; set aside.

In mixer bowl cream sugar and applesauce. Add eggs, one at a time beating until smooth. Add flour mixture and mashed bananas alternately to creamed mixture, beating until smooth after each addition. Gently fold in the chopped nuts and flax seed.

Turn batter into 2 lightly greased loaf pans. Bake in 350 degree oven for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool thoroughly on wire rack.

This recipe also makes 5 small loaf pans. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.

Strawberry Pudding

This is Mom's recipe but it is one of Jamie's favorite desserts and since I won't be home for her birthday we had it last night. As you read through the directions you will notice that I have made a few changes to the original recipe.

Update: I emailed Aunt Sharon and asked if she knew anything about this recipe and this is what she said, "From what I remember, it was a recipe that I got from my mom. She didn't make it a lot because of all the butter and other expensive ingredients. I remember asking her about it and she said that it was one of her mother's recipe that she used in her catering. I think that is how my mom learned to cook--by helping her mother with the catering. I really wish I had been older when Grandma Giauque passed away. She must have been a neat lady!"

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 egg whites, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream sugar and shortening. Add flour, baking powder, milk and salt. Fold in egg whites. Put in a greased dish. Steam for 1/2 hour. I have a Black and Decker Handy Steamer and it is too small to cook the batter all at one time so I cooked half the batter and cooked the other half when that one was done and it worked great.

Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1 cup powder sugar
1 egg yolk
strawberries

Mix butter, powder sugar and egg. Add mashed strawberries. This is where I made my changes, no egg was added. You have to have sugar but I didn't use as much as the recipe called for but you need the sugar to create strawberry juices and Jamies says that is the best part. Instead of adding butter I just put butter on my hot pudding. I like butter but Jamie doesn't so she opts out.

Apple Galette

I tore this recipe out of a Sunset magazine and I love it because it is a lot easier than a traditional pie. I had to include their picture because it was so yummy looking. I really does taste as good as it looks and vanilla ice cream is a great compliment.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) plus 2 tablespoons cold butter
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/2 cup walnuts
2 pounds tart apples (3 to 5), such as Pink Lady or Granny Smith
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon water

In a food processor or large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Cut 1/2 cup butter into pieces and add to flour mixture; pulse motor, cut in with a pastry blender, or rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. With motor running (or stirring with a fork after each addition), add egg yolk and 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time; process or stir just until mixture comes together in a ball. Form dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until firm but still pliable, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, spread walnuts in a baking pan and bake in a 375° oven until barely golden under skins, 6 to 8 minutes (leave oven on). Coarsely chop nuts.

Peel and core apples; cut each into eight wedges. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When it's foamy, add apples and stir often until slightly softened and brown at edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle brown sugar and nutmeg over fruit and stir until liquid is syrupy and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Stir in walnuts. Remove from heat.

Unwrap dough. On a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll into a round about 15 inches in diameter. Line a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet with cooking parchment (or butter the sheet well) and carefully transfer dough round to sheet (edges will hang over sheet).

Pour apple mixture onto center of pastry, mounding wedges in a circle about 8 inches wide and 2 inches high. Gently fold edges of dough over apples, pleating as you go, leaving an opening about 4 inches wide in the center. Brush pastry all over with beaten egg.

Bake in 375° oven until pastry is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced, 40 to 45 minutes (35 to 40 in a convection oven). Transfer galette (with parchment, if using) to a wire rack to cool. Transfer to a large plate, gently pulling parchment from under tart. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.

Fruit Dip

This is a recipe comes from my sister-in-law, Debra.

1 jar marshmallow cream
8 oz. cream cheese

Mix together. Serve with grapes, strawberries, apples or any other fruit of your choice.