Taffy Apple Salad

I have had this recipe for years... well before my oldest son was born. I make it multiple times each summer for barbeques and parties; I have NO idea why I've never blogged about it before.

I omit the nuts because my father and son are both allergic, but I think they'd be a wonderful addition. Even without, though, it's a refreshing and delicious side dish. The marshmallows somehow melt away to meld with the rest of the ingredients and the fruit combinations are endless. I've subbed fresh pears for some of the apples or canned for the pineapples. Mandarin oranges would work nicely as well - mix it up!


Taffy Apple Salad
from The Pampered Chef

• 1 8oz can pineapple tidbits in juice
• 2 medium red apples, cored and diced
• 2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 4oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup thawed, frozen whipped topping
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• additional chopped dry roasted peanuts (optional)

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Whisk cream cheese into juice until smooth. Stir in whipped topping; mix until blended.

Add pineapple, apples, peanuts, and marshmallows to cream cheese mixture; mix gently. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle with additional peanuts if desired.

Strawberry-Banana Ice Cream

In my world, anything with fruit in it is automatically healthy. So I can totally assuage the ice cream guilt when I dish out a hefty bowl of this Strawberry-Banana Ice Cream (found on Crazy in Minnesota and originally from Sweet and Savory Eats).

I usually turn up my nose and any ice cream that doesn't contain chocolate, but this was really good (especially if you add chocolate syrup!). A perfect, fresh, "summery" ice cream!


When I was photographing this, Ryan wanted to "help." He took the shot below. Not too shabby for a two-and-a-half-year-old!


Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced (I used about a cup and a half, plus two sliced bananas)
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1/3 cup of the sugar; stir gently and allow the strawberries to macerate in the juices for 2 hours.

In another bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream, the vanilla and any accumulated juices from the strawberries.

Turn on your ice cream maker and pour the mixture into the frozen bowl. Let mix until thickened, about 25-30 minutes.

Add the sliced strawberries during the last 5 minutes of freezing.

Good Morning Muffins

As I've posted many times, I love baking muffins with Ryan (or, as he calls them, "nuffins"). I couldn't wait to try these "Good Morning Muffins" from the Pioneer Woman.


I am not sure what, but I did something very wrong. I used liners, and many of them scorched and stuck to the side of the pan. They also got really, really greasy, to the point where I felt gross just picking one up and putting it in a container for Ryan's breakfast.


They tasted good, for sure, but just became too greasy and gross to really enjoy. Any ideas what I can do differently?

(And yes, they look fine - because I took the best-looking ones to photograph. Hee hee!)


Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup shortening (can use 1/4 cup shortening with 1/4 cup butter)
• 2 cups orange marmalade
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs, beaten

Topping:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• wheat germ (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift together flour, sugar, and baking powder. Place in a mixing bowl.

Use a pastry cutter to mix in shortening (or butter/shortening if desired).

Mix marmalade, orange juice, and vanilla in a small bowl. Pour into dry ingredients.

Beat eggs and pour into the bowl.

Mix all ingredients together gently, using fewer than 10 large strokes.

In a small bowl, mix topping ingredients.

Fill muffin pans with batter. Sprinkle 1 heaping teaspoon of topping ingredients over each muffin.

Sprinkle wheat germ over the top for extra crunch.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until done. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Apple Streusel Coffee Cake

When I showed up to Palm Sunday dinner with this Quadruple Chocolate Bliss Cake, my brother Chris questioned my ability to create a dessert without the use of chocolate.

"Seriously," he said, "don't you ever just make an apple coffee cake or something?"

Well, the answer is really probably no. I am a chocoholic (like you haven't noticed) and it's just not dessert if there's no chocolate!

Since we were heading up to my parents' house this past weekend to have a belated Easter celebration, I figured that would be the perfect time to prove my anti-sweets brother wrong. I searched through my blogs and found this one from REC(ession)IPES.


I really enjoyed the flavor of this little cake, but I think I should have kept it in the oven a bit more. It completely fell apart as I tried to cut it, and I needed to perform minor surgery on it to get a somewhat-solid piece to photograph!

Here is a really creepy picture of Chris eating his - what a ham:
Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups flour total, equal parts white and whole wheat, sifted, then measured
  
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/2 cup milk (can be skim)
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, melted (shortening melts very quickly, so use low flame, and keep an eye on it)
• 1 1/2 cup chopped apples (about two large apples), any semi-tart to tart variety
  

For the streusel topping (aka, the crumb part that everyone likes):

• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/4 cup flour total, equal parts white and whole wheat
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnnamon
  
• 2 tablespoons butter (right out of the refrigerator is fine)
  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift flour together with other dry ingredients.

Beat the egg, then add the milk and melted shortening.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry then add the raw apples and mix well.

Pour the batter into a well-greased 8-inch square pan.

To make the streusel, stir together the dry ingredients, then cut in butter using a pastry blender**** until it forms pea-sized pieces with the dry ingredients.

Finish combining with your fingertips until you have small clumps.

Sprinkle topping over the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

****If you don't have a pastry blender, butter may be cut in using two butter knives in a criss crossing motion, or just work it in with your fingertips. If you like to make struesel toppings, or any kind of fruit crumbles, you may want to get a pastry blender - it cuts time in half, easily.

Stuffed French Toast

On Saturday, my friends from the cooking board came over for a brunch get-together (more about that later). My contribution was a delicious Stuffed French Toast, courtesy of Ellie Krieger.

For the most part, I kept the recipe in tact except for two minor changes: I left the crusts on, and I used cream cheese where she used ricotta. Cream cheese just seemed to be a better choice for me!

I really thought this recipe was not only easy, but also delicious. I can definitely see making this on a regular basis!


Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups nonfat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 8 slices of whole-wheat sandwich bread
  
• 1 (8-ounce) container strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 4 teaspoons bittersweet chocolate chips
• Cooking spray
• 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Set aside.

Place 1 tablespoon of cream cheese in the center of 4 of the pieces of bread and spread around slightly. Top with about 6 slices of strawberries and a teaspoon of chocolate chips. Cover each with another piece of bread to make a "sandwich".

Spray a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and preheat. Carefully dip each of the "sandwiches" into the egg mixture until completely moistened. Then place on the skillet and cook over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the outside is golden brown and the center is warm and chocolate is melted.

Transfer to serving places. Top with remaining strawberries and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Very Berry Muffins

I had such a blast baking cookies and Rice Krispies treats with Ryan, and he really seems to enjoy helping me in the kitchen.


I was in the mood to bake today, and thought muffins would be a good culinary activity. Plus, Ryan could have them for breakfast this week - he loves eating things he helped create!


I went digging through my Reader to find something that was reasonably healthy and didn't require a trip to the store. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I found the perfect muffin on my friend Brooke's blog (I believe Brooke found them here).

I stuck with her adaptations, and the only thing I changed was doing half whole-wheat for the flour.


And the verdict? Awesome. Ryan inhaled his, and my husband ate three of them at once!

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter (melted and cooled)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar(plus additional for sprinkling)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (thawed and divided)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup berries and milk and mash well. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar; add egg and beat well. Gradually mix in dry ingredients by hand. Mix in berry/milk mixture, followed by remaining berries and mix until just combined.

Using two spoons pour batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each chamber 3/4 full. Sprinkle top of muffins with sugar. Bake for 22-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Granola Bars

Just like Brooke said when she posted these, it never dawned on me to make my own bars. I really love being able to make food for my son that I have control over; I know exactly what is in it. And I can vary the ingredients based on mood and what his favorite fruit of the minute is!

I had so much fun creating these for him, and I can't wait to make a (much unhealthier) peanut-butter and chocolate version for ME!



I feel, however, that these were kind of crumbly - definitely not a grab-and-go kind of food, unless I do so reaaaaaaaally carefully. But still - they tasted way better than I possibly imagined.



I followed Brooke's recipe almost exactly; I just left out the nuts.

Ingredients:

• Butter flavored cooking spray
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup Fiber One cereal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup chopped dried fruit (I used raisins and craisins)

Spray a 9 by 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the oats, Fiber One, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Orange Cream Pie

I love that the cooking board I frequent does quarterly recipe exchanges. In addition to increasing my culinary repertoire, I get to try out recipes that I wouldn't select on my own.

Like this one.

I was assigned to make an Orange Cream Pie. I was a bit apprehensive about it, because really? In my world? Oranges are healthy and a truly good dessert is NOT healthy, so how can a dessert with oranges be good? Follow my logic?

Well, this one surprised me. I don't know that it's something I'd make again, but it was pretty good. I made it for a 4th of July barbeque, and by the end of the night there wasn't much left.

The only thing I regret is not beating the cream enough for the filling. I beat it and added it to the jello, but then when I whipped it for the topping, it had a consistency MUCH closer to cool whip. I wonder if it would have tasted even creamier had I done it right...



Anyway, thank you to whoever submitted this! I have also decided to submit this to Joelen's Fruit Frenzy event... how fun! Wish me luck...

Ingredients:

PIE CRUST

• 3/4 cup crushed vanilla wafers or vanilla wafer crumbs
• 3/4 cup crushed graham wafers or graham wafer crumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup margarine or butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

FILLING

• 1 (2 3/4 ounce) packet orange flavor gelatin
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon orange extract, divided
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  

TOPPING

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 (10 fluid ounce) can mandarin orange segments, well drained
• 1/4 cup grated sweetened chocolate
  

PIE CRUST
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine crushed vanilla wafers, crushed graham wafers and finely chopped pecans; mix well.

Add margarine or butter and blend using a pastry blender or a fork.

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Prepare a 9 inch oven-proof pie dish by lightly spraying with a vegetable oil.

Dust with 1 tablespoon of flour.

Shake off any excess flour off pie plate (The spray and flour will prevent the shell from sticking to the pie dish).

Spoon wafer mixture into pie dish; press evenly to bottom and sides using a rounded soup spoon.
Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.


FILLING
In a medium-size mixing bowl, dissolve orange jello powder with 1 cup of boiling water.

Add 1/2 cup of cold water and let cool for about 15 minutes.

Add concentrated orange juice, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract and stir well to mix.

Place in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or until just partially set; DO NOT LET HARDEN.

Remove from freezer and break up the jelly mixture using a whisk.

In a 2 cup measuring cup, add 1/2 cup whipping cream and using an electric mixer, beat until cream slightly thickens.

Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract and gradually add powdered sugar, beating until thickened.

Add whipped cream to the jelly and fold in, (DO NOT BEAT).

Pour mixture into the cooled pie shell.

Place pie in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for about 1 hour or until pie filling is set.


TOPPING
In a 2 cup measuring cup add 1/2 cup whipping cream and using an electric mixer, beat until slightly thickened.

Add orange extract and gradually add powdered sugar and continue beating until thickened.

Before serving pie, spread whipped cream over entire top of pie.

Place and arrange orange segments on top of whipped cream creating a pattern if desired.

Sprinkle with grated sweetened chocolate.

Serve pie chilled, not frozen.