Recipe #352: Grilled Banana S'mores

This was a pinterest find, or you can find the original here. It was an amazing, rich, delicious, quick and easy dessert (is that enough adjectives for you!)


You need:
2 bananas

handful of chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and cinnamon toast crunch cereal

• split open a banana long ways
• stuff some chocolate chips and mini marshmallows
• wrap in aluminum foil around banana
• stick on grill for 3-5 minutes, or a little more if on indirect heat 
• open up when ready to eat, sprinkle some crushed cereal on top
• eat up quickly before your child tries to steal too many bites!

Recipe #273: Grilled Apples

So while you are cutting up veggies for the recipes you can find here, you need to cut up a couple of apples too for AMAZING grilled apples! It's like eating apple pie, without the crust!

You need:
3 apples
cinnamon and sugar
1/2 Tbsp butter, melted

• cut apples into rounds.
• put in a ziploc
• add melted butter and cinnamon and sugar
• grill for 10 minutes, turning at least once, or until tender

Alex wasn't quite sure about the first bite, but then he couldn't get enough!

Recipe #164: Apple Pie

This is a deep pie dish, so it used a lot of filling, but it was super delicious with vanilla ice cream!

You need:
pie crust recipe (found here)
1/2 apple crisp recipe
apple crisp filling (both found here)

• put the crust in the pie plate
• add the apple filling
• top with crust
• bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until top is brown

Make extra pie crust to make the pumpkin pies found here! :)

Recipe #147: Banana Pancakes

The original recipe is found here. I doubled it and used some whole wheat flour...and added chocolate chips!

you need:
2 cups flour (one white, one whole wheat)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cups milk
4 Tbsp oil
4 ripe bananas, mushed

• mix together in a small bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt
• in another bowl beat eggs then mix in milk, oil, and bananas
• combine two bowls, batter will be lumpy
• cook on griddle until done on each side
• if you choose to add chocolate chips, sprinkle some on top as soon as you pour batter in griddle.

Recipe #138: Apple Pie Bread

So left over apple pie dip equals a delicious bread!

You need:
one grapefruit size portion of bread dough
apple pie dip
flour for pizza peel

• take out portion of dough and allow to rest for about 40 minutes
• preheat oven after 20 minutes and allow the stone to heat
• roll out and put apple pie dip on two thirds of the dough
• roll back up and tuck ends under so it is sealed.
• cut little slits in top of dough
• bake for about 35 minutes

i still need to work on getting the insides to stay inside...but it was still delicious!

Recipe #136 and #137: Apple Pie dip with Cinnamon and Sugar Chips

This was another find on pinterest! Originally from here. I doubled the recipe.

You need: 

for dip--

4 cups diced apples

4 Tbsp lemon juice

6 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp flour dissolved in 2 tsp water

• Combine apples, lemon juice, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small pan
• heat until boiling, stirring often
• add flour/water mixture
• heat until thickened
• great warm or cold!

for the chips--

8 tortillas

4 Tbsp butter melted

1 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp sugar

• cut tortillas into sixths
• lay on a greased baking pan
• brush with melted butter
• sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top (i had mixed together before adding)
• bake at 410 until golden brown, 8-10 minutes

Recipe #124: Italian Apple Cake

I found this recipe on Pinterest, but it is originally found here.
I had apples and Will grew up in Italy so it seemed like a great combination...
however, when baking a new recipe on a night when your husband is gone and your child is not sleeping well...not always a good idea! Lets just say the cake was a little drier than it should be, but I would definitely make it again. It was not the American "sweet" kind of cake, but was very delicious!

You need:
2 Cups of flour

4 Eggs

1 Cup of canola oil

1 Cup sugar

2 Teaspoons baking powder

6 apples peeled and sliced

• mix together flour, eggs, oil, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl.
• pour into a buttered springform pan 
• cut up apples and stick into the batter, making big circles all the way into the middle
• bake at 325 for 60-70 minutes or until golden brown.

the original recipe suggested tossing the apples in lemon, i wonder if that would probably make them not brown so much when baked...i guess we will find out next time!

Recipe #120: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

yes, I am going to make oatmeal a recipe! :)

you need:
one oatmeal packet
two slices of apple
cinnamon sticks
creamer

• make oatmeal according to package directions
• in the last 30 seconds of microwaving, add apple slices, cut into chunks
• stir together.
• break a cinnamon stick in half and mix in.
• top with a little flavored creamer if you want! :)

Recipe #119: Mini Apple Pies

Another find from pinterest! Originally found here. Perfect for tailgating or parties because they are preportioned already. Super easy to make too!

You need:
2 apples, cut into 8 slices each
1 package of pie crust or make your own
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

• cut your apple into 8 wedges
• mix up the cinnamon and sugar and melt the butter
• spread out the pie crust 
• Spread butter around the surface, sprinkle liberally cinnamon and sugar
• Cut into 8 strips
• roll up and apple in each strip until entire apple is covered (make sure it overlaps a bit)
• put on a wax paper lined baking sheet coat top of each piece with left over butter and sprinkle more cinnamon and sugar 
• bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

I probably should have put more cinnamon and sugar on the top to give it the darker look. I ended up melting some more butter and giving the crusts one more coat and then adding more cinnamon and sugar before I served it. That made it look better and really makes sure the cinnamon taste was evident too! I want to try this again with the pastry dough...i think that would be really delicious too!

Well, confession, these were the leftover ones I didn't take out with me for tailgating, the other ones looked a little better! 

Recipe #113: Apple Crisp

Nothing says fall like an homemade apple crisp made from hand picked apples!
Please note...I only pick and use Fuji Apples because no other apple can compare to the wonders of Fuji apples! :)

You need:
Apple filling
6 cups apples (or another fruit, peaches or blueberries are great too!)
2 cups sugar
6 Tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Topping
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups oats
3 cups flour
1 cup butter
1 cup shortening

*I had a lot of topping left over this time, so if you want to decrease the recipe a bit that would probably be okay!

• Combine filling and put in a 9x13 pan
• mix brown sugar, oats and flour in another bowl
• cut in butter and shortening
• mix together until you form a crumble topping (your fingers work great! :) )
• sprinkle on top
• bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes or when top looks brown

The trio of Apple desserts last night! Apple crisp on the left, apple pizza on the right, apple sauce in the middle!

Recipe #112: Apple Pizza

Well, after a wonderful day of apple picking we came home and I made some pizzas for the crew of hungry apple pickers! I decided the final pizza should be an apple dessert pizza! Simple, but very delicious!

You need:
Pizza Dough, I used the light whole wheat dough found here
2 apples, sliced thinly
cinnamon and sugar
caramels, cut up

• Roll out your pizza dough
• Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar all over top of surface
• spread apples evenly around surface. 
• top with a little bit more cinnamon and sugar, and caramel pieces
• I had rolled up the sides over the apples a bit, but had trouble getting it off the pizza peel and on to the stone on the grill, so that didn't work out quite right.
• grill for about 15 minutes

We cut it into long slices...Will had the leftovers for breakfast so it is a very versatile meal! :)

Recipe #94: Peanut Butter and Banana Wraps

This is a great snack or even breakfast! Got the idea from pinterest but originially a betty crocker recipe I think!

You need:
one whole wheat wrap
2 Tbsp peanut butter
half of a banana
some chocolate chips

• Heat the wrap up for about 15 seconds
• Spread PB over wrap
• Cut up banana and add on top
• top with chocolate chips 
• wrap it up

Enjoy!

Recipe #74: Peanut Butter Bananas

This is a perfect snack, or breakfast, but Will thinks it is strange. You eat it and be the judge!

You need:
a banana
spoonful of peanut butter

• Spread the peanut butter on the banana
• Enjoy a protein filled snack
• Yes it counts as a recipe! :)

Recipe #54: Fruit Tarts

I think I could have eaten these for dinner instead of the curry, but I resisted! :) Super easy to make and just fun!

You need:
pie crust
fruits of choice--I used  peaches, strawberries, and frozen blueberries
whipped topping

• First i used a muffin cup to find a similar size circle object. my baby bowls worked perfectly. I used those to make circles in the pie crust.
• put the circles inside of the muffin tin and pat the sides down. poke some holes in the crust with a fork.
• I preheated the oven to 450 and then put it in about 8 minutes before it was done preheating and it came out perfectly.
• while it is in the oven i cut up the fruit. 
• take the crust out immediately and let cool.
• once they have cooled add the fruit. Add whipped cream right before you are ready to eat!

ENJOY!

Recipe #34: TCK trifle...

Well first off, you might wonder what a TCK even is. It is not a food, it's a person, a person like me. TCK stands for Third Culture Kid. Someone who, like me, spent a number of their childhood/developmental years in a country that does not match their passport. If you think about it, teacher friends, many of our ELL students are tcks too. TCKs might be related to business, military, or missionaries, but they are a unique breed. Not knowing quite where they fit in, having trouble sometimes settling, but often able to easily adapt to new situations and willing to try new things, but often the biggest issue, not knowing where they are from. The simple question of "where are you from?" often took me ages to answer because i had to think about it.... "Well, I was born in Illinois, but grew up in Japan but in the states we live in Ohio, but then I lived in Georgia and now South Carolina."
So what does this have to do with July 4th? Good question. I love the United States and the freedoms they provide people, but it took me a long time to feel the need to celebrate the holiday or make a big deal of it because it was a holiday that Americans celebrated, and I didn't feel like I was American.

As I made my dessert for our cook out with family tonight, I felt the need to put my own spin on it. On the outside it is a red, white, and blueberry trifle, but in the inside I got to rebel against myself and show the love of my other country as well. Silly I know, but for some reason, important. American on the outside but Japanese on the inside... You will see how in a bit!

Anyways, for the trifle you need:
(It is a variation on a recipe I found in my Everyday Food  magazine, a similar recipe is found here.)

strawberries, I used three containers
Blueberries
Angel Food cake or pound cake
two containers of cool whip
sugar for the strawberries.

• Make the Angel food cake according to package directions or buy a pound cake at the grocery store. (I have to admit, my angel food cake did not turn out all fluffy, maybe because it is old? anyways, if it had turned out right this would have been a totally different dessert!)
• break the cake apart into pieces.
• slice strawberries up and add some sugar so they get juicy.
• in a springform pan, put some parchment paper around the sides. (or you can use a pretty glass bowl) put down a layer of the cake. kind of pat it down so it is evenly spread out. put a layer of strawberries on top. 
• Next add a tub of cool whip. yes i said tub, because it is delicious! 

Then comes my tribute to Japan!

 See, isn't it nice!

• Then add another layer of cake and top it with rest of strawberries. 
• Put in the fridge to chill for about 3 hours.
• Then add the the other tub (or however much you want) of the cool whip. top with stars* and blueberries.
• If you made it in a springform pan, carefully release it from the pan and tear away parchment paper from the sides. and FYI...we are not martha stewart!! Why do I think it will be as easy as she says? How she gets the cake to cut etc easily I have NO idea. so next time. I am using that pretty glass bowl. 

*stars: before I crumbled up the angel food cake ( actually i had made two in hopes that the second one would turn out better!) i had taken a cookie cutter and cut out some stars. then I took some frozen blueberries, mashed them up and mixed them with the stars to help them turn blueish/purpleish. just a fun addition to the dessert...which you can't even see in the picture. still, it was fun.

Recipe #18: Apple Galette

Hmmm...Father's Day baking continues, much to the delight of my dad. Will and Alex are sleeping so that is why Sarah and I have time to do this! :) In my Real Simple magazine they had a 3 ingredient recipe for Nectarine Galette. I had apples instead so decided to make one of those as well! Soon another post will come for the most special treat for my dad, Baked Oatmeal, which is supposed to be for breakfast tomorrow, but we decided to make now instead because "it tastes so good warm" as my dad mentioned to us.

Anyways, back to the Apple Galette (which is french for free formed crusty cakes etc, for those of you, who like me had to google that!)

Peel, core, and slice 2 apples into thin pieces.
Pull out a refrigerated pie crust (I am telling you, world's best invention). spread out on top of wax paper lined cookie sheet.
 Layer apples in middle of crust leaving about two inches on the outside.
Mix 2 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 Tbsp flour, and 1 tsp cinnamon in a little bowl pour over top of the apples.
Chop up 2 Tbsp butter and add on top too.
Fold pie crust up around the apples, there will be a little overlap in the crust. Sprinkle a little water and sugar on the crust.
Bake at 375 for about 30 mins or until the juices are bubbling.

After we ate it...it was delicious, kind of more like a tart then a pie. But if you want it sweeter I would add more sugar. I would probably only do 1 Tbsp butter too...but I was kind of modifying the Real Simple recipe and that is what they said to do. Also I think you should eat it as soon as you take it out of the oven, letting it cool a bit of course.

Recipe #13: Applesauce

There is nothing so wonderful as eating a warm bowl of homemade applesauce-- Especially in the fall! I think it epitomizes the crisp fall air and the feeling you get when you get to pull out your warm sweater for the first time. BUT, currently it feels nothing like that! Bummer, I love fall.
I had a couple of left over apples though so I decided to use them to make some apple sauce/puree for Alex. So it technically is being used as a baby food, but I am going to go ahead and write the recipe anyways, because I did enjoy several delicious bites!

You need:
12 apples, cored and sliced into thin pieces. I use Fuji because they are so sweet and they are the best. I think we will be eating fuji apples in heaven! :)
1/4 cup water, and more to add as you cook.

(For Baby Food: I used probably 5 apples and ended up adding quite a bit of water, I would say maybe like 2 and 1/2 cups to keep it from burning in the pot.)

Add the apples and water to the pot. (I used a medium sized sauce pan because I was not doing as much.)
Boil the apples until done. It will take probably at least an hour. Stir occasionally. Add water as needed to make sure it doesn't stick to the sides or burn. You can decide how chunky or smooth you want your apple sauce to be!
(For Baby Food you can also go a step further and puree the apple sauce to make sure no big chunks are left)

The end result: wonderful, warm, sweet apple sauce (no sugar is needed)! Can you see the steam rising from this deliciousness?