Category Archives: Fruit

Homemade Applesauce

28 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Homemade Applesauce

I absolutely LOVE homemade applesauce!  It’s so easy to make that I wonder why I don’t do it more often.  I inevitably make it every year to use up the rest of my apple picking bounty, and this year is no different.  Some people get really opinionated as to what type of apples are best to use in applesauce.  I say whatever you have on hand will work perfectly!  For this batch I used a combination of Ginger Gold, McIntosh, Gala, Honeycrisp, and two other varieties that we picked at a local orchard but I forget what they’re called.

Eat it plain for breakfast or a healthy snack, or use it as a topping for Pumpkin Pancakes or waffles!

Homemade Applesauce
Yield:  about 6 cups
Time:  35 minutes total

14 apples
1 cup apple juice (or apple cider)
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
t tbsp. lemon juice

1.  Wash, peel, and core the apples.  Cut into bite-sized chunks and place in a large pot.

2.  Whisk together the apple juice (or cider) with the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon juice.  Pour over the apples.  Cover the pot and simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender.

3.  Using a potato masher, coarsely mash the apples.  If you prefer your applesauce to be smooth, purée using an immersion blender or a regular blender with a kitchen towel over the vent to allow steam to escape.  Part of what I love so much about homemade applesauce is the rustic chunkiness of it, so I leave some larger pieces of apple in mine.

4.  Allow to cool before storing in glass jars or bowls.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Note:  It’s irresistible served over vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of caramel syrup.  YUM!

PDF to Print Recipe for Homemade Applesauce

Homemade Applesauce over waffles

Spiked Apple Pear Crisp

18 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Boozy, Dessert, Fruit, Quick and Easy, Vegetarian

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Spiked Apple Pear Crisp

The flavors in this dessert scream autumn, and with crisp autumn nights right around the corner, I wanted to share this recipe with you today.  I recommend enjoying it hot from the oven with a steamy mug of apple cider or a hot toddy and bask in the glory of all the goodies that autumn brings!

I used AppleJack in this recipe, which is a uniquely American spirit similar to apple brandy.  In the spirit of a new school year recently starting, I’ll give you a brief lesson on apple brandy and how it fits into American history.  Here’s the abridged version…

Early colonists were very skeptical of water, swearing that it was the root of most illnesses.  Once apple seeds were brought to America from Europe, the colonists readily pressed the apples, creating apple juice and cider which they much preferred to water since they viewed it as safer to consume.  Soon they began to ferment the pressed apples, creating hard cider in an effort to preserve it.  A Revolutionary War soldier serving under George Washington named William Laird began to distill the hard cider into “cyder spirits” (today’s apple brandy).  Laird gave some of the spirits to Washington, and the first president fell in love with the beverage.  He requested the recipe from the New Jersey-based Laird family so he could bring the spirit to Virginia, where it gained even more popularity.

The Laird family first began making this unique beverage in 1698, and Laird & Company continues to be the only company to produce it, still in New Jersey after all these years.  The company survived Prohibition by selling other apple products such as non-alcoholic cider and applesauce.  They were also granted special permission from the government to distill apple brandy for medicinal purposes.  As soon as Prohibition ended, Laird & Company sold AppleJack commercially and continues to do so today.  It should be available in your local liquor store.

 
Spiked Apple Pear Crisp
Yield:  12 dessert servings
Time:  10 minutes active;  45 minutes total

Filling:
5 Bartlett or Bosc pears
3 Gala apples
3 Granny Smith apples
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. honey
¼ cup AppleJack (or apple brandy)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. flour

Topping:
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups oats
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup brown sugar

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly grease a 9×13-inch glass baking dish.

2.  Peel and core the apples and pears.  Cut into bite-sized chunks.  Place in the prepared baking dish.

3.  Whisk together the brown sugar, honey, AppleJack, and lemon juice.  Drizzle over the fruit and toss to coat.  Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of flour over the fruit mixture, mixing gently to evenly distribute.  (I stuck mine in the fridge at this point for about 2 hours to give the fruit time to soak up the AppleJack.  If you don’t have time to marinate the fruit, just continue straight on to step #4!)

4.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar, ginger and brown sugar.  Using a pastry blender, cut in the softened butter.  (Or you can work it in with your hands if you prefer.)

5.  Crumble the topping over the fruit.  Bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the juices released by the fruit are bubbling.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla or dulce de leche ice cream!

PDF to Print Recipe for Spiked Apple Pear Crisp

Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

29 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by in Dessert, Fruit, Holiday

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Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

In honor of the 4th of July–one of my favorite holidays–I give to you this recipe for Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies!  A plate of these mini cakes will look very festive for the 4th of July picnic you’re heading to in just a few days (especially when adorned with mini American flags!), and the lemon zest in the filling keeps the flavors light enough for a mid-summer dessert!  I wish you a happy July 4th, filled with lots of smiles, laughter with friends and family, and an incredible fireworks show!

Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies
Yield:  32 mini whoopee pies
Time:  60 minutes total

For the pies:
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup whole milk
2 cups fresh blueberries

For the filling:
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
3-4 cups confectioner’s sugar
zest of one lemon
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

1.  Using a pastry blender or two knives, cream together the butter and both sugars.  Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

2.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir half of this dry mixture into the butter/sugar mixture.  Pour in 1/3 cup of the milk.  Stir in the remaining dry ingredients, followed by the remaining milk, mixing throughout.  Gently stir in the blueberries.

3.  If you have mini whoopie pie pans, lightly grease each well and drop a rounded teaspoon’s worth of batter in each well.  If you do not have a whoopie pie pan, simply drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto a greased cookie sheet.  Lightly pat down the top of each mound so there are no peaks.  Bake at 375ºF for 8-12 minutes, until the tops spring back when pressed gently.  Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool entirely.

4.  To make the filling, beat together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Pour in 2 cups of the confectioner’s sugar and beat until incorporated.  Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.  Slowly add the remaining 1-2 cups of confectioner’s sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.

5.  To assemble the whoopie pies, spread or pipe a heaping tablespoon of filling on the top of one cake, then gently press another mini cake into the frosting to create a sandwich.  Repeat with remaining cakes.  Store in the refrigerator until serving.

Blueberry Lemon Whoopie PiesBlueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

 

PDF to Print Recipe for Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

Fresh Watermelon Margaritas

22 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by in Beverages, Boozy, Cocktails, Fruit, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Fresh Watermelon Margaritas

This is the perfect summer cocktail!!  So refreshing and light.  It sometimes gets me in trouble because it goes down so easily that I don’t realize how many I’ve had until the pitcher is gone!  Yes…I make them in bulk.  Don’t judge.  Just promise me you’ll enjoy these margaritas on a perfect summer night.

Fresh Watermelon Margaritas
Yield:  one drink
Time:  15 minutes total

¼ of a watermelon
1½ shots of tequila
½ shot of Grand Marnier or Cointreau
1 shot simple syrup (* see note at bottom on how to make it)

1.  Cut a quarter of a watermelon into cubes.  Purée in a blender until liquefied.  Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl or measuring cup.  Pour through the strainer to filter out the pulp.  Measure out 5 shots of the watermelon juice into a cocktail shaker.  (Save the remaining watermelon juice for future cocktails!)

2.  Pour the tequila, Grand Marnier, and simple syrup into the cocktail shaker.  Pack shaker with ice cubes.  Shake, then strain into a glass.  Enjoy!!

* How to make simple syrup:  Pour two cups of water and two cups of sugar into a medium saucepan.  Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally.  Allow to boil lightly for 2-3 minutes.  Once all of the sugar has melted, remove pan from heat and allow to cool.  Store covered in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Fresh Watermelon Margaritas

<–  Photo proof that I make these Fresh Watermelon Margaritas in bulk!  Although I love this photo because without perspective, this actually looks like a normal sized mason jar, and not the gigantic beast that it really is!

PDF to Print Recipe for Fresh Watermelon Margaritas

Fruit Topped Cookie Pizza

10 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by in Dessert, Fruit

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Fruit Topped Cookie PizzaThis recipe has a special place in my heart.  My mom always made it every year for dessert on Super Bowl Sunday, and still to this day, the big game just doesn’t feel complete to me without a cookie pizza!  I’m not exactly sure why we always made it for the Super Bowl, because it actually seems more like a summertime dessert, but I love it so much that I’ll eat it any time of the year!

Fruit Topped Cookie Pizza
Yield:  16 slices
Time:  50 minutes, plus 2 hours chilling prior to serving

For crust:
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1¼ cup flour
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder

For topping:
8 oz. package reduced fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
8 oz. fat free Cool Whip (or other whipped topping)
Fruit for topping such as: sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, mandarin orange segments, sliced kiwi, pitted cherries,…

1.  Make the crust:  Cream together the sugar and butter.  Mix in the egg and vanilla.  Blend in the flour, salt, and baking powder.  I knead the dough a bit with my hands (don’t over-knead or it will get tough, knead just enough so that the ingredients all come together and it’s moist and crumbly).  Press the dough into the bottom of a greased 9-inch round pizza pan.  (Note:  Use a pizza pan with a solid bottom…not the type that has the holes on the bottom!)  Bake at 400ºF for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.  Set aside and allow to cool.

2.  Whip together the cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, and Cool Whip.  Spread evenly over the top of the prepared crust, all the way to the edge.  Arrange fruit of choice on top in a decorative pattern.  I like to arrange it so that when the “pizza” is cut into slices, each slice has a variety of fruit on it.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

PDF to Print Recipe for Fruit Topped Cookie Pizza