Strawberry Glacé Pie

Strawberry pie....one of the most delicious ways to welcome summer into your kitchen. The fresh, aromatic berries filling the air with a sweet aroma....

Its just plain lovely. Especially when the recipe is as easy and scrumptious as this one. (My mom has been making this version for over a decade, so I'm not sure where the recipe originally came from, haha!)

Strawberry Glacé Pie

1 8'' or 9'' pie crust, cooked and cooled

6 cups (approx) fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, dried, and cut in half

1 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)

3 tbls. cornstarch

1/2 cup water

Mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup. (It takes about 1 1/2 - 2 cups). In a medium saucepan mix sugar and cornstarch. Add water and mashed strawberries. Cook at medium heat until the mixture boils. Boil for 1 minute. Let cool.

Mix remaining strawberries with half of the cooked mixture. Pour into pie crust. Spoon remaining strawberry mixture evenly on top of berries. Refrigerate pie until cold. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top, if desired. Enjoy!

Apple Pie

Ahhh, there is something comforting about apple pie. Perhaps its just me, but it directs my thoughts homeward. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it...

I always used to think that apple pie was something difficult to make. After all, it has a top-crust! Well, I was wrong. Its totally easy. A little bit time-intensive maybe, but simple just the same.

I encourage you to make one soon. You know you want to!

Apple Pie

Adapted from Food.com

Makes one 9" pie

8 cups apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

2 pie crusts, unbaked

Cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling

Place one of the pie crusts in a (deep) pie dish. Set aside.

Toss apples with lemon juice to coat.

Mix together sugar, spices, flour, cornstarch, and salt in a zip-top bag.

Add apples, and shake to thoroughly coat apples.

Pour into prepared crust. Dot with butter and cover with other crust. Crimp crust edges together to seal. Cut vent holes into the top crust. Brush with milk and sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425°. Reduce temperature to 350° and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

Yummers! I love blueberry muffins. There is just something nostalgic about them. They remind me of my childhood. My mom used to let me help her make them. My favorite part was sprinkling the topping over the unbaked gems...

That's probably because it was also my favorite part of the muffin to eat...yum...

These are a snap to throw together - a great activity to involve the whole family! There are memories to be made...

Blueberry Muffins

Adapted from Food.com

Makes 18 muffins

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

2 cups all-purpose flour (or 10 oz Soft White wheat flour)

1/2 cup milk

For the topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or 2.5 oz Soft White wheat flour)

1/2 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, chilled

Make topping: Combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°. Line muffin tin with muffin cups, or grease thoroughly.

In a large bowl, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until mixture is fluffy and pale in color. Add eggs, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Add alternately with the milk. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and sprinkle with topping. Bake until golden brown and springy to the touch, about 20 to 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Yogurt Lemon Loaf

Ahhh, what a delightful treat! This cake is very moist from the yogurt, and the use of fresh lemons gives it great flavor. Delish!

The texture is unique - not really like a pound cake, but rather its almost like a moist sponge cake. Very yummy!

This recipe also has room for customization - you could make it into mini loaves, or make it lime flavored. Use your imagination and enjoy!

Yogurt Lemon Loaf
Adapted from Ina Garten
Makes 1 loaf

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or 7.5 oz Soft White wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (or kefir)
1 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For lemon syrup:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 350º. Grease a 9 x 5 or 8 1/2 x 4 1/4 inch loaf pan. Line bottom with parchment, and grease/flour loaf pan.

In a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together yogurt, 1 cup of sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Fold in oil. Stir until batter is smooth. Pour into pan. Bake until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

While loaf is baking, make syrup. Cook lemon juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved and mixture is clear. Set aside

When the cake is finished baking, allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then place loaf on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Pour lemon syrup over warm loaf, allowing cake to absorb the sauce. (I poured the syrup over the loaf while it was still in the pan and allowed it to soak for a few minutes before moving the loaf to the cooling rack where I then poured the excess syrup over the top and sides of the loaf). Allow to fully cool.

Once the loaf is cool, combine glaze ingredients. Cover cake with glaze. Slice and enjoy!

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

Sometimes you come across a recipe idea that is just so good, you wonder why you haven't heard of it before. I mean really, creamsicle cookies? Brilliant! I think this recipe may just become an instant classic in our house. SO GOOD!

These cookies taste unique and delicious - so flavorful too! If you are currently in a cookie rut, these will snap you out of it quicker than you can say "tropical paradise in my mouth", (though I'm pretty sure no one will be able to understand what you're saying, because your mouth will be full of cookies, haha!). Oh, and here's a fun idea - make yourself an "ice cream sandwich" by filling two creamsicle cookie bookends with orange-sherbet...yum yum yum...


Orange Creamsicle Cookies
Adapted from The Cooking Photographer
Makes 2-3 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (or honey sucanat)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (organic) orange extract
2 tablespoons fresh orange zest, grated
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or 12 oz. Soft White wheat flour)
10-12 oz. bag white chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

Preheat your oven to 375º. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper (I didn't find it necessary).

Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add egg, salt, vanilla extract, orange extract, and zest. Stir until combined. Stir together baking soda and flour. Add and mix until just incorporated. Stir in white chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet, or use mini scoop for smaller cookies. Bake until very lightly browned, about 7 minutes for mini's or 8-10 minutes for regular sized cookies. Allow to rest a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Lemon Squares

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I love citrus desserts! Especially when they are as quick and easy to make as these lemon squares. Feel free to make them into lime squares, by subbing the lemon juice/zest for lime. Either way though, you've got yourself some yummy treats. (Just a note - the sucanat gives these a darker color, but they still taste great, so don't let that deter you!)

Lemon Squares
Adapted from Bakerella
Makes about 24 squares

Crust:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, chilled and cubed
1 1/2 cups flour (or 7.5 oz Soft White wheat flour)
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar (plus more for dusting)
Pinch of salt

Topping:
1 1/2 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)
1/4 cup flour (or 2 tablespoons cornstarch)
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2-2/3 cup (fresh) lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350º. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 baking dish.

To make the crust:

Whisk flour, confectioner's sugar and salt together in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

To make the topping:

Prepare topping while crust bakes. Stir together sugar, flour (or cornstarch), and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add eggs, lemon juice, and zest (if using). Mix well and pour over warm baked crust. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Dust the top with confectioner's sugar, and place in the refrigerator. Cut into squares and serve cold, or room temperature. Enjoy!

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

Cool and refreshing, (not to mention easy!) this smoothie is SO yummy! Such a great tasting way to add some fruit to your diet : )

Feel free to tweak the recipe to fit your taste. I love the flavor combo going on in this particular smoothie, and the banana makes it sooo creamy! Delish!

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
Serves 2

1 frozen banana
5-7 frozen strawberries
2 cups orange juice (or enough to cover fruit)

Whir all ingredients in a blender, adding more juice if necessary, until creamy (about 1 minute). Enjoy!

Banana Nut Bread

I love, love, love banana nut bread, and this recipe is awesome! It is so moist, and so delicious.

This recipe is extremely quick and easy to throw together, and if your house is anything like mine, the finished product will seem to vanish rather quickly too : )

Banana Nut Bread
Adapted from this recipe
Makes 1 loaf

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or 7.5 oz Soft White wheat flour)
1 1/2 cups sugar (or honey sucanat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 med-large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (or melted butter)
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat your oven to 350º. Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla until well blended. Add dry ingredients. Stir until mixture is well combined. Stir in the chopped nuts. Pour mixture into loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Happy baking, and enjoy!

Chocolate Fudge Pomegranate Cookies

Wow, wow, wow! Who would have thought that pomegranate seeds (or arils) would be so delicious in chocolate cookies? Let me just tell you - they are!

The cookies are so rich and fudge-like, and the arils add a burst of flavor and freshness. Yum...

Chocolate Fudge Pomegranate Cookies
Adapted from this recipe
Makes about 30 cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour (or 5 oz Soft White wheat flour)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pomegranate juice
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)

In a bowl cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until mixture is fluffy. In a small bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Stir in pomegranate juice until thoroughly mixed. Fold in chocolate chips and pomegranate arils. Refrigerate dough until firm (about 2-4 hours).

Once dough is chilled preheat oven to 350º. Roll dough into 1-inch sized balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Apple Pizza

Have you ever had a "dessert pizza"? If you haven't, then you are in for a treat. If you have, then you already know how yummy they are. I particularly love apple dessert pizzas. However, the ones from you get from your local pizza joint may or may not be made with ingredients that I wouldn't recommend consuming. So here is a recreation that tastes just as good, if not better, then the ones you get for purchase.

This scrumptious dessert is a bit more time consuming then some other desserts out there, but it is so, so worth it. I could eat an entire pizza myself...if I only had the stomach room : )


Apple Pizza
Dough adapted from 17 and Baking
Apple filling adapted from Food.com
Makes one large pizza

1 batch of dough (recipe follows)
1 batch of apple filling (recipe follows)
1 batch of streusel topping (recipe follows)
1 batch of glaze (recipe follows)

Roll dough out and place on floured cookie sheet or pizza pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until just starting to brown. Remove from oven and spread apple filling evenly over crust. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over apple topping. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Once pizza has been removed from oven, drizzle glaze evenly over the top. Best when served warm. Enjoy!

For the dough:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1/4 cup warm water (105ºF to 115ºF)
2 tsp. instant dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar, divided (or honey sucanat)
3/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup whole milk or buttermilk, room temperature
2 1/4 cups flour, divided (or 10 oz Soft White wheat flour)

To make the dough: Lightly butter a bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer bowl combine water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, and let stand about 5 minutes, or until foamy.

Add remaining sugar, salt, butter, egg, milk, and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. On low speed, mix until combined. Switch to dough hook, and slowly add remaining flour, with mixer on low, 1/4 cup at a time. Once all the flour is in, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and slightly tacky, but not too sticky. If the dough is too wet, add 1-2 tablespoons more flour. Continue mixing for 3-4 minutes. Turn off mixer and shape dough into a ball.

Put dough in greased bowl, and turn so that it gets lightly coated in butter. Cover with plastic wrap so that it will not be exposed to much air. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled (I only let mine rise for about 30 minutes). After it has doubled, punch down, and turn out on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle and place on a floured cookie sheet, or roll into a circle and place on a floured pizza pan.

For the apple filling;

2 cups peeled and finely chopped apples (2-3 apples, depending on the size)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add apples, lemon juice, and sugar to a saucepan. Simmer on medium-low until apples are slightly tender (about 5 minutes). In a bowl, combine spices, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Add to apples and cook an additional 3 minutes (or until apple mixture is slightly thickened). Set aside until ready to spread over top of crust.

For the streusel topping:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cubed and chilled
1/2 cup flour (or 2.5 oz Soft White wheat flour)
1/2 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)

In a small bowl, mix together flour and sugar. Cut in butter cubes using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers. Work in the butter until mixture is crumbly. Set aside until needed.

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk, and the vanilla. Mixture should be thin enough to drizzle. If too thick, add additional milk. (An easy way to drizzle the glaze is from a zip-top bag. Just transfer glaze to baggie, snip off a corner, and you're ready to go!). Enjoy!

Mini Apple Pies

These mini pies are so cute! Great for holiday gatherings because you can just grab and eat. You don't need plates or forks like you would with a large pie.

You can make either the double crust pies or the single crust pies (or both!). Feel free to play around with the filling. You could make mini cherry pies, mini pecan pies, mini strawberry pies.... you get the idea : )

Mini Apple Pies
Inspired by Bakerella
Recipe adapted from Food.com
Makes about 16 pies

1 cup finely chopped apples (1-2 apples, depending on the size)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (9 inch) pie crust, unbaked

In a bowl, stir together apples and lemon juice. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, spices, flour, cornstarch and salt. Mix thoroughly. Add to apple mixture. Stir until combined. Set aside.

Roll out pie crust until it is about 1/8 of an inch thick. Using a linzer cookie cutter, or 1 1/2 - 2 in round cutter, cut circles out of crust.

For double crust pies:

Place half of the pie circles on a tray. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the apple mixture onto the center of each crust. Top each with another crust, and crimp sides. (Optional: Place lollypop stick in each pie before crimping top crust).

Brush tops with melted butter, if desired, and bake at 350º for about 15 minutes, or until slightly browned.

For single crust pies:

Press crust circles into mini muffin tins. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the apple mixture into each. Bake at 350º for about 20 minutes, or until crust edges are brown, and pie filling looks thick.

I like to make both the double crust, and single crust pies out of the same batch. Just make about the same number of each. (Because the double crust pies use more crust, and the single crust pies use more filling). Enjoy!

Cranberry Pie

If you have never heard of a cranberry pie you're probably not alone. I, at least, hadn't heard of such a thing, and certainly wouldn't have guessed it would be so yummy. Yeah...I would have guessed wrong. This pie is so delicious! I'm talking "WOW" delicious, as in "go back for thirds" delicious. It is absolutely, positivity, scrumptious. To me, it is more like a cobbler than a pie, but no matter what you call it, it is yummy!

Cranberry Pie
Adapted from the Pioneer Woman
Makes one 8" or 9" pie

2 cups (heaping) cranberries
3/4 cups pecans, chopped (measure, then chop)
2/3 cups sugar (or honey sucanat)
1 cup flour (or 5 oz Soft White wheat flour)
1 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling (or honey sucanat)

Preheat oven to 350º.

Butter an 8" or 9" pie or cake pan. Spread cranberries evenly in bottom of pan. Sprinkle chopped pecans and 2/3 cup sugar on top.

Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, butter, eggs, extract, and salt in a bowl. Stir until combined.

Slowly pour batter evenly over top of cranberries. Spread gently over any uncovered areas.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake additional 5 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Enjoy!

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

These mini "doughnuts" were so fun to make and eat! Great with coffee or tea. Feel free to make these in the larger "doughnut" size if you like.
I particularly liked using sucanat on the tops of these, because it gave them a nice crunch, but feel free to use whatever you have, or whatever you're in the mood for.

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts
Adapted from Food.com
Makes 12 large, or 48 mini doughnuts

3 tablespoons sugar (or honey sucanat)
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour (or 10 oz Soft White wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
2/3 cup packed brown sugar (or honey sucanat)
1/2 cup apple butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup (nonfat) vanilla yogurt
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 400ºF.

Grease 2 mini bundt-cake pans (for a total of 12 doughnuts), or 2 mini muffin tins (for a total of 48 "mini" doughnuts).

Combine 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl. Stir together. Evenly coat pans with mixture. Shake out excess and reserve for use at end of recipe.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining 2 teaspoons of cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together egg whites, brown sugar, apple butter, maple syrup, apple cider, yogurt, canola oil, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.

Dived batter evenly in pans. Sprinkle reserved cinnamon/sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake bundts for 10-12 minutes, (mini doughnuts for 7-9 minutes), or until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow doughnuts to cool for several minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Key Lime Pie

I love citrus flavors. I love them in fresh fruit, and I love them in desserts. Key lime pie is a favorite at our house. Not only is it quick and easy to make, but it is very satisfying.

Now, after viewing the ingredient list, you may be thinking, "Sweetened condensed milk? Seriously?". I know, I know, it isn't good for you (even though the only ingredients are milk and sugar). However, every once in a while, I think its okay to splurge. So, here is the recipe - its delicious and definitely splurge-worthy.

Key Lime Pie
Adapted from Nellie & Joe's
Makes one 9" pie

9" graham cracker pie crust (for homemade crust, see recipe below)
14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup lime juice (I use 3/4 cup - for more tartness)

In a bowl combine the milk, egg yolks, and lime juice. Blend until mixture is smooth. Pour into pie crust.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350ºF. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before refrigerating. Once pie is chilled, slice and serve with whipped cream, if desired. Enjoy!

Graham Cracker Crust
Adapted from Food.com
Makes one 9" pie crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, melted

Mix together crumbs and sugar. Add butter and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Press into bottom and up the sides of pie pan.

Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes. Remove and fill with key lime pie filling. Bake as directed. Enjoy!

Lime Meltaways

These cookies are a breeze to throw together, and they turn out wonderfully crisp and delicious. They are great for tea-time, or for a cookie exchange because they are so cute, and fun to eat.

I also love these cookies because you can freeze the logs, and have them ready to go when you need a last-minute goody. You can slice and bake as many or as few as you want. So handy, and so scrumptious!

Lime Meltaways
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes about 10 dozen

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar, divided
Grated zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (or Soft White wheat flour)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla. Beat until fluffy.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl. Add to creamed mixture. Beat on low until combined.

Roll dough into two logs between parchment paper, making each log 1 1/4 inch in diameter chill for at least 1 hour. (At this point the logs can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in zip-top bag and set aside. Remove parchment paper from logs, and slice logs into 1/8-inch thick rounds. Place on parchment lined baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch space between.

Bake cookies about 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool slightly (about 8-10 minutes). While cookies are still warm toss in sugar-filled bag to coat lightly. Allow to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!

Passion-Fruit Lemonade Tea

It is now less than three weeks until the start of Fall. Summer has seemed to go by so quickly! Whereas I am looking forward to harvest-time very much, I'm also hoping to enjoy the last few weeks of summertime to the fullest : )A beautiful hibiscus growing in my grandparent's backyard.

This is a very cool and refreshing way to enjoy what's left of the warm summer days. You can make this into a delicious tea-lemonade combo, or just an iced tea (in case you would like to omit the lemonade concentrate, as it is slightly less than healthy for you, haha!).

Passion-Fruit Lemonade Tea

Adapted from Meemos Kitchen
Makes 2 quarts

3 Tazo Passion Tea bags (or tea of choice)
3 cups water
1 can (12 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate*

*If you would like to make this an iced tea instead of lemonade, just substitute 1/2 - 3/4 cup of sugar (or honey sucanat) for the concentrate.

Instructions:

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat. Steep tea bags for 5-15 minutes, till desired strength is reached.

Add lemonade concentrate and stir, (or add sugar, adjusting sugar to desired sweetness). Pour tea mixture into a 2 quart pitcher. Add enough water to bring total liquid amount to 2 quarts.

Chill minimum of 2-4 hours. Serve over ice. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp

I love apple pie, but if you want a quick apple fix, and don't want to take the time to make crust and all that, here is a great alternative. It is so yummy!

I used Gala apples this time, because it was all I had on hand, but Granny Smith I'm sure would be delicious for a tart/sweet combo.

Apple Crisp

Adapted from Food.com
Serves 6-8

4 cups apples, sliced or cubed
1/3 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Crumb topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar (or honey sucanat)
3/4 cup flour (or 3 oz Soft White wheat flour)
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

Slice or cube apples and toss with lemon juice. Set aside.

In a bowl mix together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Pour over apples and stir until thoroughly mixed. Pour into greased 8x8 baking dish.

Mix together topping ingredients. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake at 350ºF for 1 hour, or until golden brown and bubbling. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

"How can something be so yummy that was so easy to make?" That is the question I ask myself as I go to grab yet another one of these delicious cookies.

Quick, easy, and oh so scrumptious.

If you prefer to use raisins rather than their cranberry cousins, feel free!

And now for the recipe:

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

Adapted from Food.com
Makes about 3 dozen large cookies

Whisk together and set aside:

2 cups all-purpose flour (or 10 oz. Soft White wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream wet ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed (or honey sucanat)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Stir in:

3 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant)
2 cups craisins (or raisins)

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside. Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low (or stand mixer). Increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens.

Stir flour mixture into the creamed mixture until just combined (do not overmix).

Add oats and craisins; stir to incorporate. Drop 2 tablespoon sized dough balls onto greased cookie sheet several inches apart. (They work fine as 1 tablespoon sized cookies too, just reduce bake time slightly). Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown, but still moist beneath cracks on top of cookies.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Rainier Cherry Pie

After opening the refrigerator and noticing that there was an abundance of Rainier cherries, I felt compelled to make (at least some of them) into a pie. And so that is exactly what I did.

This was actually the first cherry pie I had ever made, though not the first I've eaten : )

Rainier Cherry Pie

Adapted from this recipe
Serves 8-10

1 butter pie crust (recipe follows)
5 cups fresh Rainier cherries, pitted and chopped in half
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (or honey sucanat)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Crumb topping (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Roll out crust on lightly floured surface and place in 9" pie dish. Freeze for 15 minutes.

In a bowl combine cherries, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix and set aside to juice for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch. Stir into cherry mixture. Pour cherries into pie crust. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over cherries.

Bake 30 mintues. Then reduce oven temperature to 375ºF and turn pie 180º. Bake for an additional 35-40 mintues, or until golden brown. Allow pie to cool for several hours before serving.

*Butter Pie Crust*

Adapted from Food.com

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (or honey sucanat)
1/3 cup butter, chilled and cut into cubes
2-4 tablespoons cold water

Mix flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in butter cubes using a pastry cutter, or two knives. Add water until dough forms. Flatten into disk shape and fully cover with plastic wrap. Chill until firm.

*Crumb Topping*

1 cup all-purpose flour (or 5 oz Soft White wheat flour)
3/4 cups brown sugar (or honey sucanat)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted

Combine dry ingredients. Stir until mixed. Add melted butter. Stir until mixture is crumbly. Set aside until ready to use.

Have a wonderful day, and enjoy your pie!

Easy Banana "Ice Cream"

Here is a recipe for a super quick, super easy, "ice cream". Or maybe since this recipe is completely dairy-free, it should be called sorbet rather than ice cream... Nah, seeing as how it is so luscious and creamy, I think that "ice cream" is the better label.You want to use bananas with brown spots on the peel. The riper the banana, the sweeter the ice cream will be. (If using an under-ripe banana, you may have to add a little bit of honey or maple syrup to the ice cream).

Here's what you do:

Peel a ripe banana (or 2, or 3), and slice into chunks. Put the chunks into a zip-top bag. Place in freezer until fully frozen.

Once frozen, put banana chunks into a food processor. Add 2-4 tablespoons of water per banana (I usually start with 2, then add more if needed).

Churn until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Enjoy immediately.

Feel free to play around with this recipe. You could make peanut-butter banana ice cream, chocolate banana ice cream, or anything else you can think of, just by adding different ingredients. Have fun, stay cool, and enjoy!