Lemon Sheet Cake

 

This one comes from The Recipe Rebel and was a summer favorite! A lighter version of our regular chocolate sheet cake!

Ingredients

• 1 cup salted butter (melted) let cool to room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• zest of 2 lemons
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2¼ cups all purpose flour (293 grams)
• 1 cup hot water

Frosting

• 3 cups powdered icing sugar
• ½ cup butter melted
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease a 11×17″ sheet pan with non stick spray.
• In a large bowl, stir together butter and sugar with a whisk. Add eggs one at a time and whisk until smooth.
• Add milk, baking soda and vanilla and whisk until combined.
• Zest and juice 2 lemons.
• Stir in flour and lemon zest. Add hot water and only ¼ cup of the lemon juice and stir slowly until combined.
• Spread into prepared baking sheet and and bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.

Chia Seed Pudding

This came from Chelpostpics and is the best version I've had of chia seed pudding!

Combine in Blender:

1 can coconut milk

2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt 

1 scoop collagen

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4-6 dates or maple syrup to sweeten

*Optional-add your favorite protein powder

I divide this into 5 jars evenly, then stir in 1/4 cup chia seeds into each jar. Let sit overnight in fridge before eating, then top with fruit and honey. 

Cranberry-Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip

 Totally didn't expect to love this one, but it was our favorite this holiday season! You could put this in little foil pans to gift with a box of crackers or pita chips! Even my kids devoured it! Recipe and photo from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces (340 g) fresh cranberries
• 4-5 green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 cup (212 g) sugar, more or less to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 (8-ounces each) packages (454 g) cream cheese, light or regular, softened
• Crackers, for serving

Instructions 

• Pulse the cranberries in a food processor or blender until coarsely chopped. Add the green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, sugar, cumin, lemon juice and salt and pulse until the ingredients are well combined and finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a covered container and refrigerate for 4 hours (or up to overnight) so the flavors have time to meld and develop.
• When ready to serve, spread the cream cheese in an even layer on a serving plate or 9-inch pie dish. Top with the cranberry-jalapeno mixture.
• Refrigerate for up to an hour before serving. Serve with crackers.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Butter

The Magical Slow Cooker has a great recipe for cranberry apple butter that you need to try! Perfect for fall!

Ingredients

2 lbs. apples peeled cored and sliced (I used granny smith, about 6 cups total after being cut

12 oz bag fresh cranberries

½ tsp. ground cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 cup orange juice

½ cup brown sugar-add this at the end, to taste

Instructions

Add the sliced and peeled apples to the slow cooker, note don't worry about using the exact amount of apples as me, somewhere close is fine. 

Add the cranberries, clove, cinnamon sticks and orange juice.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours or low for 8, without opening the lid during the cooking time.

When the cooking time is done, remove cinnamon sticks and discard. Ladle everything into a blender, add the sugar. (I used a half cup of packed brown sugar and that was good for my taste. Use less if you don't like things too sweet, you can always add more.)

Blend everything together until smooth.

I think this tastes better after being refrigerated overnight. Great on biscuits or croissants.

 

Crockpot Apple Butter

 

Oh my word this apple butter from Changing my Destiny is sooo incredibly easy, makes your house smell AMAZING, and tastes so great! I tripled my batch, by the way. 

*Makes a little more than 1 pint

INGREDIENTS:

1 dozen apples, peeled, cored, cubed

1/2 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon All Spice

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1:

Peel, Core, and Chop a dozen apples. I used apples from our trip to the Apple Orchard. I’m no apple expert, but these apples were more dense than the apples I typically buy in the grocery store. The flavor was great, but it took longer to break down in the Crockpot.

Step 2:

Toss the apples in the sugar and spices.

Step 3:

Put everything in the Crockpot, then [say it with me] Set It, and Forget It! I cooked it on Low overnight. After a few more hours on low, I bumped it to high and propped the lid. It cooked down and thickened quite a bit.

Step 4:

I suppose it’s optional, but I decided to blend the butter down smooth. You can eat it right out of the Crockpot, I did. I just took a spoon to the Crockpot and dove in, it was divine. However, for the finished product I wanted it smoother and pulled out my Magic Bullet since I don’t own an immersion blender. Then poured it into clean canning jars.

No-Cook Strawberry Peach Jam

 

Making jam is my jam-it's super easy, waaay better than store-bought, and tastes great on anything! This recipe from Chef in Training is the perfect blend of fresh ingredients!

Ingredients

1¼ cups crushed strawberries

2 cups finely chopped peaches

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 (2 oz.) box MCP Pectin

4½ cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

Instructions

1. Wash and rinse plastic containers with tight fitting lids. There are freezable glass

jars and that is what I used. Make sure it says freezable. Use 1-2 cup sized containers.

2. Wash, stem and crush berries using a potato masher for best results. Peel, pit

and finely chop peaches. Do not puree the fruit, jam should have bits of fruit.

3. Measure EXACT amount of prepared fruit and lemon juice into a large bowl.

4. Measure EXACT amount of sugar into a separate bowl. Reducing sugar amount

or using substitutes will result in set failures.

5. Gradually stir in 1 box of MCP pectin into fruit. Mix thoroughly. Set aside for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to dissolve pectin thoroughly.

6. Pour 1 cup light corn syrup into fruit mixture. Mix well. This prevents sugar crystallization during freezer storage.

7. Stir sugar in gradually. Stir constantly until sugar is COMPLETELY dissolved and no longer grainy.

8. Pour into prepared containers, leaving ½-inch space at the top for expansion during freezing.

9. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours until set. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or store in freezer for up to 1 year.

Thaw in fridge. Recipe makes 7 cups

Air Fryer Apples

 

These are healthy and amazingly delicious! Recipe and photo from Healthful Blondie. We had them over french toast, but you could pair them with ice cream, over biscuits, on oatmeal, or plain! Lots of options! And your house will smell sooo good when you make these!

Ingredients

2 red apples, pink lady, honey crisp, or gala, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch bite-sized cubes

2 Tbsp real maple syrup, divided

1 Tbsp melted coconut oil, refined has no taste

1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat your air fryer to 380°F and lightly spray with non-stick spray.

Add the peeled apple cubes into a bowl and toss with 1 Tablespoon maple syrup, coconut oil, and cinnamon.

Add apple cubes to the heated air fryer basket. Make sure they don’t overlap too much, or else they will not cook properly.

Air fry for 10 – 14 minutes, shaking halfway through. They should be golden, slightly crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. 

Remove from the air fryer and toss the warm apples in 1 Tablespoon of maple syrup. 

Enjoy warm with vanilla ice cream, oatmeal, or on its own!

Strawberry Peach Mango Jam

 

This beautiful summer jam comes from Plate fete, along with her gorgeous photos. It is bright and fresh and looks {almost} too pretty to eat! 

Makes about 1 quart of jam. 

Cook's Note: This jam will be best when made with the ripest fruit possible - not spoiled, but close to it.  It is the perfect way to use "ugly fruit" - i.e. bruised, somewhat shriveled specimens. The fruit will be at its sweetest and most flavorful stage when it looks a little too ripe for out-of-hand eating. 

4 medium ripe, yellow peaches, peeled* and halved 

3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved (about 1 quart)

1 ripe mango, cut into cubes 

1 1/2 cups sugar**

1/3 cup water

*Cook's Note: If your peaches are very ripe, a vegetable peeler will do the job nicely, however, if your peaches are still somewhat firm, or you are working with larger quantities, feel free to use the blanching method - it's a breeze and soooo satisfying. 

**Cook's Note: You may not wish to use the entire 1 1/2 cups of sugar.  This ratio is based on fruit that is a little less than ideal.  If your fruit is very sweet, you may be able to reduce the amount to 1 cup.  Feel free to begin with 1 cup (no less though) and add the additional sugar towards the end of the cooking process, after you have been able to taste the mixture and gauge its sweetness. 

Select a heavy bottomed, 3-quart saucepan and add prepared fruit, sugar, and water.  Place over medium high heat and bring to a soft boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the fruit is very soft.  

Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cease boiling and cool just slightly.  Using an immersion or stand blender, puree the fruit mixture until very smooth.  

Return the puree to the pot and place over medium heat.   If the jam appears to be getting too hot and is popping or splattering, you may need to reduce the heat to low.  Cook, stirring often, until thick - about 15-20 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  The jam will thicken further as it cools.  

Transfer to jars or airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for several weeks. If you prefer to use canning jars, process in a water bath for 10 minutes. 

Easy Fruit Dip (3 Ingredients...Tastes like Caramel!)

 

Yet another winner from Cooking with Karli! This was easy enough for my kids to make while I cut up fruit slices! We liked it with pretzels and graham crackers, too! 

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

Using either a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together all of the ingredients until creamy and smooth. 

Store in the refrigerator. Keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

Orange Fluff Salad (without cottage cheese)

Recipe and photo courtesy of Finding Zest. We had this with our Easter dinner and loved it! It wasn't overly sweet, which we loved, and the texture was perfect!

INGREDIENTS:

1 3 oz box orange gelatin

1 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)

1 15 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

1 21 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained

1 15 oz can diced mangoes or peaches, drained

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 8 oz container whipped topping fully thawed

fresh orange slices, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, mini marshmallows and/or maraschino cherries for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream and gelatin powder until well combined. Add in well drained canned fruit and mini marshmallows. Fold in whipped topping.

Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least one hour.

Serve with shredded coconut, fresh orange slices, maraschino cherries, additional mini marshmallows or chopped nuts for garnish.

Baked Oatmeal with Cranberries

 

We needed an easy, quick dinner tonight and my 10-year-old whipped this up all by herself and it was delicious!! Recipe from AllRecipes!

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup dried cranberries

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

• Step 2

  In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Beat in milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir in dried cranberries. Spread into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

• Step 3

  Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Best Ever Banana Muffins

 Recipe and photo from The Busy Baker. I wanted to make and freeze a bunch of muffins for my kids' breakfasts in the morning. These were the easiest and most delicious of all the ones I made! 

Ingredients

• 3 large ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup oil vegetable oil is best
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cups.
• In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until no large pieces remain.
• Add the sugar, egg and oil and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is incorporated.
• Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a separate mixing bowl and stir them together with a fork. Once they’re mixed together, dump the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
• Using a wooden spoon, carefully mix the wet and the dry ingredients together. The danger here is over-mixing which will result in dense, flat and dry muffins. The best technique for mixing is to scoop underneath the mixture and pull up gently instead of stirring around in a circle (like you’d stir your coffee, for example). Continue mixing this way just until the dry ingredients have been incorporated. It’s fine if there are a few small streaks of flour in the batter; it’s the large pockets of flour you want to make sure are incorporated.
• Spoon the batter into 12 lined muffin cups. Try your best to ensure you fill the cups evenly. This will ensure each of the muffins is finished baking at the same time (you don’t want some over-baked and some raw in the middle!)
• Bake the muffins in the oven at 350 degrees for about 23 minutes (anywhere from 22-25 minutes, depending on your oven), or until they are golden brown.
• Let them cool in the tins for about 5 minutes and then turn them out of the tins to let them cool completely on a cooling rack. Or, enjoy one warm from the oven slathered in butter.

Caramel Apple Slab Pie

Like I said, we love slab pies, and we did all slab pies for Thanksgiving this year. That gave us plenty of leftovers, even when feeding 12 people! Recipe and picture from the Recipe Critic...this is definitely one you'll want to try--it's the perfect caramel over some barely-crunchy green apples and a thin, buttery crust!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup shortening butter-flavored
• 8 tablespoons cold water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 1/2 pounds granny smith apples peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (10 cups)

Crumb Topping:

• 1 cup rolled oats quick-cooking
• 1 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter

Homemade Caramel:

• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup Half-and-half
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
• Pinch Salt

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Spray a 15x10x1 inch pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. To make the dough, In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender cut in the shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cold water over the mixture and toss with a fork. Repeat using 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it is moistened and knead the dough into a ball.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 19x13-inch rectangle. Wrap it around the rolling pin and unroll it into the prepared baking pan. Ease dough into the pan and up the sides, being careful not to stretch it. Trim dough to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pan. Fold dough edge over and flute as desired.
3. In an extra large bowl combine the sugar, 1/3 cup flour, cinnamon and apples. Toss until coated. Spoon the mixture on the dough and spread evenly.

To make the crumb topping:

1. In a large bowl, stir together quick-cooking rolled oats, packed brown sugar, and all-purpose flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until topping mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top of apples.

2. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until apples are tender. If it is starting to brown to fast, cover the top with foil the last 5-10 minutes. Cool slightly.

To make the homemade caramel:

1. Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-low to medium heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thicker. Turn off heat. Serve warm or refrigerate until cold. Drizzle on top of apple slab pie.