Strawberry Fruit Leather

My sweet Mother in Law sent me home with a BUNCH of strawberries!  Tons!  I froze a lot of them, but I wanted to make a few strawberry things with the rest.  My kids eat them like they are going out of style, so I thought I'd make some fruit leather for them.  It was so simple and the end results were pretty great.  If you want it more sweet, then add more honey.  I like mine a little tart, so I didn't add quite as much.

Strawberry Fruit Leather

3 c. strawberries, with stems cut off

1-2 Tbsp honey

Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line big cookie sheet with parchment paper.  In your blender add your strawberries and honey and blend, until nice and smooth.  Pour into pan and spread out with the back of your spoon, until nice and even.  Bake for 2-3 hours.  Mine took a little over 3.  It just depends on your oven.  Keep an eye on it.  When it's not sticky to the touch anymore, it is done.  I over did my second batch, but it still softened up, sitting over night.  Let it cool completely before cutting and rolling it up.  Enjoy!

Happy Wednesday!  Hope you are all having a great week!

Love, Erica*

Pineapple Coconut Cake

Here's another favorite summer recipe.  Grandma would bring this cake to all of our summer picnics.  It's delish!  Make it this weekend for your family bbq.  You won't be disappointed.  :o)  Have a great weekend everyone!  Pray my camera shows up soon. 


This is another recipe that my Grandma passed on to me.  I took a bite of it yesterday and it reminded me of her.  I've been eating this cake since I was a little girl.  It went from me picking off all the coconut and just eating the icing, to now devouring the entire thing.  All the flavors go together deliciously!  The cake is lemon, topped with crushed pineapple, a vanilla cream frosting, and sprinkled on top of that, shredded coconut.  So YUM!  It's a springy, summery cake and I was excited to make it.  Even though it doesn't feel like Spring, the cake sure tasted like it.  :o)

Pineapple Coconut Cake
1 box of lemon cake mix
1 can of crushed pineapple
3.5 oz package of instant vanilla pudding
1/2 c. milk
16 oz cool whip
2 1/2 c. shredded coconut

Make the cake mix according to the box and pour it into a big 11x17 cookie sheet or two 13x9 dishes.  Bake according to box directions.  (The box didn't say how long to bake the big sheet, so I did it on 350 for 20 minutes, and it was perfect.)  Remove from oven and poke holes all over the cake with a fork.  When it's still warm spoon the pineapple and juice on top of the cake.  Let it cool completely.  Mix instant pudding with 1/2 c. milk until nice and smooth.  Fold in your cool whip.  Spread it over the top of the pineapple, and then sprinkle coconut all over the top.  Refridgerate for several hours or over night.  Feeds about 20-25 people.  Perfect for a picnic.  Hope you enjoy it!

Have a great week!!!!

Mango Salsa

I love Easter weekend.  I love when my family that I haven't seen in a while are home.  And I especially LOVE when they whip up something delicious like Mango Salsa to share with everyone.  My cousin, Jen, was in town for the holiday weekend.  I went to pay her a visit and I was so excited when they invited me to stay for dinner.  My family is full of awesome cooks, my Auntie, Uncle and cousins being a few of them. 

I, being the lazy person that I am, didn't whip up anything new to post on the blog.  So, Jen told me I could use this recipe.  I'm so happy she let me.  It's something everyone must try.  And it's so bright and colorful.  Perfect for spring and summer parties.

Mango Salsa
3 ripe mangos, cut up
3 avacados, cut up
juice of one lemon to coat the mango and avacado.
1/2 large white onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
1-2 jalepeno's, chopped (take out the seeds if you don't want it too spicy)
Bunch of cilantro, chopped (I like a lot of this stuff, so do it to your own taste)

Mix everything together and eat with tortilla chips, or top your fish, or chicken with it.  YUM!

Hope you had a great Easter weekend like I did.  Here's to an awesome week and warmer weather!  PLEASE!  :o)

Brown Sugar Fruit Dip

Oh Scrumdiddly!  My sis in law made something similar for a Christmas party and ever since I've been wanting it again.  I was just getting over the stomach bug, so I couldn't really eat a whole lot of it.  LAME!  So, I thought i'd make it for an after school snack and it got eaten right up.  Goes great with apples, and i'm sure lots of other fruits, but that is all I had on hand.

Brown Sugar Fruit Dip
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients until well combined.  I whipped it for quite awhile until it wasn't so granually from the sugar.  Is that even a word?  You catch my drift, right?

Might not be the healthiest of dips, but HEY!...you are getting your fruit intake!  ;o)

Monday Match-Up

I thought we would do Halloween treats this week.  I wanted to do something easy, because I just don't have the energy for a whole lot of anything these past few days.  Must be the pregnancy thing.  I decided to do Monica's Sugar Cookies.  Mmmm....seriously the yummiest I have ever had.  She gave me this recipe years ago and I use it all the time.  Even though making them without her made me miss her even more than I already do.  I made the dough before church and threw it in the fridge and made the cookies after our naps.  This recipes makes a lot so it's perfect to save a dozen and let the kids decorate them.  They had a ball!!  We delivered the rest to neighbors and family.  Always nice to give your goodies to others.

I do apologize for the picture.  It has been raining non-stop here all day long (I LOVE IT!) and the lighting in my kitchen isn't the best.  Not too bad though. 

Here's the recipe~

4 cubes of butter, softened....OH YES!!!  4!!!!

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 c. flour

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients.  Refridgerate over night or if your in a hurry throw it in the freezer for a little while.  It's gonna be really hard so now you want to warm it up with your hands and knead it til it's soft, adding flour as you go, so it's not so sticky.  About 1 1/2 cups more.  Roll out dough about 1/4 inch thick and place on baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the cookie is no longer shiny.  You don't want to over bake these.  Place on cooling rack and ice with your favorite icing or you can use this one.

Icing~

1 cube butter

3/4 c. milk

1/3 c. flour

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 lb bag of powdered sugar

Mix your first four ingredients and then add sugar slowly until it's gets to the thickness you want.  So tasty!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Love, Erica*

I was never a Halloween fan growing up. I know, right? I honestly didn't love candy or chocolate until I became an adult. I blame it on my in-laws and their love of all things tasty and sweet. Anyway, I have become a lover of Halloween because of my children. I love dressing them up and making fun treats together. So I loved this Match-up.

I chose to do Apple Pie Caramel Apples. I learned this fun technique from my good friend Michelle. Last year we made hundreds of these for a fund raiser for our class. They were a hit and I was amazed how delicious they were. I guess you can find a similar apple at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. I've just never been able to shell out 8 buckeroos for one of their apples even though I love caramel apples. I was excited about the endless possibilities of doing these at home with the kiddos. You don't have to make them this way, you can also coat your apples with nuts, crushed candy bars, or anything else your heart desires. Anyway, they are a perfect fall treat and great for a party or for a family get together. The kids had a ball helping out and they taste so yummy. I love the tart and sweet together. Yum.

Apple Pie Caramel Apples

5 Granny Smith Apples

1 pkg. caramels

White Chocolate or White Almond Bark or White Candy Melts (any will work)

Cinnamon/Sugar Mixture

5 Popsicle Sticks

If you want to make a ton of these you can usually find a huge brick of caramel at food supply stores. Those in Utah can find them at Orson Gygi or Kitchen Kneads in West Jordan. Kraft also makes Caramel Bits in a bag by the chocolate chips. These are nice because there is no unwrapping of caramels. I bought a bag of wrapped caramel because they were cheaper and they had the sticks with them. Any of these work.

As far as the white coating. I have used the white candy melts with great success. They were thin enough to give the apple a nice coating. With these I had some white almond bark leftover so I used that. It was a little thick and even when I thinned it, it still gave the apple a pretty thick coating. No problem for me for a family treat, but I would want it a touch thinner if I was presenting them somewhere. I haven't tried the plain white chocolate. I'm sure it would work just fine too.

So, wash the apples really well and dry completely. It is best if your apples are at room temp. I took mine out of the fridge ready to get started and had to wait a few hours because they were "sweating". If you dip them while they are wet your caramel will just fall right off. Not good. Take the stems out and insert the sticks. Next, melt the caramel. I did mine in the microwave but you can do it on the stove top too. Dip your apples and coat thoroughly. Hold the apple over the bowl and let it drip. Place on a sprayed piece of parchment. This works the best, I promise. Do all your apples, reheating the caramel if needed. Let sit until completely set. For a nicer looking apple, use kitched shears to trim off any excess caramel on the bottom.

Next melt your white candy melts, also done in the microwave. Dip each apple the same as the caramel and immediately sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Let sit till set. We like to cut these in pieces. Enjoy! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I think I may go cut another. :)

Reminder:

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See, so cute!

Monday Match-Up

Peaches is what I chose to do this week.  I couldn't resist!  They looked so delicious and juicy in the store and I was right...they were!  Thanks to my awesome friend, Susie, she gave me the perfect recipe to use them in.  I was so happy that I did, and my family was too.  Who would've thunk?!  A Peach Chimichanga?!  Oh yes...and to hear my baby boy say chimichanga makes it all worth it too.  :o)  It's so easy to put together and the toppings are endless!  I chose to top mine with whipped cream and more fresh peaches.  Jason, on the other hand, wanted vanilla ice cream on top of his.  They were both delicious.  Yes, I tried both!  I have a good excuse...remember? ;o) If you want to use canned peaches for this recipe then go right ahead.  I think it'd taste just as good.

Here's the recipe for a family of 4-

4-6" flour tortillas, warmed
4 TBSP Cream cheese, softened

3 ripe peaches, skinned, and diced up

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Oil for frying
And toppings of your choice such as whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, powdered sugar, caramel ice cream, caramel ice cream topping...I could go on and on.

Spread tortillas with cream cheese.  Combine peaches and cinnamon; spoon down the center of the tortilla.  Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up.

In a skillet or deep fat fryer, heat 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees.  Fry them for 1 minute on each side or until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve warm.

I hope you all enjoyed these as much as I did.  I think this will be a new family favorite for us. 

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Remember that time when I went all crazy about Rice pudding? If not then, here's a reminder. Anyhoo, when Erica told me peaches for Monday my mind went straight to Peach Bread Pudding. I did a quick Google Search and came upon a recipe by Emeril. I just can't get away from The Food Network. This was a fun lil' recipe. It was not too difficult to whip up and it made my heart and taste buds sing. Seriously, so yum.

I hadn't had a lot of luck with peaches this year, so I was crossing my fingers for some good ones. I was in luck! Look at these beauties.

 While I soaked day old bread in milk and cream, I peeled and cut about 2 lbs. of peaches. I love hand peeling fruit. It reminds me of my Grandma. I watched her hand peel a lot of fruit and she taught me how to do it myself.

After they were all peeled I cooked them in a skillet with sugar until they were soft around the edges and delicious looking. They look awesome, right? They were then folded into the bread, milk, egg, mixture and baked in the oven until golden brown and set.

I made Cinnamon Sauce to drizzle on top. I based it off Emeril's recipe but instead of adding amaretto, I put in 1/2 t. of cinnamon. It was tasty and complimented the pudding perfectly. Is there anyone out there that loves puddings as much as I do?

You can find the recipe here.

Reminder, we are doing our second Giveaway. If you want to enter leave a comment on THIS post and link us from your blog or facebook. Is it Monday already? Here we go!

Monday Match-Up

Apples...the child in me wants to twist my tongue and say, "apple".  :o)  And i'm not saying that I didn't do it a couple times in the past couple days.  It's funny.  Ha!  Anyhoo...It's my week to choose the Monday Match-Up, but I have a really hard time thinking of things.  So, my thoughtful sister said, "Hey!  What about apples, where it's the start of the school season!?"  What a great idea!  Apples it is. 

I chose to do an apple turnover.  Way easy and way yummy.  (I'm eating one now as I type.)  Now, I could have been all "susie homemaker" and make my own puff pastry, but let's get real here!  I like easy.  So, I bought the puff pastry in the store, and it worked out magnificently!  I used my handy apple peeler and corer to do all the hard work for me, and Justy thought that was fun.

Here's the recipe
4 good sized Granny Apples
2 Tbsp. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. water
1 pkg of puff pastry (17.25 oz)

For the icing
1 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Take out your puff pastry and let it thaw out prior to making your apple filling.

Core and peal apples.  Cut them so they are pretty little slices.  Melt butter on medium heat in a large skillet and add apples.  Stir it around for a good 2 minutes.  Add brown sugar and cinnamon and stir for another few minutes.  Mix cornstarch with 1 Tbsp water and add to apples stirring constantly til it starts thickening up a bit.  Remove from heat to cool slightly. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Unfold puff pastry and cut square into 4 smaller squares.  (The entire box should make 8 turnovers.)  Spoon apples into center of each square.  Fold over and either pinch edges to seal or I used a fork to make it look a little more pretty.  GO ME!  Put on a cookie sheet at least 1" apart and bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and PUFFY.  Keep your eye on them.  It's ok if they leak.  Don't judge!  ;o) Your house will smell divine!!! Cool completely before glazing.

For your icing add your milk and vanilla to powdered sugar and blend til it's a good consitency.  Add a little more milk if you want it thinner or sugar if you want it thicker.  I put the icing in a pastry bag and decorated the tops.  A ziploc bag works great too!  If you don't want icing then sprinkle the tops with cinnamon and sugar before baking.  NOM NOM NOM!  I thought these would be really good with a good scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Hey all, Monica here. Fall is in the air, eh? If you know me well then you know how much I love Fall. LOVE it. Somehow apples in September is a great way to bring in the Fall season and the harvest. I chose an Apple Cake. I had never made an apple cake so I looked through some cookbooks and browsed the net for a recipe. I finally settled on a recipe by Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa).  She calls it Apple Cake Tatin. I love trying new recipes but always fear they are going to be a failure. So far so good. This turned out very pretty and pretty tasty. I'm actually not a huge fan of fruit in cake but I'm glad I tried this.

The fun part about this recipe was making a sugar caramel and pouring over the sliced apples before covering with cake batter. The batter was very tasty with a touch of lemon zest. I know my batters and can usually tell if they cake will turn out or not just by the batter. If you're looking for a pretty dessert for a fall get together, check this one out.

Here we go with a new week! Have a happy Monday!

PW's BLUE-berry Muffins :o)

Yes, Ladies and Gents, It's a boy!  :o)  I really couldn't think of any blue food besides blueberry muffins.  And I was fine with that cause I LOVE the things.  I'm so excited to bring another little boy into this world, and it will be interesting to see whose coloring he gets.  My first boy is a spittin' image of his daddy.  He has light coloring.  My daughter has my coloring dark hair, dark eyes.  So, who knows what this lil' guy is gonna look like.  EXCITING!  Justy made sure to ask me if there was any way that we could send the boy back and get a girl.  Funny!  I don't think so!  She seems pretty happy about it now, probably cause I told her she'd be the only girl and be spoiled.  :o)

Anyway...you can never go wrong with blueberry muffins.  And they have REAL berries in them. Not those weird little hard candy like blueberry thingies...you know what I mean!  Those are fine when your single or in college, but when your a pregnant woman...you need the REAL deal.  :o)  These are so yummy and moist and I could probably eat them all, but I probably shouldn't.  But...I still might.  Already downed 3!  And yes, feeding for two, IS AN EXCUSE!  I don't care who you are or what you say.  

Recipe is from PW's blog-
3 cups minus 2 tablespoons flour (I don't know why, but I just followed the rules)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Heavy pinch of salt
Dash of Nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 generous cup plain, unflavored yogurt
2 cups fresh blueberries
cap-ful vanilla
brown sugar to sprinkle on tops or a coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 385 degrees.

In a large bowl sift flour, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In another large bowl whisk together sugar, oil, cap-ful of vanilla, egg, and yogurt. Add the dry ingredients and stir to a count of 10.
Add blueberries, reserving 1/2 cup, to mixture and stir 3 times.
Add mixture to well-buttered muffin pans. Sprinkle remaining berries on top and press down lightly. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of muffins.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes
Let cool on wire rack

Stir as little as possible.  You don't want to over mix these.  I was very pleased with the results and this will now be my go-to recipe for blueberry muffins.  Have a great Thursday, and thanks so much for visiting our blog.  It means a lot!  Love you all!

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