Berry Pretzel Pan

Pictures: Berry Pretzel Pan with strawberry Jell-O & frozen garden strawberries!

Original recipe from My Baking Addiction. 

*Note that while prep work is minimal, a few hours of "setting" time is needed before this recipe is finished!

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c pretzels, blended fine (4-5 c whole)
• 1/2 c butter, melted
• 3 T sugar

Filling Ingredients:

• 2 blocks cream cheese (16 total oz)
• 1 c sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 8 oz whipped cream

Topping Ingredients:

• 6 oz berry Jell-O of choice
• 2 c boiling water
• 16 oz (3-4 c diced) frozen berries or fruit of choice 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Crush pretzels in a gallon bag using a marble rolling pin or tin can of food, or using a food processor. Pour into a 9x13 pan a mix with melted butter and 3 T sugar. Press into a flat layer across bottom of pan. Bake 10 min. Cool completely (~30 minutes). 
2. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until creamy. Fold in whipped cream. Spread evenly over crust, refrigerate until set (~1 hour).
3. Hand whisk Jell-O powder with boiling water until well dissolved (~2 min). *Using a machine whisker here will result in a frothy top, as pictured above. 😉 Mix in frozen berries until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture and refrigerate until set (at least 1 hour). 

Apple Dumplings

Baked appelbollen from our homeschool visit to the "Netherlands."

This yummy dessert is known in Dutch as "Appelbollen." Original recipe from Norine's Nest.

Ingredients:

• 3 T softened butter
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 c finely chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1/2 recipe pie dough
• 6 small apples, peeled and cored 
• optional ice cream for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425* F.
2. In a small bowl: mix butter, sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts together.
3. Cut pie dough into 6 equal portions. Lightly flour a surface and roll dough into a circle. Place peeled & cored apple in center. 
4. Spoon sugar mixture into the core of each apple, stuffing it in until all used up.
5. Fold dough around apple, decorating the top with stamps of leaves, letters, etc. 
6. Bake on a cookie sheet at 425* for 15 min, turn heat down to 350* and bake 15 min more. 
7. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Peach Cobbler

Pictured: peach cobbler in the dutch oven, ready to be cooked!

Original recipe from family.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c softened butter
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 c flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 c milk
• 2 (15 oz) cans peaches (or fruit of choice) OR 2 c chopped fruit and 1 c juice 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9x9 pan.
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add sifted dry ingredients and milk and stir until smooth. Pour into prepared pan, smoothing to cover.
3. Pour fruit and juice over all.
4. Bake in oven 45-50 min, or to desired consistency. 
5. Serve with ice cream!

Dutch oven cooking over fire:

1. Start fire and grease a 2-quart dutch oven (or bigger). 
2. Mix ingredients as above and pour into prepared pan, smoothing to cover. Top with fruit and juice, then cover with lid.
3. When coals are hot, dig out a spot for dutch oven. Place pan over hot coals and place hot coals on lid.
4. Fire baking time will vary. Check at 30 minutes every 10 minutes until desired consistency. Serve with optional canned evaporated milk (but only in absence of ice cream).

Broken Berries

Original recipe from Food Network.

Pictured: mostly eaten broken blueberries.

Perfect light topping for breakfasts like pancakes or oatmeal, and for desserts like ice cream and cheesecake. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pint berries of choice, roughly chopped if desired
• 1/2 t lemon juice
• 1 T sugar

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan over med-low heat, combine ingredients. Heat, stirring occasionally, 5 min or until berries just start to break down. 
2. Serve over pancakes, oatmeal, cheesecake or mini cheesecakes, etc. 
3. To serve over storebought or homemade ice cream, we prefer to buzz the mixture in a blender just after cooking, and then swirl them in.

Wassail

Pictured: wassail with cinnamon toast scraps.

Original recipe from me!

This is our all-time favorite Christmas drink of choice.  It's time for a holiday toast!

Ingredients:

• 1 container frozen apple juice concentrate
• 1/2 container frozen orange juice concentrate
• 2-3 big scoops (1/3 c) crushed pineapple 
• 1 T lemon juice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 5 cloves
• 6 c water to fill pan, or to taste ≈ 3 juice containers full

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine ingredients.  Bring to a low boil and simmer about 30 minutes, or until flavors meld.  Remove cinnamon sticks and cloves, add water to taste.  
2. Serve hot!  With pie.  :)

Rice Pudding

Pictured: a breakfast of rice pudding with strawberries.

Original Recipe from All Recipes.

Yeild: four large servings. Double for family of six.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c cooked brown rice
• 1 1/2 c milk
• 1/2 c yogurt
• 2 T sugar
• 2 egg
• optional: 1 piece or can of fruit strained and chopped, or 1/2-1 c berries or raisins
• 1 T butter
• 1/2 t vanilla and/or maple extract 

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over med high heat, mix cooked rice and milk.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to med low and simmer 15-20 minutes.
2. Stir yogurt, sugar, and egg into rice, add optional fruit, and cook 5 min more.  Stir in butter and vanilla.
3. Instant Pot: Alternatively, cook rice in instant pot. Add milk to the cooked rice and return to pressure cooker for 8 minutes. Stir yogurt, sugar, and egg into rice and mix well for one minute, until eggs are cooked through. Stir in butter and vanilla.

Purple Plum Pie

Original Recipe from Taste of Home.

Depending on your plums, this pie has a deliciously sweet-tart taste, similar to a mixture of strawberries and rhubarb.  Plus, it's carelessly lavish to look upon.  :)  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
Filling:

• 2 lbs (about 4 c) sliced plums
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• pie dough for 1 pie bottom

Streusel:

• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c flour
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 3 T butter, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.  Roll pie dough and line it in pie plate or cast iron skillet.  
2. In a large bowl, toss sliced plums with lemon juice.
3. In a small bowl, combine remaining filling ingredients and toss onto plums to coat.  
4. In a small bowl, sift streusel ingredients until texture is crumbly.  Sprinkle over pie.
5. Bake 30 min, then remove pie and wrap with foil or pie shield.  Bake 20-30 min more or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.  Let cool 10 min, then serve hot with ice cream or whipped cream.

Breakfast Quinoa

Pictured: breakfast quinoa prepared with apple and topped with yogurt, blueberries, and brown sugar.

Original recipe from Hy-Vee Seasons Magazine.

Yield: 8 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 c oatmeal
• 1 c quinoa
• 1/2 t salt
• 3 1/2 c water

Directions:

1. In a med saucepan over high heat, combine water with quinoa and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low 10 minutes. Add oats, simmer 2-4 minutes more until quinoa is soft and ready.
2. Top with favorite toppings. We usually add 2-4 T sugar, 4 T yogurt, and a handful of frozen berries.

Fruit Pizza

Pictured: fruit pizza topped with strawberries, bananas, and blueberries.

Original recipe from family.

Ingredients:
Crust:

• 2 c flour
• 1 c real butter
• 1/4 c powder sugar
• 1/2 c finely chopped pecans or walnuts, opt

Frosting:

• 1 c powder sugar
• 1/2 t orange juice concentrate
• 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese (softened)
• 1 c cool whip

Toppings:

• diced fruit of choice such as...
• strawberries
• blueberries
• raspberries
• banana
• apple
• manderine orange
• peach
• pineapple
• melon

Directions:

1. Crust: preheat oven to 350.  Whisk dry ingredients, cut in butter until crumbly.  Press onto cookie sheet.  Crust will be thin; use rolling pin if necessary.  Bake 10-12 min or until crisp and barely browned, cool.
2. Frosting: cream powdered sugar, orange juice, and cream cheese.  Fold in cool whip.  
3. Spread frosting on cool crust and top with fruit of choice.  Enjoy!
4. Also try: 
1. nixing the crust and making the frosting as a fruit dip.
2. color coordinate and make patterns for any occasion (strawberries and blueberries make a great 4th of July flag, or shape crust as an egg and decorate for Easter)
3. cut crust into shapes before baking and decorate individual cookies with fruit 

Red Ribbon Apple Pie

Original recipe from Grandma Ople.

This baby won me some fame at our July 4th apple pie contest!  Second only to a local restaurant owner.  I'd say that's some pretty darn good pie.  :)

Ingredients:

• pie crust for top and bottom
• 1/2 c butter
• 3 T flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/4 c water
• 8 green apples, peeled and chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.  Place bottom crust in pie pan, fill with apples.  Cover with a lattice crust. 
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Stir in flour to form paste.  Add sugars, cinnamon, and water, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 min.
3. Slowly pour hot sugar mixture over lattice crust, allowing to seep through the cracks.
4. Bake 15 min.  Reduce oven to 350 and bake 35-45 min more, or until crust is golden brown.
5. Let cool 10 min, then serve with ice cream.  :)

Persimmon Cake

Pictured: wild persimmon cake garnished with wild hickory nuts and mandarin oranges. 

Original recipe from Missouri Dept of Conservation.

Who isn't entranced by Autumn's vibrant colors, nippy winds, and all the warm and savory flavors that accompany it?  True, gardens are bursting with bounty at this time of year, but so is the wild edible landscape!  If you live in an area where persimmons bloom, educate yourself on tree identification and take a walk around.  You're sure to find branches laden with this rich red-orange fruit (free from the wild!), begging to be baked into your Sunday afternoon dessert.

Ingredients:
Cake:

• 1 c persimmon pulp (recipe below)
• 1/2 c oil
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 c water or milk
• 1 1/2 t vanilla
• 2 c flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 t ginger
• 1/2 t salt

Frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 3/4 c powder sugar
• 1/4 c butter, softened
• 1 t vanilla
• orange slices to garnish (opt)
• wild pecans or hickory nuts to garnish (opt)

Directions:

1. To make persimmon pulp, gather about 2 c persimmons, chopped into fourths.  In a small saucepan over low heat, cover bottom with about 1 cm of water, add persimmons.  Sprinkle some opt cinnamon over top.  Let simmer about 30 min, mashing with a wire whisk periodically.  Add a little more water if necessary.  When water is gone and seeds come loose, remove from heat.  Once slightly cooled, pick seeds out of pulp (best done with gloves).
2. Preheat oven to 350.  Combine persimmon pulp and all other wet ingredients until well blended.  Whisk dry ingredients and combine with wet.
3. Pour into greased cake pans, bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  For a 9x9 pan, bake about 40 min.  For 9x13, bake about 30 min.  For 2 round cake pans, bake about 25 min.  
4. To make frosting, blend cream cheese until smooth, add sugar and blend until smooth.  Add butter and vanilla and blend again, adding more sugar if necessary for desired consistency.  Spread frosting on cooled cake, garnish with optional items.  Enjoy your wild edible dessert!    

Hot Fruit Topping

Pictured: hot apple topping and whipped cream over Esther's waffles.

Original recipe from Food: Home of the Home Cook.

Best General Conference breakfast ever!!  We're definitely going to keep this up for future October sessions.  Our family always eats special waffles for conference Sunday, but today we took it to a whole new level with this apple topping.

Ingredients:

• 3 apples/pears/peaches/mango peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/2 t lemon juice
• 1 c orange juice

Directions:

1. In a med saucepan over high heat, combine ingredients.  
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med low and simmer 15-20 min or until desired consistency is reached.
3. If desired, partially mash with a pastry blender, potato masher, or fork.
4. Serve hot over pancakes, waffles, french toast, crepes, or ice cream.

Crockpot Apple Butter

Pictured: toast topped with cream cheese and apple butter.

Original recipe from All Recipes.

Yeild: about 3 quarts.

No special tools needed for this yummy treat--just one big slow cooker.  :)

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 lbs apples, peeled, cored, chopped (or 8 cups plain applesauce)
• 2 c sugar, or to taste
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 cloves
• 1/4 salt

Directions:

1. Dump all ingredients in slow cooker and cook, covered, on high 1 hour.
2. Reduce to low and cook, still covered, 9-11 hours.
3. Remove lid and cook an hour longer until desired consistency is reached.  Use a wire whisk to smooth out lumps.
4. Alternatively, simmer over stovetop on low until desired consistency is reached.
5. Refrigerate or freeze.  Serve over bread and toast or mix into yogurt or ice cream. Also make apple pie cookies!

Smoothie Time!

Pictured: green smoothie made with kale.

Smoothies are a great way to get a lot of bang for your buck, whether it be part or all of your meal or snack. Check out our favorite combos below, or mix and match your favorite ingredients, adding some of these to boost nutrition:

• greens
• sprouts
• ground flax seed
• wheat germ
• nut butter
• white beans, cooked long and blended fine

Green Smoothie
Original recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod.

Ingredients (one serving):

• 1/2 banana (chopped if frozen)
• 1/2 orange
• 3 strawberries or 1 frozen strawberry puree cube
• 1 c greens (spinach for a more subtle taste, but all work great!)
• 2 spoonfuls yogurt 

Directions:

Puree with a blender until smooth.  Enjoy!

Peanut Banana Chocolate
Ingredients (one serving):

• 1/2 banana (chopped if frozen)
• 2 T peanut butter
• 2 T chocolate powder (such as ovaltine)
• 1 c milk
• 1 c water

Directions:

Puree with blender until smooth.  Enjoy!

Build Your Own Ice Cream

Pictured: vanilla ice cream with mulberry freezer jam, berries free from our back yard!

This isn't really a recipe.  But it sort of is, because after reading you'll never need to buy the expensive ice cream again!  That $1 carton of vanilla ice cream suddenly became your pathway to happiness.  :) Or start with a basic homemade ice cream!

Our favorite toppings:

• freezer jam
• canned fruit, drained (heat peaches in the microwave for the taste of cobbler with less carbs!)
• broken berries
• fresh or frozen fruit (bananas, berries, peaches)
• hot fruit topping
• caramel pecan topping
• maple roasted walnuts
• crushed Oreo's (plain or mint)
• crushed graham crackers
• crushed pop tarts
• cookie crumbles
• 1 recipe cookie pie crust, crumbled in a bowl
• favorite cereal
• warm frosting
• crushed candy/candybars
• cinnamon & honey
• apple butter
• chocolate pudding, hot
• 1-2 spoonfuls cocoa powder, mixed in well
• hot cookies (pour a small glug of milk over a room-temperature cookie to prevent burning if warming in the microwave.  Top with ice cream.  Yum!)

Pick your topping(s) and mix in!  You get your favorite ice cream every time.  :)

*If you like cheesecake ice cream, try these.  Mmmmmmm.  :)

Freezer Jam My Way (opt for Baby)

Original recipe from me.  :)

Fruit is a natural sweetener, so why does jam need to be so full of sugar?  We have found that we love using fruit purees in place of syrup on pancakes, as sweetener in oatmeal, cream of wheat, and yogurt, and otherwise replacing jam and sugar.  It also works great when added to smoothies!  Because it has less sugar and no preservatives it doesn't store for too long in the fridge.  So we keep it in the freezer in serving-sized chunks for quick access.  Our favorites are strawberry, raspberry, peach, and pineapple.  We also love locally picked mulberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

Ingredients:

• fresh or canned fruit (one type or a mixture--no sugar added is a plus)
• sugar, to taste

Directions:

1. Peal and chop fruit as necessary.  Place in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Taste and add sugar if desired.  Freeze in individual servings using an ice cube tray, or as a whole in tupperware, ziplock bags, or like we do in old sour cream containers.  I won't judge you.  Just make sure you label.  :)  
2. Thaw for use or keep frozen for smoothies. Makes a great yogurt sweetener! 

For Baby:

Stage 1: 6 months (depending on fruit choice-make sure to check the chart!) 

1. Serve only unsweetened fruit purees to baby, preferably made from fresh fruit.  Serve it plain or mixed with other baby foods, or older babies can use it as dip for bread/toast.

Fruity Frosting

Pictured: strawberry frosting with graham crackers

Original recipe from Food Folio.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c frozen fruit puree, thawed or 1-3 t frozen juice concentrate, thawed 
• 1 c softened butter
• 3-4 c powdered sugar

Directions:

Beat butter and half the sugar.  Add the fruit puree, then add more sugar to desired consistency (should be spreadable and rather fluffy).  Use on lemonade cupcakes, ice cream, fruit slices, graham crackers, etc.

*Note: if your jam is on the runny side--as freezer jam often is--be sure to use real butter, not margarine.  Refrigerate frosting for 1 hour before spreading for greater thickness

Rehydrating Dried Fruit (opt for Baby)

Original recipe from Fun with Food Storage, Finances, and More.

Stage 2: 6-9 months

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c dried fruit (fit to baby's stage)
• water to cover (1/2-1 c)

Directions:

1. In a small pan over the stove, or in the microwave in a glass dish, heat water to boiling.
2. Add dried fruit and cover. 
3. Let sit 5 minutes or until desired texture is reached. 

For Baby:

1. Follow directions above, soaking until very soft.
2. Drain, reserving cooking liquid, and puree.  Add liquid as needed.  
3. Combine with cereal, yogurt, or other fruit if desired.
4. Freeze or refrigerate extra baby food.

Holiday French Toast

Our Christmas breakfast!  This is so yummy you could serve it without syrup...but who says no to extra sugar, right?  Also...this doesn't make a bad dinner.  :)

Original recipe from 5 Dollar Dinners.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
• 1/2 cup craisins
• 8-9 slices thick-sliced bread (or stack two layers of regular slices)
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.  Mix in melted butter.  Stir in chopped apples and craisins until evenly coated.  Pour into prepared pan.
2. Arrange bread slices over apples.  In same bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and 2 t cinnamon.  Pour over bread, making sure every slice is fully soaked.  Cover with tin foil and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 375.  Remove dish from refrigerator while oven is heating.   Bake covered for 40 min, remove cover and bake 10 more min.