Strawberry - Pear - Applesauce

Strawberry Pear Applesauce

3 apples, peeled, cored, cut into small chunks
2 pears, peeled, cored, cut into small chunks
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup water
12 strawberries, stemmed and chopped
1/4 cup sugar

Directions
In a large saucepan, bring apples, pears, cinnamon stick, and water to a boil and simmer until apples are tender when poked with a fork, about 15 minutes. Add strawberries and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar and then use potato masher to smooth out sauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 2 1/2 ozs.

Pumpkin Waffles

Cleaning out the freezer and found the last tub of pumpkin puree and I knew that I wanted to make waffles.  These were great!  The kids ate them up and asked for more.

 Pumpkin Waffles 

2 1/3 Reduced Fat Bisquick Baking Mix
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups 1% milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 eggs

Beat ingredients with whisk until smooth. Pour batter onto hot waffle iron. Makes about 20 waffles.

Triple Berry Pie Recipe

Triple Berry Pie Recipe

Pie Dough needed only for bottom crust

Filling
3 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled and roughly chopped
3 cups fresh blackberries
3 cups fresh raspberries
2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Crumb Topping
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup whole oats
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup cold butter

1) On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie pan, trim any ends hanging over the side, and flute the edge with your thumb. Chill until ready to use.
2) Preheat the oven to 350.
3) For the filling, in a large bowl, add the strawberries, blackberries and raspberries and toss with the Grand Marnier. In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Add to the berries and gently toss.
4) For the topping, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, pecans, and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles small peas.
5) Fill the chilled pie shell with the filling and cover thoroughly with the topping. Bake for 1 hour, until bubbling and golden brown on top.

Basic Pie Dough Recipe

Basic Pie Dough Recipe
(for double-crust 9 inch pie)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
5 Tablespoons ice cold water

1) In food processor, mix flour and salt.  Add chilled shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces remaining.
2) Slowing add water over flour mixture while pulsing until dough holds together.
3) Divide dough into two, with one ball slightly larger than the other.  Flatten dough into 1/2 inch thick round disks, wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Cuban Pork Chops

Cuban Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS
3 teaspoons olive oil
4 bone-in pork chops
2 bell peppers, sliced
1/2 white onion, sliced
1 jalapeno, sliced
1/2 cup grapefruit or orange juice

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in pan. Add pork chops; cook 2 min per side; remove from heat and set aside.  Add bell peppers and onion and jalapeno; cook 4 min. Add pork chops back to pan with juice; cook 2 min.

Serves 4

Elk pizza

Elk Pizza

INGREDIENTS
3/4 lb ground elk
3 Tablespoons oil
1/4 white onion, diced
fresh oregano
pizza crust
7.5 oz ricotta cheese
3/4 cup tomato sauce
fresh basil
parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook group elk in skillet until browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In another skillet add oil. Add onion and oregano, cooking until onions become translucent and soft about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Cover the top of the pizza crust with the ricotta cheese. Add tomato sauce, top with ground elk, and add onion mixture and then top off with chopped basil and parmesan cheese.
5. Bake about 14 minutes.

Serves 4
Adapted from: Nevada Foodies

Elk Enchiladas

Elk Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1.5 lbs ground Elk
5 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 can Miller Light
Salt and pepper
10-12 small corn tortillas
28oz green chili enchilada sauce – Medium
1 cup shredded mexican 4 cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Over medium heat, add oil, bacon and onions to pan. Cook until onions are translucent. Add elk to pan and cook thoroughly. Add cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, Miller Light, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Place some of the meat filling into each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour the green enchilada sauce over all enchiladas until they are covered completely. Add shredded cheese to the top of enchiladas.
4. Bake about 25 minutes (until the cheese begins to brown).

Serves 4-6
Adapted from: Nevada Foodies

Baked Artichoke Dip

Baked Artichoke Dip

INGREDIENTS
2 cans (14 ounces each) artichoke hearts in water
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk, warmed
1 teaspoons coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
1/4 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1/8 cup breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS
1. Thinly slice artichokes; pat dry.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, and bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne, and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cheeses.
4. Melt remaining tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook 3 minutes. Add thyme and sliced artichokes, and cook for 3 minutes. Add to cheese mixture. Transfer to baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
5. Bake about 15 minutes (until golden and bubbling).

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Southwestern Spiced Popcorn

Southwestern Spiced Popcorn 
Weight Watcher's PointsPlus = 4


4 cups air-popped popcorn 
Nonstick spray 
1 tsp chili powder 
1/2 tsp ground cumin 
1/2 tsp paprika, preferably smoked paprika 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp garlic powder 
Place popcorn in a large bowl; spray with nonstick spray, tossing well. 
In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and garlic powder. Sprinkle over the popcorn, tossing all the while, until well coated.

Cinnamon-Spice Popcorn

Cinnamon-Spice Popcorn
(Weight Watcher PointsPlus = 4)


4 cups air-popped popcorn 
cooking spray 
1/4 cup powdered sugar 
1 tsp ground cinnamon 
1/8 tsp ground or freshly grated nutmeg 
1/8 tsp ground allspice 
1/8 tsp table salt 
Place the popcorn in a large bowl; spray with nonstick spray, tossing well. 
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Sprinkle over the popcorn, tossing all the while until well coated.

Andrew's Lunch

Clementine mandarin, popcorn, baby carrots and sandwich (Turkey and Provolone with mayo and mustard on wheat bread...cut with car cookie cutter).

Andrew's Lunch

Toy Story Soup with Sandwich (Turkey and Provolone with mayo and mustard on wheat bread...cut with plane cookie cutter). He ate it ALL! Love not having to fight with him to eat...just have to keep pulling out different cookie/sandwich cutters to keep him interested :)

Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas

Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas

1 1/2-2 medium ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 1/2-2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup honey
1 cup uncooked quick oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Lightly spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the banana slices in a single layer on the bottom of the dish. Put half of the blueberries over the bananas, 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon, 1 Tablespoon of the honey and cover with foil. Bake 15 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, stir the oats, half the nuts, baking powder, remaining cinnamon, and salt.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining honey, milk, egg, and vanilla extract.
5. Remove the dish from the oven and pour the oat mixture over the bananas and blueberries. Then pour the milk mixture over the oats. Put the remaining blueberries and nuts over the the top. Bake the oatmeal for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the oatmeal has set. Serve warm from the oven.

Serves 6
Adapted from Annie's Eats

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Twists

Andrew had a great time decorating these...as you can see by the abundance of sprinkles :)

1 package (12 oz) Light Cocoa Candy Melts
2 dozen pretzel twists
Assorted sprinkles or small candies (optional)

1. Prepare a baking sheet lined it with Silpat or wax paper.
2. Melt the candy melts over a double-broiler. Once mostly melted, remove from heat and continue stirring to finish melting chocolate.
3. Drop the whole pretzel in the chocolate and submerge it slightly. Use a fork to pull the pretzel out of the chocolate. Shake the chocolate-dipped pretzels several times to remove excess chocolate and place it on the prepared baking sheet. If you are using sprinkles or small candies, sprinkle them on when the chocolate is still wet. Repeat with remaining chocolate and pretzels.
4. Place the pretzels in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set the chocolate.

Andrew's Bento Lunch

He ate the whole thing! Can not believe it...but he really enjoyed having his lunch in a bento container. Clementine Mandarin, Cheese Nips, Babybel Cheese and a 100 calorie Oreo bar.

Dinosaur Sandwich

A dinosaur sandwich made with wheat bread, mayo, mustard, chicken and provolone with carrot spikes. He ate it all!!!

You can find the dinosaur sandwich cutter here.

Blackberry Pie

Blackberry Pie

pie dough recipe for top and bottom crust

5 cups blackberries, rinsed, picked clean, patted dry
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 Tablespoons quick cooking instant tapioca

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Place blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, almond extract, and quick cooking instant tapioca in a large bowl. Gently fold the berries until they are all well coated with sugar. Let sit for 30 minutes.
3. Spoon the berry mixture into a dough-lined pie dish. Place the second rolled-out pie dough crust on top of the pie. Score the top with a knife to create air vents. Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven. Put a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any juices that might bubble out.
4. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Then place a sheet of aluminum foil over the pie to protect the edges and tops from getting too burnt. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 30 more minutes.
5. Remove from oven and place on wire rack. Cool completely before serving.

Serves 8

Train Sandwich

A train sandwich made with wheat bread, mayo, mustard, turkey and provolone. Since I've been trying to make Andrew's lunches more fun---he's eating more! Dinner time is still a struggle but at least I know he's eating enough at breakfast, snack and lunch time...and that makes this momma a little happier.

You can find the train sandwich cutter here.

Frosty the Bagel

Getting Andrew to eat is quite the chore. I've noticed that when I take the extra effort to make his meal fun, he'll usually eat more.

Frosty the Bagel

Take half of mini bagel and spread with cream cheese. Add a baby carrot nose, sliced black olive eyes, and red bell pepper mouth.

Royal Icing

Royal Icing

4 Tablespoons meringue powder
1/2 cup water
1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup

1. Combine the meringue powder and water. With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat until combined and foamy.
2. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine.
3. Add in the corn syrup. Increase speed to med-high and beat for 5 minutes, just until the icing is glossy and stiff peaks form. This icing is now ready for outlining or decorating cookies.

***To fill in your cookies with icing, add water to your icing a teaspoon at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula, until it is the consistency of syrup.