Tag Archives: Food

Fresh Apple Bread Pudding

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I love dessert. I always have.

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And I’m not too picky, either. I will say though, that I’m partial to homemade. When someone makes something from scratch,  I just know I will love it.

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I got a desire to make dessert one day over my spring break while at Greg’s.

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I wanted something hearty, but not loaded with butter and sugar. I wanted the dessert to use simple ingredients and be pretty simple to make.

I came up with this bread pudding.

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I bought three raisin walnut rolls from a local bakery, combined them with a sliced fresh apple and let it all soak in a cinnamon vanilla custard.

This bread pudding uses all real ingredients. Not much added. There isn’t a ton of sugar. It’s simple. And it’s really delicious.

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Topped with fresh apple butter, this simple dessert was just what I was looking for!

Method:

Start with:

2 c. cubed cinnamon raisin bread (I used three medium cinnamon raisin rolls)
1 medium apple, sliced thin

Grease a medium loaf pan with butter. Place a layer of cubed bread on the bottom, then a layer of sliced apples. Continue until ingredients are gone.

Next:

2 eggs
1 egg yolk

Vigorously whisk eggs and egg yolk in a bowl. Set aside.

1.5 c. whole milk
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. apple butter

Place milk and sugar in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir, until sugar dissolves, and let come to a simmer. Once the mixture simmers, remove from heat. Add vanilla extract and stir.

Temper the whisked eggs with a small amount of the milk mixture — making sure to add only a small amount of milk, slowly, so that the eggs do not cook. Continue to slowly add and whisk the rest of the milk mixture into the eggs.

Pour the milk mixture over the layered bread and apples. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350*. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and spread 2 Tbsp. apple butter on top. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Soup

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You know what my mom and I always say?

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We always say — we can’t imagine that we used to eat canned soup and we can’t imagine ever doing it again.

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Are you the same way?

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Once you go homemade, you can just never go back, I suppose.

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This mushroom soup is so, so good. It’s creamy, savory, warm and comforting. It’s great with a side of crusty bread for dipping. It’s satisfying.

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You can find the recipe we use here.

Enjoy!

Simple Trail Mix

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To me, this is just the perfect snack.

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It’s a little salty and a little sweet, a little crunchy and a little chewy. Every bite is different, but every bite is delicious. This snack will fill you up and keep you satisfied.

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This isn’t exactly a recipe, just an idea really. And also a reminder of a simple snack. Because sometimes with so much going on, it’s easy to forget about the simple things.

What I used:

Sesame pretzel rings
Raw sunflower seeds
Golden raisins
Dark chocolate chips
Raw almonds

Put a handful of each item in a bowl and mix together.

It’s as simple as that. If you really like one ingredient (chocolate :)), put some more of that one in.

Enjoy!

Roasted Banana Bread + Maple Buttercream Mini Cupcakes

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I’ve got a little treat for your Friday.

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And, I know these cupcakes have a long name.

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They can’t just be banana cupcakes because roasting the bananas take these to a different place than non-roasted bananas would. And, they can’t just be roasted banana cupcakes because they kind of remind me of banana bread. A little. In a good, delicious way.

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The maple buttercream is delicious. I want you to try it soo bad!

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And I made mine mini. Because they are cute, and pop-able. And yes, eating three at once is okay. Because they are mini!

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Now, if you desire a true cakey cupcake, these may not be for you. BUT they are so delicious and worth a try if you’re a little scared. They are moist and a little dense, packed with flavor — incredible. The combination of roasted bananas + maple buttercream = wow. So, so good.

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Also, don’t be intimidated by the ingredient/step list. I have it broken down into sections, so it looks more complicated than it really is.

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I think you are really going to enjoy these!

Method

Banana Cupcakes:

To begin:

Place 24 mini cupcake liners into two mini cupcake pans. Grease liners.

Start with:

2 bananas

Preheat oven to 400*. Cut bananas in half, lengthwise, and place on a baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until soft and skin is black. Set aside and let cool completely. Reduce oven heat to 350*.

Next:

1 c. cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Place all four ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir well with a whisk.

Then:

1/3 c. milk (I used almond)
2 cooled, roasted bananas (from above)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix together in a bowl.

5 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. white sugar
1 egg, at room temperature, beaten

Beat butter and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add half the egg to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat until just combined. Add half of the banana mixture to the butter/sugar. Beat until just combined. Add remaining egg and banana mixture and mix until combined. Add to dry ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, mix until just combined.

Fill the muffin liners with batter, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake in 350* oven for 8-12 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Maple Buttercream

1 stick unsalted butter, very soft
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1.5 tsp. pure maple syrup
Small dash of salt

Beat butter until soft, fluffy and completely smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat well. Add maple syrup and salt and mix until combined.

Pipe buttercream onto cupcakes.

*Notes
-This made 24 mini cupcakes for me.
– Decorate cupcakes with sprinkles, chopped pecans or even sliced bananas!

Enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potatoes with a Crumb Topping

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I’m really, very lucky when it comes to food.

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I am surrounded by people who are great cooks and bakers. My grandma and both of her daughters — my mom and my aunt — are masters in the kitchen. There is never a lack of delicious food at family gatherings because of them.

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With Greg, I am even lucky. His mom and his sisters share a love of food, cooking and baking, too, and they make so many amazing things.

This recipe is from Greg’s mom. She made it two Thanksgivings ago and also a couple of times since. I am so in love with this dish, I just had to get the recipe.

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I have always loved sweet potatoes. My grandma makes the best sweet potatoes — simply cubed, cooked and then sauteed in a little butter and brown sugar. So good. They have always been a favorite of mine.

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And I’ll be honest. I’ve always been afraid of sweet potato casserole. I just love the taste of sweet potatoes so much, that, I’m afraid a lot of extras (marshmallows) will conceal the taste. And, something else you should know, I don’t love the word casserole.

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But this — this slightly sweet, creamy, smooth dish is just so good. The topping is slightly crunchy and adds just the perfect flavor and texture to the sweet potatoes — which still taste like sweet potatoes.

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I could have this dish with every meal for the rest of my life and be a happy girl.

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I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you to Greg’s mom for such a delicious recipe!

Method:

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease a 9-inch baking dish or 12 ramekins, as shown in photos.

Start with:

4 c. cooked sweet potatoes
1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
2/3 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Place ingredients in a bowl. Mix with a handheld electric mixer until smooth. Spoon mixture into baking dish or ramekins.

Next:

2/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. oats (I used old fashioned)
1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. butter, cubed

Combine ingredients in a bowl and, using the back of a fork or a pastry blender, mix the ingredients until “crumby.” Spoon crumb topping onto sweet potato mixture, either in a baking dish or ramekins.

If using a 9-inch baking dish, bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven. For the ramekins, bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Enjoy!