#ChoctoberFest: Halloween White Chocolate Raisin Bars

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

#Choctoberfest

I’m opening up my #ChoctoberFest offerings with the chocolate that’s questionably chocolate. I know, I’m a rebel. I’m talking, of course, about white chocolate.

Upon making these bars I came to the conclusion that, to me, white chocolate tastes like Christmas. I’m not sure why, but there it is. Therefore, I decided to up the Halloween factor because, folks, it’s way too soon for Christmas things.

I took a cranberry white chocolate bar and swapped some raisins. For that spooky black and orange combo I dyed the frosting. Bingo bango. Happy Halloween and happy #ChoctoberFest!

Halloween White Chocolate Raisin Bars

Ingredients for bars:

  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 C white chocolate chips
  • 1/2 C raisins

Ingredients for frosting:

  • 2 tbsp butter, softened
  • 2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
  • 1 – 1/3 C powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tsp heavy cream, as needed
  • food coloring (optional)
  • raisins and white chocolate chips for garnish

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9″ cake pan with foil and lightly grease.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In another bowl, whisk the egg, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla until combined.
  4. Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the white chocolate and raisins. Spread into prepared cake pan and bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly.
  5. Make frosting: Using a hand mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar 1/3 C at a time until desired sweetness is reached. Add heavy cream a teaspoon at a time as needed to bring the frosting together. If using, mix in the food coloring.
  6. Spread frosting onto cooled bars. Garnish with white chocolate chips and raisins.

*This recipe is modified from Allison at http://celebratingsweets.com/cranberry-white-chocolate-bars-copycat-starbucks-cranberry-bliss-bars/*

Halloween White Chocolate Raisin Bars for #ChoctoberFest from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more chocolate recipes today: 

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#ChoctoberFest 2016: The Giveaway

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Choctoberfest-2015-1

Today marks the kickoff of #Choctoberfest. #Choctoberfest is a virtual event put together by The PinterTest Kitchen. Bloggers from around the world will be posting their favorite chocolate recipes, and you’ll get a chance to win some awesome prizes. It’s a two week event dedicated solely to chocolate! Sweet or savory, white or dark – it’s all good! What’s not to love?

Thank you to the sponsors who make #Choctoberfest possible! This year, Imperial Sugar is back as our Gold Sponsor. They have been a trusted name in kitchens since 1843, and their website is home to thousands of sweet recipes tested in the Imperial Sugar Kitchen. You can find Imperial Sugar on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube, or join their Sweet Community so you can share your own recipes, save recipes to a virtual inbox, print Imperial Sugar coupons, and connect with other sugar lovers.

Imperial Sugar and our silver sponsors have banded together to offer a huge #Choctoberfest prize pack, which you can enter to win below! One lucky winner will be chosen at random to receive the following:

  • From our Gold Sponsor Imperial Sugar: 1 case of granulated sugar (40 pounds), 1 case of brown sugar (24 pounds), 1 case of dark brown sugar (24 pounds), 1 case of powdered sugar (24 pounds bags), and an Imperial Sugar red ruffle apron
  • From our Silver Sponsor Nature Nate’s: 32 oz. Raw & Unfiltered Honey bottle, Honey Syrup, Honey Packets, a Nature Nate’s T-shirt, various kitchen supplies, and $50 Amazon gift card
  • From our Silver Sponsor Barlean’s:16 oz Barlean’s Butter-Flavored Coconut Oil, 9.52 oz canister of Chocolate Silk Greens, and 8oz bottle of Essential Women Omega-Swirl Chocolate Mint
  • From our Silver Sponsor Caveman Coffee: 1 Bag of Coffee (you choice of blacklisted or sabertooth), 1 coconut MCT oil, and 1 Cacao Butter
  • From #Choctoberfest blog hosts The PinterTest Kitchen: 1 specialty chocolate gift pack (your choice of dark or milk chocolate), 1 tin (14 ounces) drinking chocolate, and Divine’s Fair Trade Gift Set

Enter now to win our #Choctoberfest 2016 prize pack! A winner will be chosen at random  on Saturday, Oct. 22, so enter by Friday the 21st to make sure your name is in the drawing:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Here’s a list of all of the bloggers participating in #Choctoberfest 2016. Visit any of their blogs to get delicious chocolate recipes throughout the event:

The PinterTest Kitchen • 2 Cookin’ Mamas • A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures • addicted 2 recipes • Amy’s Cooking Adventures • An Affair From The Heart • Balancing Motherhood • Body Rebooted • Bottom Left of the Mitten • By the Pounds • Canning and Cooking at Home • Coconut & Lime • Cook with 5 Kids • Cook’s Hideout • Cookaholic Wife • Cooking with Carlee • CopyKat Recipes • Cricket’s Confections • Crumbs in my Mustachio • Elisabeth Jean • Fairyburger • Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice • Family Around the Table • Fantastical Sharing of Recipes • Feed Your Soul Too • Feeding Big • Frankly Entertaining • Full Belly Sisters • Get the Good Stuff • Grumpy’s Honeybunch • Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks • Hostess At Heart • Ink and Sugar • Jane’s Adventures in Dinner • Join Us, Pull Up a Chair • Karen’s Kitchen Adventures • Kate’s Recipe Box • Kudos Kitchen by Renee • Kylee Cooks • Letz Eat • Life Currents • Life on Food • Making Miracles • Monica’s Table • Moore or Less Cooking Food Blog • My Catholic Kitchen • My Gluten Free Miami • Our Good Life • Palatable Pastime • Restless Chipotle • Seduction in The Kitchen • Sew You Think You Can Cook • Simple Food 365 • Southern With A Twist • Sumptuous Spoonfuls • Take Two Tapas • Tampa Cake Girl • Teaspoon of Goodness • That Recipe • The Crumby Cupcake • The Flavourista • The Food Hunter’s Guide To Cuisine • The Freshman Cook • The Pajama Chef • The Redhead Baker • The Spiffy Cookie •  Tramplingrose • Wildflour’s Cottage Kitchen • Zesty South Indian Kitchen

I will be sharing a recipe for each part of your day throughout the course of the event: breakfast, snack, dinner, and of course, dessert. Stay tuned – and I hope you’ll check out everyone’s chocolaty offerings, too.

#SundaySupper: Sleepover Foods

~ lk529 ~ 14 Comments

You guys, guess what?

You know this super awesome theme for today’s Sunday Supper? Sleepover Foods? Yeah, it was mine!

If you have some super epic ideas, you can easily submit them here.

A big thank you to Marion of Life Tastes Good for hosting the event. I’m so excited to see what everyone has to offer for our virtual sleepover!

Originally, I’d have loved to share a fun popcorn recipe perfect for watching movies late at night. But the reality of doing so had me switching gears to a different salty snack.

Why couldn’t I share popcorn? Well, because I have two little boys, who, while awake ensure I will burn the popcorn every time. They’re also not of popcorn-eating-age, so when I make popcorn I have to wait until after bedtime. But by then, there is zero light by which to take a drool-worthy photograph. And let’s be real, there wouldn’t be any leftover to try shooting some stale-popcorn pictures.

I started thinking about party mixes and thought it’d be fun to make one out of all Goldfish. (No, I am not sponsored by Pepperidge Farm – I WISH!) I thought about my favorite popcorn flavor – salted honey – and knew I wouldn’t be able to transform that to my fishy mix because Treat isn’t yet one year old and can’t have honey. Agave wouldn’t lend enough flavor, so I decided on real maple syrup!

Firecracker was more than happy to be my little model. I put him into a pile of pillows and blankets on the floor and handed him of cup of my Maple Fish Party Mix.

An Original Recipe

Maple Fish Party Mix

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp real maple syrup
  • 2 C cinnamon graham cracker goldfish
  • 2 C pretzel goldfish
  • 2 C whole grain cheddar goldfish
  • 2 C original goldfish

Steps:

  1. Melt butter and syrup. You can do this in a small pot on the stove or in a microwave safe bowl.
  2. In a large microwave safe bowl, toss together all of the goldfish. Pour the melted butter and syrup over the top and toss to coat. Microwave 1:30min, toss, and microwave another 1:30min.
  3. Spread the goldfish mix onto a baking sheet and allow to cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container. The goldfish will keep up to 2 weeks.

Maple Fish Party Mix for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Breakfast

Snacks

Desserts

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out ourPinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Fall Quinoa Bowl

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

You know how smoothie bowls hit the food scene over the past year or so? Well, I have yet to try one myself.

Grain bowls are also a thing. And that I’ve decided to make and put my spin on. Although, technically, quinoa isn’t a grain, it’s a seed, making this protein packed bowl gluten free. You could leave the chicken out to make a vegetarian option. Heck, you could even cook in coconut oil instead of butter and go vegan with it!

Possibilities are really endless when you stop and think about making a quinoa bowl. Quinoa itself doesn’t have too strong of a flavor of its own, much like oats or rice, and can lend itself to many preparations – savory or sweet.

What I loved about this meal was that it was a perfect dinner to serve to my entire family. Everything was both adult and kid friendly. My picky two year old ate around all of the vegetables and chicken and solely ate the quinoa – but hey, there are good nutrients in that little seed and a fair amount of protein. Treat enjoyed all of it.

To present the quinoa bowl. I simply topped the dressed quinoa with the fruit, vegetables, and protein in concentric circles to showcase the incredible colors and flavors of fall. Arranging them in lines would be beautiful, too.

An Original Recipe

Fall Quinoa Bowl

Ingredients:

  • 1 C quinoa
  • 2-3 tbsp butter
  • 1-2 pears, cubed
  • 1/2 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 1-2 small red beets, peeled and cubed
  • 1 large cooked chicken breast, cubed
  • 3 tbsp Meyer lemon olive oil
  • 1 tbsp raspberry balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • scallion, for garnish

Steps:

  1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
  2. In a non-stick skillet melt a little bit of butter. Saute pears over medium heat until tender. Remove and set aside.
  3. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until fork tender and lightly golden. Add butter as needed. Remove and set aside.
  4. Cook the beets in the same skillet, adding more butter if needed, until fork tender.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard. Season to taste with S+P. Toss cooked quinoa in as much dressing as desired.
  6. Top quinoa with the pears, potatoes, beets, and chicken. Top with a little extra dressing and garnish with sliced scallions.

Fall Quinoa Bowl | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

#FoodieExtravaganza: Chocolate

~ lk529 ~ 14 Comments

foodieextravaganza-300

It’s the first full week of October that means it’s time for another #FoodieExtravaganza!

Before I get into my schpeal about this wonderful group I have to take a moment and FREAK OUT. It’s OCTOBER. It’s the month that my baby boy turns ONE. How did this happen? You’d think having gone through it once already, I’d be prepared for it this time around. Nope!

Okay, sorry about that.

Within #FoodieExtravaganza, each month we take turns hosting and selecting a foodie holiday associated with that month. This month we’re celebrating anything and everything chocolate. Kathleen of  Fearlessly Creative Mammas is our spectacular host today.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a recipe from our favorite cookbook Brunch at Bobby’s so why not share these chocolate blintzes we made an embarrassingly long time ago. These crepe-like pancakes are folded around a chocolate ricotta filling. I opted to leave my chocolate chips whole instead of chopping them up and my husband and I had differing opinions on that technique. I enjoyed the bonus crunch that the chips provided, but he thought it made those bites a little too chocolate-forward.

Chocolate Blintzes with Chocolate Ricotta Filling

Ingredients:

  • 1 C ricotta cheese
  • 1 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1/3 C + 1 tbsp cocoa powder, divided use
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 C bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 C diced strawberries (optional)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 C sugar
  • 2 C milk
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Steps:

  1. Combine the ricotta, powdered sugar, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips (option to chop them) and strawberries. Cover and refrigerate 1-8 hours.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until pale. Add in the milk and melted butter.
  3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, remaining cocoa powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, stirring until smooth. Cover and refrigerate 2-24 hours.
  4. Pour 1/4 C batter into a small greased skillet. (I used non-stick cooking spray between each pancake) Swirl the pan around to create an even pancake. Once the blintz bubbles in the center, flip and cook another minute. Remove from skillet and fill with 2-3 tbsp of your filling. Fold blintzes like you would an enchilada.

*This recipe is modified from Brunch at Bobby’s*

Chocolate Blintzes with Chocolate Ricotta Filling for #FoodieExtravaganza from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out these other chocolate filled recipes:

Holy Mole Pork Stew from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Triple Chocolate and Cream Trifle from Fearlessly Creative Mammas

2 Kiss Cupcakes from Sneha’s Recipe

Chocolate Lovers Dream Cake from Cookin and Craftin

Kahlua Chocolate Cake from Making Miracles

Queen Anne Squares from Tara’s Multicultural Table

Hot Fudge Cheesecake Brownies from Cookaholic Wife

Nutty Chocolate Fudge from Basic N Delicious

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Slow Cooker Chicken Mole from Caroline’s Cooking

Simple Chocolate Cake from Passion Kneaded

Chocolate Rugelach from Hardley a Goddess

Crispy Chocolate Surprise Balls from G’Gina’s Kitchenette

Marshmallow Turtle Bars from Food Lust People Love

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins from Not Too Shabby Gabby

If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you’re a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Cut-Out Cookies

~ lk529 ~ 7 Comments

There’s a Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood episode with the teaching lesson “it’s okay to make mistakes” in which Daniel and Prince Wednesday bake trolley cookies with Baker Aker.

We watched that episode one morning and decided to bake some cookies! With Treat taking a long nap, Firecracker and I were able to do some baking together.

I immediately went into the cupboard and pulled out The Gourmet Cookie Book and started skimming through to see what we could make with what was in my pantry.

I decided on Bizcochitos (Anise Cookies). Except that I didn’t have aniseed or lard. Which is why this recipe title is not Anise Cookies! I substituted vegetable shortening for the lard and decided to prepare for the season by using pumpkin pie spice. This recipe from December 1978 didn’t mention how to store the cookie dough, but I found it easiest to roll out if it were chilled, so I kept the portion I wasn’t rolling out in the refrigerator.

We used a train cookie cutter as is only natural with a train obsessed toddler in the house. He was more than happy to be my little model when it came time to photograph the cookies. In fact, the words, “I help” came out of his mouth as he held up a cookie and took a bite. Only a food blogger’s kid! I love him.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Cut-Out Cookies (toddler) | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Depending on your cookie cutter size, this recipe will make 5-6 dozen cookies.

The recipe says to, and I quote! “store them in an airtight container for 5 days before serving.” Yeah, right! These cookies didn’t even last five days on my counter.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Cut-Out Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 C vegetable shortening
  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 1/2 C white whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 C flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 C water
  • cinnamon sugar

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and pumpkin pie spice, mixing until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt. Add to the stand mixer, beat until combined. Add up to 1/4 C water until dough is smooth.
  4. Roll dough out to 1/8″ thickness. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters and place on baking sheets. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.
  5. Bake 12-15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove cookies to a cooling rack.

*This recipe is adapted from The Gourmet Cookie Book*

Pumpkin Pie Spice Cut-Out Cookies | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 

Pork and Apple Meatballs

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

It was the game day after our apple picking adventure and we were in need of something a little more substantial to munch on during the Michigan game. We had a lovely platter of cheese, crackers, and apple slices and my baked buffalo cauliflower. We actually kept a portion un-coated in the batter and I might even like them better sans-breading. (Gasp!)

It was decided that I should go ahead and make some meatballs. With an abundance of apples sitting on the table I thought it’d be a good idea to use them! Pork and apples are a classic combination that works well in meatball form, too.

We had mixed reviews on whether or not these appetizers needed a dip. While everyone enjoyed them plain-Jane, my husband couldn’t help himself from grabbing some honey. That man puts honey on just about everything.

Pork and Apple Meatballs (with honey) | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

My aunt couldn’t understand why they’d be served with anything and preferred them as is. I found that serving them with the honey we purchased at the apple orchard helped highlight the pork flavor and provided a sweetness that amplified the apple.

An Original Recipe

Pork and Apple Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 1 pkg (19 oz) Italian sausage
  • 1 apple, peeled and finely chopped or grated
  • 2-3 tbsp diced red onion
  • 1 egg
  • S+P, to taste

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients until just incorporated. Form into ping-pong sized meatballs.
  3. Place in a lightly greased casserole dish and bake 20-30 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 160 deg F is reached.
  4. Serve with a drizzle of apple blossom honey (optional).

Pork and Apple Meatballs | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Tuesday Tattles #18

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

Tuesday Tattles

It’s time for my next Tuesday Tattles Library Edition. A couple of weeks ago I shared our favorite bed time and nap time reads.

Because it would be too overwhelming to put all of our favorites in one post, I’ve been struggling with how to break up the “day time” books. I’ve thought about educational versus just for fun. But, really, just about every book falls in that first category.

I then thought about categorizing the books between infant and toddler, but I don’t really believe that books aren’t for every age and stage at the under 4 mark.

13939534_10103960364290081_3975369332799635853_nMy book list keeps growing, too! As soon as I hit “publish” on the bed time books post, Firecracker decided to add even more books to our night time routine. He’s really putting my poor vision to the test by reading not as popular books by the nightlight’s glow.

Treat’s favorite activity is pulling books off of the bookshelf in their room, and now that he’s walking like a champ he’ll bring me a book or two. I’m not sure if he really wants me to read them because as soon as I crack open the cover and start reading he toddles away!

Okay, enough dawdling. Here’s what I’m picking to share with you today and there’ll be more to come soon.

10 of the Best Books for Babies | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com


The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

tvhcI begin our library catalog with a classic. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great book for teaching days of the week and counting. I actually can’t read this book without, in my head, reciting Joey Tribbiani’s days of the week monologue “Wednesday – when? what day? Thursday – the third day!” Ironically, this book became a favorite teething toy of Firecracker’s…

The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle

I continue with another board book by Eric Carle. The Very Lonely Firefly is a cute book that works for bed time due to its repetitive writing. It’s a hit with my kids because the last page lights up. Firecracker learned the words “owl” and “eyes” from this book.

Favorite Books for Babies | Sew You Think You Can CookDr. Seuss’s A B C

This alphabet book is the one I grew up on! My mom had (still does) this book memorized, and I do too. It’s definitely one of my all time favorites to read to my kids.

First 100 Words by Roger Priddy

If you want to be constantly impressed and amazed with how much your toddler knows, get him this book. My aunt gave us this book for Christmas and it’s gone with us on every vacation. As kids get older you can transition to quizzing them on vocabulary, asking them to point out different words/pictures. Eventually, they’ll be “reading” it to themselves.

Put Me In the Zoo by Robert Lopshire

My mother-in-law grew up on this book and introduced it to us. It’s a cute book that teaches colors, but also has an underlying theme of rejection, wanting to belong, and finding the perfect place to be yourself. We have the mini board book, which I know leaves out some of the fun, I’d be curious to find the full story and read more about Spot.

The Babies on the Bus by Karen Katz

This book version of the classic song has been in instant favorite with both of my boys. Firecracker still loves to read it and when I start reading it to Treat he comes running saying he wants to see, too. I never sang along with the book because I don’t need the song stuck in my head! The one exception is when Firecracker wants to read it before bed; I then turn it into a ballad and rock him back and forth as I sing.

Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz

Another fun Karen Katz book, this one has flaps to lift to find baby’s eyes, mouth, and belly button. It’s a cute way to teach basic body parts as well as a little game of peek-a-boo. Surprisingly, it’s one of the few books that the boys haven’t completely demolished. Once Treat learns how to lift the flaps and play along with the book, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before it gets torn. Are any one else’s kids completely aggressive towards their library!?

Peek-A-Zoo! and Peek-A Who? by Nina Laden

Books for Babies | Sew You Think You Can CookPeek-A-Zoo was given to Firecracker for his first birthday and he loved it immediately. It was a book I could hand in him the car and he’d enjoy flipping through it. Because it was such a hit, before our last flight I bought the original for Treat. I’d venture to say it’s his favorite book! He actually laughs out loud at each turn of the page.

The Little Engine That Could

I’ll round out this book list at ten titles. This abridged version of the classic tale of never giving up was Firecracker’s favorite book when he was 16 months old. As his train related book collection has grown it’s been set aside. Not that it stops him from enjoying it on occasion. He even has the first four pages memorized. When he’s playing pretend with his trains I’ll hear him reciting “puff puff chug chug ding dong ding dong the little train rumbled over the tracks. happy train.”

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Apple Oat Crisp

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

When we were on our family vacation earlier this month, my husband decided he wanted to go apple picking. We crossed the WI-IL border and picked some apples in Harvard, IL at The Royal Oak Farm Orchard.

We had a great time picking a peck and a half of the three varieties that were available at the time of our visit: Jonamac, Macintosh, and Gala.

When my mom and I went apple picking last year, Firecracker was about 15 months old. He had just as much fun this year, but with a little (okay, a lot) of extra confidence on his feet for running around.

Firecracker has always struggled with eating raw apples, yet he loves the flavor of them. Unless an apple slice is covered in Nutella, he’ll simply gnaw away at the fruit and never swallow it. There’s always a pile of apple bits on the coffee table.

Treat, on the other hand, has never struggled with apples and they’re one of his absolute favorite foods. He happily ate close to an entire apple while we were picking. And with only two bottom teeth! I was surprised, though I guess I should’ve have been, that he managed to hold on to the apple the entire time!

apple-picking-2016

With our fall bounty in tow we headed to the kitchen. I put some apple in my Choco-flower Bundt Cake and into some meatballs we enjoyed on game day (recipe to come later this week). Our big apple feature dish, though, was a crisp.

My mom and I combined a few different recipes and methodologies to develop the resulting addicting dessert (/breakfast).

There aren’t a lot of pie recipes here on Sew You Think You Can Cook because I really don’t care for warm fruits. As I’m in the minority there I had no problem lending some apples to the cause of a crisp.

Um. Yeah. This crisp is one of my new all time favorites! I could have eaten the entire dish on my own. But, I had to share. A dollop of whipped cream, sprinkle of cinnamon, and drizzle of honey made this dessert a home run. Naturally, we bought some honey from the orchard and it’s beautiful apple-y floral quality was a perfect complement to the crisp.

crisp-closeup-2

Of course, you could serve it with ice cream. I’m contemplating making a honey ice cream to serve alongside this Apple Oat Crisp for Thanksgiving this year.

Apple Oat Crisp

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
  • 2 tbsp apple cider
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 C + 1 tbsp flour, divided use
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided use
  • 1 C oats
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 stick butter, melted

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Toss apples with cider, sugar, 1 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Place in a small casserole dish.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together 1 C flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, the oats, brown sugar, and baking powder. Mix in the melted butter until combined and crumbly. Top the apples.
  4. Bake 30 – 35 minutes until golden, bubbly, and the apples are tender.

Apple Oat Crisp | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

#SundaySupper: Recipes for World Vegetarian Day

~ lk529 ~ 27 Comments

One weekend after church we decided to go for a relaxing walk to get brunch. After enjoying a new (to us) restaurant we explored the area some more.

We typically find ourselves in that part of town for dinner and all of the shops are closed so it was fun to pop into some cute kids boutiques and my new favorite kitchen store!

The store was having a cookbook sale and I became immersed in their table of beautiful books.

I was drawn to The Vibrant Table by Anya Kassoff. It’s a cookbook of vegetarian, vegan, and raw recipes. Not a cuisine I dabble in too often, but when the food photography displays such vibrant dishes I couldn’t put it down!

I’m excited to explore the world of vegetarian and vegan cooking more to add some diversity to our menu and cater to friends of ours.

Speaking of, when our friends welcomed their third child into the family I brought them this beautiful salad. I doubled the recipe for them and brought it over with the dressing kept in a mason jar for when they were ready to enjoy it. I was also sure to leave them with a copy of the recipe.

Naturally, I had to reserve a serving’s worth to photograph it! And then, I had to eat it! This salad is so bright and fresh, and satisfying with all of the protein packed legumes. As I’m not a huge fan of cucumber, I reserved my chunks for Treat to have for lunch the following day – they disappeared!

I will not hesitate to make this salad again.

October 1st is World Vegetarian Day and the month of October is Vegetarian Awareness Month, so the Sunday Supper crew, being led by Susan of The Wimpy Vegetarian, has many different ways to help get more veggies into your diet. Be sure to scroll past my recipe to see them all!

Strawberry Soba Noodle Salad

Ingredients for salad:

  • 1 pkg (9 oz) soba noodles
  • handful snow peas, trimmed
  • handful sugar snap peas, trimmed
  • 1 C frozen peas
  • 1 C frozen shelled edamame
  • 1 carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
  • 1 cucumber, chopped
  • 12 strawberries, sliced
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Ingredients for dressing:

  • 1″ fresh ginger, grated
  • 3 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp tamari
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tbsp agave

Steps:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook all of the peas for 2 minutes and then blanch in ice water. Drain and set aside.
  2. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Rinse under cold water.
  3. In a large bowl combine noodles, peas, strawberries, carrots, bell peppers, cucumber, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
  4. Make dressing: whisk together the ingredients. Pour over salad, tossing to coat. Serve.

*This recipe is adapted from The Vibrant Table*

strawberry-soba-noodle-salad-for-sundaysupper-from-sew-you-think-you-can-cook

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