honey

Mummy Granola Bars

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Granola bars have been on my “to make” list for quite some time. In fact, I’ve tried making them before with disastrous results.

So I did some searching for another type of recipe – this one a no bake!

These chewy granola bars are made kind of like rice krispie treats! They’re packed full of healthy ingredients (and sugar) and given the mummy treatment with a drizzling of melted white chocolate. To give the mummies eye, I simply cut raisins, though melted dark chocolate would work quiet well, too.

These granola bars have an airy crispiness from the rice cereal and a smokey sweetness from the local honey I used in the recipe. Because I was mummifying these granola bars with a drizzling of white chocolate I opted to omit the mini chocolate chips.

If you have a granola bar recipe you swear by, by all means use that – and share it in the comments, I’d love to expand my granola bar repertoire!

Mummy Granola Bars

Ingredients:

  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 1/3 C brown sugar
  • 1/4 C + 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 C quick oats
  • 1 3/4 C crispy rice cereal
  • 1/2 C sliced almonds
  • 1/4 C flax meal
  • white chocolate
  • raisins or dark chocolate

Steps:

  1. Line a 9×11″ baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.
  2. In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter, brown sugar, and honey together. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook 2 more minutes, until thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, stir to incorporate.
  3. Fold in the oats, cereal, almonds, and flax meal. Mix until combined.
  4. Pour into the prepared baking dish and press firmly. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.
  5. Remove from the fridge and cut into rectangles.
  6. Melt the white chocolate and pour over the granola bars to make them look like mummies. Cut a raisin in half for each granola bar to make eyes.
  7. Store in the refrigerator.

*This recipe is adapted from Jenn at https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/chewy-chocolate-chip-granola-bars.html*

Mummy Granola Bars | Sew You Think You Can Cook

#IceCreamSocial: Strawberry Honey Sorbet

~ lk529 ~ 21 Comments

Hello, Summer. You’ve been here 10 days and it’s high time we’ve had an Ice Cream Social to celebrate your arrival. After all, July is National Ice Cream Month.

The Festive Foodie Events Planning Group (formerly Holiday Fun with our Blogging Friends) is having said Ice Cream Social with all treats frozen. We’re talking ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato, sorbets, ices, affogatos, malts and shakes, ice cream cakes, ice cream pies, ice cream sandwiches, sundaes, popsicles, etc. If it’s frozen and it’s a treat, bring it on to the party! Thank you Sue of Palatable Pastime for hosting!

19399035_10104959073808201_7818881682960017989_nThe boys and I went strawberry picking with my mom the Thursday before last and brought back 8 quarts of strawberries! That’s a lot of strawberries. Particularly when they’re super tiny. These Wisconsin strawberries are half the size of those I get from the Farmer’s Market back in California.

Using about 7 cups of strawberries, Mom (with a little help from Treat) baked a beautiful pie. We filled two freezer quart bags to be used in both an ice cream and a sorbet. And there was a 48 oz container remaining for our daily Vitamin C intake.

On a beautiful (and only slightly chilly) Monday morning, Firecracker woke up asking to make ice cream. I checked my potential blogging opportunities and decided to tackle the sorbet first.

There’s a slight chance we busted my mom’s little blender, so I’m not sure if the no-churn ice cream we want to make will end up happening. I’ll need to get on that quite soon before we head back to sunny SoCal!

After lunch the sun came out and outside play called for some Strawberry Honey Sorbet. This treat melts quickly, especially in the sun, but it’s quite refreshing! Sweetened only with honey, I didn’t feel too guilty about letting the boys dig in!

Strawberry Honey Sorbet (kids) | Sew You Think You Can Cook

The three ingredient recipe was inspired by a Facebook Video my mom found.

I encourage you to have a taste of summer by whizzing up your own, three-ingredient sorbet.

Strawberry Honey Sorbet

Ingredients:

  • 1 qt frozen strawberries
  • 1/2 C water
  • 1/2 C honey

Steps:

  1. Place ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
  2. Transfer to a freezer friendly dish, cover, and freeze at least an hour.

*This recipe is modified from Pierce at https://www.buzzfeed.com/pierceabernathy/3-ingredient-mango-sorbet?bffbtasty&ref=bffbtasty&utm_term=.fmrJbAWaw#.kpa9N6Edq*

Strawberry Honey Sorbet for #IceCream Social from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out these other frozen treats for your next Ice Cream Social:

Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Cowtipper Shake by Jolene’s Recipe Journal

Easy Nutella Popsicles by All That’s Jas

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream by Amy’s Cooking Adventures

No Churn Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Old Fashioned Cola Float by Family Around the Table

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip No Churn Ice Cream by Cooking with Carlee

Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream by Red Cottage Chronicles

Sour Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunks by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt by Palatable Pastime

Strawberry Honey Sorbet by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Strawberry Peaches & Cream Popsicles with Gingersnap Crumbles by Tip Garden

 

Burnt Honey Ice Cream

~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

There are some days being a military family is just plain hard.

Burnt Honey Ice Cream | Sew You Think You Can Cook (1)

And really, we haven’t dealt with the hardest of experiences as my husband hasn’t deployed in his 7 years active duty. But comparing experiences and hardships doesn’t help anybody.

Not having been “in theater” is something my husband thinks about quite often. There’s a pull in him to serve and protect, and yet I know he’s thankful not to have missed out on any of our children’s milestones to date. But there’s an almost guilt he feels when someone, seeing him in uniform, thanks him for his service.

This past year, my Facebook world has been teeming with families separated due to deployments. And I, too, feel that pull. The guilt when I complain that life might be just a little too hard, that my husband has to travel 3-4 days a month. But it’s not fair to me to belittle my experiences either. Everyone is dealing with something and that something, no matter how “small or insignificant” it may seem to an outsider doesn’t mean it’s not the world to the person in the moment.

The hardest part that just about every military family can relate to is being far from family and friends.

We just had a fabulous week with my in-laws who came all the way out to California from Alabama to spend their vacation time. My husband even took the week off to make it an incredible “stay-cation.” We went to Disneyland for the first time, checked out the Aquarium of the Pacific, and went to an LA Galaxy game. Of course Tilly brought some crafts to do with the boys and we set up a garden! Our front step is now the home to some beautiful orange and blue flowers, and my balcony is a pot garden with strawberries, tomatoes, and herbs. Here’s to hoping I don’t kill everything!

With every move we have to say goodbye to friends we made at that duty station. Those goodbyes are hardest when the friends we’ve made are civilians who aren’t moving somewhere new, too.

I think there’s an understand among military friends that, yep, we’re moving again, but the military is small, we’ll see each other again.

Today’s post is about one of those friends. I’ve talked, countless times, about Tara of Tara’s Multicultural Table. I’ve known Tara for almost 8 years. Our husbands attended ROTC together and we were stationed in the FL panhandle together. We’re godparents to each others children and constantly keep in touch even though we moved to OH and they moved to DC in 2014. Then we came to CA and they should hopefully be joining us next year. Trust me, these next 12 months are going to be a combination of excitement and fear my hopes coming down crashing.

The recipe I’m sharing today is one that Tara made when we were visiting two years ago over Memorial weekend. It was so intriguing, I just had to make it myself. The burnt honey flavor is strong and a great compliment to a baked apple dish. I suggest using a sweet honey, and one that you like.

Burnt Honey Ice Cream | Sew You Think You Can Cook (2)

Burnt Honey Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 C honey
  • 2 C heavy cream
  • 1 C whole milk
  • 9 egg yolks
  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 1 C cold crème fraiche
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt

Steps:

  1. Heat honey in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the foam that forms reduces and the honey becomes amber in color, about 5-7 minutes.
  2. In another saucepan, heat the heavy cream and milk over medium heat until warmed through; do not boil. Slowly add the cream to the darkened honey 1/2 C at a time, whisking continuously. When it comes back to a simmer, remove from the heat.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Pour the honey mixture into the eggs 1/4 C at a time, whisking continuously. When the egg mixture is warmed through and thin, slowly pour it back into the saucepan, still whisking continuously. Heat the ice cream base over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
  4. Pour the ice cream base through a mesh strainer into a large bowl. Stir in the crème fraiche and salt. Place the bowl into an ice bath, being careful not to let any ice water into the ice cream. When the mixture reaches room temperature, cover, and refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours.
  5. Pour chilled ice cream base into an ice cream  maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

*This recipe is adapted from Tara at http://tarasmulticulturaltable.com/mourad-new-moroccan-cookbook-review-and-burnt-honey-ice-cream/*

Burnt Honey Ice Cream | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Honey Garlic Baked Cauliflower

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

As cauliflower continues to gain in popularity, I’m excited to say that we’re finally on that bandwagon. Though to be honest, I still haven’t been able to convince myself to try it raw. Don’t ask me why, it makes no sense.

I decided to delve into that cauliflower enjoyment and search my Pinterest account for any previously saved recipes that I’d forgotten about. Immediately this pin for Honey Garlic Baked Cauliflower called out to me with its stunningly mouth-watering photography.

I made the recipe as directed the first time and while we enjoyed it, it was missing something. I kept thinking, “This needs veggies!” which is hilarious as the entire dish was veggies. That, right there, should tell you that you won’t be missing the meat at all.

We were forced to eat the prepared cauliflower cold as we were dealing with some child(ren) meltdown(s) while simultaneously waiting for the brand new rice cooker to cook some rice.

I determined that the breading wasn’t necessary and decided to try again for lunch later that week. I know it’s “honey garlic” cauliflower, but the garlic was too strong so I toned that flavor down a touch, too. And to get that “desire for something green” I added some frozen edamame to the dish.

cauliflower horizontal

My version is perfect for lunch or a weeknight dinner. It serves 2.

Honey Garlic Baked Cauliflower

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 6 tbsp honey
  • 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp sriracha
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 6 tbsp water
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/3 C frozen shelled edamame, thawed
  • cooked rice, for serving

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Place cauliflower on a lightly greased baking sheet in an even layer. Bake 20 minutes.
  3. In a small saucepan over medium heat the honey, soy sauce, sriracha, garlic, and onion powder until combined and warmed through.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch. Slowly pour into the sauce, whisking continuously. Bring to a simmer and cook a couple of minutes until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat.
  5. Toss cauliflower and edamame in as much of the sauce as desired. Serve immediately over cooked rice.

*This recipe is modified from Kirbie at http://kirbiecravings.com/2016/01/honey-garlic-baked-cauliflower.html*

Honey Garlic Baked Cauliflower | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Food Bloggers Recipe Swap: Honey Walnut Shrimp

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

This post is my second with the Food Bloggers Recipe Swap group and the first of the new year! So, Happy New Year everyone! Can I still say that? Has the shiny new promise of 2017 already lost its luster?

Anywho… By opting in for January, I committed myself to being assigned a blog, finding and recreating a recipe from that blog, and then sharing it with all of you, my dear readers.

I love the posting leniency afforded in this challenge. As long as I get my post completed by the end of the month, life is peachy! I don’t think the assignments are a secret either, and should I choose, I could search through the assignment list and figure out who is digging through my recipe index, but I won’t spoil the surprise. 🙂

This month I was assigned the blog Simply Delish Eats written my Luca. Luca’s story has some similarities as mine in that she lives in California, is from the south, and is proud of her alma mater. She works in the fashion industry – a land I hardly ever delve into. Seriously, I don’t even brush my hair! Not that that means I don’t appreciate good fashion, I simply admire it from afar and from the dreamland of Pinterest.

Luca has some great recipes on her blog and I actually stopped looking when coming face to face (face to bowl?) with her slow cooker queso dip. I immediately added the ingredients to my grocery list and made it for Auburn’s final game of the season. (We won’t talk about the actual game though…) I thought it’d be fun to photograph the dip in the slow cooker so when I reheated the leftovers the next day I did so in the slow cooker. And then I forgot about it. And it burned. And the already unphotogenic melted cheesy goodness was far from being camera ready.

That execution fail (to be clear, the queso was tasty!) was a blessing in disguise because I got the opportunity to make this Honey Walnut Shrimp. I’ve never had the dish at a Chinese restaurant before so I can’t speak to it’s “copy cat” qualities. But I can speak to its deliciousness!

img_5606With some immense luck, Firecracker tried one bite of shrimp! He never gave a clear indication as to if he liked it or not. We gave him a pair of chopsticks to make it more fun, and it kinda sorta worked. Like I said, he tried one bite. And then had a kid’s protein bar for lunch instead. Ah well. Win some, lose some, right?

I made a full pound of shrimp, doubled the walnuts, and kept the sauce amount the same. To be fair, I would have doubled the sauce had I enough mayo/sour cream in my fridge, it’s not like I was trying to cut calories or anything. I only had about a 1/4 C of mayo left in my container so I had to add some sour cream. A perfectly acceptable substitution, I think! One could probably use plain Greek yogurt, too, in a pinch. Good news: I wouldn’t have needed a double recipe of sauce, it was enough to perfectly coat the 1 lb of shrimp.

Luca used a boxed tempura batter. I couldn’t find any at the store, so I simply made my own.

Honey Walnut Shrimp

Ingredients:

  • 1 C chopped walnuts
  • 1 1/3 C brown sugar + 1 tbsp brown sugar, divided use
  • 1 C water
  • 1 C flour
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided use
  • 1 1/2 C seltzer
  • 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails removed
  • 1/2 C mayonnaise (or combination with sour cream)
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • vegetable oil, for frying

Steps:

  1. Place walnuts, 1 1/3 C brown sugar, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook 3 minutes. Drain and place walnuts on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
  2. Pour oil into a wok or high sided skillet. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and a wooden spoon placed in the oil bubbles.
  3. Make tempura batter: Whisk together flour, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp salt. Stir in seltzer.
  4. Coat shrimp in the tempura batter and then place in the hot oil. Cook 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. (I did this in 3 batches.)
  5. Make the sauce: Whisk together the mayo, honey, milk, remaining brown sugar and remaining salt until smooth.
  6. Place fried shrimp in a large bowl, gently toss with the walnuts and the sauce. Serve warm over rice. (Shrimp is best served same day.)

*This recipe is modified from Luca at http://www.simplydelisheats.com/recipes/honey-walnut-tempura-shrimp and Food Network Kitchen at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tempura-batter-recipe.html*

Honey Walnut Shrimp for Food Bloggers Recipe Swap from Sew You Think You Can Cook

#BundtBakers: Pears

~ lk529 ~ 24 Comments

4ae7b-bundtbakerspost

This month’s edition of #BundtBakers is a little different. No, you won’t notice anything unique about this month compared to any of the previous #BundtBakers events but behind the scenes I’m the one hosting! #BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient.

I’ve selected a theme of Pears for November 2016. When I told my mom she said, “but you made a pear cake last month.” Yes, yes, I did. I’m that much obsessed with pears this fall.

How did this pear obsession begin?

Friends of ours brought over a fruit salad one evening and there were pears in it. These pears were perfectly ripe and reminded me how delicious a pear can be! I’ve since been buying them when I can get decent ones at the grocery store. Treat loves them, too. They’re such a perfect late night snack.

My favorite pear variety of choice is the boring ole Bartlet. I went rogue and bought a Bosq for a salad (but my husband ate it). We didn’t care for it as much.

The pear cake I’m sharing today varies from the my previous one because the pear is shredded! The shredded pear almost disolves into the cake batter as it’s baking, but you still get that bit of pear texture. I decided to pulse some walnuts instead of using almondmeal and I love the flavor it gives to the cake. Another change I made from the recipe of inspiration was to use honey instead of maple syrup. Pear, honey, and walnuts, are a perfect flavor combination and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. It had me thinking of a cheese platter and I decided to use mascarpone cheese in the frosting again, too.

My husband perfers just about every cake to be warmed up in the microwave. I’m the opposite and like my cake at room temperature, even cold for some recipes! For this bundt cake, though, I am 100% on board with warming it up. Yum.

Honey and Walnut Pear Bundt Cake

Ingredients for cake:

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste
  • 1/4 C honey
  • 1/2-1/2 C walnuts
  • 1 1/3 C flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 C milk
  • 1 pear, shredded

Ingredients for frosting:

  • 4 tbsp mascarpone, softened
  • 2 tbsp butter, softened
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3/4 tsp vanilla paste
  • 1/2 C powdered sugar
  • milk, as needed
  • pinch of salt, if desired

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease a bundt pan.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at at time, mixing until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and honey.
  3. Put walnuts in a food processor and pulse until fine – should yield 1/4 C.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/4 C of the walnut crumbs, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
  5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix until combined. Add the milk, mix until incorporated. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients. Add the shredded pear and mix.
  6. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake 50-55 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out cleanly. Allow cake to cool before unmolding.
  7. Make the frosting: Place mascarpone, butter, honey, and vanilla in a bowl and whisk with a hand mixer until combined. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until incorporated. Add milk as needed a teaspoon at a time. If desired, stir in a pinch of salt. Pipe frosting over cooled cake.

*The cake recipe is modified from Tessa at http://thecakeblog.com/2015/12/maple-pear-cake.html*

Honey and Walnut Pear Bundt Cake for #BundtBakers from Sew You Think You Can Cook

You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

Almond Pear Bread Pudding from Food Lust People Love

Fresh Pear Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze from The Queen of Scones

London Fog & Pear Bundt Cake from All That’s Left Are The Crumbs

Orange Pear Bundt Cake from Basic N Delicious

Pear and Date Bundt Cake with Caramel Mascarpone Sauce from kidsandchic

Pear and Hazelnut Bundt from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Pear and Port Bundt Cake from Palatable Pasttime

“Pear”fect Rum Raisin Cake from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Pear Pecan Coffee Bundt Cake from Patty’s Cake

Pear Spiced Bundt Cake from I Love Bundt Cakes

Pear Streusel Crunch Cake from Noshing with the Nolands

Pumpkin Pear Bundt Cake from Making Miracles

Roasted Pear & Walnut Spice Cake Bundt from Brooklyn Homemaker

Salted Caramel Pear Bundt Cake from Tartacadabra

Spiced Pear Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm

This recipe was my personal favorite of November 2016. I’ve added it to An InLinkz Link-up celebrating monthly favorite recipes on Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking. 

https://static.inlinkz.com/cs2.js

SRC: Breakfast Quinoa

~ lk529 ~ 18 Comments

newsrcbanner

It’s Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the Secret Recipe Club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

I almost didn’t participate this month. My husband has been gone for a month. Not gone gone, just on the other side of the country thanks to a 5 week course for work. We’re in the final stretch and will be reunited Friday! It’s been a long 4.5 weeks so far, but with visits from the boys’ aunt and grandmothers we’ve been making it through.

Cooking has been very minimal around here, limiting my culinary output to things I know the boys will eat. Aka cheese. We’ve been living off of cheese. Grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, nachos, and pizzas – all good means for “hiding” protein into their diets.

I knew signing up for SRC this month would force me to cook something other than waffles and sweets. I’m glad I did, too, because this month I was assigned The Gluten-Free Foodsmith written by Tina Marie. Tina Marie made the switch to gluten-free living after discovering it made a huge impact in restoring her to health following an illness. Tina Marie made the best of her gluten-free lifestyle and has developed an impressive arsenal of delicious recipes that everyone can enjoy!

Limiting my search of her blog to recipes I knew my kids would actually help me eat and that were healthy wasn’t too difficult! Apple Pineapple Muffins were going to be the winner until I found Warm Plum and Blueberry Quinoa Salad. Also added to my possibility list were: Pecan Walnut Chicken Salad (but I haven’t introduced nuts to Treat yet), Black Bean Salsa Wraps, and Lentil Chili Stew.

I had to make some adjustments to Tina Marie’s recipe due to dietary restrictions. I had to substitute agave for honey due to Treat being under one. I used butter instead of coconut oil because I’m allergic to coconut. And used regular cow’s milk instead of almond milk because I haven’t tested a nut allergy with Treat yet and was/am too anxious and nervous about doing so while I’m parenting solo. Obviously, I left the raw almonds out, too. Sounds like a lot, but it’s really not.

We loved this quinoa! I even made it again with strawberries when my mother-in-law was visiting. It was her first introduction to quinoa and she quite enjoyed it, too. What I love best is that it doesn’t take any longer than making oatmeal in the morning and is arguably healthier! Quinoa has almost double the amount of protein as oats do.

Treat loved the change in his breakfast from Greek yogurt to this quinoa. Firecracker, who does enjoy the seed, wasn’t as interested and simply picked out all of the fruit. I guess for him quinoa is supposed to stay savory. I enjoyed the sweet take to it and will continue explore its sweeter applications – I know Tina Maria had a couple cookie recipes on her blog using the seed!

Breakfast Quinoa

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 C uncooked quinoa
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp agave
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp real maple syrup
  • 1 plum, pitted and chopped
  • 1/4 C blueberries (I used frozen)

Steps:

  1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
  2. Add butter, agave, milk, cinnamon, and syrup to the cooked quinoa. Stir in the plum and blueberries. Keep over low heat until butter is melted, quinoa is evenly coated, and fruit is warmed through.

*This recipe is modified from Tina Maria at http://glutenfreefoodsmith.com/2015/05/warm-plum-and-blueberry-quinoa-salad/*

Breakfast Quinoa for Secret Recipe Club from Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in The Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

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

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

#FoodieExtravaganza: Lemonade

~ lk529 ~ 15 Comments

foodieextravaganza-300

Happy August, everyone! August is a great month, although there aren’t any legal holidays to get you a day or two off of work. August is the final month of summer, the month when most people are taking family vacations, and the month that holds my birthday!

August also has some of the best foodie holidays. It’s National Brownies At Brunch Month (say, whaaat?!), National S’mores Day is the 10th, and the last day of the month is Eat Outdoors Day (what a fun family tradition to start!). Two years ago #FoodieExtravaganza celebrated waffles and last year potatoes.

The Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient or theme into recipes to share with you. We take turns hosting and this month, it’s my turn! I decided on Lemonade Day, which falls on the 20th. Why? Because lemonade is one of my favorite summertime treats. I make a minimum of 2 homemade lemonades once summer hits. (You can read more about my citrus juicing love here.)

I decided to take a different approach with this year’s new lemonade. No sugar! Instead, this lemonade gets its sweetness from honey. You can alter how cloyingly sweet you want your beverage to be by playing around with different honey varieties. (About.com has a great resource for describing the different flavor profiles of each type of honey.)

Honey Mint Lemonade Sew You Think You Can Cook

Honey Mint Lemonade

Ingredients:

  • 2 C freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 3 lb lemons)
  • 9 C water, divided use
  • 1/4 C honey (any variety of your choosing)
  • 3 sprigs fresh mint
  • sparkling water for serving (optional)

Steps:

  1. Microwave 1 C water for 1 minute, or until hot but not boiling. Stir honey into hot water until dissolved. Add mint and steep 5 minutes. Remove mint and discard.
  2. Combine honey mixture, lemon juice, and remaining 8 C water in a pitcher.
  3. Option to add a splash of sparkling water to serve.

*This recipe was inspired by SkinnyMs at http://skinnyms.com/homemade-honey-lemonade-with-fresh-mint-recipe/*

Honey Mint Lemonade for #FoodieExtravaganza from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out these other lemonades:

Dairy-Free Frosted Lemonade by Cookaholic Wife

Frosty Raw Strawberry Lemonade by Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Lemony White Sangria by Hardly A Goddess

Papaya Lemonade (or cocktail!) by Caroline’s Cooking

Passion Tea Lemonade by Making Miracles

Peachy Lemonade by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Pineapple Pink Lemonade Shaved Ice by Food Lust People Love

Shikanji (Indian Lemonade) by Tara’s Multicultural Table

Sparkling Apple and Watermelon Lemonade Spritzers by Sneha’s Recipe

Sparkling Blue Basil Lemonade by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Sparkling Milk Lemonade by Our Good Life

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.