Cinnamon Apple Chips

♥♥ Intermediate

These are a huge hit at my house - and in all honesty they are beginner level cooking. The only reason that I gave it an intermediate level is because you may want to use a special tool called a Mandolin, AND they take a bit of time in the oven.

My kids love these. So much so, that I made them three nights in a row. Super easy, and super tasty!




What you'll need: 
3 Apples, Cored and Peeled (I use a mandolin to slice them 1/8" thick)
Cinnamon & Sugar mixture to taste

How it's done:

1. Core, peel, and slice your apples. I prefer 1/8" thick. They get really crispy if they are thinner.

2. Preheat oven to 170* or as low as your oven will go.

3. Put all of your apple slices on a cookie sheet that's lined with parchment paper. Do not let any of them touch! Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar to taste.

4. Bake for 1 hour on each side (I sprinkle on the other side when I turn them over), with the oven cracked. They will harden up even more once they have cooled.

Enjoy!!!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

♥ Beginner 

My Dad's all time favorite cookies are Oatmeal Rasin. I think he can smell them from five miles away. Not to mention, they are still a lot healthier of a cookie than most (cough, cough, chocolate chip...)

What you'll need: 

3/4 Cup Butter, Softened
1 Cup packed Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Cups Rolled Oats
1 Cup Raisins

How it's done: 

1. Preheat your oven to 375*F.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine butter and brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.

3. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.

4. Mix in Flour until combined, and hand stir in raisins.

5. Drop by tablespoon full onto non-stick cookie sheet (2 inches apart), and flatten with palm of hand. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Crepes with Blueberry Compote

♥♥♥ Advanced

I can remember being nine years old the first time I ever tried a crepe. It was a cream cheese crepe with a strawberry syrup on top, topped off with whipped cream.  I can remember thinking that I would never eat pancakes ever again as long as I lived. To my dismay, many breakfast restaurants don't offer cream cheese crepes for breakfast. I've spent many years searching for a breakfast place close to home that serve my favorite dish, and while I've found a few, they just aren't ever as good as I remember.

I hadn't really considered making them until the other night when I was watching some show on Food Network (one of the ten shows that Bobby Flay is in) and Bobby Flay suggested that very few people could make a "perfect crepe" because they are so temperamental.  Well Bobby Flay, I'm here to say you're wrong. A crepe doesn't have to be perfect!  It doesn't have to be perfectly browned, or even the same exact size as the others on the plate... it just has to taste good. So, I dedicate this post to Bobby Flay, someone I generally admire (even when he's wrong).

I'll be posting a fruit compote recipe here, because it's a good recipe to have all by itself.  You can use nearly any fruit, and can use them in so many ways. I prefer breakfasts, and over ice cream, but you can use them nearly everywhere.



What you'll need:


For the Crepes - 
1 Cup Flour
1 1/2 Cup Milk
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Oil (I used vegetable oil)

For the Filling-
8 oz. Cream Cheese (One bar)
2/3 Cups of Powdered Sugar
1/2 Teaspoons of Vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Zest - or Lemon Juice

How it's done: 

1. Beat your eggs in a large bowl. Add in the flour, milk, sugar, salt, and oil. Blend until combined.  I just left the mixer (with whisk attachment) on while I went and mixed up my filling.

2. In medium size bowl, blend cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix until combined and creamy. Set aside.

3. Begin making your blueberry compote (Or any fruit compote!).

4. Heat a 6-8 inch skillet with 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Once heated, remove the pan from the heat, drop in 2-3 Tablespoons of crepe batter.  Tilt the pan in circles to cover entire base of pan, and return to heat. Leave the crepe to cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Use a spatula to turn it over, and cook  for 30 more seconds.

5. Once removed from the pan, put your crepe on a plate covered with paper towel.  Your crepe will expire some so your paper towel might be wet when you're all done.  That's okay, the heat and expiration make your crepes really nice and soft, which makes them easy to roll!

6. After all of your crepes have been cooked, you can start to fill them and roll them up! (Roll the pretty side of the crepe outward of course!) I had 6 in. crepes, and i filled with three tablespoons of cream cheese mixture, but you can use as much or as little as you would like.


7. Top with your fruit compote and you're done! It's as simple as that, and they taste fantastic!

Enjoy!

Fruit Compote

♥ Beginner

A basic fruit compote is a great accessory to many dishes. It's great on top of other fruit, ice cream, crepes, pie, torte, cheesecake, etc. As the example today, I'll be using blueberries (to accompany some Cream Cheese Crepes) but you can use virtually any fruit. Some of the best compotes are Strawberry, Peach, Nectarine, Plum, Raspberry, Blueberry, Rhubarb.... and the list goes on and on.

What you'll need:

2 Cups of fresh or frozen Blueberries
3 Tablespoons of Water
1/2 Cup of Sugar
2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice (Adjust lemon juice depending on fruit used)

How it's done:

1. Combine 1 Cup of the blueberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes.

2. Add the rest of the blueberries and cook for 8 more minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Serve warm over dish!

Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

♥♥♥ Advanced

I sort of had one of those "AH-HA!" moments a few days ago, where I imagined combining a few of my favorite summer things into one treat.

Strawberry + Rhubarb + Ice Cream = WINNER!

Who doesn't love Strawberry Rhubarb anyway, but combined with ice cream and you'll never want plain strawberry ice cream ever again.  I promise.  I tasted it for the very first time this morning for breakfast... and I might even have to "taste" it again for lunch!

Trust me when I say, if you make it once you'll probably make it a few more times this summer!

*Just a note: You can make this without an ice cream maker, but it's a lot more work.  I don't own one, but my sister was kind enough to let me borrow hers (Thanks Ash!) so it made the process a lot more fun! Now I might have to go buy one! 

What you'll need:

(The measurements may need to be adjusted to fit your ice cream maker, the one I used was 1.5 Pint maker)

• 3 Cups of Chopped Rhubarb (1 Inch pieces or smaller) 
• 2 Cups of Strawberries - Hulled and quartered
• 1 Cup of Whole Milk
• 4 Teaspoons of Corn Starch
• 1 1/4 Cups of Heavy Cream
• 2/3 Cup of Sugar (For the Ice Cream Base
• 1/2 Cup of Sugar (For the Strawberry & Rhubarb) 
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 oz. of Cream Cheese
• 1/8 Teaspoons of Salt

Boiling the rhubarb.

How it's done: 

1. Wash and prepare rhubarb and strawberries.

2. Bring 1/2 Cup of Sugar & rhubarb to a boil over medium-low heat in a saucepan. Once boiling, add strawberries to the mixture and bring to a boil again. Turn off the heat. The goal is not to make jam, but it's okay if it gets a little thick. Allow this to cool a bit while you make the ice cream base.

After adding the strawberries. 

3. Mix well in a small container 2 Tablespoons of Milk and Corn Starch. Set Aside.

4. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, bring the milk, cream, and remaining sugar to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the cornstarch mixture, whisking continuously. Turn the heat on low and whisk until the mixture gets thick and coats the back of a spoon. You should be able to see a trail when you drag your spoon through it.

Melting the cream cheese. 

5. Put the strawberry rhubarb mixture through a strainer. Discard the chunky pieces, and fold 1 1/2 Cups of the saucy mixture into the Ice Cream base.

6. Once the ice cream base and strawberry rhubarb are mixed well, add the vanilla, salt, and cream cheese. Whisk the mixture until the cream cheese is melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

7. Pour the ice cream into a refrigerator safe bowl, and stick in the freezer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, stir the mixture and return to the freezer for 5 more minutes. Do this for 25 minutes total. After the 25 minutes, double check that it is completely cold and if it is throw it in your ice cream maker (following the makers directions!).

8. Wait for your maker to churn your ice cream! When it's all done, put it in an air tight container and move it to the freezer!

ENJOY!

Pluot & Cream Cheese Tart

♥ Beginner

Do you have any idea what a Pluot is? I didn't. It showed up in my Green B.E.A.N. Delivery this week, and honestly I was a little scared of it.  So, I googled it.

A Pluot is a hybrid fruit of a Plum and an Apricot. They are sweet and sour all at once, and honestly if you love plums then you'll love the Pluot. I went to slice them for this tart, and once I tasted them I couldn't stop eating them. They are pretty tasty for being a fruit I had never heard of before! And their color is beautiful too, once you cut into them you just have to taste it.

What you'll need:

• 3-4 Pluots
• 1 Sheet of Puff Pastry
• 8 oz. of Cream Cheese
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs

How it's done:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F.

2. After defrosting your puff pastry, cut off 1/3 of the sheet making it a rectangle. Place on baking sheet. Slice all of your Pluots into thin slices.

3. Combine in mixing bowl the Cream Cheese, ONE Egg, and 1/2 Cup Sugar until well blended.

4. Spread the cream cheese mixture onto the puff pastry, leaving a one inch border all the way around.

5. Lay all of your Pluot Slices on top of the cream cheese, layering as lightly or heavily as you would like.



6. Fold up the sides of the puff pastry, and pinch the corners to keep it closed. Take the other egg, and beat lightly and brush onto the tart. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

7. Put into the oven for 30-40 Minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown.

Enjoy! (This is great for breakfast or dessert!)

Chocolate Mouse Raspberry Cups

♥ Beginner

Early this week, Jared and I attended a beautiful memorial service for some dear friends in our ward who passed away from Cancer.  It was a father and son, and the memorial was beautiful.  So positive and uplifting, and they are truly such an amazing family.

In an attempt to help some, I made a few desserts for the service and because I think they are so good I figured they should be shared. The best of which were these amazing mini-mouse cups! These are phyllo dough cups, with chocolate mouse, a raspberry, and shaved chocolate.

*FYI, these don't transport as well as I had hoped, so try and put them together wherever they will be consumed!

What you'll need:

• Chocolate Fudge Pudding Box
• 2 Cups of Milk
• 2 Cups of Cool Whip
• 1 Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Square
• 1 Cup of Raspberries
• 4 Boxes of Mini Phyllo Dough Cups (Found in the frozen pie crust section of the grocery store) 

How it's done:

1. While your Phyllo Dough cups defrost (just leave them in the box on the counter), mix up your milk and box of pudding.  Let it set in the refrigerator for 10 minutes until firm.

2. Once the pudding has set, gently fold in the cool whip. Re-refrigerate for ten more minutes.

3. Spoon the mouse into the Phyllo cups, and top with a raspberry.

4. Using a vegetable peeler, shave one of the chocolate squares over the mouse. Ready to serve!

Enjoy!

**You can also make your own phyllo cups if you want ones that are a bit larger (dessert size instead of bite size) by purchasing Phyllo dough, and cutting it into squares and baking it in muffin tins.

***You will have significantly more mouse than you will cups or raspberries.  This recipe will yield 60 mini cups, but you will have enough mouse for about 150. If you choose to make them all, you'll need more cups and more raspberries.

Caramelized Pineapple

♥ Beginner

If you're looking for something tropical, sweet, a little smokey, and easy... I've got just the treat for you.  This treat makes a great appetizer for parties, or desserts for a lite treat after dinner.  I must suggest that if you are going to eat these for dessert, you should definitely pair it with a sweet vanilla bean ice cream.  It will rock your world!

What you'll need:

• One Pineapple, chopped into 1/2 Inch wedges
• 1/4 Cup brown sugar

How it's done:

1. Preheat your oven to Broil. (500*F)

2. Lay the pineapple flat on a cookie sheet, and cover with the brown sugar.

3. Broil for 10 minutes, and then turn the pineapple over and broil again for another 5 minutes.

4. Let cool and serve!