Autumn Fruit Salad

This delicious Autumn Fruit Salad is similar to a yogurt parfait. Sweet, crunchy, and perfect as a side dish this fall season.  Both kids and adults love it.  So get your favorite knife and get ready to chop because you’ll be asked to bring this to family gatherings all year long!

Ingredients

8 small apples

4 green pears

1/2 bag of seedless red grapes (cut in half)

2 lemons or 2 tbsp lemon juice

6 oz maple greek yogurt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extravt

1 cup of whipped cream

1 cup chopped wlanuts

1/4 cup brown sugar

Autumn Fruit Salad

Directions

1. Rinse fruit thoroughly

2. Cut apples and pears into small pieces and discard the cores.

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3. Sprinkle lemon juice over the cut apples and pears.  Stir and mix well.

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4. Cut grapes in half and add to the apples and pears.

5. In a separate bowl, mix together; maple yogurt, vanilla extract, whipped cream, cinnamon and brown sugar.

6. Chop the walnuts or purchase pre-chopped walnuts.  You may add the walnuts straight to the fruit or add it to the dressing.

7. Pour 1/2 the dressing to the fruit and stir. Add in more dressing as needed.

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8. Serve and ENJOY.  (Keep in the refrigerator if serving later.  It will last a 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.)

 

Thanks for reading.  Hope you find time to try out this delicious recipe!

Katie

 

Mama’s Sweet Potato Casserole

There is nothing like moms cooking.  This dish is a Thanksgiving family tradition.  My mom always brought the sweet potato casserole to our large family gathering among other dishes.  This sweet and crunchy recipe pairs well with turkey or ham and of course some cranberry sauce.  With the small addition of marshmallows on top, I’d say its perfection.

 

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Mix

3 to 4 cups of sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

1 cup sugar

8 tbsp butter (room temp)

½ cup evaporated milk

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

Topping

4 tbsp butter melted

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Mama's Sweet Potato Casserole

Directions

  1. Rinse/wash sweet potatoes before placing in a large pot on the stove.  Bring sweet potatoes to a boil and turn to medium/low heat.  Leave them to cook for at least an hour (until your fork and easily penetrate the sweet potato. (I use 4 to 5 medium sized sweet potatoes)   
  2. Drain the hot water.  Using a cutting board, place each sweet potato on it to peel.  Use the fork to hold the sweet potato still while you slice and peel each sweet potato.  Place sweet potatoes in large mixing bowl.  
  3. Add in the butter and sugar.  Using a masher, mash the sweet potatoes until ingredients is well blended.  
  4. Add in the evaporated milk, nutmeg and cinnamon and mix again.  
  5. Spray your baking dish (9x13in) with butter.  Add in the sweet potato mix.  Smooth it out and place to the side.  IMG_3492
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  7. To make the topping, melt butter in a small pot on the stove.  Once melted, add in the pecans, brown sugar and flour.  Mix well with a small spoon.  
  8. Sprinkle the topping onto the sweet potatoes.   IMG_3498
  9. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
  10. When time is up, take the casserole out of the oven and sprinkle marshmallows on top.    
  11. Change the oven settings to broil and place casserole back in the oven for 5 minutes (watch carefully so that you don’t burn the marshmallows).  
  12. Remove when completed and let cool before serving.  IMG_3528

Hope you enjoy!

Thanks mom for sharing your delicious sweet potato casserole dish.  It brings back many fun childhood family memories. And tasty ones 🙂

Katie

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What’s your favorite dish that your mom always made?

Pumpkin Pie Scones

This scone recipe is based off of one of my all time favorite pumpkin pie recipes.  A pie recipe that does not require a crust.  It’s a simple yet delicious recipe.  The pumpkin flavor isn’t over powering and the tasty topping is a sweet treat with each bite.  Smelling them bake in the oven is just such a glorious aroma.  My mouth waits in anticipation each time I bake them.  To help distract you from watching the timer like I do, prep a cup of coffee or tea to enjoy with the scones.  They pair so well together.  Hope you enjoy.

I’d like to thank Betty Crocker Cookbook from the 1990’s for the delicious pie recipe.  It has been so much fun to modify and play around with this new pumpkin scone recipe.

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour (sifted)
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp orange peel
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ⅛ tsp salt

1 stick of frozen butter grated

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • ¼ cup heavy cream

Brown Sugar Topping

  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1 tbsp softened/melted butter

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, pumpkin spice and salt.   
  4. Using a cheese grater (large holes) grate one stick of frozen butter and blend it into  the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. 
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, heavy cream, vanilla extract, honey and pumpkin puree.  
  6. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  7. Pat the dough out into a rectangular shape (like a flat log) that is about 1 inch thick.  Cut into 6 – 8 equal wedges (you can use a pizza cutter).  
  8. Arrange the wedges on your baking sheet or scone pan.    
  9. To make the topping, melt the butter carefully in a pan on the stove.  Add in the brown sugar and oats and mix well.
  10. With your fingers, press in a decent amount of the topping onto each scone.
  11. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes depending on your oven (I rotate mine after 10 to 12 minutes).
  12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before enjoying.

What a delicious remake of an old pumpkin pie recipe into a decadent scone. Autumn is such a wonderful season.  It’s hard not to think of autumn without pumpkin.  One of my favorite pumpkin pie recipes is crust-less.  That’s right, no crust.  Instead, you cover the pie with a brown sugar topping that holds it all together, while adding a bit more sweetness.  That’s what makes these pumpkin pie scones taste even better and adds some crunch. Don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself and enjoy.

 

Katie

 

Caramelized Pear Scones

Originally I was going to do a pear and dark chocolate scone, but all the batches I made just didn’t do anything for me.  I then began racking my brain of ingredients that would go well with pears… cinnamon, ginger, etc.  The list went on but then the light bulb went off and my taste buds watered as the word caramel came to mind.  Caramelized pears are a perfect flavor for these unique and tasty scones!

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups flour sifted

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup of butter (or 1 stick of frozen butter)

1/4 cup vanilla greek yogurt

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 egg

Caramelized Pears Ingredients:

1 cup diced pears

4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick)

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Topping:

1 small jar of caramel (or you can make your own using butter and brown sugar)

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Directions:

1. Prep an area with a mat and pan with parchment paper.

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2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3. Sift the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set to the side.

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4. Melt a 1/2 stick of butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat. When it begins to foam, sprinkle in 1/2 cup of brown sugar over the top and cook until bubbling and dissolved (about 3 mins).

5. Add in the pears to the caramel sauce and let cook.  Rarely stir the mixture until caramelized and pears begin to release their juices.

6. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and stir again.  Turn the stove off and let the caramelized pears cool.

7. In a small bowl, whip together the heavy cream, egg and vanilla greek yogurt. Then mix it into the dry ingredients/batter.

 

8. Grate the frozen stick of butter and add it into the batter.

9. Fold in the cooled caramelized pears into the batter.  Place batter mixture onto mat and gently press it out into the shape of a log.

10. Using a pizza cutter or dough cutter, slice it into 6 to 8 pieces similar in size.

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11. Once all the pieces are sliced, transport them onto the tray and lightly brush them with heavy cream.

12. Bake them in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes (until golden or until you can slide a toothpick in and out of the scone and it comes out clean).

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13. Once scones are cooled, drizzle caramel sauce over the top and serve.

Hope you enjoy these delicious scones 🙂

Katie