Double Portion Inspiration

The weather where I live has turned a few degrees cooler.  It's starting to feel like Fall is in the air. I was inspired by Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) on the Food Network.  She used six pounds of apples to make yummy recipes. The apple recipe appealed to me because my oldest son has started eating applesauce before school.  He leaves so early in the morning and just needs a fast snack to coat his stomach.   Homemade applesauce is the perfect way to accomplish on the go eating. APPLESAUCE INGREDIENTS: 5-6 pounds of apples (honey crisp or golden delicious) Ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon) Brown sugar (1 firmly packed cup) Lemon juice (juice from 1/2 lemon) Water (1 cup) Start with Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious Apples Peel and core the apples - this tool was bought at my local grocery store The tool allows the core to be removed and the apple is sliced into 8 equal parts Put cut apples into a pot with 1 cup of water Cook on m...

Yummy goodness! I love sharing recipes and when I found a recipe that combined potatoes, eggs, and bacon, how could I resist sharing it.  Over the years we've shared everything from Buffalo Chicken Dip to Strawberry Monkey Bread.   Well this weekend I was inspired to try a new recipe out of the July/August issue of   Food Network Magazine.    Ingredients  Ingredients 2 pounds small red-skinned potatoes, quartered 1 pound bacon, chopped 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 3/4 cup mayonnaise 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 6 scallions, finely chopped 1 medium red onion, diced 1 tablespoon sugar Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper   Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until fork-tender, about 15 minutes.     Hint for success:  Use thick cut bacon for maximum flavor     Meanwhile, sau...

Getting ready for 4 mile hike with park ranger Roslyn and I love so many things!  Our morning prayer time with each other, exercising and eating are just some of our favorite things.  We're always looking for great ways to challenge our bodies and great healthy foods to prepare for our families. Snacking is a part of our 5-6 small meals daily routine.  We thought Fitness Friday would be a great time to share some of our favorite snacks.  We don't always make the best choices but we strive hard. Our 7 favorite snacks : Fruit We don't go to the store without buying some type of fruit.  Apples & grapes are some of our favorite picks.  They are especially great this time of year.  Shake it up a little by serving apple slices with peanut butter.  It's a yummy snack that even my kids enjoy. Granola bars It's such a great snack before or after a workout.  Cascadian Farms is usually our bar of choice.  ...

My nephews are staying with us for the week and we are having a blast!  Last night they talked me into letting them have the kitchen along with my daughter to prepare dinner.  They gave me a list of ingredients to purchase and told me they would take care of the rest.  For about an hour, they were busy cutting, stirring, and setting the table.  I normally eat dinner around 8:00 but last night, I didn't care that we didn't eat until 10:45 (that's how long it took them to pull everything together).  It was awesome to see them so excited to serve us dinner!  They even used the formal dining room table instead of our normal four seater breakfast table.  I wanted to share the recipe because it was easy, flavorful, and kid-friendly.  Here are the ingredients: 8 ounces cream cheese 1/2 cup finely chopped celery 1/2 cup hot sauce (recommended: Frank's) 1 rotisserie chicken , shredded 1 cup crumbled blue cheese Crackers, bread,...

My family loves corn so when a friend recently suggested a different way to cook it, I couldn't wait to try it out.  I was skeptical with the method at first because it seemed way to easy.  Corn doesn't have the best of reputations in today's society even though it is a great source of vitamin C and fiber (white corn has more fiber than yellow corn).  I bet you didn't know that one cup of corn provides 18.4% of the daily recommendation of fiber. Its high fiber content is one of the biggest benefits of corn . Fiber has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels and help reduce the risk of colon cancer. Corn also contains folate, phosphorus, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, manganese, protein, potassium, fiber, thiamine, and panthotenic acid.  It also has Vitamins A, E and K. Now that's an impressive list of nutrients. Let's face it, is anything more satisfying than a grilled ear of corn with butter at a Summer barbeque? Here's a quick way ...

Hopefully you didn't miss Monday's post about my recent experience picking strawberries.  Here's the link  if you missed it.  One of the benefits of our strawberry harvest, was trying out delicious recipes. In today's post I will share the recipe and photographs for Strawberry Monkey Bread.  It was easy and fun to make with the kids.  It's also a winning recipe from the first Florida Strawberry Recipe contest. Yummy goodness!   Ingredients: 1/2              cup toasted sliced almonds or pecans 1                 (16 ounce) container fresh strawberries, cut into slices (about 2 1/2 cups) 1 1/2           cups sugar, divided 1             ...