If you follow me, you know I love me some oatmeal! I have a more than a few oatmeal recipes on my site! But this German Chocolate Granola is in a class by itself.
German Chocolate Granola Yogurt Parfaits
Read More
Advertisements
Healthy Almond Coconut Granola
I’m always making granola of one type or another but never seem to actually post recipes. Maybe because in real life I’m more of a dumper than a measurer, at least when I make granola. This Healthy Almond Coconut Granola, though is just too good to be missed, so I measured! Feel free feel to tinker, though, to suit your tastes.
Healthy Almond Coconut Granola
Read More
Dried Blueberry Lemon Scones
I’ve been a little obsessed with scones, lately. I wanted to find the definitive scone. The scone to best all scones. The one scone to rule them all. What I discovered is that I just seem to like all scones, and most of all the one I’m eating! This week it’s my Dried Blueberry Lemon Scones.
Dried Blueberry Lemon Scones
Read More
Chocolate Cherry Scones – Guest Post
Hi everyone! Today’s post is a bit different because it’s a Guest Post for Suzanne at APugintheKitchen. If you haven’t met Suzanne, you should. She’s a fantastic cook and baker extraordinaire, involved in all kinds of good endeavors, inherently generous and kind. Of course, there’s her pug Percy who gets to make a featured appearance every now and then, too!
Percy – one pampered pooch!
Gingerbread Granola
Ya might think that I’d have gotten my share of Gingerbread over the Holidays, but it just didn’t work out. I wanted to find the time to make Gingerbread Men. I really did. I was so psyched about them. I even got the cookie cutters out and everything…
Home-made Gingerbread Granola with Dried Cherries & Pecans
White Chocolate & Dried Cranberry Cookies
If there’s ever a cookie that screams “Christmas” it has to be a White Chocolate & Dried Cranberry Cookie. And so I dutifully waited until after Thanksgiving to post these lovelies.
White Chocolate & Dried Cranberry Cookies
The Biltmore House’s Tawny Baked Ham
If you’re looking for a showstopper of a ham recipe for a fall or winter holiday, look no further. Simple to make but absolutely stunning, this ham has it all: Great looks and great taste.
The Biltmore House’s Tawny Baked Ham
Pumpkin Drop Cookies
When I was little, I have very fond memories of making cookies with my Mom. Well, she made them and we pressed the forks into them to make a cross-hatch – and they were always peanut butter. But at my friend Lynette’s house, they made all kinds of things! Including Pumpkin Drop Cookies.
Pumpkin Drop Cookies – add raisins or chocolate chips.
Desserts with Fruit
Many of my favorite desserts are made with fruit (the rest are usually chocolate!) Here you’ll find fruit-based desserts, desserts with fresh fruit or dried or those that have a fruit sauce. Enjoy!
any fruit (just about)
apples & applesauce
apricots
bananas
blackberries
blueberries
cherries
coconut
cranberries
dates
figs
honeydew
lemon
mixed berries
nectarines & peaches
pears
plums
pumpkin
raspberries
raisins
rhubarb
strawberries
back to the main dessert menu
Big Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
My Dad’s been asking for Oatmeal Cookies for longer than I care to admit. And we had three, yes, three cartons of Old Fashioned Oats in the cupboard. And so here they are, the best Oatmeal Cookies, ever! And my Dad thinks so, too!! 🙂 It always tickles me pink to get a thumbs up from my Dad!
Big Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
Roasted Cauliflower with Dates & Pine Nuts
When I made Oven Roasted Cauliflower the other day, I promised I’d show you a simple but fun way to “dress it up.” Well, here it is, a nutty brown butter sauce punctuated with sweet dates and crunchy pine nuts.
Oven Roasted Cauliflower
Cranberry Rosemary Cheese Spread
Thanks to my sister for finding this wonderful creamy, tangy spread that’s a bit different and perfect for the Holidays! The dried fruit makes it festive and adds a little sweetness and that flavor just bounces off the savory rosemary and garlic.
Cranberry Rosemary Cheese Spread
Sour Cherry Compote
One of my summer/fall favorites is this marvelous Sour Cherry Compote. It’s a little sweet, a little tart and goes so well with so many things. I often make up a batch and can or freeze so I have it to pull out in the winter, too.
Sour Cherry Compote
Arugula, Goat Cheese & Beet Salad
Have I ever told you I’m wild about Beets? We had a rough start, beets and I did, way back in elementary school. Canned beets, blech! But garden fresh beets? They’re another story altogether. So if you haven’t had beets in awhile, “…all I’ma sayin’ is give beets a chance…” ♬
Simple Balsamic on Arugula, Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
Bacon, Dried Cherry & Caramelized Onion Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
We all have those recipes we make over and over again, right? The ones we just about crave? The ones we pull out for an occasion. Birthdays, Company? Tuesday? This Bacon, Dried Cherry & Caramelized Onion Stuffed Tenderloin is one of those. If you’re like me, you’ll just look for an excuse. And you’ll double the recipe and make two!
Bacon, Dried Cherry & Caramelized Onion Stuffed Tenderloin
Simple American Style Soused Chicken
Here’s another one of my recipes that tastes and looks all “gourmet” but gets dinner on the table in no time at all – Soused Chicken. I’ve made this for years and the somewhat unusual flavoring gets rave reviews. Seriously, people think you’re going all fancy whenever wine and a little cream or half and half are in the picture.
Simple American Style Soused Chicken
California Date Shake
Do you ever come across a recipe in a magazine that sounds SOOOO crazy you just know it has to be either completely amazing or an absolute boo hiss? This is one of those crazy recipes that amazes!
California Date Shake
Grandma’s Applesauce Cupcakes
Do you have old family recipes that just take you back to childhood? Maybe it’s a photo, maybe it’s the first whiff of them baking in the oven, or maybe it’s that first bite? This is one of those for me…my Grandma Irene’s Applesauce Cupcakes. I’d guess these date back to the 1930’s, at least.
Grandma’s Applesauce Cupcakes
Dried Cranberry & Tea Infused Scones
Are you a scone lover? Or have you only had overly dry, crumbly scones, perhaps redeemed only by the amount of icing on top? Not that I have anything against icing…but it should go on a really GOOD scone, right? This scone has no icing, but a sprinkle of sugar over the top gives it a nice sheen and a bit of sweetness.
Dried Cranberry & Tea Infused Scones
Dried Cranberry, Walnut & Avocado Salad
AARP. Who knew? I’ve been a proud member, according to my card, since 2015, but looking back I wish I would have signed up earlier.
Dried Cranberry, Walnut & Avocado Salad
Date Pinwheels, Icebox
These Date Pinwheels were my Grandmother Irene’s recipe. My Mom’s Mom, and of all the cookies our family had at Christmas, these were my favorite. When Grandma thought I was old enough, she let me slice the cookie rolls into coins & I remember how hard I’d concentrate to try to get them perfect!
Old Fashioned Date Pinwheel Cookies – Grandma’s Recipe
Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Citrus Dressing
I recently made the Stuffed Chicken Roast from Better Home & Garden’s December 2015 issue – I couldn’t help but be inspired by their Harvest Wild Rice Salad, served alongside. Gorgeous greens, wild rice and a citrus dressing caught my eye. Toss in a few apples, pears and toasted pecans and sprinkle on a few dried cranberries or cherries and you have a salad!
Wild Rice Harvest Salad with Citrus Dressing
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Roast
Are you like me? When you’re waiting at an office or for an appointment, do you read all the food magazines first? And if there aren’t any, do you read others from the back to front because the recipes are in the back? That’s exactly how I came across this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens* for Stuffed Chicken Roast. I practically drooled over it! I was obsessed – I knew I had to make it!
Stuffed Chicken Roast – photo from Better Homes & Gardens
Red Cabbage & Carrot Slaw with Cranberries, Mint & Honey
This Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw practically screams fall – punctuated with sweet-tart chewy dried cranberries, a little extra crunch from the almonds and a zing from the cumin and mint, it really leans more towards Moroccan cuisine than Mexican or Asian or “good ‘ol” American like some of my other slaws. The flavors, though, adapt to a number of cuisines!
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Feta, Berries & Almonds
I know these Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salads are popular at Thanksgiving, but it would be a shame to think of Brussels Sprouts only then. In my area, Brussels come in and look great from fall right through late spring. So while the rhubarb in my area is only a few inches tall, the asparagus isn’t in, I’m enjoying this! It’s a bit lighter and more spring-like than many Shaved Salads.
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Healthier Energy Bars
When my son was a teenager and became interested in working out, he immediately “sparked” to the idea of “energy” bars! He’s not alone; energy bars are a huge industry, many full of heavily processed ingredients. A black mark in my book. That they’re expensive is a double damn. That so many present as healthy when they’re way over the top in calories? Well, that’s a triple damn! Why not just have a piece of cake and be done with it!!
Healthier Energy Bars
Baked Austrian Crêpes with Apricot Caramel Sauce
Oh you’re having a party, you say? A special party? Like the blockbuster blogging event, the anniversary of Fiesta Friday? The event where the premier food bloggers can’t wait to bring their favorite dish every week? And you’d like me to bring a dessert, you say? You don’t have to ask me twice!
Austrian Crepes in Custard Sauce, served with Apricot Caramel Sauce
Apricot Caramel Sauce . $1.58
An Apricot Caramel Sauce? To American tastes, the combination of dried fruit and caramel may seem a bit different, but it is absolutely surprising and certainly delicious.
Apricot Caramel Sauce – made for Austrian Crepes but so good over anything vanilla!
Easy to make, watch the sugar carefully and don’t burn it – if it becomes darker around the edges or you catch even the faintest whiff of a burnt smell, move your pan off the heat and keep stirring until the sugar is melted, moving it back on if needed. A fork seems to work very well for stirring.
Blend a long time – there will be some texture; if that bothers you, simply strain it while it is still liquid enough to sieve. Once it cools, it thickens, so rewarm if necessary.
This is the caramel I normally serve with my Baked Austrian Crepes in Custard Sauce. It’s so good in or on so many things. The dried apricots may be replaced with a different dried fruit.
Austrian Crepes in Custard Sauce, served with Apricot Caramel Sauce
Apricot Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 cups water, divided
- 1 cup firmly packed dried apricots (about 6 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
In a dry heavy saucepan (about 3-quart capacity) cook sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork until melted and then swirling pan, until sugar is a golden caramel, perhaps just a bit past golden towards amber, but not too dark.
Remove pan from heat and carefully add 3 cups water down side of pan (it will bubble up and steam). Return pan to heat and simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved.
Slice apricots and add to pan. Simmer until soft, about 10 minutes. Cool mixture 10 minutes and in a blender purée with vanilla until very smooth. Add any or all of the additional water if desired.
Sauce may be made several days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat sauce to warm.
Put Your own Spin on It
I’ve made this before with both pears and peaches instead of apricots and both are wonderful! I’ve not yet tried dried apples, but I imagine they’d give a lovely flavor to the sauce.
Let’s talk about how to save money/time on this recipe:
- Use a coupon matching site! Every store has a group of enthusiastic Coupon Matchers. Do not discount the savings! I check their site every week, even if I don’t “need” to go to the store and often find bargains I can’t pass up.
- Follow my 12 Strategies – You’ll see them on the upper drop down menu of every page and how I apply them, below.
- Don’t get discouraged if your prices don’t match mine! Keep shopping at the best prices and your fridge/freezer and pantry will be stocked with sales priced ingredients.
- Read below for additional tips as well as throughout the recipe, for saving time and managing food.
Strategies Applied:
- Sugar: Look for sugar on sale, which usually happens around the holidays. While any holiday generates a sales price, the best sales are generally from Thanksgiving to Christmas, when coupons are abundant. Check out Aldi for your sugar; their prices are generally great. A rule of thumb: A store brand on sale will often beat a name brand on sale with a coupon. Aldi generally beats both. 1 cup is about 8 cents.
- Dried Apricots: Dried fruit can be downright cheap when purchased on sale with a coupon, especially during the Christmas sales. The Holidays are a great time to buy dried fruit of any kind at a low price. Regular price for Apricots, 6 ounces was $2.99. Sale price $1.00, coupon, $1.00 off two, final cost was $1.50.