Fruity Applesauce: More than Just Apples

Fruity Applesauce: More than Just Apples

Hi everybody :)

Today recipe is a really super easy one, I can't believe I haven't already shared it. It's great for summer days and when you want a nice refreshing treat. The best part is you get to fix it any way you want. Kids will LOVE it too. If you're health-conscience, you don't have to miss out on the fun, because it can also be sugar-free.

Are you tired of buying the fruit-flavored applesauce in the store with the ONLY FRUIT in it is apple?
Your problem can easily be solve.
How?
By making your own.... here we go...

Fruity Applesauce
1 cup  Applesauce (I used store-brought but I'm sure homemade can be used too)
1/4 -1/2 cup Fruits your choice;  Fresh, diced or sliced  Canned, drained or Frozen, partly thawed
One of the Followings:  (optional)
1 teaspoon Jello: any flavor or same as fruit
1 teaspoon powdered Kool-Aid: any flavor or same as fruit , sweetened or unsweetened
2 Tablespoons Fruit Juice: Fresh, Canned or Frozen; any flavor or same as fruit
Few drops Food Color: any color or same as fruit

Mix all the ingredient together and chill about 1 hour and serve. If you're using frozen fruits skip the chill part and enjoy :)

What I Think:
This is just a guideline recipe,so feel free to adjusted it to your liking. Have fun mixing and matching or choose a color or flavor theme. For a nice cool sensation, these are also great frozen. Here are some of my favorites:

For the Fruity Berry Applesauce
Frozen Mix Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries and Raspberry ( I get this from Sam's Club)
Raspberry Jello
Applesauce
Follow as directed above.

Fruity Berry Applesauce

For the Fruity Orange Applesauce:
Frozen orange juice concentrate or orange-flavored Kool-Aid
Canned mandarin oranges
Applesauce
Follow as directed above.

Fruity Orange Applesauce

 


















For the Fruity Kiwi Applesauce:
Kiwi fruit
Lime Jello
Applesauce
Follow as directed above.

Fruity Kiwi Applesauce

 
ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to:
Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms: Melt-in-Your-Mouth Monday Recipe Blog Hop # 82 ,
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday #27  
Just Something I Whipped Up
This Week Cravings: Mom's Crazy Cooking
Flour Me With Love: Mix it up Monday!
Must Try Mondays: My Favorite Finds
Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen  
My Meatless Monday: My Sweet and Savory

Apple Toffee-Banana Rum Bread: Breakfast Is Served

Apple Toffee-Banana Rum Bread: Breakfast Is Served

Hi everybody :)

Welcome to another Breakfast Is Served Sunday, last Sunday I didn't post one. If you're just tuning in to my blog every Sunday I post a Breakfast Is Served, today you're in for a treat. The last Breakfast Is Served is found here.

Today recipe comes from my collection of mini cookbooks, I occasional picked up while standing in the checkout line at the store, right next to the CANDY BARS. I think they cleverly put them there for people like me :) It's all part of a conspiracy people, to get us to spend more money, and I fall for it every time.... hook, line, and sinker :) oh well...

While looking through one of the mini book, I saw this interesting banana bread recipe. I knew I had to give it a try, so here we go...

Apple Toffee-Banana Rum Bread

Makes 2 loaves

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 2/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons rum or 2 teaspoons rum extract
1 egg
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium bananas)( I used two bananas and 2 small Granny Smith apples; peeled and diced; 1 cup)
3/4 cup apple,  peeled, cored and diced
1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1 1/3 cups (8-oz. pkg.) HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits, divided (I only used 1 cup)

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pans.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl.

Dry Mixture

Add milk, oil, rum, egg and banana; stir with spoon until well blended.

Wet Mixture

Stir in nuts. Spread 1 1/4 cups batter in bottom of each prepared pan. Top each batter with 1/2 cup toffee bits.

Batter with Toffee

Uncooked

Gently spread about 1 cup remaining batter into each pan. Sprinkle remaining bits over batter.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. (Bread will sink slightly in center.) Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen bread from sides of pan. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely.

Source: HERSHEY'S Holiday Favorites 2005 Edition

Cooked

What I Did and/or Think:
The recipe didn't call for apple, but I thought it would be a nice addition, and it was, but I'm sure it would still be great without it. I bake this in a heart-shaped 10 cups bundt pan at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, instead of 2 loaf pans. I made a cream cheese glaze to drizzle on top.

Now for the taste, it was GREAT! I made this last night before I went to bed so the flavors can mellow overnight. It did just that! Banana bread is always better the next day; in fact the longer it sit the better it gets. This recipe is most definitely going in my REPEAT FILE!

For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Whisk all together and add 1 teaspoon vanilla, if you like,  drizzle over bread.

ENJOY! Come again.....

Linked  to:

Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms: Melt-in-Your-Mouth Monday Recipe Blog Hop # 82 , 
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday #27  
BYOB @ girlichef: BYOB - Bake Your Own Bread
Flour Me With Love: Mix it up Monday!
Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen
Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime   
Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party @ AddictedRecipes
This Week Cravings: Mom's Crazy Cooking 
Must Try Mondays: My Favorite Finds
Nifty Thrifty Sunday 
Everyday Moms Meals
Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime  
Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party @ AddictedRecipes 
Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes Get Your Party On

Peanut Butter Balls: "Old School Style"

Peanut Butter Balls: "Old School Style "

  
Hi everybody :)

Bring your favorite chocolate dessert to Roxana’s Home Baking #chocolateparty and win amazing prizes from OXO, Calphalon, Keurig, Imperial Sugar, Honey Ridge Farms and Land O’ Lakes® Butter.

Peanut Butter Balls were a favorite of mine since I was in elementary school. I remember them shape differently from the way they are now. The didn't cafeteria workers have time to shape up enough balls for the whole school. They used cookie scoops and left them in the cookie dough-like shape when spooning the topping on them.

I missed those days. So while browsing the net I came across this recipe and the sweet memories came floating back to me. I hurried into the kitchen with the attempt to recreate those memories...

Peanut Butter Balls adapted partially from here & Me

Ingredients
Balls:
2 cups  powdered sugar, sifted
1  cup creamy peanut butter
1  cup extra crunchy peanut butter
1 sleeve (1/3 of the box) graham crackers , crumbs
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Topping:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening

The Mixture before Mixing

For the Balls:
Blend sugar, peanut butters, butter, graham cracker crumbs, salt and vanilla until smooth. 

The Mixture after Mixing

Shape into balls with cookie scoop and place on waxed paper

Dough-like Balls

For the Topping:
Melt chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave.

Melted Chocolate

Spoon chocolate over balls in chocolate spread until 3/4 covered and refrigerate until set. 

Plain

Fancy

 

What I Did and/or Think: 

Because I wanted these to look like the balls I remember in school I use a cookie scoop to shape them instead of rolling them into balls. I used my medium OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop for the bigger balls and my little scoop for the small balls. I also spooned the topping on instead of dipping with a toothpick. For a more fancier look, drizzle it on.

This recipe can be change many ways. I added 1/2 cup M&M's to some of the ball mixture, but feel free to add coconut, chocolate chips, raisins, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips or chopped nuts to create the flavor you desire. The graham crackers can be interchangeable too, you can also use rice crispy cereal, cornflakes, or vanilla wafers, so go ahead and experiment.

Now for the taste; these balls were GREAT! A word of waring though; they are very, very, rich! EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK! When you make them, share. These balls are definitely worthy of a REPEAT!

 ENJOY! Come again.....

Linked to:
Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday #85 
Six Sisters Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party Week 61
Be Different Act Normal: Show and Tell Saturday  
Shaken Together Life: {what's shakin' link party} #25 
The Gingerbread Blog: Sweet Saturday Link Party V.55
Katherine Martinelli: Nut Blog Hop
Carole's Chatter Childhood Favorite Foods Friday 
Roxana’s Home Baking #chocolateparty