Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

You want to make this oatmeal. Trust me. You really do. The apples, brown sugar and cinnamon make for such a cozy feeling!

   I try to make one big batch of oatmeal, muffins or mini frittatas each Sunday for us to eat for breakfast throughout the week. I have a base recipe for all of these things but change up the ingredients each time, so we don't get bored. This baked oatmeal is the misters favorite. The boys, obviously,  prefer chocolate chip oatmeal but that is a rare treat. Lee is an apple fanatic but he doesn't like them raw. I, on the other hand, love raw apples but am not a fan of baked apple desserts. I actually like this recipe because I don't cook the apple to long so they still have a bite to them but they're cooked enough that Lee likes them too. Compromise, it's what makes the world go round! Now, if we could only solve the worlds problems as easily as we have solved our apple debate.

You know what I learned today?

 This is a recipe that doesn't look very tasty in photos. 

But it is so very tasty! 

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Recipe adapted from Seriously Delish: 150 Recipes for People Who Totally Love Food

Serves 4-6

(click to print)

for the apples:

2 tablespoons butter

3 apples, peeled and cut into chunks

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

for the oats:

3 cups oats

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup almond milk + extra for topping after it's baked

1/2 cup apple sauce

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs beaten 

1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 F and get out a casserole dish. Start with the apples. In a large skillet, over medium high heat, melt your butter, then add apples and toss to coat in butter. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Allow to cook, stirring often, until sugar has dissolved and bubbles and thickens. In a large bowl stir together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, whisk together almond milk, applesauce, butter, eggs and vanilla. Stir the wet into the dry, then pour into you casserole dish. Top with the apple then bake for about 25 minutes or until oatmeal is golden brown and set.

It's like an apple fritter but oatmeal! 

Happy breakfasting!

xoxo,

Ashley

Strawberry Handpies

So... These are technically, hand pies,

 but my boys call the "homemade poptarts without all that junky stuff." 

They are by no means healthy, but I can pronounce all of the ingredients, so there's that.

I don't make these often, they go fast, too fast. Little noses sniff them out and little hands grab them in the blink of an eye. They get gobbled up in a flash.

They are easy peasy though. Especially, if you use a food processor for the dough!

Then comes the filling.

Pick a shape, any shape.

Fill them up.

Bake them up.

 Cool and coat with glaze and sprinkles.

(Because everything is better with sprinkles.. or bacon.)

The proceed to stuff them in your face!

This crust is flaky, buttery and soft. The filling is sweet, tart and gooey, in the best possible way.

These two have sneaky fingers.

You know you want a bite!

Strawberry Handpies

Makes approximately 8
(click to print) 

for the dough:

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 - 6 tablespoons cold milk 

extra flour for rolling

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon water

1/2 cup strawberry filling (recipe follows)

strawberry glaze (recipe follows)

red colored sugar or sprinkles for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a food processor combine flour, butter and vanilla. Pulse until mixture looks like wet sand. Turn on and add milk through the funnel a tablespoon at a time. Checking dough between. Stop once the dough makes a ball. Remove dough from bowl, flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. After the dough has chilled roll it out on a cold, floured surface, about 1/4 inch thick and cut out into your preferred shape. Fill each one with a teaspoon of filling, unless you are using a larger shape then add more, Cover each one with another layer of dough and crimp edges with a fork. Mix egg and water together in a small bowl and brush over each pie. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 8 - 12 minutes, until gold brown. Once your pies are done allow to cool then spoon over 1 - 2 tablespoons of glaze for each pastry and top with sprinkles. Allow glaze to harden before eating. 

for the filling:

1 cup diced strawberries

juice and zest of a lemon

1/2 cup sugar

In a medium sauce pan combine all ingredients over low heat stirring often. Once the sugar has dissolved and berries have softened. Using a stick blender or an upright blender, puree the berries until smooth. Continue to cook until the berries have thickened to a thin jam like consistency. Cool just slightly before adding to the pies.

for the glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract

2 -  tablespoons cold milk

In a small bowl stir together the sugar, extract and 1 tablespoon of milk, adding another tablespoon at a time until you have a thick but pourable consistency. 

   I'm sharing these in honor of my little helper's fifth birthday today! These are one of hos favorite things so I'm sharing them with you. This morning we are having, our family's birthday tradition, sprinkle pancakes with fresh strawberry syrup. Happy Birthday to my favorite Stink Monster!

xoxo,

Ashley

Almond Fig Muffins

These are my new favorite things. 

Fig + Almond + Cardamom + Orange + Honey + Muffins = deliciousness to infinity

I'm not kidding, the are amazing.

Fig are hard to find here in Tennessee. 

I love them but dang, those bad boys are expensive, and they go bad so quickly!

You're going to want to buy them no more than a day before you're ready to use them.

My youngest child, feeling super important, being that his birthday was the next day, took two bites out of half of these as soon as I put my camera down.

Then he found his perfect muffin and trotted off to watch Barney.

I hate that stupid dinosaur! 

Why are children's shows so mind numbly annoying!?!?

I think it's time to force him to watch more Sesame Street. 

Now that is good tv!

I know these almost look burnt, but they'e not. 

Ok, some may be on the extra done side, but I did that on purpose, I swear.

Mr. Buttercup, or the Dred Pirate, whatever you want to call him, likes his baked good with a slight char.

Plus, the honey I drizzled on top caramelized, leaving some of these with burnt bits on the top. 

Those were his favorites.  

I usually make a couple dozen muffins every Sunday to last through the week. 

These will not make it past Wednesday, I guarantee it. 

Luckily I made some chocolate chip oatmeal muffins too.

Not being super healthy this week. Oops.

If you want to make them slightly better for you, change out your sweetener, and add some flax meal. 

Or don't and be rebellious like me.  

Almond Fig Muffins
Makes: 1 dozen
(click to print)

for muffins:
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil*
1 tablespoon orange extract
zest of one orange
8 figs cut into quarters
crumb topping (recipes follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a standard muffin pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom and salt, make a well in the center and set aside. In another bowl whisk together, egg, milk, oil and extract. Add liquid ingredients to the cent of the dry and stir until just combined. D not over mix. Stir in zest at the very end. Fill muffin tin 2/3 of the way full. Top with crumb topping and a drizzle of honey and a few slices of fig. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

for crumb topping:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of cinnamon
1/4 cup almonds

In a small bowl add all ingredients and use your fingers or a fork to work the ingredients together.


*Use whatever your prefrence is for baking, I used vegtable oil this time but have used olive oil and coconut oil in the past.

Have one of these with a cup off coffee and start your day of right. :)

xoxo,
Ashley

Cherry Lemonade

This is a new favorite in our house.

In fact, it was a huge inspiration for my kids' birthday party.

I made  a Lemonade and Tea Bar. 

Basically we had a huge container of lemonade and a huge container of tea with tons of flavored simple syrups and cotton candy to add in.

The possibilities are endless to the dreamy concoctions that can be made.
More on that at a later date. 

I've tried to make this multiple times before and since but cherries never last long in my house. A certain tall, dark and handsome man keeps stealing them out of my fridge. He is a real problem with pluots too. I can't keep any good stuff around them. I really need to get faster about making these recipes.

This is perfect for a picnic or just a treat on a hot day. 

This is such a versatile idea too. 

Swap out the cherries for any fruit or stir in a teaspoon of an flavored extract to the simple syrup, if you prefer. 

Cherry Lemonade

(click to print)

4 lemons, juiced

1 cup cherry simple syrup (recipe follows)

3 cups cold water

10ish cherries, pitted and smashed

Combine all ingredients in you pitcher or serving container and give it a stir. 

Cherry Simple Syrup

makes 2 cups

25 cherries, pitted and sliced

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

In a sauce pan stir together your ingredients and heat it over a med-high heat until is comes to a slow boil. Turn the heat down to low, allow to simmer for 10 minutes or so. Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. 

It should last a week in the refrigerator, but mine is always gone within 2 days, so I make no promises. 

 Thirst quenching goodness!

xoxo,
Ashley

Coconut Watermelon Pineapple Granita

I'm holding on tight onto summer. 

I made this frozen and fruity concoction so that I could pretend fall isn't nipping at our heels.

This one is easy, not so quick but hey, the best things cannot be rushed.

This was a perfect dessert for a hot summer evening.

And when I say easy, I mean EASY.

Put your ingredients in a blender, get it good a combined, pour it into a dish and pop into the freezer.

Freeze it for an hour and scrape. Wash, rinse and repeat four times. 

Ok, don't literally do that, but you get the idea. 

I could just dig in to that dish of watermelon! It is so so good. My boys loved it too, all three of them. 

Coconut Watermelon Pineapple Granita
Serves 6-8
(click to print)

Watermelon Granita:
3 cups cubed seedless watermelon
honey to taste.

Pineapple Granita:
2 cups of cubed fresh pineapple
honey to taste

Coconut Granita:
1 14 oz can of coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey

For each one, put the fruit and honey in a food processor, or blender. Pulse until there are no ore large pieces. Pour into a casserole dish or sheet pan and freeze for one hour, the take it out and scrap it with a fork and return to the freezer. Do this four times or more if needed. Serve immediately.

*You can see how quickly the coconut melts in my pictures.

Just imagine the fruity possibilities!

xoxo,
Ashley