Apple-Pear Crisp with Peanut Butter

Funny story about this recipe...

The original recipe comes from the February 2014 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.  It caught my eye right away when I saw the unique crisp topping made with peanut butter!  I had a few nights alone ahead of me and all the ingredients patiently waiting in my kitchen.  I halved the recipe and had dessert for myself for 3 nights!

The funny thing is...on a recent flight to Indiana, the woman next to me was reading the same magazine and I commented that I had just made this dessert!  She said she would think of me when she made it after she returned home.  Wonder if she tried it out and what she thought?

Here is how you can make it.  Let me know what you think!

Apple-Pear Crisp with Peanut Butter

Ingredients:

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

3 small Gala apples, peeled and chopped

2 medium pears, peeled and chopped

1 Tablespoon water

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chunky peanut butter

3 Tablespoons whole wheat flour

Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spread oats in single layer on jelly-roll pan.  Toast 5-8 min or until golden brown, stirring once halfway through.

Meanwhile, in a 4-qt saucepan, combine apples, pears, water, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.  Cook on medium for 10-12 min or until sugar dissolves and fruit softens, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cranberries.  Pour into a shallow 2 quart baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine oats, peanut butter, and flour.  With fingers, rub to form small clumps.  Sprinkled over fruit mixture in baking dish.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until browned and bubbling.  Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Serves 6.

Enjoy!

Apple Bread

When my mom was here a few weeks ago, she made us a delicious apple crisp.  Served warm with vanilla ice cream.  Yum!  She likes to use a combo of Jonathan and Granny Smith apples for the crisp so we purchased a bag of each leaving me with a few leftovers patiently waiting to be used in this Apple Bread!

Here is how to make it:

Apple Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (plus 1 1/2 Tablespoons for coating apples)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar (plus 1 teaspoon for the glaze)
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely ground lemon zest
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 to 2 1/2 cups peeled, cored, and diced apples (about 3 large apples)

Directions:

1.  With the oven rack one level below the middle, heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, knocking out the excess flour.  Set the pan aside.

2.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.  Set the mixture aside.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium-high for 2 minutes.  Reduce the speed to medium, then gradually mix in the sugar.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each.  Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest, scrapping down the sides as needed.

4.  Add half the dry mixture to the creamed ingredients, mixing on low to combine.  Add the buttermilk, then stir in the remaining dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until evenly mixed.  Stir the reserved 1 1/2 Tablespoons of flour with the apples to coat, then fold them into the batter.

5.  Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, smoothing it with a spoon.  Sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar.  Bake 55 to 65 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let the loaf cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then loosen the loaf, turn it out, and let it finish cooling on the rack.

Imagine a slice of this Apple Bread paired with a cup of Folgers Caramel Drizzle coffee!  This version of a caramel apple :) makes a wonderful afternoon treat!

Enjoy!

Source:  FamilyFun Magazine

Chicken & Apple BBQ Flatbread

I've got a new twist on my "go-to" make your own pizza for you today!  The original Make Your Own Pizza is awesome and definitely a staple in our household.  But sometimes, I want something different so I tried this Chicken & Apple BBQ combo and it was deeelish!

Here is the recipe:

Chicken & Apple BBQ Flatbread

Ingredients:

1 Flatout Flatbread (I used Multi-Grain with Flax.)

2 tablespoons (or more) BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's Original.)
1 cooked chicken breast, chopped or thinly sliced
1/4 of an apple, thinly sliced (I like Gala apples the best.)
1/4 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
Ranch dressing for drizzle

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.  Bake just the Flatout for 10 minutes or until crisp.  Take it out and flip it over.  Spread the BBQ sauce on the flatbread.  Next, layer the chicken, apple slices, and top with the shredded cheddar cheese.  I like to put the cheese on last to seal it all together!  Put it back in the oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 10 more minutes.  Serves 1.

I originally tried it with a honey mustard drizzle but it was too tangy with the bite of the barbecue sauce.  So the second time around, I used a ranch drizzle with a much better outcome.  The creaminess of the ranch balanced out the bite of the barbecue sauce for a tasty combination!  If you want a more melted cheese, use regular cheese not a reduced fat version.

Enjoy!

If you like this, you might also like my Ham & Pineapple BBQ Flatbread!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

Nothing says "Good Morning" like a warm bowl of oatmeal when it's cold outside.  Oatmeal comes in many forms...quick cooking, old-fashioned rolled oats, and steel-cut.  The bigger the flake (like steel cut) means it's less processed but takes longer to cook.  I prefer to cook with quick cooking oats, because, as their name suggests, they cook fast but are still natural.  Steel cut oats can take up to 30 minutes (who has time for that in the morning) and old-fashioned rolled oats just take longer than the quick version.

 

Oatmeal is one of the superfoods (more on those in a later post)!  Oatmeal is packed with soluble fiber and healthy carbohydrates which help stabilize blood sugar and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.  It curbs your appetite and lowers cholesterol.  It contains unique antioxidants and protects against heart failure and certain types of cancer.  What more could you ask for in a breakfast cereal?!

 

The downside is that you may find it bland when eaten plain.  Here is a way to kick it up a notch and add even more ingredients to tip the health scale overboard!

 

 

Apple Pie Oatmeal 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Fiber One Original Cereal

1/4 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup water

1 1/2 tsp Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

1/2 Gala apple, chopped

1 Tbls walnuts, chopped

Dash of cinnamon

 

Directions:

Mix the Fiber One, oats, and water in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 2 minutes.  Stir in the Splenda brown sugar.  Add the chopped apple and walnut pieces.  Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon to finish.  Filling and good for you!

 

You could replace the apple with berries or sliced banana if you prefer.

 

Nutrition:

Calories 225, Fat 7g, Carbs 44g, Sodium 53mg, Protein 5g

 

Good morning to you!