Cinnamon Sugar Apple Chips

Fall is in the air! This has to be my favorite season, hands down. Granted it is October and Southern Louisiana is still a little warm, I have been able to enjoy warm pumpkin lattes and bought a super cute pair of boots that have found a home close to the front door in hopes of being worn someday soon.

Something about snuggling in a warm jacket, sipping pipping hot apple cider, enjoying the spoils of the hours roaming and picking apples is the quintessential fall activity that I so desperately miss after leaving the East Coast. The apples at Fresh Market will have to suffice for now.

In the spirit of Fall, I decided to find some new ways to eat apples. I love them, my kids love them....who doesn't love them. We do have a slight separation in the house on which apples are better...green apples of course! No matter what color or what size, when cooked they not only make the house smell amazing but taste wonderful.

Never will you buy dried apple slices again. These are so simple and you can basically customize them however you want. So go grab your apples and your favorite spices and lets get baking.

Grab a few of your favorite apples.

Cut off the stems and then cut off one of the sides to give you a flat surface to cut your slices.

I used a mandolin to help get even slices but you are more than welcome to use a knife.

I used cinnamon and brown sugar. There is no right or wrong amount to use. I just put in equal amounts of each.

Take those apple slices and press them into your sugar mixture. Make sure to coat both sides.

Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and pop them in the oven at 200 degree F for an hour. Then take out the sheet, turn the apples over and let them cook for another hour for soft dried apples or 2 hours for more crispy apple chips.

Take them out and put them in an airtight container. They last for about a week but I am sure they won't see the light of the 2nd day!

4th of July Mojito

It is that time of year, where the parking lots are filled with firework stands and your neighborhood streets are littered with firework debris. Apparently here in Louisiana fireworks are not just reserved for particular holidays, our neighbors have informed us that people shot them during all the Saints games. So basically half my year will be filled with fireworks, joy.

Since we are in a new place, we aren't going all out for our celebration but one of the first things on my list was to find a drink fitting the occasion. My children picked out these hideous blue, sugar filled jars of juice, which were not quite fitting for the adults in their lives.

So I came across this wonderful drink and I cannot wait to try it out. I am sure there will be a test run later tonight just to make sure it is just right.

Oh yea....and that is edible star glitter floating around....could you get any more patriotic?!?

Berry Mojito

4th of July Mojito

Makes 1

2 ounces white rum
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup
10 mint leaves
2-3 sliced strawberries
10-15 blueberries
Silver edible glitter stars

In a glass muddle lime juice, simple syrup, mint, strawberries and blueberries.  Add rum and stir.  Fill glass with crushed ice and top off with club soda.  Garnish with a skewer of strawberries and blueberries and sprinkle edible glitter stars on top!

Strawberry Frozen Lemonade, 2 ways

Living at the beach has is good points...being able to enjoy the desolate beaches during the spring and early fall, the warm water most of the year and the wonderful coastal weather, until you start thinking about hurricane season.

Now that it is June and school is out, college is out and our town is being swarmed by out-of-state tourist, I tend to stay away from the beaches and the boardwalks and enjoy time out at the pool or sitting outside on my porch with a cold drink, watching the boys play in the sprinklers. If we go to the beach, it is usually really early in the morning or late at night when most of the tourist are scouting out the shops or trying the local cuisine. It is nice not having to fight the crowds.

A few months ago I hopped on a plane and flew out to Texas to visit my husband sans kids. It was one of the funnest things I have done in a long time. We stayed at a beautiful lake front hotel, in a large suite which was fit for fancy people...let me tell you, I sure did feel fancy that weekend. We stopped at a restaurant on the water and ordered way too many of these wonderful, and pretty, frozen lemonade drinks. I think the scenery and the company made the drinks even better.

So now that its warm outside and we are spending more time outside, the hot drinks are being replaced with the cold ones and this one was first on my list to recreate.

Granted I just couldn't get those pretty swirls in mine... it sure did taste good!

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen (or fresh) strawberries (about 24 strawberries)
1/2 cup crushed ice (or smallest cubes possible)
1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
2 Tablespoons of sugar (or to taste)
3/4 cup water

If you want to make these the Adult version, just add in some Vodka to your own taste

(Optional)
1/4 lemon, sliced, for garnish
1 Tablespoon of ginger, fresh or dried (finely chopped)
A few mint leaves

Directions:

1. Allow frozen strawberries to thaw slightly.
2. Before placing ice cubes in blender, crush large chunks by sealing securely inside a plastic zip bag and rolling over the bag firmly with a rolling pin.
3. Combine lemon juice, strawberries, sugar substitute or sugar, crushed ice and water in blender jar. If blades get stuck, add more water.
4. Blend on high with lid tightly secured until smooth and thick.
5. Pour into glasses and serve immediately. Garnish with a slice of lemon & sugar the glass rim, if desired.

Make your own Chia drinks

I don't know if you have heard about the new "it" drink in the health food stores. First it was Kombucha, which I am not a huge fan of, and now its Chia Seeds. 

Chia seeds themselves have many excellent properties in them. It is marketed as an endurance enhancing super-food  which is popular with a lot of athletes. Chia seeds also have more omega-3's than salmon, more potassium than bananas, more calcium than milk and are loaded with antioxidants. 

The only bad thing about these yummy drink...they run about $4 a bottle at the local health food store. I don't know about you, but $4 could get me a gallon of gas!

So why not make your own. If you haven't tried them, I would recommend for you to buy one and try it. It has a very interesting texture because when the seeds are added to water they become gelatinous. I believe a lot of people have a texture issue with the drinks. I did at first and now I love them

All you will need is:

1 cup of your choice of juice

I choose lemonade for this demonstration because I am trying to find something that my children will like

1 cup of water

3 Tbsp of Chia seeds

Warm your water up, put it in a cup and add your chia seeds. Stir well until the chia seeds are evenly dispersed and start to swell. Cover the cup and put in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, grab the cup out of the fridge. The seeds should be plump and the water gelatinous.

Mix 1 cup of your chia seed gel with 1 cup of the juice and mix well!

Cheesecake in a Mug

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Everyone loves dessert. Sometimes you just don't feel like spending hours slaving in the kitchen making something or you go to make a batch of cookies and easily eat 10, been there done that! 

Some have asked me if there was something other than cake that you could make in a mug. It took me sometime but I think I have found it! This will have to definitely be added to the list of "splurge" items waiting for me on a Friday night.

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp sour cream

1 egg

½ tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp vanilla

2-4 tbsp sugar (taste as you go)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high heat for 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds incorporating all ingredients. Refrigerate until serving.

Here are a few options: Top with fresh fruit, whipped cream or nut meal.

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

I know, I know...when a lot of people see the word vegan they tend to shun away from a recipe. I personally like to try out vegan recipes because 1) most of them are healthier and 2) I run out of milk and eggs A LOT! Those are staples in my children's diet and we go through them crazy fast.

For teacher appreciation day I wanted to send something in for my oldest sons teachers for breakfast. Now a days you never know what people are allergic too, wont or cant eat or if they are just picky eaters. I chose a simple recipe that I knew couldn't go wrong, blueberry muffins.

My son and I made a big batch of them, placed them in a cute little box with a ribbon and off to school he went. They loved them and said it was a nice break from the normal breakfast of coffee and more coffee. If I was a first grade teacher with 24 kids...I would have a pot plugged in sitting on my desk.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour

1/2 cups of brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp backing powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp of coconut oil

2/3 cup of milk, I used almond milk

1 tbsp of lemon juice

and of course blueberries, whoever many you like

Preheat our over to 375.

In a large bowl mix all of the dry ingredients.

In smaller bowl, mix the milk and vinegar. Let it set for about 5 minutes.

Add the milk/vinegar mixture and the oil to the dry ingredients.

Mix lightly until everything comes together.

Add your blueberries. 

My muffins turned a little blue from the juice of the berries!

Scoop into your muffin tin

Bake for about 15 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy!

Nutella Cake in a Mug

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Who doesn't love Nutella. To me its one of those wholly grail food items. We eat it on toast  apples, cookies...you name it I am sure we have tried it.

Recently I did a whole food in-a-mug series and I recently stumbled upon this gem. It takes about 5 minutes from start to finish. Who said you can't have a little dessert tonight!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons self-rising flour

4 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons Nutella

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Whipped Cream Topping (if desired)

½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug. Whisk well with a fork until smooth. Microwave on high for 1½– 3 minutes. (Time depends on microwave; mine took 1½ minutes.)

Add heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on medium-high speed until almost stiff. Add sugar and beat until heavy cream forms stiff peaks. Top Mug Cakes with whipped cream and a little chocolate sauce, if desired.

Copy Cat Starbucks Frappuccino

Are you surprised that I found an amazing copy cat recipe for a Starbucks drink, yea me neither. I don't drink these very often but when I am on a road trip and need a pick me up or when I am out running errands on a warm summer day, something about this just hits the spot. Granted I could go for the super caffeinated version of this drink on most days. 

I ran across this recipe not because I was particularly looking for a Starbucks recipe, I just wanted a good iced coffee recipe that I could make that didn't require lots of things that I normally do not keep stocked in my pantry. Plus every now and then its nice to have a cold drink that isn't water.  With summer around the corner, this is something that I will keep on hand for a nice treat and mid-day pick me up.

First lets brew some coffee. Now let me tell you, I actually added 20oz of coffee because with just the 10oz it was too sweet for me. Start with the 10oz first, if its too sweet, add some more coffee. 

To your pitcher add Vanilla coffee creamer.

Then sugar

and a little more sugar.  Pour the hot coffee on top of the sugar mixture in the pitcher. Stir it up and refrigerate for a couple hours, overnight is better though. 

Now when you need a pick me up, something a little cold while you are playing with the kids, just head on over and get a tall glass. 

Strawberry and Blueberry Compote

I am so excited that it is finally the time of year where all of our local produce stands are opening up. I love the sweet taste of the freshly harvested berries and melons and the crisp crunch of the veggies. This is one of my favorite places to visit, The Veggie Wagon. Its along the beach and you can always find something for a little midday snack as you are lounging in the sand. 

One of my favorite berry recipes to make are compotes. You can make them with so many varieties of berries but strawberries and blueberries have to be my favorite combination. 

Serve them warm over some vanilla ice cream or whip up some homemade whipped cream and dollop it on top of the cooled compote. Whatever you choose, you wont be sorry that you tried it. 

In a small pan place 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 2 tbsp of honey, 1/2 cup of blueberries and 1 cup of chopped strawberries. Let it come to a boil and cook for 8-10 minutes. Use a nonstick pan so the compote does not stick to the pan. 

That is it. Eat it hot or eat it cold, it is your choice!

Cake Batter Milkshakes

I love to bake. Baking is definitely my stress reliever  The one bad thing about having a passion to bake, you eat it all. Batter, especially cake batter, do not even tempt me. It takes all the will-power I have to not eat all of the batter  before it even touches the pan. While scanning Pinterest for some new recipes I came upon these. How wrong is it to incorporate one of my favorite things into drinkable form. A milkshake that embodies everything delicious about cake batter, enjoy!

Funfetti Milkshakes, makes 3-4 servings

Needed: 1 box of Funfetti cake mix, additional ingredients the box directions call for (except eggs), 4-5 cups milk and 4-5 scoops of vanilla ice-cream. Serve with extra sprinkles if you like! I rub a little bit of corn syrup on the edges of my glasses then dipped them in sprinkles to get this pretty rim look. 

Devils Food Cake Batter Milkshakes, makes 3-4 servings

Needed: 1 box of Devil's Food (or chocolate) cake mix, additional ingredients the box directions call for (except eggs), 4-5 cups milk and 4-5 scoops of chocolate ice-cream. Serve with extra sprinkles if you like! I rub a little bit of corn syrup on the edges of my glasses then dipped them in sprinkles to get this pretty rim look. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Batter Milkshakes, makes 3-4 servings

Needed: 1 box of Pineapple cake mix, additional ingredients the box directions call for (except eggs), 2 cups fresh or canned pineapple, 4-5 cups skim milk and 2-3 scoops of nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt, and pineapple chunks + cherries for garnish.

Images and recipes from A Beautiful Mess

Green Tea Brown Rice

I will admit: I had a mini celebration when I found out that green tea has the incredible power to shift your metabolism into high gear. Not only does it aid in weight loss, the benefits of drinking tea can help you live a healthier life. Here is what you are getting out of your cup: green tea can aid in boosting endurance, help reduce the risk of heart attack and certain types of cancers, it helps fight free radicals and also can help in improving bone density.

Not only is green tea beneficial to adults, it can provide children with with some notable health benefits also. It helps by boosting the immune system and supports vital functions of the body such as circulation.

With all the benefits of tea drinking, I wanted to get my whole family on board. My husband and I drink tea pretty regularly but my children, if its not good ol' Southern sweet tea, forget about it. I was able to find some wonderful children's tea at a local tea shop. Not only do they come in yummy flavors, Jumbo Grape is the winner around here, they also have children's versions of "grown-up" teas, like chamomile.  

While I love sneaking any healthy ingredients into my children's food, I wanted to find a way for them to get the benefits of green tea, but drinking it was way out of the question.Then it dawned on me. My plan was a little out there, but I knew there was someway I could sneak it in. 

Green tea brown rice:

2 1/2 cups of water

2 green tea packets

1 cup of brown rice

Add your water to the pan. 

Place your packets into the water and let steep, for about 5 minutes, while you are allowing the water to come to a boil.

Take out the packets.

Once boiling put your rice in the pot and cook like normal. 

Easy Chilaquiles in a Mug

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Now we move to lunch. If you thought breakfast was easy, you have no idea how yummy lunch can be. No more grabbing for the high calorie, less filling options.  Take a few minutes and try this easy Mexican dish in a mug.

Remember you can always add or take away any ingredients to your mug. I have added black beans, some left over ground turkey, avacado...like I said whatever you like. 

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

Salt

Ground black pepper

1 tablespoon sharp cheddar cheese

5 tortilla chips, divided

1 tablespoon salsa

Sour cream

Queso fresco

Chopped green onion

1. Beat egg and milk with a fork in a coffee cup, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add cheddar; stir to coat. Break 3 or 4 tortilla chips into small pieces to fit in the cup; stir into the mixture. Add salsa.

2. Microwave on high until done, about 1 minute, 10 seconds. Garnish with remaining tortilla chips, sour cream, queso fresco and green onion.

Coffee Cup Quiche

I am so glad everyone is enjoying the meals in a mug. Yesterday kicked off our breakfast category. Now I know that oatmeal might not be everyone's cup of tea but here is today's breakfast idea, eggs. Not your ordinary run of the mill eggs but a mini quiche. The fun thing about this recipe is that it is completely customizable to your likings. Grab some eggs, your favorite ingredients and lets get cooking.

What you will need

1 egg

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Salt

Ground black pepper

1/4 of a bagel (or similar amount of French bread, etc.)

2 teaspoons cream cheese

1/2 slice prosciutto or ham

Fresh thyme leaves or fresh chopped chives

Dijon mustard

1. Beat egg and milk together with a fork in a coffee cup, adding salt and pepper to taste. Tear bread into dime-size pieces; stir in. Add cream cheese; stir in. Tear or cut prosciutto into small pieces; add to mixture. Sprinkle with thyme.

2. Microwave on high until done, about 1 minute 10 seconds. Garnish with mustard and fresh thyme or chives.

Recipe from St.Louis Post

Baked Oatmeal in-a-mug

I don't know about you but I loathe getting up in the morning. I am definitely not a morning person. It takes all my power to pull myself out of bed at 6 am to get my morning started. I am usually answering emails, drinking coffee, getting breakfast ready for the boys and getting them up and ready to start their morning routine.

 Usually around 9 I am thinking to myself, have I even eaten. Other than my ever present coffee mug, I seem to always forget to eat. Then by the time I remember, I don't feel like making anything, so I grab whatever is close by. 

So that is how my meals-in-a-mug started. Through a few ingredients into a coffee mug, put it in the microwave and within a few minutes, I have a yummy meal. Simple, easy and I cannot complain about not eating properly. 

Here is my take on the champion of breakfast foods, oatmeal!

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1 tbsp ground flax seed

1 egg

1/3 of a banana, mashed

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 of an apple, chopped

2 tsp honey

Add oats, flax and egg in a mug. Stir well with a fork. Add banana, cinnamon, apple and honey. Stir again until fully combined. Cook in microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Stir in a little milk or yogurt or nut-butter if desired.

Recipe adapted from Food and Whine

Chocolate Cake in a mug

I posted this picture last night on my Instgram and I got a huge number of people asking me how to make this. It has to be the easiest and yummiest quick and easy chocolate cake that takes about 5 minutes from start to finish, can't beat that huh?

The kids and I got a late night craving for something chocolaty but I didn't feel like pulling out all the stops to make cookies or brownies, their first requests. I need something fast because it was 11 pm. We might have a slight chocolate problem!

So here we go, the quickest chocolate cake you will ever make.

You will need:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons chocolate chips

Melt the butter in a small dish. Add the peanut butter and mix well.
In the mug, mix together the vanilla, egg, and sugar until well combined. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder and add to the mug. Pour in the peanut butter/butter mixture and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Put in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until desired doneness is reached (all microwaves are different so you might have to experiment a little. I only do it for about 1 minute). Then you can top it with whatever your heart desires. We decided to add strawberries, blueberries and hot fudge sauce. Now go indulge!

Homemade Rainbow Wheat Bread

I have dabbled in making my own bread for a few months, but when I spotted a picture of RAINBOW bread on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it. My boys thought this was one of the coolest things that I have ever made! My oldest sons teacher even sent me a note home telling me that his rainbow sandwich was a hit during lunch time. 

If you have ever wanted to try to make your own bread, this is the recipe to start with. It is easy and does not take very long to make.

The recipe makes 2 loaves and is for a basic very soft white bread that could easily be changed to a wheat bread {just use 3 cups wheat flour and 3 cups white flour in place of the 6 cups white flour}.  

Its actually perfect for sandwiches because it stays soft {I wrapped one loaf in press & seal wrap, foil and froze it for later } and is easy to slice into normal sandwich bread thickness.

Ingredients to Make 2 Loaves:

-2 cups warm water 

-2/3 cup sugar

-1 1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

-3 cups all-purpose flour

- 3 cups of whole wheat flour

-1 1/2 tbsp yeast

-food coloring

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water.

After the sugar is dissolved, stir in the yeast.

, Allow the mixture to "proof" until the yeast resembles a creamy foam.

Into the yeast mixture, add the salt and the oil. Gradually mix in the flour, only one cup at a time. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and place in a well oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in bulk. This usually takes about one hour.

Once the dough is finished, remove the dough from the pan onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, using a knife.

Mix in the food coloring to each dough ball to get the colors of the rainbow; since the food coloring is liquid you will probably need to mix in a bit more flour with the coloring to keep a nice, not too sticky dough {make sure you keep them separate and you probably don't want to set them on your counter, they may stain it with the colors}:
RED: red food coloring
ORANGE: a combination of red and yellow food coloring
YELLOW: yellow food coloring
GREEN: most basic packages of food coloring have green in them, although if yours doesn't mix a combination of yellow and blue
BLUE: blue food coloring
VIOLET/PURPLE: a combination of red and blue food coloring

 To assemble the RAINBOW, lightly grease your work surface and your rolling pin.
Roll the red out to a roughly 11 x 14 inch rectangle, then place it on another greased surface. Use a knife to cut the dough in half.

Grease 2  9x5 loaf pans.Carefully roll each half into a log. Place into your prepared pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place loaf pans on the top of the oven, cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise about 30-45 minutes (the heat from the preheating oven will help the dough rise). 

Bake for 30 minutes. 

Wait 5-10 minutes and remove bread from pans, place on wire rack to cool completely.