Squash Stuffed Apples

Squash Stuffed Apples

Serves 4 - Use organic ingredients whenever possible


2 Granny Smith or Pippin apples

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon fresh apple cider or unfiltered apple juice

2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey

2 heaping cups butternut squash, cubed

1 tablespoon Earth Balance non-hydrogenated margarine

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt

Pumpkin pie seasoning or cinnamon


Preheat your oven to 325˚

Core the apples and them cut them in half across the middle.

Using a paring knife and spoon, scoop out some of the pulp to form apple “bowls”. Save the pulp.

Put the apple into a small baking dish.

Whisk together the apple cider and agave nectar and pour over the apples.

Bake for 30 minutes, basting the apples at least once with the sweetened cider in the dish

While the apples are baking, peel, seed and cube the squash.

In a skillet or large pot with a cover, melt the margarine over a medium low heat.

Add the cubed squash, reserved apple pulp, maple syrup and the tablespoon of cider and saute covered for 15 minutes.

Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick or burn.

Let the squash mixture cool for a few minutes uncovered before putting it into your food processor with the salt and blending until smooth.

Transfer the squash mixture to a pastry bag and pipe into the apples.

If the cider in the baking dish has not thickened, pour it into a small pot and bring to a fast simmer for 1 minute to thicken it

Pour the thickened cider over the stuffed apples and sprinkle them with pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.

Nutter Butter Banana Trifle

Making this little gem isn't as hard as you think. Even making the pudding from scratch was rewarding.
3 cups milk
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
5 medium ripe bananas
1 (1-lb) package Nutter Butter's
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
Garnishes: Nutter Butter cookies, dried banana chips, fresh mint sprigs.

1. Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, 12-20 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla until butter is melted.

2. Fill a large bowl with ice. Place saucepan in ice and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly chilled.

3. Meanwhile, cut bananas into 1/4 inch slices. Break cookies into thirds.

4. Spoon half of pudding mixture into a 3 quart bowl, picture or trifle dish. Top with bananas and cookies. Spoon remaining pudding mixture over bananas and cookies. top with sweetened whipped cream. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours. Garnish, if desired.


Ok all you lazy bones, yes you could just use instant pudding but trust me, making the real stuff was not that hard!!!!

Here's what you do. Instead of real whipped cream they suggest extra creamy cool whip completely thawed.

Instead of the pudding you just use:
3 cups milk
2 vanilla instant pudding
1 tsp. vanilla
Beat above with an electric mixer for two minutes or until thickened; let stand 5 minutes.
Stir in 1 (80z) container sour cream.

Proceed with rest of recipe.

Thank you Southern Living

Luscious Orange Cake

Recipe Courtesy Victoria Carlson
Photo and Cake Made by Samantha Lee

Some of you may remember I made this for Marci's birthday in April. This is where it came from. The pros aforementioned above.
Cake:

1 pkg yellow cake mix (I always use Duncan Hines)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (11oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp orange juice
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:

2 (8 oz) cans crushed pineapple with juice
1 pkg vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three round 9 inch cake pans. Combine cake ingredients in bowl and mix with hand mixer for one minute on low and then three minutes on medium. Mixture should be smooth with small bits of mandarin orange. Pour equally into three pans. Bake for 25 minutes until cake is spongy to the touch or a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes IN PANS on wire rack. Then remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
While cake is cooling, make frosting. Drain pineapple juice, adding it to pudding mix and combining well. Add pineapple, powdered sugar and vanilla. Fold in cool whip.

To assemble cake, frost between each layer, then outside of cake. I added toasted coconut and a sugared orange slice to the top of my cake for display purposes only.

Summer Fruit Salsa & Homemade Cinnamon Chips

Recipe and Photo Courtesy Samantha Lee

Fruit Salsa

half of a fresh pineapple, coarsely chopped
one ripe mango, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp minced cilantro (don't be afraid of it - just embrace it)

Combine all three ingredients in a bowl one hour before serving time to let juices flow and flavors combine.

Cinnamon Chips

1/2 stick melted butter
4-8 6 inch flour tortillas (for this photo I used whole wheat)
cinnamon sugar (combine cinnamon to sugar at a 1-2 part ratio)

Brush melted butter on one side of flour tortilla. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Place on a cookie sheet and cut into triangles with a pizza cutter. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown and bubbly. Let cool, then remove with spatula.

Zesty Mexican Soup

by: Susan Bandel

2 cups cubed chicken (aprox. four breast. cook in pan before hand)
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 11.52 oz can vegetable juice
1 can "mexi" corn (has green and red pepper already in it)
1 cup salsa
1 can chopped green chili's
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Simmer for 10-20 minutes. Serve topped with Monterrey Jack cheese and tortilla chips.

Audrey's Note: I usually double the recipe and use one can regular and one can zesty, you could just use half a can of each if you only did a single recipe.

Super easy and yummy. Good anytime of the year.

Roasted Banana Mash

Don't let the ingredients fool you...this is hands down yummy! Even my very discerning food critic Chris requested it for special dinner guest over the weekend. I learned how to make this recipe when I took some cooking classes by Josh Alkire in San Diego. It was complimented by a yummy white fish dish that I'll add another time but it's great served with other things. I served it with stake and green beans this weekend.

2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
4-6 garlic gloves
2-3 shallots peeled and quartered
1/4 c. olive oil
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Thyme (2 tsp. dried)
salt and pepper
2-3 bananas peeled and chopped 1 inch long
1/2c. heavy cream (I use 1/3 cup skim milk on occasion)
1/2 c. butter (I use about 1/4 cup butter)
1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley (if desired)
1-2 Tablespoons chives chopped for garnish (if you really want to be fancy)


Pre-heat over to 450 degrees. Heat a heavy bottomed pan inside the over at least 15 minutes to get good and hot. (Make sure the pan is oven proof.)

In a bowl toss together the potatoes, garlic, shallots, thyme and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place in the hot pan and roast in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes. Toss the banana in a bit of oil and through on top of the potatoes. Cook until color forms on the bananas. Remove from oven and transfer to a bowl with the butter and parsley (if desired). Add cream. Mash by hand until all the butter and cream is incorporated, being sure to leave lumps. Season to taste, and garnish with chives.

Sweet Potato Soup with Lime

1 1/3 cups thinly sliced leeks (white only)
3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (or more as needed) I've used up to 6 cups to get the consistency I like.
4 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
Fresh lime juice to taste (or bottled)
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Put leeks and 1/2 cup broth in a pot. Bring to a simmer over moderately high heat and cook 1 minute. Add sweet potatoes and cook 4 minutes more. Add 3 1/4 cups vegetable broth, reduce heat to medium, and cook until sweet potatoes are soft (about 25 minutes).

Transfer mixture to a food processor or use a mixing wand and blend until the batch is smooth, adding additional broth as needed to make a soup consistency. Return to pot (if removed) and stir in lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with a little cilantro if desired.


This is a really yummy soup!!!!!

Raspberry-Balsamic Glazed Chicken

1 tsp. vegetable oil
cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
4 (4-ounce) skinless chicken breast
1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves (or with seeds if you don't mind)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot.

Add onion; saute 5 minutes.

Combine thyme and 1/4 tsp. salt; sprinkle over chicken. Add chicken to skillet; saute 6 minutes on each side or until done.

Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 1/4 tsp. salt, preserves, vinegar, and pepper, stirring until the preserves melt.

Spoon raspberry sauce over chicken. (4 servings)

I took this recipe from Cooking Light Jan/Feb 1998 issue. I still use it all the time and now I don't even refer to the recipe. (There is a funny story about that too)

You can serve this with brown rice, rice pilaf, cous cous, and any yummy vegi like broccoli, or asparagus.

Enjoy!