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Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Earlier this week I made another recipe from my Old Pennsylvania Dutch Recipes book. It is called Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples. Perfect for fall in Michigan!

It was quite easy to make and turned out really well. I cooked the sweet potatoes first thing in the morning. Then did the peeling and slicing when it was time to make dinner.

This got two thumbs up from the family. I used sweet potatoes from our garden and apples from my in-laws’ farm. It would be a great recipe for a large crowd, a holiday or a potluck. I only made a half recipe and we had plenty of leftovers.

This post is linked to Fight Back Friday and Fresh Bites Friday.

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples

6 medium sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups apple slices
1/2 cup rapadura (or organic cane brown sugar)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground mace (I don’t even know what mace is…I just used cinnamon)
1/4 cup butter

Wash and cook sweet potatoes in boiling water to cover until just tender. Peel and cut into crosswise slices 1/4 in. thick.

Butter a 2 qt. casserole and arrange one half of the sweet potatoes in the bottom. Then later one half of the apple slices. Sprinkle with one half of a mixture of the brown sugar, salt and mace. Dot with 2 Tbsp. butter. Repeat layering, ending with apples, seasoning and butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Dutch Apple Tart

I recently pulled out my Old Pennsylvania Dutch Recipes book again. As I flipped through it I realized there are so many recipes in it that I want to try! I was specifically looking for some kind of apple dessert.

There were quite a few. I chose Dutch apple tart…very fitting for me 🙂

It is a pretty simple recipe, and it turned out great!! It is a little messy since the sugar creates a syrup. But so delicious.

Serve it with ice cream and drizzle the extra syrup over top.

I did have a little problem with the pastry being too dry. It needs more water than the recipe calls for.

It’s not a very photogenic dessert, but I did what I could 😛

Dutch Apple Tart

1 pastry recipe, prepared (recipe below)

1 Tbsp. flour (I used organic all purpose, but whole wheat would probably work fine as long as it’s finely ground)
1 cup organic cane sugar
5 medium-size apples, pared, cored and quartered
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter

Pastry:
1 1/2 cups flour (organic all purpose or whole wheat)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup lard, butter or palm shortening
3-6 Tbsp. cold water

Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly (I use a food processor for this). Add water gradually until the dough just holds together.

Line an 8″ round baking dish with the pastry. Sprinkle a mixture of the flour and 1/4 cup of the sugar on the bottom of the pastry.

Put apples cut side down on the pastry. Sprinkle with a mixture of the remaining sugar and nutmeg.

Dot with butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes, or until apples are tender and a rich syrup has formed.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

I’ve had a recipe for a chocolate chip cheese ball in my list of recipes to try for a long time. I finally decided to make it. I modified it to use real ingredients. I did use regular chocolate chips. I still need to get to the store to try to find better quality chips. Or I need to find time to make my own again. But aside from that it was all good stuff.

It turned out great! A real treat. It’s kind of like eating cookie dough. I served it with a fresh batch of homemade graham crackers. A sweet twist on a cheese ball. Delicious.

The original recipe says to coat it in nuts. I didn’t do that since I can’t eat nuts. I just added some extra chocolate chips to the outside. Dried coconut flakes would be good too. It’s mostly for looks. You really don’t need to coat it in anything.

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

5 oz. homemade cream cheese
1/3 cup white whole wheat flour (you can use cornstarch or arrowroot. Use a little less than 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp. vanilla
5 Tbsp. butter, softened
2-4 tsp. molasses
mini chocolate chips

Beat the cream cheese and butter. Mix in the flour, syrup, vanilla and molasses. Taste for sweetness. Add extra syrup or molasses if needed. Stir in chocolate chips (as few or as many as you like).

Refrigerate for two hours.

Scoop onto plastic wrap and form into a ball.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

You can roll the ball in chopped crispy nuts, coconut or more chocolate chips.

Zucchini Soup | Homemade Dutch Apple Pie

Zucchini Soup

Zucchini soup is a great way to use up some of your larger zucchini and get kids to eat it! Pair it with zucchini crackers and cheese…lunch is served.

Zucchini Soup | Homemade Dutch Apple Pie

Zucchini just keeps coming.

I’m still working on using up the last of the zucchini from our garden. Sound familiar? You can only make so much zucchini bread!

One nourishing way to use that extra zucchini is in zucchini soup. It is so good! And so simple. Just cook and puree some vegetables in broth. It turns into a creamy, flavorful nourishing soup.

Zucchini is the base. But you can add any vegetables to complement the zucchini.

I like to use the zucchini that gets a little too big for soup. You can’t tell the difference.

Getting ready for fall.

As fall approaches and I think about school…I also think about sickness. Once all of those kids are together the germs start spreading.

Eating zucchini soup during the summer is a great way to build up the immune system ahead of time. Getting your family to consume broth year round is a great idea.

Soup for breakfast.

I eat soup for breakfast most days. I love it when I have leftover soup that I can just grab out of the fridge and eat cold. Zucchini soup is perfect for an easy breakfast or lunch that you don’t have to cook.

It also makes a great dip for raw vegetables or crackers.

Are you struggling to come up with more ways to use your zucchini? Try zucchini soup!

Zucchini Soup

3 medium zucchinis, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1 cup diced, cooked chicken (optional)

  1. Cook vegetables in broth until very tender, about 30 minutes.
  2. Add seasoning.
  3. Puree with an immersion blender or regular blender.
  4. Return soup to pot, taste and adjust seasoning.
  5. Add diced, cooked chicken and simmer for 10 minutes.

Here are a few more zucchini recipes you may enjoy:

Zucchini cake with two frostings

Zucchini crackers

Zucchini pizza bites

Chocolate zucchini scones

Zucchini salmon cakes

Chocolate zucchini cupcakes

Crockpot Peppercorn Steak

We still have quite a bit of beef in our freezer from last year. I’m always looking for new ways to cook it. After searching for a steak recipe I found a simple one on A Year of Slow cooking. I modified it a little, using what I had on hand.

It turned out great! I used rib steak…which I don’t generally care about much. But it was very tender and flavorful this way. I would definitely make this again. I served it over rice. It would also work well over mashed potatoes or polenta. You could also add potatoes right in the crockpot and make it a one pot meal. I’ll post the recipe the way I made it.

Crockpot Peppercorn Steak

Steak (any kind you like. I used one large rib steak. There was plenty of sauce. I could have cooked two steaks in it)
1 pint tomato soup (preferably homemade, else plain tomato sauce)
1/2 cup water
1 small onion, chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
(any vegetables you like will work here)
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1//2 tsp. pepper

Place meat in crockpot. Add vegetables. Pour in tomato soup, water and seasoning. Cook on low 7 or more hours (the longer it cooks the more tender it will be) or on high 5 or more hours.

Homemade Whole Wheat "Oreos"

On Sunday Rebecca got to try an Oreo at church (slight cringe :P). Then she asked if we could make our own Oreos so we could make Oreo sundaes (love this girl…what four year-old asks if she can make something from scratch instead of going and buying more:). Why not? So that was our project yesterday.

I had no recipe and no real starting point. I just started experimenting. And I must admit I am quite impressed with what we came up with! Sometimes homemade baked goods taste good…but not quite like the “real” thing. These actually really taste like Oreos…but they are made with REAL ingredients.

These do not have all of the preservatives and hydrogenated oils that make them shelf stable for half a year. So I store them in the refrigerator. That also keeps the cream filling solid. You can make a big batch and freeze them.

There really isn’t much more to say except these are delicious! The whole family agreed. What could top homemade Oreos? We made homemade cookies and cream ice cream with some of them later in the day 🙂  I also used some leftover cookie to make cookies and cream yogurt. Yum! I’m taking a cookie break today, though 😛

I used butter in my cookie dough. I find that it gives the best consistency/firmness. But if you want to make them vegan/dairy free you could use coconut oil or palm shortening in place of the butter. I also used all purpose flour in the cream filling because that is what I tolerate. You could use organic corn starch or arrow root. I personally like the soft texture the flour gives. Maybe next time I make them I’ll even try soaking the cookie dough.

Please give these a try and let me know what you think! Can you make homemade Oreos? Yes you can! If you think they look good, wait until you taste them!

This post is  linked to Real Food Wednesdays and Fresh Bites Friday and Fat Tuesday.

Whole Wheat “Oreos”
makes 17 – 20 cookies (depending on the size of your cookie cutter and the thickness of your dough)

1/4 cup organic palm shortening
5 – 6 Tbsp. organic all purpose flour (you can substitute corn starch or arrow root)
1/4 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3-4 tsp. chocolate extract
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, room temp (you can substitute coconut oil or palm shortening)
6 Tbsp. honey
water

To make the cookies:

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add cocoa and chocolate extract. Blend well (a hand mixer works well). Taste. Add more chocolate extract until strong enough. Add flour, baking soda, salt and honey. Blend well. If dough is still crumbly slowly add water, 1 Tbsp. at a time until dough will hold together when squeezed with your hand.

Place 1/3 of dough onto parchment paper. Place another layer of parchment paper over top. Roll dough between parchment paper until it is 1/8 – 1/4″ thick. Remove top paper. Cut circles and place onto parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat this process until you have used all of the dough.

Bake cookies at 350 for about 13 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

To make the filling:

Cream shortening, flour and maple syrup in a small bowl. Add more flour for a stiffer cream (note that it will firm up/become solid when chilled). Add more maple syrup for a sweeter cream. You can prep the filling ahead and store it in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature before filling cookies.

To assemble the cookies:

Place the cream filling in a small plastic bag. Cut off one of the corners of the bag for a pastry bag. Pipe some cream onto the center of one cookie, leaving space at the edge . Top with another cookie. Press together just until the cream reaches the edge. Repeat this process until all of the cookies are filled. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the cookies.

Sourdough Peanut Butter Blondies (vegan)

I’ve been searching for new sourdough recipes lately. I came across a recipe for sourdough peanut butter blondies on Cake Walk. They looked simple and delicious.

Yesterday morning both kids helped me make them (that’s how easy they are to make). It only takes a few minutes to mix the batter. Then pop them in the oven.

They turned out quite well. Very moist and chewy. They were a little heavy on the peanut butter taste for me. But Justin and Rebecca really liked them. I think they would be better with some chocolate chips to balance the flavor 🙂

I accidentally used more coconut oil than the recipe calls for. So mine were extra moist!

I don’t have any peanuts in the house, so I topped them with crispy almonds.

These happen to be vegan. I’m not sure I’ve ever made a vegan recipe before…at least not knowingly 😛  If you aren’t looking for a vegan recipe you could replace the coconut oil with butter.

And back to the original topic of sourdough. These do not taste anything like sourdough.

Sourdough Peanut Butter Blondies

3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup sourdough starter
1/6 cup oil (coconut oil works well)
1 cup brown cane sugar or sucanat
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup nuts (for topping)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8×8 baking pan or 8″ round cake pan.

In a large bowl, mix together peanut butter, oil and brown sugar. Mix well, until well incorporated. Add the sourdough starter and vanilla, and blend in thoroughly (kids are very good at this part:).

Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dough (using your hands if you need to) well. The batter is very thick, and doesn’t spread on it’s own. Transfer dough to baking tin, press into sides, and press the peanuts into the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until set and lightly browned on top. Cool completely in tin before slicing

Soaked Breakfast Bar ("Cereal" Bar)

I’ve been doing lots of baking and experimenting this week. Today I came up with a soaked breakfast bar recipe. When I made a batch of soaked graham crackers earlier in the week I realized that the dough was pretty good before dehydrating it. It was soft and chewy. The best part? My 14 month old could eat it easily…and loved it!

I set aside a couple of the graham crackers to eat as-is instead of drying them. They reminded me of cereal bars. Lightbulb…use the same dough to make homemade breakfast bars!

I used my soaked graham cracker recipe. I put half of the dough in the bottom of a 9×13 pan, baked it a little, then topped it with homemade apple butter and the rest of the dough. I baked it again and cut it into bars.

The verdict? Delicious!! A soft, chewy apple cinnamon breakfast bar. The grains are soaked, there are no vegetable oils, there is nothing processed. I feel good about giving these “cereal” bars to my whole family.

You can make them any flavor, depending on what kind of jam/butter you use. Or you can just make them plain bars without a filling. Either way they taste great. And they work really well for young children that are still learning how to chew. You can get really creative and fill them with things like nut butter, coconut, nuts, dried fruit or chocolate chips.

This is an easy grab-and-go breakfast. Make a batch. Freeze them. And you’ve got some on hand whenever you need something quick.

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday and Fresh Bites Friday.

Soaked Breakfast Bar

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup kefir, yogurt or buttermilk
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter, melted (I used coconut oil)
1/2 cup rapadura/cane sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. honey

1/3 – 1/2 cup jelly, jam or fruit butter

Mix flour, cultured dairy and oil. Cover and let soak 7 – 24 hours.

Mix in remaining dough ingredients until well combined. Spread half of the dough into the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven. Spread an even layer of jam on top of dough. Spread remaining dough on top. Bake at 350 for another 25 minutes.

Cut into bars. Place bars on a separate baking sheet, with space in between bars. Bake another 5-10 minutes, until dough is baked through. Allow to cool.

Sourdough Graham Crackers

As I was making a fresh batch of soaked graham crackers this week I thought it might be fun to try making sourdough graham crackers. Rebecca and I set to work right away 🙂  I used this recipe as my base and adjusted it to use my sourdough starter.

The graham crackers turned out quite well. I think I made them a little too thin, so they are quite crispy. But still delicious. I also used all coconut oil (out of convenience…it’s hot enough that it’s already liquid…so I didn’t have to add a step of melting anything 🙂 instead of all butter or a butter/coconut oil combo. I think using all coconut oil makes them a little more crumbly. Next time I’ll use some butter. But if you can’t have dairy using all coconut oil definitely works.

I love graham crackers. And this is another great, healthy variation. A perfect snack for kids or adults.

I wasn’t able to get many photos…I had a little boy in my arms that had just woken up from a short nap 😛

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday and Fresh Bites Friday.

Sourdough Graham Crackers

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cups sourdough starter

1/2 cup rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar)

1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 – 6 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick butter or 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (Works very well to use half butter and half coconut oil)

Heat oven to 350. Melt butter/coconut oil in sauce pan. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the liquids: honey, sourdough, vanilla, butter. Stir well until a nice ball of dough is formed – not crumbly (if too dry add more butter/coconut oil or honey). Taste the dough for sweetness. Add a little rapadura or honey if the dough is too sour. It will get a little sweeter as you bake it.

Split dough into 2 equal parts. Cut 3 pieces of parchment paper the size of a cookie sheet. Lay one piece on table. Put 1/2 of dough on the paper. Lay a 2nd piece of parchment on top of dough. Squish the dough down a little with your hand. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough between the parchment paper. Roll until the dough until it is about 1/8 in. thick. Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Cut into squares (with pizza cutter). If the dough sticks to the pizza cutter wait until the crackers have been baking 5 – 8 minutes to cut them (pull them out, cut and put them back in). Place the dough on a baking sheet (on the parchment paper…just move the whole thing onto the baking sheet). Repeat for other half of dough.

Bake for 12-18 minutes, until the crackers are just barely turning golden. Let cool completely. Store in airtight container or in the freezer.

Strawberry Cream Pops

Rebecca and I spotted a delicous looking recipe in my Kiwi magazine this week. It sounded so easy that we decided to make it right away. It only has a few ingredients. It is so simple and so good!! Strawberry cream pops are a healthy, delicious treat. I gave one to Rebecca for breakfast yesterday! I always have homemade yogurt on hand. Strawberries are in season (and we have a ton that we just picked). And I happened to make a fresh batch of graham crackers this week. So it was the perfect time to try this recipe. I used a little bit of maple syrup and vanilla to flavor the yogurt. I also scaled back the recipe to just make four. These really are very good. It’s kind of like strawberry cheesecake in a popsicle.

I am so excited now for blueberries to be available in a few weeks…bring on the blueberry cheesecake pops!!! I plan to make a batch with soaked graham crackers and maybe a little raw sour cream mixed in. I think I’ll be having some popsicles for breakfast soon 🙂

This post is linked to Fight Back Friday and Fresh Bites Friday and Real Food Wednesdays.

Strawberry Cream Pops

1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt (I used homemade full fat yogurt w/ maple syrup and vanilla extract)
3/4 cups fresh or frozen strawberries hulled
3/4 cups crushed graham crackers (preferably homemade…even better use soaked)

Crush graham crackers into pea size pieces (I did this by pulsing them in the food processor a few times).

Combine yogurt and strawberries in a food processor. Process until strawberries break down and mixture turns light pink.

Pour yogurt mixture over graham crackers and mix.

Pour the mixture into 10 popsicle molds and freeze until solid.