Fresh Fruit Salad

This simple, delicious fruit salad can be made ahead of time and uses fruit that is readily available year round. Fruit amounts are flexible; I added a few more grapes. Note: this is very similar to Aunt Elsie's Fruit Salad, but it uses more natural ingredients and isn't quite as sweet.

Fresh Fruit Salad
~from my grandmother's recipe box

2 small bananas, sliced
2 small apples, diced
1 8-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 c. seedless red grapes
1/2 c. seedless green grapes
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. water
3 T. orange juice
1 1/2 T. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Combine all fruit ingredients in medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine sugar and cornstarch in small saucepan. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup water, orange juice, and lemon juice until blended. Bring sugar mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, over medium heat. Boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Pour mixture over fruit, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill 4 hours.

~Makes 6-8 servings

Recipe card from my grandmother's recipe box--in her handwriting

Aunt Elsie's Fruit Salad

Aunt Elsie is my cousin's other grandmother ("other" meaning not the one we have in common, our moms' mother, but her other grandmother--in this case, her father's mother; confused yet?). Aunt Elsie has always been a part of my family's lives, too, and now she and my grandmother are at the same retirement home and still terrific friends. This was her contribution to the holiday meals we shared with her growing up--one of the things I loved most as a kid. Keep this easy salad in mind next time you have a crew of young folks coming to a dinner party.

Aunt Elsie's Fruit Salad

• 1 medium can pineapple chunks, drained and juice reserved
• 2 cans chunky fruit salad, drained and juice reserved
• 1 can mandarin oranges, drained and juice reserved
• 1 can sliced pears, drained and juice reserved
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
• grapes
• mini marshmallows
• 2 bananas, sliced

1. Add 1 cup of pineapple juice to pudding and mix well; if you don't have 1 cup of pineapple juice from the pineapple chunks, add remaining "fruit" juice until you have 1 cup. I started with mandarin orange juice after the pineapple and had plenty. Let pudding mixture thicken while you combine remaining ingredients (don't add marshmallows or bananas until just before serving).
2. Stir in pudding mixture and toss well. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

~Serves 8 or so

Fruit Compote

My husband is in charge of Sunday night dinners, and he always comes up with something amazing! Breakfast is a familiar theme, and this week he made pumpkin waffles (from a delicious Trader Joe's mix) topped with a fruit compote and a touch of whipped cream. YUM. YUM. YUM. Here's his fruit compote, based largely on one from myrecipes.com.

Fruit Compote

• 2-3 apples, chopped (and cored)
• 1 can pear halves or slices in light syrup, drained and chopped
• 1/2-1 cup frozen berries, any combo*
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 t. cinnamon**
• generous pinch ground cloves**
• generous pinch ground nutmeg**
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 2-3 T. vanilla*

*depending on tartness of berries (and we think cranberries would also be good), you may want to use less lemon juice or omit altogether

**this makes a fairly spicy mix; if you have sensitive palates in the house, you may want to use less

1. Stir together all ingredients except pears and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a few minutes (3-4). Add pears and continue to simmer until desired tenderness. Berries will nearly disintegrate and turn the sauce purple!
2. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. May be served hot or cold. Excellent warm over waffles!

~Makes enough for 6 servings of waffles ☺.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Delicious! We cut ours into 16 small squares, enjoyed one each as a snack with afternoon tea and then finished off the rest for breakfast the next morning.

Blueberry Coffee Cake
~from Simply in Season

• 1 c. flour
• 1/2 c. whole wheat flour + 1/3 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. sugar + 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 t. cinnamon + 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 1/2 c. blueberries
• 1 t. lemon zest, optional
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/4 c. melted butter or oil
•  2 T. butter
• 1/3 c. chopped walnuts or pecans or almonds

1. Prepare topping and set aside: mix second amounts of whole wheat flour (1/3 c.), sugar (1/3 c.), butter (2 T.), cinnamon (1 t.), and the chopped nuts.
2. For batter, combine flour, first amount of whole wheat flour (1/2 c.), first amount of sugar (1/2 c.), baking powder, first amount of cinnamon (1 t.), and salt. Stir in blueberries and lemon zest, if using.
3. Combine egg (slightly beaten), milk, and melted butter or oil. Add to batter mixture and fold in, mixing gently until all is combined.
4. Spread/pour batter into greased 8x8-inch pan. Sprinkle topping over.
5. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until top is light golden brown (I had to cover mine with foil the last few minutes while the inside finished cooking--use a toothpick to test). Serve warm or at room temperature.

~serves 9 or more

Peanut Butter Apple Bowls

I'm experimenting with after school snack ideas while I have the time ☺. Getting my ducks in a row, as it were, before school craziness hits. This is delicious! Adapt for your family's needs; I think the filling is good by itself and am contemplating making just that up and tucking it into some kiddos' lunch boxes come August...

Peanut Butter Apple Bowls

~adapted from a Kroger flyer

• 1 apple*
• 2 1/2 t. sunflower seeds (peanuts would work well, too)
• 2 T. raisins
• ground cinnamon, to taste
• 1 T. orange juice concentrate
• peanut butter

*depending on size of apple, you may need more/less of the other filling ingredients

1. Cut top off of apple horizontally. Core apple, making sure to remove all seeds. Hollow out the apple and set aside apple pieces (chop into small pieces if necessary).
2. In a small bowl, combine sunflower seeds, raisins, and apple pieces. Dust with cinnamon. Add orange juice concentrate; mix well and set aside.
3. Smear peanut butter inside apple to coat. Fill the apple with the raisin mixture.

~Serves 1

Strawberries Romanoff

This is from a delightful little breakfast cookbook from the chefs of la Madeleine bistro. (If you've never been to one, seize the chance as soon as it's offered!) This is a luscious brunch treat and makes a terrific summer dessert as well. The chefs remind us regarding this recipe: make sure your berries are "as fresh and ripe as possible; they should be firm but not hard and have a distinct berry aroma." (don't know why this is hypertext!)

• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 3 T. brown sugar
• 1 T. Cognac
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 3 T. white sugar
• 4 c. (2 pints) fresh strawberries

1. Mix the sour cream, brown sugar, and Cognac together in a medium bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whip the cream with a whisk or an electric mixer until it starts to thicken. Add the white sugar and whip until thick.
3. Using a rubber spatula, fold the cream carefully into the sour cream mixture until well blended.
4. Just before serving, rinse the berries and trim off the green stems with a sharp paring knife.
5. Put the berries into stemmed wineglasses and top with the Romanoff sauce.

Serves 4

Apples

Please note that this picture came from another blog I just discovered when I did my "google images search". I was too lazy to photograph a nearly identical basket of apples that is on my own kitchen counter. Wanted to give credit where credit is due! Click here for original photo and accompanying, yummy-looking apple recipe.

Mmmmm.... there are so many divine apple-related eating experiences, aren't there? That might help to explain why fall is my favorite season since it happens to be apple season. (I've also always lived in the Southeast and fall is such a welcome break from the heat and humidity and mosquitoes!)

So, what can you do with apples besides eat them out of hand? What apples are best for various eating experiences? Read on for suggestions and information on apple varieties. Before we go any further into our apple exploration, I must tell you that if there is an orchard within driving distance of your house, you must start there. Even a local produce market will be better than a supermarket if you're anywhere close to apple country. Why? My local Kroger sells beautiful, waxed, all-the-same-size Honey Crisps for $2.99/pound. The orchard (literally a 10 minute drive up the road) sells homey-looking, multi-sized, nonwaxed Honey Crisps for .... $0.80/pound. Hmm... You tell me which I'd rather buy: I'll take cheaper, fresher, non-waxed any day. And those little apples you can find at orchards and produce markets are the perfect size for little hands!

For eating apples out of hand, my top favorites are Honey Crisps, Cameos, Mutzus. No question. If you've never tried one of these apples, you must! They are all crisp and sort of sweet-tart.

For apple dumplings, Romes or Winesaps work well--my mother-in-law uses both and I've had the best luck with Romes in particular.

For apple sauce, a mixture is best. Make sure you include some good firm, tart ones (Arkansas Black, Granny Smith, early Winesaps) in the mix as well as some softer ones (Macintosh, Jonagolds, Jonamacs). Sweet apples (Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Jonamacs, etc.) will give a sweeter, less complex sauce. This can be good if you want something sweeter (I never add sugar to my applesauce.). If you want rich apple flavor, though, you must include some tart varieties. Including a mixture of firm and soft apples will also give you a nice texture variation.

For apple pies, frequently Granny Smith or other tart, firm apples work best since they hold their shape a bit better. Here's a recipe by Gayle over at The Grocery Cart Challenge for apple pies that freeze well (step by step freezing directions)!

Here's a list of recipes that simply use any kind of apples (nice to have on hand if you, like me, can't resist a big bag of reduced apples that still look perfect or you've just been to an orchard and bought the full bushel...):

• Apple Oatmeal
• Apple Scones
• Pork with Apples
• Baked Apples (in crockpot)
• Apple Chicken
• Oatmeal Apple Muffins
• Apple Oatmeal Bars
• Apple Walnut Muffins
• Apple Scones
• Apple Dutch Baby
  
• (I'll be updating the links above and adding more in the next couple of weeks!)
  

For more apple facts than you will ever need, read this. For more general info on apples, check out this.