Apple Bundt Cake

With apple season fast approaching, I would like to share my mother's apple cake recipe, which she happened to learn from her grandmother. So this recipe is four generations old, and as classic (and delicious) as ever.

Ingredients:


3 cups self-rising flour
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup apples, grated (You can use any type of apple, but we tend to use Gala.)


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Liberally grease a Bundt pan with shortening and set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, blend flour, sugar, eggs and oil with an electric mixer. Stir in apples.

4. Pour mixture into greased pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

5. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then run a thin flexible spatula around the edges of the pan to loosen cake. Place a serving platter over the cake pan and invert it to remove cake.  Slice and enjoy!

Penne with Pesto and Italian Sausage

I love creating dishes using the ingredients I already have on hand, and most all the time I have whole grain pasta, pesto and frozen Italian sausages in the kitchen. So that's what I used for this easy dish. Use what you have and be creative with your next pasta dish!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound whole grain penne pasta, cooked according to package directions

3/4 cup cheese pasta sauce, warmed either in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat (I use a Bertolli four-cheese pasta sauce)

2 tablespoons store-bought basil pesto

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), sliced

2 hot Italian sausage links, cooked according to package directions and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

1. Prepare sausages first, since they take the longest to cook. Then bring water to a boil in a large saucepan about 10 minutes before sausage is finished and cook pasta. Lastly prepare cheese sauce just before pasta is finished cooking.

2. After preparing ingredients as directed above, toss everything in a serving bowl. Serve with crusty bread on the side. Enjoy!

Pesto Pizza

You won't miss the sauce when you bite into this easy-to-make pizza. The pesto lends a ton of flavor to the crust.

Ingredients:

1 can refrigerated pizza dough

3 tablespoons store-bought basil pesto

pinch of red pepper flakes

pinch of garlic powder

2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese (either sliced thin or shredded)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup peperoncini, sliced

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), sliced

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Press out the pizza dough with your fingertips onto a pizza stone or a large baking sheet.

2. Spread the pesto onto the crust evenly, just as you would pizza sauce. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and garlic powder.

3. Top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Next, top with peperoncini and sun-dried tomatoes, or your favorite toppings. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Bake pizza for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly and crust is golden brown. Remove from oven, slice and enjoy!

Oatmeal Cookies

These are healthy oatmeal cookies. Yes, I said "healthy" and "cookie" in the same sentence. It's true. They are naturally sweetened with honey instead of sugar and I used coconut oil instead of a more fattening oil like canola. Give these a try – you won't be able to tell they're actually good for you.

Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

(Dry)

1 cup whole wheat all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

(Wet)

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup coconut oil (or your oil of choice - olive, canola, grapeseed; you can also substitute applesauce for half of the oil called for)

1 tablespoon molasses

1 egg (beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

(Add-ins)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 335 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.

3. In another medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients.

4. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix together. Once mixed, stir in the add-ins. (If the mixture seems too wet, add a little bit of flour.)

5. Cover mixture and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

6. Once chilled, drop mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Keep cookies 2 inches apart. Lightly press top of cookie down.

7. Bake for 15 minutes or until bottom of the cookie is light brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Coconut Macaroons

It's amazing how quick it is to make light and chewy macaroons, and with very few ingredients. These are perfect for tea time or an afternoon sweet snack, especially if you're as die hard about coconut as I am!

Ingredients:


7 ounces shredded sweetened coconut
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg white, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt


Yield: Approximately 14 macaroons


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and almond extract with a rubber spatula.

3. In another small bowl, beat the egg white and salt on high speed until frothy and slightly firm peaks form. (Test this by stopping mixer and lifting beaters out of mixture. If small peaks stand up and don't fall over, it is perfect.)

4. Using the rubber spatula, gently fold half of the egg white mixture into the coconut mixture. Then gently fold in the other half of the egg white mixture until it is a homogeneous mixture.

5. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop small mounds of the coconut mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving at least 1-1/2 inches in between each.

6. Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until macaroons are lightly golden on top. Remove from oven and cool.
Enjoy!

Veggie Quesadillas

Here's an easy weeknight dinner that spreads a buck, or a fun party finger food on the weekend. Try these quesadillas filled with cheese and veggies. Or, for the picky eaters, leave out the vegetables and enjoy a different kind of grilled cheese.

Yield: 4 quesadillas

Ingredients:


2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion (I used a shallot), diced
1 bell pepper (red or yellow), diced
2 small (or 1 large) yellow squash, diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 whole wheat soft tortilla shells
2 cups shredded Mexican style cheese
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 lime


1. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. When oil slightly ripples, add garlic and onion. Cook until slightly tender.

2. Add in bell pepper and squash. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are just tender. Remove skillet from heat.

3. In another skillet over medium heat, spread a small amount of butter (just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan). When the butter is bubbling, add one tortilla shell.

4. While the shell browns, sprinkle on 1/4 cup of cheese. Then add a spoonful or two of the cooked vegetables and spread evenly. Then add another 1/4 cup of cheese and sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of parsley on top. Place another tortilla shell on top of the cheese and press down so all layers stick together.

5. Once bottom tortilla is browned and cheese is starting to melt, use a large spatula to gently flip quesadilla over to brown on the other side. Let the second side brown and the cheese melt completely. Sprinkle outside of quesadilla with a light squeeze of lime juice.

6. Remove from pan and let rest for a minute before cutting into 8 triangles. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for the other 3 quesadillas. Enjoy by dipping quesadilla triangles in salsa.

Blueberry Muffins

Don't use a powdered muffin mix ever again; it's so easy to make muffins from scratch!

Ingredients:


12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pint fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried completely


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans and set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Add the vanilla, sour cream and milk. Beat well.

4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, add the sifted flour mixture to the batter slowly. Beat until batter is just mixed. Don't overmix or muffins will be too dense.

5. With a spatula, fold in the blueberries until evenly incorporated into batter.

6. Fill each muffin liner to the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until muffins are lightly brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, but still moist. Remove from oven and let muffins cool for at least 5 minutes before enjoying!