Baked Fruit: 3 Ways. Guys, I think it's pie season.
Every magazine cover I look at seems to have a pie (or two or three) on it. This proves a few things: 1. I apparently only read food magazines. 2. It's pie season. I've already started making my list of possible pies I'll be baking for Thanksgiving this year (I'm way early, I know). Baked Peach Parfait, makes 4 servings. Needed: 2 peaches, 1/2 cup oats, 1/8 cup olive oil, 1/8 cup maple syrup or honey, a few pinches of cinnamon, and a handful of chopped pecans. In a small bowl, combine the oats, oil, sweetener, cinnamon and pecans. Baked Grapefruit, makes 4 servings. Needed: 2 grapefruits and a conservative handful of brown sugar. Slice grapefruits in half and remove as many seeds as you can.
Baked Apples (or "Opposite Apple Pie" if you're feeling clever, and I AM), makes 4 servings. Needed: 2 apples (I like Granny Smith), 1/4 cup brown sugar, a few pinches of cinnamon and 1/2 sheet of puff pastry. Core apples and slice in half. (Red Hots) Popcorn Balls. I love colored popcorn. Elsie brought back some caramel apple (green with a few brown) popcorn from Chicago a few weeks ago, and it reminded me how much I love colored popcorn. When Elsie and I were little, our family doctor's office was located next to (or maybe it was a few doors down) a gourmet popcorn shop. Sometimes, as a special treat, our mom would buy us flavored popcorn after a doctor's visit. I was the kind of kid who was obsessed with sugary treats, so I was always hoping for a trip to the popcorn shop after a doctor's visit. Anyway, I had plans to make popcorn balls before Halloween this year (you gotta!)
Red Hots Popcorn Balls, makes about a dozen or so. Needed: 3/4 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 cup butter, 2 teaspoons water, a large handful of Red Hots candy, 1 cup marshmallow cream (or you can use marshmallows, I just happened to have some cream I was needing to use), 1 cup powered sugar and 3/4 cup unpopped popcorn. First pop the popcorn and set aside.
Homemade peanut butter cups. Everybody likes getting candy, even if they are (ahem) maybe a bit too old to be Trick or Treating. (If that's even possible.) Here's a cute idea to dress up a sweet candy gift for a friend or coworker, preset your candy in decorative jars! Simply use mason jars (or other canning jars) and cover the tops with colorful fabrics. You can use store-bought candies, or you can make your own! Here's how to make homemade peanut butter cups: Needed: mini cupcake pan plus mini sized cupcake liners (we used brown ones), 1 bag (about 2 cups) dark or semi-sweet chocolate, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 3/4 cup powder sugar. First, line your mini cupcake pan with liners. While that is cooling, make the peanut butter filling.
Now melt the remaining chocolate with 1 tablespoon oil. Have fun making your own peanut butter cups!