Turkey Wraps

We made these turkey wraps to feed a large group of people for lunch, and they were a hit! We prepared them the night before and they lasted great until lunch time the next day.



The original recipe found here.
My slightly adapted recipe:


Turkey Wraps

Ingredients:
(Makes one wrap)

1 Large burrito wrap (room temperature works best)
1 Cup fresh spinach greens (I like my greens)
4 Slices canned pears
4 Slices turkey sandwich meat
1 Tablespoon dried cranberries (craisins)
2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts (or pecans)
2 Tablespoons blue cheese crumbles
1 Tablespoon pomegranate vinaigrette dressing
Ground pepper



Directions:

1.  Assemble in this order on the tortilla to reduce sogginess: Greens, sandwich meat, pears, cheese, craisins, nuts, dressing, pepper.

2. Roll tightly and enjoy!


For assembling them the night before use tin foil squares to individually wrap each sandwich wrap after completion and refrigerate until time to consume.

Yum! I have been making these for myself a ton in the past month.


What other variations would you like? I know not everyone is a fan of blue cheese, but in this combination it is so delicious. Try it!

Caprese Dip

Natalie made this delicious cheese dip for her Lash Bash makeup party and I had to share the recipe!

Caprese Dip

The original recipe found here.
Natalie's adapted recipe:


Ingredients:
3-4 lbs low moisture mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil
Fresh spinach
1 package of cherry tomatoes
Balsamic vinegar
French bread


Directions:

1. Chop mozzarella into cubes, slice tomatoes into halves, slice basil and spinach into strips.

2. Mix everything together in oven-safe dish. Cook at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly.

3. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve with sliced french bread.

This was so yummy, and it is so easy! I will definitely make this again for a party.


What is your favorite dish for entertaining? Please share in the comments below!

Pear Apple Sauce

With so much fruit left over we decided to make one of my favorites, Pear Apple Sauce!

Don't be intimidated. This is one of the easiest recipes ever.


Pear Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

Apples and pears, enough to fill the crockpot
2 tsp ground cinnamon




Directions:

1. Peel, core, and slice apples and pears into chunks. Place in large crockpot on high.

2. Add ground cinnamon. Let cook for several hours until fruit begins to soften.

3. Stir mixture occasionally. Use potato masher to break up any large pieces. Let continue to cook until fruit is desired softness/consistency. 

4. Enjoy! Delicious warm or cold. Can be frozen in Tupperware and enjoyed later.

This was a smaller batch. Don't be afraid to fill it to the top of the pot, it cooks down a lot.

I like having a few varieties of apples in it for a mixture of tastes and textures. You can even make it with brown sugar or nutmeg if you want to try that variation. I've also made it with a handful of frozen berries or leftover fruit from my refrigerator tossed in. Really, there is no way to go wrong with any assortment of fruit!

I love to make this for Christmas dinner. Spiral glazed ham + apple pear sauce = yum. I love having foods hot and ready whenever it's time to eat, and not take up room in the oven or on the stove top for big dinners. 

One of my favorite things about it, is that it makes your house smell amazing.

Let me know if you try it!

Apple Pear Crisp

I was excited to whip up some apple/pear treats after our harvest, and figured I would make one of Zach's favorite desserts, a crisp!

I started with a recipe from Our Best Bites, found here, but substituted pears and apples. Here is my version!



Apple Pear Crisp

Filling Ingredients:

3 1/2 lbs ripe but firm pears and apples (6-8), peeled, cored, and sliced into 3/4″ wedges.

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch salt

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of ground nutmeg

Crumb Topping:

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

6 tablespoons cold butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.

Directions:

For fruit filling, gently combine fruit and sugar in a large bowl and let stand for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Whisk cornstarch, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in small bowl. Toss juice mixture with fruit and transfer to an 8 or 9 inch square pan that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. 

For topping, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon and either grate the cold butter with a large-hole cheese grater, or cut it into small cubes and use your fingers to crumble the mixture together. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit in pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes.  The topping should look golden brown and crisp and the fruit should be soft.  Let cool to luke warm before serving.  Serve with ice cream.

Breakfast of champions!

I will definitely use this recipe again for future crisps! I even enjoyed eating it for breakfast the next morning warmed in the microwave, then served with milk, like a bowl of oatmeal. Yum.

Iowa: Good Eats

Yum! Look at those cheeks. I want to eat that baby!

Only half kidding, we were actually at my new favorite restaurant in Iowa, Bubba-Q's when these delicious baby pictures were taken. (Bubba Q Bacon Cheeseburger, please!)

Oh my, cuteness x2!

We also enjoyed some good ol' home cooking provided by Greg and Kay. Yum!

Some kind of caramel, coconut, pecan cake. Mmm. 

Burgers & corn on the cob = good ol' Iowa eatin'!

Kay's famous Dirt Cake recipe, for posterity's sake.

 What are your favorite foods to eat when you go home? I'm already starting to think about making classic Christmas treats to help us make new memories in our new home.

Share any delicious tried and true family recipes below!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

I've made this several times now and it is definitely a keeper and perfect for a fall dinner. I paired it with homemade English Muffin Bread and fancy grilled cheese sandwiches. 



The inspiration:

Photo by Clair Buys/BYU Magazine

My adapted version:

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

3 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice

1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano
1 T dried basil
4 cups chicken broth (nope, one whole box)
1 bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups skim milk
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

1.  Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.

2.  Cover and cook on high for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft. Let cool and pull ceramic crockpot bowl out of electric component, place on a hot pad (to protect your fridge), and refrigerate overnight. This really lets the flavors mingle and be amazing!

3.  Next day, reheat in crockpot until warm. 

4. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux in a separate pot. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add skim milk and stir for a few minutes until warm. Add all back into the slow cooker. 

5. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.  

6.  Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until everything is warmed through and ready to serve.

Let me know if you try it out, and any other alterations you would make!

Grilled Peaches

We made these for the Pool Party Family Night BBQ a few weeks ago. We just served them with whipped cream, but if I made them again I would toss them in a little bit of brown sugar before grilling, and then serve them with vanilla ice cream.


Grilled Peaches

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil
Peaches



Directions:

1. Wash and dry peaches. Slice peaches in half, pull pit out, brush with oil.

2. Grill skin side down first for a few minutes until you get nice grill lines, then flip peach over to grill cut side down until peaches are soft, but not falling apart.

3. Serve with ice cream, sprinkled with brown sugar, or whipped cream.




The inspiration:

Via.

What is your favorite thing to grill as a side dish or  dessert?

Ladies Luncheon: Salad Bar

I've been trying to get as much socializing in as I can before our rumored move. I co-hosted another luncheon, but this time we made homemade salads. Yum!

The idea to make salads was born after making lunch for fifteen people for a church event. We made wraps from this recipe. They are soooo good! We decided to make them in salad form!

I love a big yummy salad. My favorite salads consist of spinach, something crunchy (almonds, chow mein noodles, sunflower seeds, etc.), fruit (fresh strawberries, blueberries, canned pears, etc.), cheese (feta, blue, etc.), and some yummy salad dressing. I like something that has a sweetness to it like poppy seed dressing, honey mustard dressing, balsamic vinegar, etc.

The lineup: Three kinds of greens, canned pears, crasins, blue cheese, feta, grilled corn, chow mein noodles, apple chunks.

Also: avocado, limes, canned peaches, and chopped pecans.


Yum!


Any other salad recommendations?

Ladies Luncheon: Grilled Cheese Party

After one successful grilled cheese party, I decided to invite the ladies I do Zumba with to a Ladies Luncheon of grilled cheese. It was a hit! Several of the ladies made homemade bread, which made it even more delicious and amazing.

For dipping bread.

I love these ladies, I love doing Zumba with them, and I love eating delicious food! It has been so fun getting to know new ladies and making new friends.

English Muffin Bread

My friend Sonja sent me this recipe for English Muffin Bread. It is amazing! And so easy, only five ingredients, holla! Plus, another goal for the year accomplished!

Zach liked it so much he practically ate an entire loaf himself, and then requested that I make it every week. And who doesn't like their house to smell like homemade bread? Mmmm. Heaven.

English Muffin Bread
Via.  Makes 4 loaves.


Ingredients:

5 1/2 Cups warm water
3 Packages rapid rise yeast
2 Tablespoons salt
3 Tablespoons sugar
11 Cups all purpose flour

Melted butter for brushing on at the end.




Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in large bowl, only enough to combine ingredients. (Will barely fit in a 5 quart mixing bowl.) Dough will be really sticky.

2. Divide into four equal parts and place in pans.

3. Let rise until dough reaches top of pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Ten minutes before done, brush with melted butter and place back in oven for the last ten minutes.

6. Wait for loaves to cool completely on cooling rack before cutting if you want nice slices.

If you are like me and only have one legitimate bread pan, any glass baking dish will do!

It tastes great toasted, warm out of the oven, or however else you can think of. I made some homemade Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup to go with it, and it was a delicious!

I have already bought more ingredients to make this again!


What is your favorite way to eat homemade bread? Favorite meal to pair with it?

Spinach Blueberry Salad

Another delicious salad lunch.


Ingredients:
Spinach
Blueberries
Chow Mein Noodles
Feta Cheese
Poppyseed Dressing