Puff Pastry Apple and Raisin Strudel

 

Ingredients

• 2 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
• 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice until the apples are thoroughly coated. Add the raisins, 1/4 cup sugar, and the 2 tablespoons cold cubed butter and toss well. Set aside.

Lightly dust the counter or work surface with flour. Lay the puff pastry on top and dust the rolling pin with additional flour. Gently roll the puff pastry to 1/8-inch thickness.

Spread the apple and raisin mixture over the bottom half of the puff pastry square leaving about 1-inch of space along the side edges. Fold the top half of the puff pastry over and pinch to seal the edges together.

Brush the entire strudel with the melted butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon and remaining sugar. Using a serrated knife, make 3 diagonal slits across the top of the strudel.

Place the strudel on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, rotating halfway through cooking, until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. 

* raisins are optional..  I added almonds

Red Velvet Cake Balls

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

I also only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

Gingerbread

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup hot water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
3. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
4. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.

Ham & Cheese Sromboli

8 slices ham, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
13.8 oz. Pillsbury pizza dough, refrigerated in a can
cooking spray

Spray cooking spray on a baking sheet. Remove the pizza dough from the package and place on another baking sheet. Roll the dough slightly to even the edges but not too thin. Arrange ham evenly over the pizza dough, leaving about an inch around all edges. Top ham with grated cheese. Take the long ends of dough and carefully roll the dough up into a log and place the seam side down on the sprayed baking sheet. Carefully tuck the ends under and squeeze to close them. Lightly spray top with cooking spray. Place on a rack in the center of the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes until lightly browned and dough is cooked through. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then slice into 6 slices.

Fruit Tart

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (½ of 17.3-oz. pkg.), thawed
1 package (3.4 oz.) Jell-O vanilla flavor instant pudding
1 cup cold milk
1 cup thawed Cool Whip whipped topping
1 square Baker’s white chocolate
1 cup quartered fresh strawberries
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
1 kiwi, peeled, sliced and halved
3 tablespoons apricot preserves
2 teaspoons water

Heat oven to 400ºF. Unroll pastry on baking sheet. Fold over edges of pastry to form ½-inch rim; press firmly to base to seal. Prick pastry sheet with fork. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool completely. Place on tray. Beat pudding mix and milk in large bowl with whisk for 2 minutes. Stir in whipped topping; spread onto pastry. Melt chocolate as directed on package. Arrange fruit over pudding mixture. Mix preserves and water; brush onto fruit. Drizzle with chocolate. Let stand until chocolate is firm.

Apple Bread

Apple Bread

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup, it worked great)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups chopped peeled tart apples (I used Braeburn - yum!)
Topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
3 Tbsp. cold butter

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Stir in the eggs, applesauce, oil and vanilla just until moistened. Fold in apples. Transfer to two 8x4 inch loaf pans that are coated with cooking spray.

For the topping, combine the flour, sugar, and walnuts. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter, pressing in a little bit.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack.

Skinny Potato Soup

• 2 russet potatoes, washed and dried
• 1 small head of cauliflower, stem removed cut into florets
• 1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups 1% reduced-fat milk
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 10 tbsp reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 6 tbsp chopped chives, divided
• 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (you can use turkey bacon if you prefer)

Pierce potatoes with a fork; microwave on high for 5 minutes turn over and microwave another 3 - 5 minutes, until tender. Or if you prefer to use your oven, bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes.

Meanwhile, steam cauliflower with water in a large covered pot until tender. Drain and return to pot. On medium heat, add chicken broth, milk, potatoes and bring to a boil. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Add sour cream, half the chives, salt and pepper and cook on low another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat. Ladle 1 cup soup into each bowl. Top each serving with 2 tbsp cheese, remaining chives, and bacon. 

Strawberry Cupcakes

I made strawberry cupcakes just using a store bought mix.  I topped them with chocolate covered strawberries. 

Sugar Pecans

• 1 tablespoon egg white
• 2 cups pecan halves
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a bowl, beat egg white until foamy. Add pecans and toss until well coated. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over pecans and toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Cool on waxed paper.* You can also use Splenda