Creamy Coconut Fruit Dip

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Boy do I have something tasty for you today!

With an abundance of summer fruits we tend to eat more than our fair share.  I can say without a doubt that MGG could eat a whole personal watermelon by himself in one sitting!  That being said I am buying fruit by the bushels weekly to keep up with his insatiable appetite.

In addition to being good for you fruit is a great item to serve when entertaining.  We always set out a huge fruit bowl or platter at our parties or even for casual dinners with friends.  Over the 4th of July holiday we did just that.  I made a large platter of fruit and served it with a creamy 3-ingredient fruit dip that was to die for!  

Creamy Coconut Fruit Dip

With only 3 ingredients you can have a delicious creamy coconuty fruit dip that pairs with any fruit!  What better way to enjoy fruit than to dip it in something cool and creamy.  This dip brings a little taste of the tropics to your table and makes the fruit really fun to eat.  Just watch this dip disappear! 

All you need to make this dip are a few staples such as cream cheese and cool whip.  Then add in some cream of coconut (from the alcohol aisle, not coconut milk) and you are good to go.  This dip whips up literally in minutes.  It will last for a good week in the refrigerator so it is a good make ahead item as well.

This summer I've been keeping a serving tray filled with cut fruit in the refrigerator at all times.  I usually pick 1 or two melons, grapes, cherries, pineapple, and berries to have on hand for quick snacking.  The tray allows anyone in the family to grab a snack that's healthy instead of reaching for chips or other "not so healthy snacks"!  It's worked like a charm all summer long.  I bring this same tray out for casual dinner parties as well and we just use it like we would an appetizer platter.

Enjoy all your summer parties, get together, as well as family dinners with some fresh cut fruit and a Creamy Coconut Fruit Dip!







Creamy Coconut Fruit Dip
Yield 1 cup : 10 servings

1/2 (8oz) pkg Neufchatel cheese
1 cup cream of coconut from a 15 oz can found in the alcohol section (used to make pina coladas)
1/2 (8oz) tub Cool Whip

In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese with the cream of coconut until all lumps are gone.

Add the whipped topping and mix again.

Serve with fruit or graham crackers. Keep refrigerated.

adapted from: Dessert Now Dinner Later

Effortless Apple Coffee Cake

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My love of apples is calling me.

With the different varieties of apples I've been eating lately I'm on an apple kick.  I wanted to make something comforting and yummy, but I wanted something simple.  

This dish has all the flavors of my mom's homemade coffee cake without all the effort!  

The batter is quick to pull together and in no time you will have a house smelling delectable and a coffee cake just waiting to snack on!

This is so good that you'll want to make this incredibly delicious dish for your next brunch.  

EFFORTLESS APPLE COFFEE CAKE

An old-time coffee cake filled with cinnamonly tart apples and topped of with a delightful crumb topping. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or a snack with coffee.  This cake will remind you of your mom's and grandmothers coffee cakes, bring back the nostalgia of long ago!

A dish the whole family will love.  You'll want to make this over and over again!

Effortless Apple Coffee Cake

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Cake:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 to 3/4 can of a 14oz can apple pie filling

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, Add topping ingredients. Cut in butter with flour, sugar, and cinnamon until crumbly. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with a stand or hand mixer. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix until blended. Add milk and eggs one at a time and mix until well combined.

Pour 1/2 of the batter in to a greased 9x9" pan.  Top the batter with the apple pie filling.  Pour the remainder of the batter over the apple pie filling trying to cover as best as you can.  Sprinkle with the topping mixture.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls

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Weekends are for breakfast and sometimes you need some homey, comforting baked goods.

I grew up with mom making quick cinnamon rolls from biscuit dough.  While they weren't the big and fluffy rolls we are used to these days from a yeast dough they sure where mighty tasty!

But what do you do when you don't have a lot of time to make something from scratch?

Turn to my...

QUICK AND EASY CHOCOLATE CHIP CINNAMON ROLLS

These are the perfect dish to make for a quick sweet breakfast treat.  A little help from refrigerated cinnamon rolls along with a addition of chocolate chips turn these rolls into a heavenly chocolatey breakfast pastry that everyone is going to love!

Items you will need:
9" round baking pan
semi-sweet chocolate chips
or sugar-free chocolate chips
refrigerated cinnamon rolls

These are quick and can be on the table in under 30 minutes.  They are a decadent treat for breakfast, with coffee, or for a snack.  Try these today!

Enjoy!





Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls

1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls (I used lowfat)
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (regular or sugar free)


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Open cinnamon rolls and remove from package.  Carefully unroll each cinnamon roll and flatten just a bit with your fingers.  Place about 1 Tablespoon of chocolate chips along the length of the dough, depressing them into the dough.   Re-roll the cinnamon rolls and place them into a 9" round baking pan.  Bake for 13-15 minutes until cooked through and golden brown on the top.

Remove cinnamon rolls from the oven.  Heat the icing package for 10 seconds in the microwave.  Drizzle glaze over the warm cinnamon rolls.  Serve immediately.

Banana Walnut Pancakes

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It's the weekend and time for breakfast!

Let's make pancakes!  I have a craving for a nice homey breakfast and that would include sweet, fluffy pancakes.  But let's not make any old regular pancakes, let's make them special.

With over ripened bananas always hanging around they are a great ingredient that will make any pancake moist and delicious.  I also have some walnuts leftover from a Mediterranean snack board we had last night.  Those go perfectly with bananas and will lend the pancakes a little crunch.

These are easy to throw together.  You have your basic pancake recipe with a few add-ins to make that perfect breakfast dish!  Who doesn't love bananas and walnuts?  With a few pantry items you will have a scrumptious breakfast on the table in no time and one that the whole family will devour.

Light fluffy steaming hot pancakes laced with bananas and walnuts are doused in warm maple syrup.  What breakfast could be better than that.  Oh my these are good!  Make some this weekend and treat yourself and your family to a special breakfast...or dinner!

Enjoy!

Banana Walnut Pancakes

makes 4 pancakes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp each baking powder

1/2 tsp salt
¾ cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2)
¼ cup milk
¼ cup sugar
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Sliced bananas
1/3 walnuts, toasted and chopped

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, milk, sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry mixture; stir just until combined.  Fold in walnuts.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low; coat with nonstick spray or butter. Drop batter by 1/4 cup portions onto skillet and cook until bubbles appear and bottoms are brown, 2-3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until brown, 1 minute more. Serve pancakes with warm syrup and sliced bananas.  

Apple Cinnamon French Toast

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Basic French toast is elevated a notch or two when topped with tender juicy apples and drizzled with a cinnamon syrup!

The best way to make your day start off right is to eat a hearty helping of French toast that is topped with soft tender apples dripping with a cinnamony syrup!  

Breakfast can be on the table in about 20 minutes with this quick Apple Cinnamon French Toast recipe.  Apples are in season right now and this is the perfect way to incorporate them into your diet.  This is indulgence at it's best!  There are so many wonderful apples to choose from so pick your favorite and enjoy a great breakfast at the start of a great day!

I love the apples and I look forward to them every year.  I also love trying new varieties of apples so I chose a Sugar Baby apple for today's dish, but use your favorite.  The apples will stew away while you cook the French toast so you want an apple that stays firm and won't fall apart.  I left the skin on the apples for the nutrients and structure but you can certainly peel them if you choose. 

This is a wonderful winter weekend end breakfast.  One that the whole family will love.  I love the combination of apples and cinnamon and this takes your basic French toast up a notch or two!  

Enjoy!





Apple Cinnamon French Toast

serves 2

Apples: 

1 large apple - choose your favorite firm apple 

1/4 cup white sugar 

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

1 1/2 tbsp butter 

2 tbsp water

French Toast: 

4 slices white bread , preferably slightly stale 

2 eggs 

1/4 cup milk 

2 tbsp butter

a pinch of salt

Place the sugar, butter and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium high heat.  Cut the apple into 1/4" thick wedges, leaving the skin on.  Add the apple and water to the saucepan.  Allow to simmer until apple have softened and syrup thickens slightly.  Stir occasionally.  

Meanwhile in a small bowl whisk together the egg, milk, and salt.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet, over medium high heat. 

Dip the bread into the mixture, then remove, allowing any excess egg to drip off. Place in the skillet and cook until golden brown on each side - about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.  Repeat with the remaining butter and dipped bread.  

To serve, place French toast on a plate and top with the apple mixture, spooning over the syrup.

source:  Recipe Tin Eats

Farmstyle Pumpkin French Toast

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The most amazing winter morning breakfast! Perfectly sweet and spicy using leftover canned pumpkin that will melt in your mouth!

Welcome to Part II of my leftover canned pumpkin recipes.  Last week we made my delectable Small Batch Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins and today we are going to use up the remaining pumpkin in my recipe for:

FARMSTYLE PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST

A lot of times I struggle between choosing French toast and pancakes.  My mom made both all the time growing up and I think I lean toward pancakes, but every now and then I get a hankering for luscious, decadent French toast.

So I pulled out my mom's old recipe for French toast that she got from her Aunt Grace and tweaked it a bit to create a pumpkin version.  Wonderfully pumpkin pie spiced bread that's dripping with warm cinnamon syrup will make your breakfast irresistible.  You'll have this pile of deliciousness on the table in the time it takes you to say "I'm hungry"!

My great aunt lived on a farm in Oklahoma and she came up with some great homestyle recipes.  I treasure those dearly.  To keep in that tradition use a good country bread that's on the thick side.  It's preferable if the bread is slightly stale as it will soak up all that deliscious custard better.  

Enjoy a great winter breakfast this season using leftover canned pumpkin.  It's a great staple to have in your house, and one the whole family (especially the kids) will enjoy!






Farmstyle Pumpkin French Toast

Yield: 2- 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:


2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 loaf Country bread, thick sliced 

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 

Syrup:

1/2 cup maple syrup 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Dip bread slices into the egg mixture, allowing to soak for at least 20 seconds and coating both sides.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread slices to the skillet, working in batches, and cook until evenly golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Use additional butter and repeat with remaining bread.

Meanwhile in a small pan add maple syrup and cinnamon and simmer over low until heated through but not bubbling.  Stir to combine.  

Serve immediately with maple syrup, garnished with powdered sugar, if desired.

Peach and Apple Oatmeal

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This might be one of the most comforting breakfast I've had in a long time.  The seasons are surely changing and we are in that period where it is hot one minute then cold the next.  Blustery winds are everywhere (my umbrellas can attest to that!) and Fall is in the air.  

The best part of October as a produce month we are still transitioning from late summer fruits and vegetables to fall ones.  Peaches are still in abundance and soooo ripe and juicy, yet I'm craving warm Fall apple flavors as well.  What to do?  Mix them!

Oatmeal is a great way to make a quick, comforting breakfast  and when you load it up with spices and fruit you get something that's a kin to a warm fruit pie.  Oh yum!  Who wouldn't love a warm piece of pie for breakfast?  I will admit that I'm sure I've snuck a piece once or twice in my life!  But this is much healthier than that.  All that sweet, cinnamon-y, warm notes of apple and peach pie rolled into one bowl of breakfast comfort!

PEACH AND APPLE OATMEAL

What are the ingredients?  The main star is the oatmeal.  You can use your favorite, but for the sake of time I used quick cooking oats for this dish.  Oatmeal is full of good for you fiber and carbohydrates.  They help keep you full for hours!  Another fall flavor I used is maple syrup which is mixed with the softened peaches.

Is there a secret ingredient?  Yes, there is.  I came across boiled cider here, and it's been a wonder of a product.  It's apple cider that been boiled down until it forms a thick condensed syrup with loads of apple flavor.  It adds intense apple flavor to anything you use it with. (So worth the purchase) In this case I put it with the water when cooking the oatmeal and I used it along with butter and maple syrup when cooking the peaches.  Sooooo delish!  If you don't want to use this then you can substitute apple cider instead, however, the flavor will not be as intense.

Enjoy this spectacular breakfast that will leave you feeling warm and comfy all over!




Peach and Apple Oatmeal

serves 2


1 cup oatmeal (instant or regular)
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 boiled cider
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
2 peaches, peeled and sliced
2 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon boiled cider
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a medium saucepan add water, boiled cider, raisins, and cinnamon.  Bring to a boil and then add the oatmeal.  Turn heat to medium and cook until thick and creamy.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet heat to medium heat.  Add butter and allow to melt.  Add sliced peaches and cook 2 minutes until tender.  Add maple syrup, boiled cider, and cinnamon and stir until mixed well and peaches are tender.

Spoon oatmeal into 2 bowls and top with peaches.

Country French Toast

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There is nothing better than down home cooking.  The kind that reminds you of your mom's or grandma's food.  It's comfort food for sure, but also the kind that sticks to your ribs and keeps you wanting more!

Our weekends are for lazing around and having big breakfasts.  Especially on a Sunday.  It's something we look forward to each week, so last night I went digging in the family heirloom recipe box and came across a real winner.

COUNTRY FRENCH TOAST

This recipe comes from my mom's Aunt Grace.  She lived in Oklahoma and really new he way around "country food".  Her Buttermilk Pancakes are to die for and you should definitely check them out.  So I knew that her Country French Toast was going to be a winner as well and boy did these not disappoint!  Light and tender, fluffy thick pieces of country bread fried to a golden brown, and smothered in real maple syrup.  It doesn't get much better!

These are easy to whip up.  Just a few ingredients and you are set.  Using a thick sliced county bread makes these decadent and really "country style".  And don't substitute the butter for margarine as it makes a difference in the flavor and end result.

So thanks again to Aunt Grace for another wonderful recipe!  Try this next weekend and you and your family will be sure to want this in your breakfast rotation!

Enjoy!









Country French Toast

8 slices country bread (such as Italian country bread - thick sliced bread)
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1½ teaspoons real vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter
Pinch of salt

Preheat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.

In a large bowl, and eggs, vanilla, milk, and salt.  Beat until combined.  

Melt butter on your skillet or griddle.

Place bread into batter to coat the first side, then flipping to coast the other side. Place the coated bread on the griddle and cook 1-2 minutes on the first side until golden brown.  Flip and cook until golden and cooked through.  

Serve warm with butter and warm maple syrup.