"love"ly fruit salad

I love Valentine's Day.  What's not to love?  A day to show your love to others.  Fun!!  My friend Shonda made this "love"ly fruit salad to go with our dinner.  All the fruit was cut into hearts!  The fruit was so ripe and sweet and a delicious addition to our meal.  She also made individual heart pies which stole my heart because I knew how much time she must've put into them.

"love"ly fruit salad (my friend Shonda)
strawberries
pineapple 
cantaloupe

She had her girls cut the fruit into heart shapes.  I don't know how she did it but it was beautiful and delicious.  I'm sure there's a YouTube video out there somewhere with a tutorial. :)

peach blueberry crumble (gluten free)

This is a FANTASTIC recipe!  Everyone enjoyed it- and I love when I can turn fruit into a dessert for my family.

peach blueberry crumble, gluten free (adapted from Texanerin Baking)
1/2 cup oat flour (see below how to make your own)
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup rolled oats or quick oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

filling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons oat flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 (32 ounce) cans peaches, drained or if fresh peaches are in season use them!
1 cup frozen blueberries or if you have fresh use them! 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together the oat flour and sugar.  Cut the butter into the mixture using a pastry blender or fork.  Add the oats, cinnamon and salt and stir until combined.  Set aside.
To make the filling, mix together the sugar, oat flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl.  Add the peaches and blueberries and stir just until combined.  Pour into your 9x13 pan.  Place crumbles on top.  Bake for 35 minutes until the topping is golden brown, crisp and the filling is bubbling.
Remove from the oven and wait 10 minutes before serving.
If not eaten on the first day, cover and store at room temperature for 1 day.  You can also refrigerate up to 4 days.

oat flour
To make oat flour, grind oats in a food processor or vita mix until flour like.  For this recipe I blended a cup of oats and had about 1/4 cup left over.

apple smiles

The kindergarten teachers at Amelia Earhart Elementary made these when we taught the Letter Aa.  I never thought to make them with my own kids until I taught the letter Aa for preschool last week.  My kids LOVED these.  In fact all the kids ate the entire thing.  You just never ever know what kids are going to like or dislike.  I wasn't even going to post them until I made some again this afternoon and the crowd went wild.  Wild!  Wanna see smiles?  Make these.

apple smiles
apple slices
Skippy chunky peanut butter
mini marshmallows

Spread peanut butter on two apple slices.  Add marshmallows and put the slices together until they form a smile.  That is how we always did it until I just saw in my Food Network Magazine some scary smiles- they used almonds for the teeth (too spooky for me).  Instead of using slices of apple, they cut a wedge into an apple piece so that's what I did this time.  It worked really well.  Have fun and enjoy!

orange baked pears

We thought these pears were pretty yummy.  Citrus and cinnamon were a wonderful addition to these pears.  I imagine these would be a great side dish around the holidays with fresh pears.

orange baked pears (cookbook: Deseret Recipes, 1981)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 pears (Bosc or Anjou) or 12 canned pear halves
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon rind, grated
1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on bottom of buttered 9x9 baking pan.  Leaving stem attached, remove core and peel from pears.  Set stem side up on top of sugar mixture.  Combine orange juice, lemon juice, lemon rind and butter then pour over pears.  For fresh pears, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  If using canned pears, do not cover with foil.
Remove pears to serving dish and spoon juices over pears.  6 servings.

hungry fruit caterpillar

At preschool today we used The Very Hungry Caterpillar as our theme, one of my all-time favorites.  We just had to eat this for our snack today.  What's better than fresh fruit?  Glaze on top of fresh fruit!

hungry fruit caterpillar (idea from Taste of Home February/March 2012)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
fruit of your choice
toothpicks
3 tablespoons orange juice (if you use apples to keep them from browning)
few squirts of caramel ice cream topping (not featured in photo)

In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar, milk and extract until smooth; set aside.  If you are using apples, slice the apples then toss with the orange juice in another bowl.
Place a clementine or plum on a serving platter and use toothpicks to secure grapes for eyes and an apple or lemon wedge for a smile.  Attach mint sprigs or toothpicks for antennae if desired.  
Arrange other fruits in a zig-zag pattern to form caterpillar body.  Drizzle caramel topping for legs; spoon almond glaze over fruit.

sour cream apple bars

How can I convince you to try these?  They are delicious!  Really, really delicious.  They taste just like fall.  Mmm...hall of fame!

sour cream apple bars (blog: Home Based Mom)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups uncooked quick cooking oats
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans, optional
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice

filling
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg
3 medium (about 2 cups) apples, shredded

Heat oven to 350.  Combine butter and brown sugar in large bowl.  Beat at medium speed until creamy.  Add remaining crust ingredients and beat until well mixed.
Press half of crust mixture onto bottom of ungreased 9x13-inch pan.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until  light golden brown.  While crust is baking combine the filling ingredients; mix well.  Gently pour the filling over the hot, partially baked crust.  Crumble the remaining crust mixture over the top of the fillinga nd press down lightly.  Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is set.  Cool.  Cut into bars.  Store refrigerated. (Best eaten cold!)

blue cheese pear salad

I wanted a salad to go with our meal tonight but I didn't want just any green salad so we were going to go without.  Then my friend Shelli called me and asked me if I would like to have a big bowl of pears from her neighbor's pear tree.  Would I ever!  That was the beginning of a great salad to go with tonight's dinner.  I love the pairing of the pears and blue cheese.  It's a delicious combination.  I first had a pear and blue cheese salad my first year teaching kindergarten and I couldn't believe how delicious it was- it was served with a blue cheese vinaigrette.  That was the first time I realized how terrific fruit is with cheese and nuts in salads.  I think my taste had finally matured!

blue cheese pear salad (allrecipes.com)
8 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup unpeeled fresh pear slices
1 cup fresh raspberries (wish I would've had some on hand!)
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
pepper to taste

In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, pears, raspberries, blue cheese and nuts.  In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the remaining ingredients; shake well.  Pour over salad and toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

blackberry cinnamon rolls

I'm almost shaking from excitement as I post this recipe for BLACKBERRY CINNAMON ROLLS.  They are sensational.  This could be the reason our family moved to Oregon.  If there's any one thing I love about Oregon is that this state will never run out of wild blackberries.  They are absolutely everywhere!

blackberry cinnamon rolls (my friend Lindsy K.)
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup milk
2 cups blackberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar

Melt 1/2 cup butter in 10" round dish (I used a pie plate and placed it in the oven as it preheated at 350).  Heat sugar and water in a pan- dissolve.  Turn off heat.
Mix flour and baking powder.  Cut in 1/2 cup butter.  Add 1/3 cup milk.  Knead.
Roll out to an 11x9 rectangle- 1/4" thick.
Sprinkle cinnamon and berries on top and roll it up.
Cut into 1 1/2" slices.
Put into melted butter in round dish.
Pour sugar/water mixture over the rolls, getting in cracks.  (Yes, it looks like they're swimming in butter/sugar/water!).
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Sprinkle with sugar and bake 15 more minutes.  Enjoy!

What I have to say- I forgot to sprinkle them with sugar and bake for 15 more minutes but they were perfect anyway.

peaches and cream bars

I could hardly wait to post these peaches and "dream" bars.  They are outstanding.  I served them when our friends Tom and Misty and their little girls came to visit over the weekend.  The crust is like a beautiful shortbread and the rest is just as dreamy.  (It didn't hurt that I used some of the most delicious peaches I've ever tasted.  I love Trader Joe's!) 

peaches and cream bars (blog: Taste and Tell)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, chilled

filling
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup all purpose flour
pinch of slat
2 pounds peaches, pitted and sliced thin (about 5 large peaches)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease a 9x13 pan with cooking spray; set aside.
Combine the flour, sugar and salt until combined.  Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or knives to cut into small pieces until the mixture appears crumbly.
Take out 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and set aside.  Press the remaining mixture into the prepared pan.  Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown 12 to 15 minutes.  Let cool for at least 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar.  Add in the sour cream, flour and salt.  Fold in the sliced peaches.  Pour over the cooked crust.  Take the remaining 1 1/2 cups of the dry mixture and sprinkle over the top of the peaches.  Bake until the top is lightly browned and the filling is set, 45 to 50 minutes.  Cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars.

What I have to say- I don't appreciate pie or desserts with fruit in them when they are served warm.  I refrigerated my peaches and cream bars until they were nice and cold. Mmmm.... 

baked oatmeal

I'm not a fan of warm, mushy oatmeal so this is the recipe for me! It was more like a warm blueberry muffin, not mushy at all and full of flavor.  It's delicious with fresh raspberries too.

baked oatmeal (blog: Your Homebased Mom)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups old fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup fruit or nuts of choice

In a bowl mix together the butter, honey and eggs. Add in the oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and the milk. Mix and then fold in fruit of choice.
Bake in a lightly greased 8x8 pan at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. May be served with milk and more fruit on top.

balsamic strawberries

This is a really nice way to serve strawberries. My second daughter had about 4 servings and wanted to keep going. Delicious!

balsamic strawberries (my friend Jamie G.)
4 cups strawberries, halved or quartered
2 tablespoons unpacked brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Combine strawberries, sugar, vinegar, and pepper in a bowl. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 1 hour, stirring at least once. Serve strawberries by themselves or topped with whipped cream or vanilla yogurt.

chocolate dipped strawberries

When our neighbor friends came for dinner they brought these delicious strawberries and some chocolate dipped pretzels for dessert. YUM!

chocolate dipped strawberries (my neighbor friend Morgane and her two kiddos)
strawberries
chocolate chips
shortening

Melt chocolate chips with a little shortening. Dip each strawberry and place on waxed paper or parchment paper until the chocolate hardens.