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Make Holiday Memories with Sweet Eats

Whether your festivities include immediate family or bring together relatives from around the country, the holidays are about making memories with loved ones.

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(Family Features) Whether your festivities include immediate family or bring together relatives from around the country, the holidays are about making memories with loved ones. From the first days of the season to the last, many families spend their precious time together with favorite activities and the best foods the holidays have to offer.

This year, you can change things up and start new traditions with a fresh ingredient like Envy apples, which provide an easy way to update classics due to their sweet taste and availability. The sweet, sophisticated flavor; uplifting, fresh aroma; delightfully satisfying crunch; beautiful appearance; and naturally white flesh that doesn’t brown as quickly as other apples all lend themselves to shareable recipes like this Apple Wreath Salad or Roasted Apple Macaroni and Cheese, both perfect for holiday parties.

Because cherished memories are made with sweet ingredients, you can turn cozy movie nights into festive and memorable events year after year by pairing Hallmark Channel’s popular “Countdown to Christmas” holiday movies with delicious desserts like Apple Custard Sponge Trifle and Brown Butter Apple Pie.

Find more memory-making recipes at EnvyApple.com.

Apple Custard Sponge Trifle

Servings: 8-10

  • 6 Envy apples
  • 2 tablespoons golden caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, water
  • 1 tablespoon corn flour
  • 1 large plain sponge cake
  • 2 cups vanilla bean custard
  • 1/2 cup caramel or butterscotch sauce, plus additional for garnish, divided
  • 1/2 cup creamfresh apple slices
  • fresh strawberry slices
  1. Peel, core and dice apples; place in large saucepan. Add caster sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 cup water. Simmer apples 5-8 minutes until tender.
  2. Combine corn flour and remaining water. Stir corn flour mixture into apples until apples are syrupy.
  3. Cut sponge cake into 2-centimeter diced pieces. Arrange 1/3 of sponge pieces in base of serving bowl. Add half of cinnamon apple pieces, including syrupy juices. Add 1 cup custard and drizzle with 1/4 cup caramel sauce. Repeat with remaining ingredients, finishing with sponge cake; chill.
  4. Whip cream and spoon dollops over sponge cake to cover top. Garnish with apple slices, strawberry slices and caramel sauce.

Apple Wreath Salad

Recipe courtesy of “The Produce Moms” (@theproducemoms)

Balsamic Dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, finely ground
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

  • 10 ounces baby arugula
  • 3 Envy apples, sliced
  • 9 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
  • 3 ounces pomegranate arils
  • 3 ounces pecans, toasted
  1. To make balsamic dressing: In small serving bowl, whisk honey, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
  2. Place dressing bowl in center of large board or platter. Arrange arugula around dressing bowl in wreath shape.
  3. Place apple slices on top of arugula. Sprinkle on goat cheese, pomegranate arils and pecans.

Brown Butter Apple Pie

Streusel Topping:

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Filling:

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 pounds Envy apples, cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 deep dish frozen pie shell
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. To make streusel topping: Mix flour, chopped pecans and light brown sugar. Stir in butter using fingertips until incorporated with small lumps of butter visible. Refrigerate.
  3. To make filling: In large skillet over medium heat, melt butter until amber, stirring often. Set aside to cool. In large bowl, stir sliced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla and flour using spatula. Pour brown butter over apples and mix, scraping skillet with rubber spatula to incorporate brown butter bits.
  4. Place frozen pie shell on baking sheet. Add 2 cups apple mixture into shell, gently pressing apple slices for even base. Add remaining apple slices and gently press. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over apples.
  5. Bake 30 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 F and bake 35-45 minutes until topping is golden and apples feel tender when pierced with fork.

Roasted Apple Macaroni and Cheese

  • Salted water
  • 1 pound macaroni noodles
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 Envy apple, peeled and diced
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 cup Romano cheese, grated
  • 1 cup gruyere cheese, grated
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire

Topping:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add noodles and cook until just tender. Drain and set aside.
  2. In large pot over high heat, melt butter then saute diced apple until caramelized and tender. Sprinkle in flour and stir. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
  3. Whisk in heavy cream and milk; bring to boil, whisking frequently so milk doesn’t burn.
  4. Once boiling, turn heat to low and whisk in cheddar cheese, Romano cheese, gruyere cheese, salt and Worcestershire. Continue whisking until cheese is melted thoroughly.
  5. Carefully pour mixture into large blender and blend on high until smooth.
  6. Pour cheese sauce over noodles and stir.
  7. Pour macaroni and cheese into 9-by-13-inch pan and spread evenly.
  8. Heat oven to broil.
  9. To make topping: In medium bowl, melt butter and stir in panko breadcrumbs.
  10. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over macaroni and cheese; broil until golden brown.


SOURCE:
Envy Apples

Family

Easy Easter Eats

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One-pan dishes to make hosting simple

(Family Features) Even if Easter hosting duties fell on your plate this year and added one more thing to your holiday to-do list, that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult. After all, Easter is a time meant for fun and fellowship with the food just one part of the celebration.

Building the menu around simple, one-pan dishes can keep the focus where it needs to be: spending time and creating memories with family and friends. These dishes call for short lists of ingredients, many of which you may already have in your pantry, and simple preparation to create a full spread perfect for sharing with loved ones. Plus, using only one pan makes cleanup a breeze, so you can get back to the festivities quickly.

A dish like this Easter Roast lets you check both the main course and side dishes off your list, relying on the oven to do most of the work for you after some quick prep work. Similarly easy to prepare, these Refrigerator Rolls can also be made up to six days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to bake – a perfect complement to the savory roast and veggies.

Finish off your feast with an adaptable dessert like this Blueberry Crumble. Made using just five ingredients and ready in about an hour, you can swap the blueberry pie filling and yellow cake mix for any combination that suits your guests’ tastes like apple pie filling with spice cake or cherry pie filling with chocolate cake; the sky’s the limit when it comes to satisfying that sweet tooth.

For more Easter recipe inspiration, visit Culinary.net.

Easter Roast

Yield: 1 roast

  • Salt
  • pepper
  • garlic powder
  • 1 roast (3 pounds)
  • 1 bag (1 pound) baby carrots
  • 1 bag (1 1/2 pounds) trio potatoes or potato of choice
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 1 can (10 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 tablespoon garlic pepper
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 bundle asparagus
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder over roast and rub into front, back and sides. Place seasoned roast in middle of large roasting pan.
  3. Place carrots on one side of roasting pan and potatoes on other side.
  4. In large bowl, mix beef broth and cream of mushroom soup with garlic pepper. Pour mixture over roast, potatoes and carrots. Sprinkle brown sugar over carrots and add chopped onion. Cover and cook 2 1/2 hours then remove from oven, add asparagus and cook uncovered 30 minutes.
  5. Serve from pan or place on platter for more formal presentation.

Refrigerator Rolls

Yield: 18 rolls

  • 2 packages yeast
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups lukewarm water
  • 6-7cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 stick softened butter
  • oil, divided
  1. In large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in lukewarm water. When yeast is foamy, add 3 cups flour. Mix in salt, eggs and butter.
  2. Once mixed well, add remaining flour 1 cup at a time and knead dough into ball in bowl. Remove dough from bowl and place on clean surface.
  3. Wash and dry bowl then grease with drizzle of oil. Place dough in bowl and let rise 1 hour or store in refrigerator if making in advance.
  4. When ready to use, grease muffin pan with oil. Roll dough into hand-size balls and place in each muffin hole; cover 1 hour.
  5. Heat oven to 350 F. Bake rolls 30 minutes.
  6. Note: Dough can be made in advance and stored in refrigerator up to six days. If making ahead, punch down dough, cover and place in refrigerator. Punch down daily until ready to use.

Blueberry Crumble

Yield: 1 cake

  • 1 can blueberry pie filling
  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1 bag (4 ounces) chopped pecans
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • whipped cream, for serving (optional)
  • vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Spread pie filling on bottom of 9-by-11-inch pan. Sprinkle cake mix and pecans on top. Do not mix.
  3. Drizzle melted butter and oil on top of cake mix and pecans. Do not mix. Lift pan and tilt from side to side until cake mix is completely covered in butter.
  4. Bake 1 hour until golden brown and bubbly.
  5. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.


SOURCE:
Culinary.net

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Lifestyle

Decorate Your Way to a Festive St. Patrick’s Day

Creating a Festive St. Patrick’s Day

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Creating a Festive St. Patrick's Day

4 DIY projects with a touch of Irish flair

(Family Features) Pairing Shepherd’s pie and potato soup with green pints and Irish delights are surefire signs of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Food and drink may be the stars of the show, but a little festive ambiance can transport guests from your dining room table to the streets of Dublin.

A few seasonal touches are all it takes to complement a menu of corned beef and cabbage. Consider these DIY decorations for this year’s St. Patrick’s Day party.

  • Set a St. Paddy’s Mood – Show off your holiday spirit for all to see with a homemade wreath that gives your front door a perfect welcoming touch. Cut shamrock shapes out of green construction paper then glue together, edge to edge, to your desired size. Punch a hole in the top shamrock and run string or ribbon through to hold up your work of art.
     
  • The Gift of Green – Lend a helping hand to guests who forget their green with shamrock-shaped pins they can attach to shirts or hats. Wooden shamrocks tend to work best with small pins glued to the back. Arrange these easy party favors near the door so your friends and neighbors can grab one as they enter.
     
  • A Homemade Pot o’ Gold – Send guests chasing the rainbow and reward their adventures with canning jars filled with candies wrapped in gold. Simply spray paint jars green, fill with gold-wrapped candies and place in various gathering areas for easy-to-reach treats.
     
  • Custom Cups – Upgrade boring drinkware with a leprechaun look. Find green cups (plastic or paper) and wrap with black ribbon using hot glue to secure. For a final touch, add a gold sticker as the belt buckle.

Visit eLivingtoday.com for more at-home decor ideas.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash


SOURCE:
eLivingtoday.com

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Family

Get Creative with Easter Sweets

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Kid-friendly crafts that bring loved ones together

(Family Features) Holiday hams and deviled eggs may take center stage at Easter gatherings, but edible crafts offer a reminder of the magic of the season that’s found in moments spent together. Simple recipes that call for a dose of creativity are perfect ways to bring the kids to the kitchen, made even easier when all that work leads to sweet treats.

While plastic eggs may have led to a decline in good, old-fashioned egg-dyeing, there are still fun ways to bring crafts back to Easter celebrations. Consider these Kids Krafty Easter Cake Pops, which call for little ones to help dip seasonal shapes in chocolate, use cake molds and more.

Children of virtually any age can relish in the joys of using cookie cutters and decorating Easter Sugar Cookies, all with a little supervision and short list of instructions. This version shows how to make the cookies and homemade icing so you can create any color you desire for maximum creativity.

Remember, these delicious crafts don’t have to be perfect – having fun and making memories that last a lifetime are what make Easter truly special.

Visit Culinary.net to find more Easter inspiration and recipes from “Cookin’ Savvy.”

Kids Krafty Easter Cake Pops

Recipe courtesy of “Cookin’ Savvy”

  • 1 box cake mix
  • 1 can frosting
  • 1 bunny chocolate mold
  • 1 cakesicle mold
  • ice pop sticks
  • 1 bag white chocolate chips or melting chips
  • cake pop sticks
  • 1 bag orange melting chips
  • 2 tablespoons canola or coconut oil, divided
  • 1 bag green melting chips
  • pastel sprinkles
  • 1 piece hard foam (optional)
  • edible markers
  1. Bake cake according to package instructions and let cool completely.
  2. Crumble cake and mix with 1/2 can frosting until dough forms. Add more frosting, if needed. Using small cookie scoop, form dough into balls and set aside. Place dough in bunny molds then pop out and set aside with balls. Place dough in cakesicle mold, insert ice pop stick in each slot and freeze 5-10 minutes.
  3. Melt handful of white melting chips. Stick tip of each cake pop stick in chocolate then insert into every cake ball and bunny until each has one stick. Set aside to dry.
  4. Remove cakesicles from freezer and pop out of molds. In bowl, melt orange melts then mix in 1 tablespoon oil and transfer to cup. Dip cakesicles and scrape off excess using rim of cup. Place on parchment paper to dry.
  5. In bowl, melt green melts then place in zip-top or piping bag. Cut tip off bag, pipe carrot leaves onto piece of parchment paper and let dry.
  6. Melt remaining white melts and mix in remaining oil. Transfer to cup and dip ball-shaped cake pops and bunnies then tap stick on edge of cup to remove excess.
  7. Over separate bowl, sprinkle ball-shaped pops with pastel sprinkles. To keep ball shape, let dry by sticking in piece of hard foam. Bunnies can dry face side up on parchment paper. After bunnies are dry, use edible markers to make face and color in ears.
  8. When carrots and leaves are dry, remelt orange melts and place in piping or zip-top bag. Cut off tip and drizzle orange over carrots. Add small line of orange on each ice pop stick and place leaves on each stick. Let dry.

Easter Sugar Cookies

Recipe courtesy of “Cookin’ Savvy”

Icing:

  • 1/3 cup meringue powder
  • 1/2 cup warm water, plus additional for thinning (optional), divided
  • 3 tablespoons vanilla
  • 1 bag (2 pounds) powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • assorted food coloring

Cookies:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 dash salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  1. To make icing: Mix meringue powder, 1/2 cup warm water, vanilla, powdered sugar and corn syrup. Separate into bowls and add food coloring; mix with water, as needed, to thin for piping.
  2. To make cookies: Heat oven to 350 F.
  3. Cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time to form dough. Roll dough out to 1/4-1/2-inch thickness.
  4. Cut into shapes, place on baking sheet and freeze 10 minutes. Bake 8-12 minutes. Cool completely before icing.
  5. Place icing in zip-top or piping bags and cut off tips. Put cookies on parchment paper. Trace outline first then fill in middle. Use toothpicks to smooth out.
  6. Let dry 6 hours and finish decorating with different icing colors or edible markers.


SOURCE:
Culinary.net

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