A Perfect Halloween Dinner

It's quick, it's easy and it's my husband's favorite. It's Tater Tot Casserole. I had never had it until I met him. I think it's safe to say his sister makes it best... but I do what I can! :)

Ingredients:

1lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 bag frozen tater tots
about 1 C shredded cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
onion powder
red chili flakes
salt and pepper

Instructions:

Heat oven to 450 (or whatever the Tater Tot bag says).
Brown meat in skillet for about 5 minutes. Add onion, onion powder, salt, pepper and chili flakes and continue to cook until beef is completely browned. Add to casserole dish and mix in soups. Spread to cover entire pan and top with cheese. Lay out the tots to completely cover. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little more cheese. Cook for about 25 minutes, until tots are golden brown (again going by package timing). Allow to cool for a few minutes. Enjoy.

For a little Halloween fun (and if your family likes it), spread a little Ketchup over the top to look like "blood" ooooh scary!

Happy Halloween!!

Friday Fish Fry

I wasn't very well prepared for tonight's dinner like I thought I was. First, I thought I had a few boxes of Tempura mix. Wrong. Then, I thought I had potatoes to make homemade fries. Wrong again. Luckily, I did have a few boxes of Panko crumbs and a little bag of frozen fries. So we improvised. And actually... the fish was yummier this time!! And because I used Panko crumbs, it was a lot less greasy!!
So here's my recipe, including dipping sauce (my secret!):

Ingredients:

Halibut steaks, skinned and boned and cut into bite-size pieces
Asparagus spears
1 Lemon, quartered
about 1/2C flour
3 eggs
about a half bag of Panko bread crumbs
3 bowls or plates
about 1TBS Lemon Pepper seasoning
a little salt and pepper
Oil for frying

For the sauce:
2TBS Ketchup
1TBS. Worcestershire sauce
1TBS. soy sauce
1TBS. Cocktail sauce
juice from 1/4 lemon (same lemon as above)
1 tsp. Oyster sauce

Instructions:

1. Combine flour and lemon pepper seasoning in a bowl or onto a plate. Scramble the eggs in a different bowl or plate and pour the crumbs into yet another dish. Heat large pot filled about 1" with oil on med-hi.
For the fish:
Coat with flour mixture, then dip in egg then into bread crumbs covering completely. Drop one piece into the oil to see if it's hot yet. Fish should sizzle right away. Once it does, add fish allowing room for turning. Don't over-crowd. Once firm and golden brown, using tongs, pull them out into a paper towel-lined plate or colander inside a bowl. Repeat and continue until all fish are cooked. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and drizzle with lemon juice.
For the asparagus:
Coat the same as the fish. Drop into hot oil. Cook just until batter is golden and pull out, placing on paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.


For the sauce:
Combine all ingredients in small bowl and either whisk well, or use a fork to mix. Great on french fries and asparagus. I prefer Tartar sauce for my fish. But it works for that also! Enjoy!!
*would work GREAT for onion rings also!

Canning 101: Salsas, Applesauce and Strawberry Jam

This posting is going to be long, and full of info... if I didn't cover something you've been interested in canning, it's always a good idea to either pick up a Ball canning book, or do an online search. Just make sure it's a credible source (i.e. University's usually have GREAT canning info!). Well... it's late, so let's get started!

SALSA:
Tomato and Tomatillo Verde

Note about Salsas: Be sure to follow the recipe(s) TO. THE. T. If you don't, you could end up very very sick. Please, be careful!

Tomato Salsa w/ Cilantro

8 cups chopped fresh Tomatoes

1 cup Jalapeno Peppers, seeded and minced

1 large White Onion, diced

6 cloves Garlic, minced

½ cup chopped fresh Cilantro

1 TBS Salt

¾ cup Cider Vinegar

¼ cup fresh Lime Juice

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Pour hot salsa into hot, sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Seal jars with two piece caps. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

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Green Tomatillo Salsa (aka Salsa Verde)

Yield: 5 pints

• 5 cups chopped tomatillos
• 1½ cups seeded, chopped long green chiles
• ½ cup seeded, finely chopped jalapeño peppers
• 4 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup bottled lemon juice
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin (optional)
• 3 tablespoons dried oregano leaves (optional)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Caution: Wear plastic or rubber gloves and do not touch your face while handling or cutting hot peppers. If you do not wear gloves, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face or eyes.

Procedure: Wash and rinse canning jars; keep hot until ready to use. Prepare lids according to manufacturer’s directions.

Preparing Tomatillos: Remove the dry outer husks; wash thoroughly. They do not need to be peeled or seeded.

Preparing Peppers: The jalapeño peppers do not need to be peeled. The skin of long green chiles may be tough. If you choose to peel chiles, peel using one of these two methods to blister skins:

Oven or broiler method to blister skins – Place chiles in a hot oven (400°F) or broiler for 6 to 8 minutes until skins blister.

Range-top method to blister skins – Cover hot burner (either gas or electric) with heavy wire mesh. Place peppers on burner for several minutes until skins blister.

To peel, after blistering skins, place peppers in a pan and cover with a damp cloth. (This will make peeling the peppers easier.) Cool several minutes; slip off skins. Discard seeds and chop.

Hot Pack:Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot into clean, hot jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids.

Processing Times for Hot Packing Pints (by altitude):
0-1,000ft. : 15min.
1,001 - 6,000ft : 20min.
Above 6,000ft : 25min.

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APPLESAUCE

You can do many things when making your own applesauce. You can skip the sugar if you want, or you can add flavorings like Strawberries, Pears, etc to make flavored applesauce. And it's just so dang easy. My 2 year old loves helping me prepare the apples (he sits on the counter and hands me the apples that need peeled).

Ingredients:

6 apples (Fuji, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, or McIntosh); washed peeled, cored and quartered.
3/4C water
1/4C white sugar
2TBS brown sugar
1tsp. ground cinnamon
strips of lemon peel from one lemon
juice of one lemon

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 min. Remove lemon peel. Mash with a potato masher, or blend it (careful of the steam!) for finer pieces.

To Can:
1. Boil water in canner.
2. Sterilize jars and lids according to package directions.
3. Use funnel to fill jars with 1/2in headspace.
4. Swipe around inner edges to remove air.
5. Wipe rims clean, screw on lids and place in boiling water canner.
6. Boil for 20 minutes, water should be an inch above jars.
7. Remove jars and allow to cool. You should hear an audible "Pop" as they seal.

*If a jar isn't sealed, it can either be re-canned right away, or stored in the fridge.

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JAM:
Strawberry

I don't have an exact recipe for strawberry jam as I just use what the Pectin package says to do. That's really the best thing to do, because all Pectins are different and require different things. A friend and I found that out the hard way one day when we got together to make the stuff. She was making Freezer Jam and I canned. She had 2 different types of Pectin, and they were both totally different from mine. We were amazed at how different our recipes were just because of the different Pectins. I don't think I used the right amount of sugar, or something, because mine turned out more like Strawberry Syrup! But it was still tasty!
So my advice would be to start with at least 5lbs of GOOD strawberries (if they're bruised or a little soft, they'd be best to dehydrate!) and a bag of sugar.
The picture above is from a batch my mom made shortly after my son was born. I was hoping to help her more.... but he was a demanding baby. But it turned out so yummy!!

I do have a really yummy Pepper Jelly recipe HERE.

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FAQ's about Canning:
If you have any questions that aren't answered below, please contact me and I'll add them!

1. Do I need a fancy pressure cooker or canner to be able to can things?
Not at all! All you really need is a large stock pot, possibly with a rack for the bottles to sit on and a pair of tongs.

2. Why don't you do any Freezer-type things? Isn't that easier?
I wouldn't say it's EASIER to make freezer-canned goods. The reason I don't is plain and simple. I don't have a large freezer. I can barely fit our regular foods in there without adding jars or bowls to it! :) If you have the room, by all means... go for it!

3. How long do canned items last before they "expire."
Believe it or not, they do have an expiration date. Most canned items are good for about a year. Just be sure to check the smell, and color. If you're unsure, throw it out. Better to be safe than sorry!

4. What type of jars/lids are best to use?
As long as it says Kerr or Ball on the jar and/or lid... you're good! If you plan on entering them into a County Fair, you'll want to have matching jars and lids! Some people like the Wide Mouth variety and they're nice... but I just use the regular mouth size. It's easier to find bands and lids!

5. What size jar is best?
It depends on what you're making. For jams and jellies I would go with nothing larger than a pint. I usually use 1/2 pints for them, though. For things like Salsa or sauces, you'd want to do at least a pint, if not larger. But they even have little tiny ones now... those would be nice for my Pepper Jelly!

Happy Canning!!

Coming Soon: Canning Info 101

Stay tuned tomorrow for canning info. I'll be posting Strawberry Jam, Applesauce, and 2 different Salsas!! I'm so excited!

Lemon Chicken

Recipe courtesy of Deals to Meals. I saw this posted on Facebook a few weeks ago and thought it sounded easy and yummy and right up my husband's alley. Little did I know he doesn't like "fruity-flavored meat," as he would put it. Doh! Oh well, I thought it was delicious!! And they're totally right. You can shorten the marinade time, you can use bottled lemon juice, dried herbs, and different noodles and it tastes great! At least that's what I had to do!!


Ingredients:

1 lb. linguine (or fettuccine)
2 T. olive oil
Zest from one lemon
Juice from one lemon
½ c. chopped green onion
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmesan cheese

Marinade:
½ c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, whole
2 T. Cajun seasoning
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. minced parsley
1 T. brown sugar (or more if you like it a little sweeter)
2 T. soy sauce
2 chicken breasts, sliced. (OR 16 extra large shrimp)

Instructions:

Combine the marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Slice thawed chicken (or shrimp). Pat dry and toss in marinade to coat. Refrigerate 1-12 hours. Cook marinated chicken with the marinade sauce in a large saute pan on medium heat until chicken is cooked. If using shrimp, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Be sure not to over cook shrimp.

Cook linguini in boiling salted water until done; drain well and rinse noodles. Combine juice of one lemon, zest, olive oil, green onions, and fresh parsley together. Add hot pasta into bowl and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add chicken (or shrimp) with marinade into the large pasta bowl. Toss in parmesan cheese to taste and serve warm.

Sausage and Veggie dinner

I know I have seriously been slacking in my posts this week. But I have lots of things I'll be posting this coming week... as long as nothing else comes up and gets in my way!!



Do you have a bunch of veggies left over from your garden this year and are sick of the same ol' dish? I love this meal. It's so simple and easy and it has everything in it. And the best part? You can pretty much put whatever you have on hand in it and it will be delicious!

*Side note: I tried out a Turkey Polsa Kielbasa sausage and it just wasn't the same. Unless you really love turkey sausage, I don't recommend using it in this dish. Also, be aware of the Sodium intake in Turkey sausages. Did you know Turkey bacon is actually WORSE for you than regular bacon? Crazy!

Ingredients:

2 Polska Kielbasa Sausages (or a mix of your favorite, the already cooked kind)
2 Russet Potatoes, 1" chunks
1 Med. Onion, diced
2 Zucchini, about 1" chunks
1 Yellow Squash, 1" chunks
Sm bag of Cut Carrots, halved
2 pkgs. Cremini Mushrooms (have you had these? I used to only use white buttons... but these carry so much more flavor!)
2 ears of Corn
3 cloves Garlic, minced
Salt, Pepper, Red Wine Vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Soy sauce, Olive Oil
3 pats of butter
Reynolds Oven Bag

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Lay oven bag into large, deep baking dish. Add Potatoes and a little salt and pepper and olive oil. Add remaining veg and a little more salt and pepper. Add sausage and rest of seasonings. Toss well and pour in a little water, almost to cover. Tie off bag.

Bake for 45-75 minutes until potatoes are soft.

You can serve it on a platter family style, on individual plates allowing those "picky" eaters to only take what they want, or in bowls with a little of the broth. I prefer soup-style with the delicious broth!

Iron Chef - my way

Secret Ingredient: Ground Italian Sausage - mild.
The Meals: Butternut Squash with Stove Top/Sausage and Biscuits and Gravy.


(My husband doesn't eat squash OR stove top and it's one of my favorite meals in the fall/winter so I needed a solution for last Friday's dinner. Since I knew I would only need a little bit of cooked sausage for my Squash, I searched for a good sausage meal to make for him. It was a little hectic trying to get 2 completely different meals cooked at the same time... but I did it and they were both delicious!! )

Butternut Squash with Stuffing and Sausage

Ingredients:

1 Butternut squash
1 box of Stove Top Stuffing
1/2lb. Italian Sausage
Shredded cheese
2TBS. butter/margarine
Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375. Cut squash in half lengthwise and spoon out seeds. Cut each half in half and place cut side down in large baking dish. Pour a little water in the bottom of your pan. Bake for 30-55min. until a fork can easily be inserted.
2. Meanwhile, brown sausage and prepare stove top. Combine and set aside.
3. Take squash out of oven and allow to cool a few minutes. Drain water from pan and turn squash quarters over so flesh side is up.
4. Sprinkle each quarter with a little salt and pepper and rub a little butter over each. Spoon stuffing mixture onto each and sprinkle cheese on top.
5. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden.
Enjoy!!


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Biscuits and Gravy

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Biscuits
3/4lbs. sausage (the fattier, the better)
4C milk
4-8 TBS flour

Instructions:

Prepare biscuits as instructed on package. Brown sausage in skillet. As soon as sausage is completely brown, turn to medium heat. Add flour by the tablespoon, stirring constantly. Let the flour BROWN before adding another tablespoon (if you don't, your gravy will taste like flour). After you have added enough flour to make the gravy as thick as you like, whisk in the milk. It will thicken as it cools.

Another Fruit Leather: Peach, Pineapple, Mango and Orange!

Monday was a HUGE grocery shopping day for our family. I picked up some Mango/Peach Applesauce for my son, and some canned peaches and a pineapple (among other things), and I had some mandarin oranges left over in the fridge. I thought, "Hey! These might actually be really tasty as a fruit leather!" So I tried it. And.... it's a hit!

Any suggestions on a name for it? Peach, Pineapple, Mango and Orange is a bit long....

PPMO Fruit Leather

Ingredients:

3 Cups of Peach Mango Applesauce
1 Can Sliced Peaches
1/2 Fresh, diced Pineapple
1/4C canned Mandarin Oranges

1. In a blender, combine fruits and puree until smooth. Add the applesauce and continue to puree. Add a little water if too thick, or more applesauce if too thin.
2. Prepare fruit roll trays by rubbing a little oil with a paper towel all over them.
3. Carefully pour mixture onto tray (will make two trays!) and use a spoon to spread out.
4. Set dehydrator accordingly. (Mine should have been 135 for 4-8 hours, but I dried it with one last tray of jerky, so I had it at 155 for 10 hours! Needless to say, it was more like fruit chips than leather! But still tasty! )
5. Cut into pieces and roll up into plastic wrap.

Best Beef Jerky

My recipe is for use with a dehydrator. Don't have one? Don't worry. Go HERE for a few different recipes for drying in an oven.

If you do have a dehydrator (don't you love it?! ) here is my recipe... I've had many people ask where I bought the jerky when they taste it. They just can't believe I made it myself!!

Drying your own jerky really is simple and costs so little! I used one roast (really any meaty roast, a rump roast is preferred, and if you get it on sale, you'll save a bundle!), 1/4 bottle of Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 bottle of soy sauce. That's about it. I missed the meat sale so my roast cost a bit more than planned... but still. 1oz of jerky from the store could run you close to $7! For the same amount of money you can get a whole GALLON freezer bag full of meat, made your way!

Beef Jerky

Ingredients:

Rump Roast - about 3lbs., sliced thinly (about 1/4" or 1/8" -- your butcher will gladly slice it for you!)
1/4C light brown sugar
1/4C Worcestershire sauce
1/4C low-sodium soy sauce
about 2TBS oyster sauce *optional (be careful if you have fish allergies)
2TBS. Season Salt
2-4TBS (depending on how hot you want it) freshly ground pepper (large ground)
red pepper flakes *optional again depending on heat factor
1TBS. garlic powder
1 TBS. onion powder

Instructions:

Whisk together marinade ingredients in large bowl. Separate meat slices into large baking dish or bowl big enough to hold. Cover with marinade. Let sit for at least 4 hours, to overnight (or a few days if you run out of room on your trays!).
Place meat slices onto jerky trays (if your dehydrator has "clean trays" be sure to use them. They make clean-up a whole lot easier!), in one layer. Set dehydrator according to manufacturer's instructions and allow to dry.
Allow to cool and store in ziplock bag, tightly closed. Or if storing for longer period, use a vacuum-sealed system.
* My dehydrator was set for 155 and it took about 12 hours, so I started it before bed and woke up to delicious jerky!

Mmm.... a favorite snack at our house!

A Halloween Treat! Ghost cakes/cupcakes

Mine didn't turn out how it was supposed to... but you get the idea! Here's where I got my inspiration.

You can follow the recipe from Parenting, or do what I did. I just made up a box of Halloween Funfetti Cake Mix(I didn't have black Writing Icing, so I improvised with Orange glittery stuff!). My cupcake pan only holds 6, so rather than doing 4 batches separately, I do a pan of mini cakes (24), and 2 pans of cupcakes.
I gotta say one thing, I give big Kudos to those who bake cakes and use fondant icing on a normal basis. I've seen some AMAZING creations, and it seems like an easy enough task. But man, it's not. That stuff is thick and hard to work with. It takes a lot of talent to come up with those amazing cakes and other creations. I'll stick to dinner.
Anyway, back to the recipe.

Spooky Ghost Cakes

A popover mold is ideal for baking these spooky little cakes but you could use cut up pound cake instead under the white icing.

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter plus extra for greasing
Half cup plus 1 tablespoon Superfine sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 large eggs
One cup self-rising flour
Cornstarch for dusting
Non stick baking spray

1 x 24 oz box white rolled fondant icing
1 tube of black Writing Icing

Instructions:

1. Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time adding a tablespoon of flour with each egg. Beat well and fold in the remaining flour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spoon the batter into a popover pan that has been sprayed with non stick baking spray and fill each molds till just over half full. Place on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Allow to cool, cut off the top of the cakes to form a flat surface , then turn out onto a board or plate. Allow to cool completely.

Dust your work surface with cornstarch and roll out the icing . Cut out circles to drape over the cakes. You can use a saucer as a guide. Drape these over the sponge cakes to form ghosts. From the trimmings either use a mini cutter to cut out some tiny white oval shapes or roll out some tiny balls of white icing into oval shapes . Dampen them with a little water and stick them onto the front of the ghost. Use a blob of black Writing Icing for the pupils of the eyes.

MAKES 6 GHOULISH GHOST CAKES

Shake 'n' Bake Chicken

I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I was planning on making this post DAYS ago... but for some reason never got around to it. But here it is. It is probably the most simple thing you could make. It's great for lunch... dinner... or just a snack! :) Really, all you need is chicken, a tomato and a few pickle slices (and some shake n bake). The best part is, if you make a few extra, you can just reheat them for a sandwich, or cut it up into a salad. Super yum!!

The inspiration from this comes from a meal my mom always cooked growing up. Exactly the same items, except we had sliced cucumbers and sliced tomatoes on the side. I mixed that with McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. Mmmmm...

Shake 'n' Bake Chicken w/ tomato and pickle "salad"

Ingredients:

4 - boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. Shake N Bake - any flavor, I prefer Chicken
fresh tomatoes
sliced hamburger dill pickles
salt and pepper

Box of Chicken Rice-A-Roni

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375. Pour Shake seasoning into Shake Bag and place 1-2 breasts at a time inside. Shake well, making sure to completely coat chicken. Repeat until all chicken is used up (if using more than 5 breasts, it's best to use 2 bags/seasonings).
Place chicken on a foil-lined pan. Place in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until completely cooked.
2. Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package directions.
3. Slice (or chunk) tomatoes and dice up pickles. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and combine.
4. Serve and enjoy!

The different textures and flavors are so perfect! If you don't like raw tomatoes, you definitely won't like this meal and you shouldn't try it without. It's just not the same. But it's definitely worth it to just give it a try. My mouth is watering.....

Funeral Potatoes w/ Ham

Is it raining where you are? What's better than a nice plate of comfort food on a day like today? Today's recipe is the epitome of comfort food. It's got potatoes, cream, cheese, cereal, and ham. Yum. My mom gave me the recipe over the phone, so really... nothing's measured. But in her genius words, "Throw it in, and hope for the best!" Love her.

Funeral Potatoes with Ham

Ingredients:

8-12 md. peeled and sliced potatoes
2 sm. onions (or 1 lg) diced
Diced Ham (whatever you may have left over from a previous meal)
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
about 1 C Sour Cream
about 1 C milk
about 2TBS dill *optional
about 2TBS dried chives *optional
about 2 C grated cheese
about 2 C corn flakes

Instructions:

Basically, throw in first 7 (9 if you're using the herbs) ingredients in a casserole dish, top with cheese and corn flakes and bake for about 45-65min at 350, until potatoes are soft.


Super easy, and a great pot luck item! If you're LDS, like me, you've had these very potatoes at many funerals/missionary homecomings/farewells! Perfect.

Chicken Pockets

This meal is so simple and quick. And it really only calls for a handful of ingredients. A great meal idea on those days you're stretched for time. My first time tasting a similar recipe was from my husband's sister, Maarsi. I instantly fell in love.

Chicken Pockets

Ingredients:

1 can chicken breast
2 8oz cream cheese
2 crescent roll tubes
2C mozzarella cheese, shredded
Salt
Pepper
Celery Salt
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Italian Seasoning
1/4C Panko Bread crumbs
drizzle of olive oil
*once again, I just throw the spices in until it tastes right. Feel free to experiment.


Instructions:

1. Set oven at temp. according to roll instructions.
2. Allow cream cheese to soften, either by leaving out for a few hours, or microwaving for about a minute. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cheeses and spices. Set aside and prepare the rolls.
3. To prepare the rolls, open and unroll one tube. Separate rolls, not by the crescent shape that they're supposed to be, but in rectangles (2 rolls = 1 rectangle). Place onto a cookie sheet (each tube should yield 4 rectangle pockets.
4. Place about 2 heaping TBS in center of pocket. Enclose filling and pinch edges closed, leaving a little gap in the top. Continue until all 8 pockets are filled. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
5. Bake 25-40 minutes until outsides are golden brown.

Snack time! Fruit Leather/Fruit Roll-Up

My wonderful husband gave me a SWEET dehydrator for my birthday. We received one as a wedding gift and I used it quite a bit when we first moved to Utah, but it didn't last long. I went from 5 trays to 1. So I sold it at a yard sale. Most girls hate when their men get them kitchen appliances for gifts. I say, SWEET! He has seriously been given crap at checkouts for the gifts he gets me. But he listens to what I really WANT/NEED. And doesn't just get what he thinks I'd LIKE. Our first Christmas, he did give me a foot bath and such. Guess what. I used it, maybe 3 times? It's just too much work, and I don't have time for that. Last year, he gave me an electric skillet. LOVE IT! Hopefully one year I'll get that NuWave oven, or a Wok. Heaven! lol.

Anyway, back to the Fruit Leather at hand....

Have you ever tasted this flavor applesauce? My two year-old LOVES it! And that makes me happy, because it's so dang healthy! So I thought with my new handy-dandy dehydrator (that came with a fruit roll tray!), I'd make a fruit leather using said applesauce!

Doesn't it look pretty?!

Here's the recipe:

Pomegranate-Berry Fruit Leather

Ingredients:

3 cups applesauce (I actually used 2 Pomegranate cups, and 1 1/2pint homemade no-sugar applesauce)
2 cups berries (I used 1 berry pack from Schwans- strawberry/blueberry, and 1 C frozen strawberries)
about 1 C coconut water
1 packet Truvia

Instructions:

1. Lightly oil fruit roll tray.
2. Combine berries and applesauce into blender and puree, adding coconut water as needed. Add truvia, especially if berries are a little tart. Puree until smooth.
3. Carefully pour onto tray and spread out with spatula. Set dehydrator according to it's instructions (mine was 130-140 degrees for 4-10hrs).
4. Once completely dried (no bubbles or "wet" spots, easily removable), carefully cut into strips/triangles/whatever and wrap in plastic wrap.

Let me know of any of your favorite combinations! I'd love to try them!

And the best part? BOTH my boys (picky eaters) loved it!!!

**If you don't have a dehydrator at home, I HIGHLY recommend picking one up. With mine, I can dry soups/sauces, herbs, any veggies and fruit and especially jerky! One of my favorite items in the kitchen!