Autumn Apple Salad

by Jessica C.

Autumn Apple Salad

4 tart green apples, cored and chopped
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
1 (8 ounce) container vanilla yogurt

In a medium bowl, stir together the apples, almonds, cranberries, cherries and yogurt until evenly coated.




Miss Jessica C. enjoys many activities, but the main things include sewing, harp, photography, reading and blogging. However, with all those personal “diversions” the Lord has been teaching her, she feels that they are insignificant when compared with his work and calling as a daughter and sister. You can read more about her at Seasons of a Heart.

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Festive Tossed Salad

by Miss Jessica C.

Festive Tossed Salad

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 to 3 teaspoons poppy seeds
10 cups torn romaine
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
1 medium apple, chopped
1 medium pear, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 to 1 cup chopped cashews

In a blender or food processor, combine the sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, onion and salt. Cover and process until blended. With blender running, gradually add oil. Add poppy seeds and blend. In a salad bowl, combine the romaine, Swiss cheese, apple, pear and cranberries. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing. Add cashews; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Miss Jessica C. enjoys many activities, but the main things include sewing, harp, photography, reading and blogging. However, with all those personal “diversions” the Lord has been teaching her, she feels that they are insignificant when compared with his work and calling as a daughter and sister. You can read more about her at Seasons of a Heart.

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Miss Alyssa's Delicious Apple Crisp

by Miss Alyssa


Apple Crisp

I love eating a warm apple crisp. My mom has used the following recipe several times to make a delicious apple crisp for us. I finally took the index card with the recipe on it and made one myself.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

Filling: approx. 10 cups sliced, peeled apples (Three large apples were plenty.)
2 tsp. lemon juice
½ cup sugar
1-2 tsp. cinnamon

Topping: 1 cup flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions: Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the apple slices with lemon juice and then sugar and cinnamon. Spread in the 9x13 pan. Combine flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Add melted butter and mix. Spread the crumble topping on top of the apple slices. (If you like the topping, you can easily double it and it turns out great!) Bake for 1 hour.

There you have it...a simple warm yummy treat to enjoy in the cold fall/winter weather.

Miss Alyssa, a 15 year old homeschooler, is interested in writing and film-making for the glory of God and the furtherance of His Kingdom. She is passionate about reaching the unreached with the Gospel. She blogs at One Nation Under GOD.

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Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

by Miss Jessica C.

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1 egg white, whisked
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla

8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

Place the bottom crust in your pan and brush with egg white. Mix apples with 2/3rds of sugar and cinnamon syrup. Fill crust with coated apples, mounding slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour remaining syrup over crust.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes, until apples are soft.

Miss Jessica C. enjoys many activities, but the main things include sewing, harp, photography, reading and blogging. However, with all those personal “diversions” the Lord has been teaching her, she feels that they are insignificant when compared with his work and calling as a daughter and sister. You can read more about her at Seasons of a Heart.

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Apple Cake

by Miss Jessica C.

Apple Cake

1 c. cooking oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 c. diced apples
½ c. chopped nuts

Hand stir; batter will be stiff. Pour into greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 325 for 50 minutes or until cake tests done.




Miss Jessica C. enjoys many activities, but the main things include sewing, harp, photography, reading and blogging. However, with all those personal “diversions” the Lord has been teaching her, she feels that they are insignificant when compared with his work and calling as a daughter and sister. You can read more about her at Seasons of a Heart.

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Caramel Apple Dip

by Miss Jessica C.

Caramel Apple Dip

16 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup water
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, or in the microwave, melt caramels with water, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in caramel mixture. Serve immediately.

Miss Jessica C. enjoys many activities, but the main things include sewing, harp, photography, reading and blogging. However, with all those personal “diversions” the Lord has been teaching her, she feels that they are insignificant when compared with his work and calling as a daughter and sister. You can read more about her at Seasons of a Heart.

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More Apple Recipes

by Miss Jessica C.

Sautéed Apples

5 medium Golden Delicious apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large skillet, sauté apples in butter for 1 minute. Add water; bring to a boil. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until apples are tender.

Apple Tuna Sandwich

1/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can (6 ounces) light water-packed tuna, drained
1/2 cup chopped red apple
6 slices reduced-calorie bread, toasted
6 lettuce leaves

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; stir in tuna and apple. Spread 1/2 cup tuna mixture on three slices of bread. Top with lettuce and remaining bread.

Apple Crisp

10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water

Topping:

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.

Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes

I would love to hear how these recipes turned out for you! I’m also curious, are you the type that follows recipes exactly or do you fudge a bit? Personally, I like using recipes as a general guideline – depending on what I’m making I like to eyeball my measurements and throw my own twist on traditional recipes.

If you’re looking for still more apple recipes try using allrecipes.com or tasteofhome.com (All Recipes is my favorite).

Miss Jessica C. enjoys many activities, but the main things include sewing, harp, photography, reading and blogging. However, with all those personal “diversions” the Lord has been teaching her, she feels that they are insignificant when compared with his work and calling as a daughter and sister. You can read more about her at Seasons of a Heart.

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Creative Lunch Ideas

by Miss Shannon

One hundred eighty: the amount of days in a school year. During those days of hitting the books and getting your mind working after a long summer of no school, there is one time during day that is looked forward to as a well needed break. This time is lunch time! If you are anything like me, the normal PB&J starts to get a little repetitious after a while. So, to cure you of that lunch time boredom, here are three super simple, tasty recipes that can be made in a snap!

Mock Pizzas
Makes: 8 pizza rounds
Serves: about 4
Warning: Smaller children need parental help or help from an older sibling when working with the oven!
Ingredients:
4 English muffins
1 cup of tomato sauce
1 ½ cups of cheese, or more if you like it really cheesy; any kind will work!
Desired topping; suggested toppings:
peppers; Pepperoni; ground meat (good way of using leftovers!);
pineapple slices, etc.

Step 1: Set the over to 375. Split the English muffins in half, and then lay them out on a cookie sheet.
Step 2: Spread tomato sauce on the halves, sprinkle on cheese, and then place desired toppings on.
Step 3: Bake in the oven until the edges of the English muffins are golden brown, and the cheese is bubbling. My oven would probably take about 10 to 15 minutes; however, you should keep checking on them, as all ovens are different. Enjoy!
Great served with fruit or veggies!

Authentic Quesadillas
Makes: 4 quesadillas
Serves: about 4

Ingredients:
8 big tortillas
About 1 ½ cups of cheese, any kind will do
Salsa
Sour cream
A little bit butter, for the pan

Step 1: Set a pan on the stove on medium heat, and then melt a little bit of butter in it.
Step 2: On the counter, lay out 4 of your tortillas, and sprinkle cheese onto them. Place the remaining 4 tortillas on top of the cheese.
Step 3: Once the pan feels hot enough and the butter is melted, place one of the quesadillas into the pan. Cook until the underside is golden brown; it will probably take about 2 to 3 minutes. Once it is, flip the quesadilla over to let the other side brown. Once that is done, place onto a plate.
Step 4: Repeat Step 4 until you have cooked each one of them, making sure you add a little more butter into the pan each time.
Step 5: Cut into halves, and then top with salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!

Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
Makes: about 40 pinwheels
Serves: about 4
Ingredients:
4 big tortillas
Cream cheese
Lunch meat: as much as you want; you can use ham, but turkey is also really good!
8 cheese slices
1 carrot, cut into short, thin strips; optional
1 cucumber, cut into short, thin strips; optional; both of these two ingredients add a little healthiness to it!

Step 1: Lay out the tortillas onto the counter, and spread with cream cheese.
Step 2: Place lunch meat, two slices of cheese, and veggies onto each of the tortillas
Step 3: Starting at one end, roll the tortilla onto a tight, compact tube. Be careful not to squeeze it to much though, as the filling will squirt out!
Step 4: Cut each of the rolls into about 8-10 slices. Enjoy!

Miss Shannon is a home school junior who loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and is striving to follow Him more and more. She blogs at Below the Plateau.

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Kitchen Carnival August 6th

Jessica at The Seven Sisters made a Full course meal of Iced Peach Tea, Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad, Sarah's Delicious Homemade Bread, and Buffalo Chicken. Just wait til you see the pictures!

Abi at Teaching4Him shares about her twist on potatoes with different results each time with her Potatoes With a Twist recipe.

Christie at Divine Calling posted a fabulous frosty treat that will save you money at the local coffee shop this summer with her Frugal Frappuccino.

Ruth from But First, We Have Coffee shows a picture of her recipe for Homemade Hamburger Buns and I just can't wait to try this one with our next barbecue!

Kira from The Mission of a Christian shares her favorite salad Vegetable Pasta Salad that I'll have to add as a side dish at that barbecue.

Thanks ladies for all the wonderful recipes for this Kitchen Carnival. We have enough here for two fulls meals!

If you would like to submit a recipe for our next Kitchen Carnival, shoot me an email at ggmeditor at gmail dot com. We'll schedule t for the week of August 17th so get those links to me by August 15th.


Sisterlisa is the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Growing in Grace Magazine and owner of AGMinistries, a devotion blog for women. She is married and homeschools her four children while remaining active in serving the Lord in her community.

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Sweet Grape Salad

by Sisterlisa

Ingredients:
1 cluster of Seedless green grapes (washed and half them sliced in half)
1 cup Candied pecans (slightly chopped)
1 cup of Craisins® (These are dried cranberries by Ocean Spray)
1/2 head Green Cabbage (shredded)

2 Tbsp White grape juice
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed)
1 Tbsp natural local honey

Dressing:
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 oz. cream cheese(softened at room temperature)
4 oz. sour cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract


Preparation:
Place Craisins® in a bowl, set aside.
In a small bowl mix the grape juice, lemon juice, and honey. Whisk thoroughly.
Pour mixture into the bowl of Craisins®, cover with a towel for 8 hours.

Dressing:
-Mix cream cheese and sour cream thoroughly with a handmixer.
-Add cinnamon, nutmeg, pure vanilla extract, and brown sugar and mix well.

In a large salad bowl place all grapes and Craisins® (If there is any extra liquid, drain first) and mix well. Slowly add the dressing and coat well. Chill before serving.

Enjoy!

Sisterlisa is the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Growing in Grace Magazine and owner of AGMinistries, a devotion blog for women. She is married and homeschools her four children while remaining active in serving the Lord in her community.

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Alpha Omega Publications

Fruitcake Cookies

by Lady Jess

I made this recipe, inspired by The Barefoot Contessa's Dried Fruit Cookies, and decided to share it with you. It ended up really good! I changed a few ingredients, but wanted to credit her nonetheless.

• 1/2 pound dried figs
• 1/4 pound raisins
• 2 ounces candied cherries, coarsely chopped
• 2 ounces dried apricots, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons white grape juice
  
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6 ounces chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon (for the dough) and 1 pinch (for the fruit mix) Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 extra-large egg
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

Cut the hard stems of the figs off with scissors and roughly chop them. In a medium bowl, combine the figs, raisins, cherries, apricots, honey, white grape juice, lemon juice, pecans, and a pinch of salt. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to sit overnight at room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, (I used the Kitchen Aid mixer) fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cloves, superfine sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until it's smooth, approximately about 3 minutes. If you don't have superfine sugar, you can put normal granulated sugar in a coffee bean grinder for a few seconds and, presto!, superfine sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg and mix until incorporated. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt just until combined. Don't over mix it! Add the fruits and nuts. If there is any liquid left over, add that as well. Divide the dough in half and place each half on the long edge of a 12 by 18-inch piece of parchment or waxed paper. Roll each half into a log, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inch thick, making an 18-inch-long roll. Refrigerate the dough for several hours, or until it's firm all the through.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while the cookie rolls are in the refrigerator.

With a small, sharp knife, cut the logs into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place the slices 1/2-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet pans and bake for 8 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden on the underside.

Enjoy!

Lady Jess is a teen lady who is homeschooled along with her siblings. She assists her mother in teaching her younger siblings, sings in a local choir, and is in training to be a homeschooling parent herself one day.

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Taco Casserole

By Miss Rachel P.

We got this recipe out of an old Betty Crocker magazine but we have changed it up to suit our preferences. We don't get to make this often because of all the "special" ingredients that we don't normally buy like sour cream, so it's a very special meal for us! You can serve this with a salad to round out the meal, which is what we like to do. I hope you enjoy it!

1 pd ground Turkey (or ground beef)
1 can of chili beans in sauce, undrained; optional (we don't use this)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
2 Tbs. taco sauce, picante sauce, or salsa (we use salsa)
1-4 tsp. chili powder (we only use one, we like ours mild)
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups coarsely broken tortilla chips (save the chips from the bottom of the bag for this! It's perfect! They are already broken!)
1 cup sour cream
8 medium green onions, sliced (1/2 cup)
1 medium tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese (4 oz) - we use cheddar
shredded lettuce such as iceberg or romaine (we leave off) and additional taco sauce if desired

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook meat in large 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in beans (if using) tomato sauce, taco sauce, chili powder and garlic powder. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

2. Place broken tortilla chips in ungreased 2-quart casserole. Top with meat mixture. Spread with sour cream. Sprinkle with onions, tomato and cheese.

3. Bake uncovered 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Arrange additional tortilla chips around edge of casserole if desired or serve along side. Serve with lettuce and taco sauce.

6 Servings

We normally will double this and put it in a 9x13 pan instead of the casserole dish. We find that it didn't quite feed all of us (6 people - including 2 growing boys and a hungry dad!) ;-) Bake a few minutes longer if needed.


Miss Rachel P.
She blogs at Young Home Makers and Meditations of His Love

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Nacho Dip

by Miss Rachel P.


1 pkg. (8 oz) Cream Cheese, softened
1 16oz container Sour Cream
1 pkg (envelope) taco seasoning (we use taco bell)
1 large jar Salsa (we use mild but you can use whatever you want), use however much you would like, I think I use about 3/4 of the jar
Shredded Lettuce (use a firm lettuce like iceberg), about 3/4-1 head, more or less as desired
Shredded Cheese (cheddar or other), about 1 cup, more or less as desired
Black olives (1 can), sliced; diced tomatoes, well drained; jalapeño peppers (all optional - we leave off the jalapeños)
Tortilla Chips for serving (we love to use the "scoops" chips for this! You get lot's of dip on each chip and it holds together better than some other brands!)

Blend cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning. Spread in a 9x13 pan or larger pan, or a large serving tray (we use a serving tray). Spread salsa over the mixture. Sprinkle remaining ingredients evenly over the dip in the following order: lettuce, cheese, olives, diced Tomatoes, and Jalapeño Peppers.

Chill 1 hour. Can be prepared a day in advance (I would leave off the tomatoes in that case, the juice tends to run all over the place. If using fresh tomatoes instead, as I have done before, make sure you take the seeds out so there is less juice and less mess).

Miss Rachel P.
She blogs at Young Home Makers and Meditations of His Love

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Spring Fruit Medley

Ingredients:

Fresh strawberries from your local farmer's market, washed and hulled
Mandarin oranges from the can, drain the juice first
Scored Lemon rind
Candied Walnuts
Raspberry vinaigrette

Get a large bowl and toss in the strawberries, oranges, scored lemon rind, candied walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette.

For the lemon rind, you can use the Pampered Chef Zester/Scorer. Hold the lemon in one hand and the zester in the other hand, grip around the handle leaving your thumb on the handle. Press firmly against the lemon as you turn it and pull back on the zester at the same time. Cut lemon zest to desired length for your salad. The Pampered Chef Zester/Scorer is a handy kitchen tool and we use it for many different recipes.




Lady Jess is a teen lady who is homeschooled along with her siblings. She assists her mother in teaching her younger siblings, is an interpreter for deaf ministry, sings in a local choir, and is in training to be a homeschooling parent herself one day.

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