Quesadillas with Mozzarella and Buttery Cinnamon Maple Apples

Apples, in a quesadilla? Yes! You will not believe how amazing these quesadillas are. Greg thinks that these quesadillas are the perfect meal for dinner, but that they could also be a good breakfast food because they kind of taste like crepes. Although we have only been eating them for dinner, I agree that these sweet and savory quesadillas would make an outstanding breakfast. You could even sprinkle a little powdered sugar on them if you prefer the breakfast option, and leave off the white truffle oil and use butter instead. We have seriously had these quesadillas for dinner at least 7 times in the past 2 weeks, due to Greg's continued requests. I don't mind since they are so easy to make (especially if you have a batch of the apples in the fridge) and they require very little time in the kitchen. I have been serving them with a super easy pumpkin black bean soup that only has five ingredients, and I'll share that recipe very soon. Fall is the perfect season for enjoying delicious apples, and you can enjoy them in so many ways!

Recipe for Quesadillas with Mozzarella and Buttery Cinnamon Maple Apples

INGREDIENTS:

Baked cinnamon and maple apples

Butter, for coating the baking pan 

4 White corn tortillas (6-inch)

8 ounces of Mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1 ounce slices (don't use fresh, because it has too much moisture)

White truffle oil (optional, you can use butter instead) for brushing the sides of the tortillas

Sea salt (optional), for sprinkling the sides of the tortillas

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Lightly grease a baking pan with butter.

Wrap the tortillas in a paper towel and zap in the microwave for about 25 seconds. Blot out any of the excess moisture from the tortillas, then lay them onto the prepared baking sheet. Put one and a half slices of mozzarella cheese in the center of each tortilla (you will have 4 half pieces of cheese leftover that you will use to top the apples with). Place in the oven and cook for about 4 - 5 minutes, or until the cheese has just begun to melt. Meanwhile, if using apples that have been stored in the fridge, place desired amount of apples into a bowl and microwave for about 15 - 20 seconds. Once the cheese has begun to melt, remove the pan from the oven and adjust oven temperature to 375 degrees. Spoon desired amount of apples onto one half of the tortilla (I used about 2 tsp. of apples per quesadilla). Top the apples with the remaining half pieces of mozzarella cheese. Fold the tortillas in half. Lightly brush each side of the tortillas with white truffle oil or butter. I used about 1/8 tsp. of white truffle oil per side. Then sprinkle each side with a little bit of sea salt. Place back into the oven and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes, then carefully flip tortillas and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Original Recipe

Honey, Oat, and Almond Crumble

Who loved Honey Nut Cheerios as a kid? Who STILL loves Honey Nut Cheerios? I definitely preferred the Honey Nut Cheerios to other Cheerios when I was young, but I'm not a huge cereal person these days. When I tasted this honey nut goodness, the flavor reminded me a bit of Honey Nut Cheerios, all grown-up. The first time I made this it did not turn out too well, because I cooked it without fruit, but followed a recipe that had the honey crumble baked onto fruit. The oven was at too high of a temperature, and since I was trying to entertain my daughter who had woke up from a nap while the crumble was in the oven, I didn't watch it well enough and it ended up burning pretty badly. I tried the recipe again because I could tell that it would have been so yummy if it didn't have the burnt flavor. I cooked it at a much lower temperature, watched it like a hawk, and the results were incredible! Greg loves the honey, oat, and almond crumble topped on yogurt, and I love it with a little bit of milk. I also love just snacking on it plain. You can feel good about eating the honey, oat, and almond crumble throughout the day because it has heart-healthy almonds and fiber-rich oats. Just be careful not to overdo it, since it also has a good amount of butter. 

This honey, oat, and almond crumble is totally addictive and delicious. The original recipe comes from a cookbook that was written by a friend of my friend! I definitely want to try the original recipe that has the crumble baked onto fruit. I hear it is amazing on peaches! Enjoy.

Recipe for Honey, Oat, and Almond Crumble

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of almonds
1/2 of Old-Fashioned oats
3 Tbsp. of unsweetened flaked coconut
8 Tbsp. of unsalted chilled butter, cut into 1 Tbsp. pieces, then cut in half (16 pieces total)
1 Tbsp. of coconut oil  (optional)
3 Tbsp. of clover honey
1/4 tsp. of coarse sea salt (or more, or less, or none at all - all depends on your preference for sweet+salty)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper with butter or coconut oil. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the almonds and oats. Pulse, several times, until the almonds are well chopped. Then drop the butter pieces evenly over the almond mixture. Add the coconut oil, honey, and salt. Pulse, several times, until the mixture just about starts to come together (but don't overdo it). Transfer the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread evenly, but don't press down too much. Then place in the oven and cook for 8 - 10 minutes, watching VERY closely. If the edges begin to brown, use a spatula to carefully turn up the edges. After 8 - 10 minutes, lower the temperature of the oven to 300 degrees, and rotate the pan 180 degrees. Continue to cook, still watching carefully, for about 5 - 7 more minutes, making sure it does not burn. Remove from oven and let it cool. Then store in an airtight container at room temperature. Eat it plain, on top of yogurt, with fruit, or with milk.

Recipe Adapted from: Eat Happy, by Molly Badger

Cinnamon Spiced Nuts (No Egg White)!

A couple weeks ago, I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Annapolis, Vin 909. Usually I only order the pizza when I eat there, but this time I decided to start with a salad so that maybe I would eat less pizza (that kind of happened - I ate one or two less slices than usual). The salad that I had was topped with dried figs, blue cheese, and cinnamon spiced nuts. The best part of the salad was definitely the nuts. A couple days after eating out, I googled recipes for cinnamon spiced nuts, and I was disappointed that almost all the recipes I came across recipes called for egg whites, because sometimes I just don't feel like dealing with egg whites! After awhile, I finally came across a recipe that only used water, sugar, and cinnamon. I read the reviews and learned that most people said that the recipe was a success, so I gave it a try. Oh, they were so good! Greg said they tasted better than the nuts that people buy at sporting events for $5 a handful. Greg and I loved snacking on the cinnamon nuts throughout the week, and yesterday I made a salad with them, and it was absolutely delicious. The picture you see of the cinnamon spiced nuts is actually from the salad I made, and I will share that recipe soon. Today I am sharing the recipe for these amazing sweet cinnamon spiced nuts that are made without any egg white! Enjoy.

Recipe for Cinnamon Spiced Nuts (No Egg White)!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of almonds (you can try other nuts, but I think almonds probably work best)

1 1/2 Tbsp. of water

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp. of ground cinnamon

A couple grinds of sea salt

A pinch or two of ground cayenne pepper (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Put the almonds, water, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne pepper (if using) into a large nonstick skillet. Set the skillet over medium heat and stir, constantly, for about 10 - 15 minutes. At first the mixture will be watery, then a little syrupy, and then the almonds will have a sugar coating on them. Once they are coated with the sugar, carefully pour them onto parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and spread them out a bit with a spatula. Allow them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. They do taste good warm though so feel free to snack on them while they are cooling! These nuts are great for snacking or topping on salads. 

Recipe Adapted from: One Charming Party

Salted Caramel Brownies

Back in January I did a baking day with a few of my friends. While gathering ideas for recipes, salted caramel brownies were one of the things that I considered for our baking day. In the end, the best ever chocolate chocolate chip cookies won, because the recipe made more for sharing. I never did forget about those salted caramel brownies though. One of the friends who joined me on the baking day asked me for dinner this past Sunday and I said I would bring a dessert. I remembered that the brownies also caught her interest, so that's what I decided to bring. I made these on Saturday morning. Sadly, Saturday evening and Sunday morning I wasn't feeling too well and neither was my friend's husband, so we had to reschedule our plans. But I still had all those brownies! I dropped some off to her place and shared with Greg and my parents. My parents thought they were the best brownie they had ever had. Greg, on the other hand, said that the brownies were too sweet. Hmm, last time I checked, brownies are supposed to be SWEET! Does anyone disagree with me and agree with Greg? Yeah, I didn't think so. It's okay if Greg doesn't want to eat the brownies though..because that just means there are more for me and Wendy. I already know that Wendy takes after me - she loves sugar too! I hope you enjoy these sweet fudgy gooey and delicious brownies as much as I do.

*Because these brownies are so fudgy, you can actually cut them into mini bites and they can be served as candies or fudge. But I won't judge you if you eat a big brownie or two or three large brownies either.

Recipe for Salted Caramel Brownies 

INGREDIENTS:
For the salted caramel sauce
1/4 cup water
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. of light corn syrup
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. of sea salt
1/4 cup of sour cream
For the brownies
1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. of coarse sea salt
2 Tbsp. of Dutch processed cocoa powder
A couple pinches of instant coffee powder
11 ounces of bittersweet baking chocolate (I used Ghiradelli), coarsely chopped
16 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of light brown sugar, packed firmly
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
For topping
Sea salt and coarse sugar

DIRECTIONS:
For the caramel sauce
Put the water, sugar, and corn syrup into a saucepan and set it over medium high heat. Stir almost constantly and cook until it becomes a deep amber color or reaches 330 degrees on a candy thermometer. This will take about 15 - 20 minutes. Be careful not to let the mixture burn!

Then remove the saucepan from the heat. Put the cream in a microwave safe liquid measuring cup and heat for 45 seconds. Then slowly pour some cream down the side of the saucepan and whisk constantly, then continue to add more until all of the cream is incorporated (the mixture will steam and bubble up during this process). Then add in the sea salt and sour cream and mix well. Set the caramel sauce aside to cool.

For the brownies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper. Put the flour, sea salt, cocoa powder, and coffee powder into a smallish bowl and sift together. Put the chopped chocolate and cut butter into a large saucepan and set over low heat. Gently stir until the butter and chocolate are melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Add in the granulated sugar and light brown sugar to the chocolate mixture and use an electric hand mixer set on medium speed to fully incorporate. Then add in the eggs and mix well. Stir in the vanilla extract. Then pour in the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Carefully spread half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Smooth down with a spatula. Then pour the caramel sauce over the top of the batter into an even layer. Top the caramel sauce off with the rest of the brownie batter, making sure to carefully smooth over the caramel and fully covering it. Put into the oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes, making sure to rotate the pan halfway through the baking process. Remove brownies from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, sprinkle the sea salt and coarse sugar over the brownies (about 1/2 - 1 tsp.). Cover the brownies and put them into the fridge before cutting. This helps to make them extra fudgy!

Recipe makes about 2 dozen regular-sized brownies and makes about 60 small bites.

Recipe Source: Pink Parsley, originally from Baked Explorations 

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Truffles

Are you still trying to think of little treats you can give out to friends during this holiday season? The other day I posted a really easy holiday baking idea, and that was the Pretzel Rolo Turtles. These peanut butter and pretzel truffles are also pretty easy to make and they are absolutely divine. If you like the sweet and salty combination or have friends that do, I suggest you make these truffles today (or tomorrow or the next day). I think that they are probably best with a dark chocolate coating, but you can try them with milk chocolate too. I topped the truffles with a little bit of coarse sea salt and coarse sugar, which added a super nice touch. I made a batch last Sunday when my friend came over for some holiday baking, but they went quickly, so I'm making some more today. I'm also making some more of the Pretzel Rolo Turtles and these yummy chocolate pretzel treats (that have a Hershey kiss and M & M). I hope you are enjoying the holidays as much as I am! I am super happy this holiday season because I just finished another two grad courses and I am off work for 12 days! Life can't get much better than that - but it gets even better when there is a peanut butter and pretzel truffle in my hand. Yum!

Recipe for Peanut Butter and Pretzel Truffles (Makes about 50)

INGREDIENTS:

1 16 ounce jar of creamy peanut butter
4 cups of crushed salted pretzels (about 6 - 7 cups of whole pretzels)
4 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/4 cups of confectioners (powdered) sugar
12 - 16 ounces of semisweet baking chocolate (I used Baker's brand)
Coarse sea salt and/or coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
To crush up the pretzels, place them into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until they are at the size you want. You can make the pretzel pieces chunky or fine, just don't turn them into a powder! Then measure out the crushed pretzels into four cups, if you need more, add more whole pretzels to the food processor and pulse.

Scoop the peanut butter into a large bowl. Add in the pretzels, unsalted butter, and powdered sugar. Use an electric hand mixer set on medium speed to briefly blend the ingredients, then use a large spoon to mix well until ingredients are combined and well incorporated. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop up batter and form into 1-inch balls with your hands. Place each ball on the baking sheet. Then place the baking sheet in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Break the chocolate into small pieces (start with 12 ounces of chocolate - if you use it all, then you can melt the remaining 4 ounces) and place in the top pan of a double boiler. Prepare the bottom pan of the double boiler with water and set over medium high heat until steam starts to rise. Then place the pan with the chocolate on top and stir the chocolate until it is completely melted. Turn the heat off. Take the peanut butter pretzel balls out of the freezer. Drop one ball into the chocolate and use a spoon to coat. Place back on the baking sheet and sprinkle with the sea salt or sugar. Continue until all balls are coated with the chocolate. Place in the fridge to harden for about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Recipe source: Annie's Eats