Jalapeño Pepper Jelly

Jalapeño Pepper Jelly is sweet and spicy, can be used for appetizers, or as a glaze for pork or chicken. Canning instructions for long term storage included!Jalapeño Pepper Jelly is sweet and spicy, can be used for appetizers, or as a glaze for pork or chicken. Canning instructions for long term storage included!

Well, here it is…the recipe I found for making and canning the most wonderful Jalapeño Pepper Jelly ever! It is a fantastic jelly to use as an appetizer, or as a glaze on cooked pork or chicken.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Page

What Can You Use Jalapeño Pepper Jelly For?

We LOVE this jelly…it’s sweet and a bit spicy, and is amazingly fantastic when served over a block of cream cheese, with some good crackers to spread it on. Talk about a yummy appetizer…yum.

Some people even enjoy jalapeño pepper jelly when heated and served over pork or chicken as a glaze. It has just enough sweet taste and a slight bit of heat to make it GREAT!

How Many Jars Of Canned Jelly Will This Recipe Make?

Jalapeño pepper jelly is very easy to process and can, for long term storage. Amazingly easy!  When I make this jelly, I usually get five 8 ounce (1/2 pint) jars and one smaller jar of jelly from one batch. You use a water bath canner to process the jars for long term storage.

Jalapeno jelly jars are processed in water bath canner for long term storage.
Can This Jelly For Year Round Use

Once canned, the jelly is perfect to store in the pantry and grab a jar throughout the year for a quick and delicious appetizer.  Hope you will give it a try…and enjoy it like we do! Here’s a photo of the finished jalapeño pepper jelly.  Isn’t it gorgeous? See all the little bitty bits of peppers floating in the jelly? Yum.

The jelly also can be used as a glaze for baked or grilled pork or chicken. This sweet and slightly spicy jelly, once heated, makes an amazing sauce that can be brushed on meat during the cooking process or when serving!

Jalapeño Pepper Jelly is able to be canned for long term storage.

Such A GREAT Tasting Appetizer!

In need of a quick, delicious appetizer for the gang? No Problem! Grab a jar, and spread the jalapeño pepper jelly on top of a bit of cream cheese on a cracker… it tastes wonderful!!!!!!

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly tastes wonderful spread on cream cheese on a cracker!

Hope you will consider trying this recipe for jalapeño pepper jelly! It is a unique and versatile jelly that I’m sure you will enjoy!

Looking For More CANNED JAM OR JELLY Recipes?

You can find all of my canning recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few favorite jam or jelly recipes include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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Have a great week!

Author's signatureRecipe Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/hot-pepper-jelly-35699

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5 from 2 votes
Jalapeño Pepper Jelly
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 
Jalapeño Pepper Jelly is sweet and spicy, can be used for appetizers, or as a glaze for pork or chicken. Canning instructions for long term storage included!
Category: Appetizer, Jam / Canning and Preserving, Jelly
Cuisine: American
Keyword: jalapeno pepper jelly
Servings: 5 half pint jars
Calories Per Serving: 64 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups green bell peppers , seeded & veins removed (can also use red sweet peppers)
  • 1/4 cup jalapeño pepper , seeded & veins removed
  • 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
  • 6 ounces liquid pectin (this is 2 packets)
  • 1 drop liquid green food coloring (optional...can use red if using red peppers)
  • cups granulated sugar
Instructions
  1. Prepare water bath canner, lids, rings and jars according to manufacturer instructions and safe canning guidelines before beginning to make the jelly.

  2. Cut the peppers and jalapeños into small pieces. Place them, along with the vinegar into a food processor (or blender); blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into a large stockpot.
  3. Add the sugar to the pot. Heat this mixture on medium-high heat. Stir constantly until sugar has dissolved fully. Bring the mixture to a full boil, and boil for 3 minutes, stirring often. (While doing this, pour boiling water over flat canning lids in a separate small bowl, and let them sit for 5 minutes to soften rubber seal.

  4. Stir in the pectin; return the mixture to a full boil. Boil it for 1 minute longer, then remove the pan from the heat. Skim off any foam that may have accumulated on the top of the jelly. Add drop of food coloring to achieve the color you desire (optional). Stir to combine.

  5. Pour the jelly into hot, sterilized half pint (8 oz.) jars. Fill the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Insert plastic knife into jelly to help remove air bubbles. Adjust headspace in jars, if necessary. Wipe rims completely clean to ensure a good seal. Center the hot flat lid onto the jar. Screw the band on until it is fingertip tight.

  6. Place jars on an elevated rack in a canner with simmering water (about half full). Make sure the jars are completely covered with water by at least one inch over the top.

  7. Put lid on the canner. Bring the simmering water to a gentle boil, then process jelly in jars for 10 additional minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off heat; remove the canner lid. Wait for 5 minutes, then carefully remove hot jars (with canning tongs) to a dish towel on counter (do not place hot jars directly on kitchen counter as the glass might crack, due to temperature variations). Let jars sit, undisturbed for 24 hours before moving. You should hear a "ping" sound as each jar successfully seals. Remember to check to make you have a good seal on the jars before storing! If a jar does not seal properly, it cannot be stored in pantry. Place it in refrigerator, and use within a few weeks.

Nutrition Facts
Jalapeño Pepper Jelly
Amount Per Serving (1 Tablespoon)
Calories 64
% Daily Value*
Potassium 5mg0%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Sugar 16g18%
Vitamin A 15IU0%
Vitamin C 2.6mg3%
Calcium 1mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Jalapeño Pepper Jelly is sweet and spicy, can be used for appetizers, or as a glaze for pork or chicken. Canning instructions for long term storage included!

 

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Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad is an easy to make Italian classic, with fresh ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar!Caprese Salad is an easy to make Italian classic, with fresh ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar!

Well, I’ve made this Caprese Salad two nights in a row for my husband and myself. Truth! It is so refreshing and delicious, especially with peak of season tomatoes and basil! With very few ingredients, you can make this delicious salad. We enjoy it as a side salad OR as a main dish on a hot summer night.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Inspiration Hits

It all started innocently enough… I happened to see a post on my friend Elizabeth’s Facebook page. She made a Caprese Salad for her family…so I got to thinking that I should make one for my husband and I, too! I didn’t have an official recipe, but how hard could it be, right?

Fresh basil leaves in garden are used to make a caprese salad.

I have basil and tomatoes growing in our garden. Hmmm. All I need is some fresh mozzarella. Hmmm. This would be a great light summer appetizer or salad…Hmmm. (you realize, of course, that those “Hmmms” are me, putting on my thinking cap, right?).

Caprese Salad… For the WIN!

Caprese salad is such a easy dish to prepare, and you can make it as large or small as you wish! My husband and I had late lunches the past couple of days, so two nights ago, we just sat out on our deck. We enjoyed this simple dish, along with a glass of wine, for our dinner. Sooo deliciously tasty on a hot, summer night!

Another caprese salad, ready to eat with dinner!

Last night, the same story. Late lunch, and we weren’t really hungry for a “normal” dinner, so I ran out to our garden, picked some basil and fresh tomatoes, and made another Caprese Salad for dinner. Yee Haw! When you have the flavor of homegrown tomatoes, this salad SHINES!

Fresh garden tomatoes will make a wonderful tasting caprese salad.

So what exactly is a “Caprese Salad”, you ask?  Wikipedia defines it: “Caprese Salad is a simple salad, made of sliced fresh mozarella, tomatoes and basil, seasoned with salt, and olive oil. It was made to resemble the colors of the Italian flag: red, white, and green.”

I also added pepper, and drizzled some balsamic vinegar on top (along with the olive oil). Perfect! I’ve made caprese salad so many times now I’ve lost count!

Two caprese salads, ready to eat!

Hope you will give this easy salad a try. The flavors of the fresh tomatoes and basil combined with creamy fresh mozzarella is wonderful!

Caprese Salad , served on a white platter.

Hope you enjoy this delicious caprese salad! It is REALLY easy to prepare, and is absolutely delicious! Have a GREAT day!

Looking For More SALAD Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious salad recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe! 

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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0 from 0 votes
Caprese Salad
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

Caprese Salad is an easy to make Italian classic, with fresh ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar!

Category: Salad
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: caprese salad
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 272 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • Fresh mozzarella cheese , room temp, sliced in 1/2 inch slices (2-3 slices per person)
  • Fresh tomatoes , sliced in 1/2 inch slices (2-3 slices per person)
  • Fresh basil sprigs ( one for each slice of cheese and tomato)
  • Sea salt (to taste)
  • Cracked pepper (to taste)
  • Olive oil (enough to drizzle over the top of the salad)
  • Balsamic vinegar (enough to drizzle over the top of the salad)
Instructions
  1. Layer the serving platter with slice of cheese, then a slice of tomato. Repeat, until you have as much on the platter as you desire.
  2. Lightly salt and pepper the salad.
  3. Lightly drizzle the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

  4. Place a sprig or two of fresh basil leaves on, or in between each slice of tomato and cheese. Serve, and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Caprese Salad
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/4 of total))
Calories 272 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 67mg22%
Sodium 547mg24%
Potassium 292mg8%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 1545IU31%
Vitamin C 13.2mg16%
Calcium 446mg45%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Caprese Salad is an easy to make Italian classic, with fresh ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar!

 

 

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Sweet N’ Sticky Polska Kielbasa

Sweet n’ Sticky Polska Kielbasa only has TWO ingredients, and is an EASY and delicious family friendly recipe, using pork or beef kielbasa sausage!
Sweet n' Sticky Polska Kielbasa only has TWO ingredients, and is an EASY and delicious family friendly recipe, using pork or beef kielbasa sausage!
Yep…you heard me right, friends. This recipe for sweet n’ sticky polska kielbasa only has 2 ingredients, and is very budget friendly to make! How cool is that?

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

What Does Polska Kielbasa Mean?

Did you know that Polska Kielbasa means Polish Sausage? It is one of the most traditional foods served at Polish weddings. There are many different varieties available in grocery stores throughout the United States, and most are fairly inexpensive. You can read more about this common sausage here.

How We First Tried This Recipe For Polska Kielbasa

Almost 30 years ago my husband and I rented a room in our home to a college age friend of ours, named Kip. One night he offered to cook us dinner, and this polska kielbasa is the dish he cooked for us, along with mashed potatoes.

When I heard what “secret” ingredient he was going to cook the sausage in, I couldn’t believe my ears! It sounded completely crazy to me…but guess what?  This sweet n’ sticky polska kielbasa was absolutely delicious!

So What Is The Secret Ingredient For Sweet n’ Sticky Polska Kielbasa?

Want to know what the secret ingredient is?  COKE or PEPSI. Yep. The sugars in the cola transform into a sticky sweet glaze that coats the kielbasa slices. So good… and we’ve been making it ever since… true story.

This recipe only has two ingredients. Kielbasa (beef or pork) and Coke (or Pepsi). The only really important thing to remember is to never use a diet soda for this recipe because you have to use real, sweetened soda so the sugars in the soda will caramelize and coat the meat slices.

Can you believe it? This might possibly be the world’s simplest dinner. The caramelized sweet n’ sticky coating on the kielbasa is truly wonderful! And talk about easy? Unbelievable, but true.

Look How EASY It Is To Make Sweet n’ Sticky Polska Kielbasa

First you will need to cut the polska kielbasa into 1/2″ slices. You can use either beef or pork kielbasa to make this dish. This ring of polska kielska only cost us $2.50 on sale. Since the only other ingredient is one can of cola, you can see how INEXPENSIVE this meal can be to feed four people!

Polska kielbasa is cut into 1" slices on yellow cutting mat.

Here is the polska kielbasa all sliced, and ready to go into a hot skillet!  See how very easy this is so far?

The polska kielbasa is all sliced and ready to cook!

Brown The Kielbasa

Cook the sliced polska kielbasa in a large skillet, on medium high heat. Cook until it starts to brown on all sides, stirring often. Make sure both sides of the sausage get lightly browned. Once the kielbasa is lightly browned on both sides, pour in 3/4 can of regular cola (NOT DIET!).

Cooking polska kielbasa slices in a large skillet until lightly browned.

Why Do I Have To Use REGULAR Cola And Not Diet Cola?

The reason you want to use REGULAR cola is because the sugar present in this drink is what caramelizes during cooking. This caramelization is what coats the polska kielbasa with a sweet n’ sticky glaze. This adds wonderful flavor to the sausage!

Cola is poured into skillet with polska kielbasa slices.

How Long Do I Cook The Polska Kielbasa?

Continue to cook the kielbasa and cola on medium heat, stirring often. Continue to cook until the sauce has reduced, thickened, and coated the sausage pieces with a syrupy glaze. There should be almost no liquid left in skillet, once done. This usually takes about 20 minutes to finish.

Sweet n' sticky polska kielbasa is cooked until cola caramelizes onto meat.

Now it’s ready to serve! See how shiny that kielbasa looks? It’s that yummy sweet n’ sticky glaze coating each piece of the polska kielbasa. YUM.

Time To Eat Some Sweet n’ Sticky Kielbasa!

Serve this sweet n’ sticky polska kielbasa with mashed potatoes and a veggie, and you’ve got yourself a scrumptious, family-friendly dinner! Best part besides how it tastes? It is SO VERY EASY to double this recipe, in case you have a large family!

Close up photo of the sweet n' sticky polska kielbasa slices on plate.

Hope you’ll try this sweet n’ sticky polska kielbasa dish. Everyone I’ve made it for always loves it!  It REALLY tastes good, and is very convenient to fix when you don’t want to mess with a long, complicated recipe after a long day! If you enjoy polska kielbasa, be sure and check out my recipes for Apricot Pineapple Kielbasa Bites and Smoked Sausage Veggie Rice Skillet! It’s really good, too!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will come back again soon. Be sure to check out ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. Have a GREAT day!

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe! 

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest:
The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Author's signature

Original Recipe Source: Kevin (Kip) Ecton

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0 from 0 votes
Sweet N' Sticky Polska Kielbasa
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Sweet n' Sticky Polska Kielbasa only has TWO ingredients, and is an EASY and delicious family friendly recipe, using pork or beef kielbasa sausage!
Category: Dinner, Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: polska kielbasa
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 393 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 pound package polska kielbasa (beef or pork)
  • 9 ounces cola (3/4 of 12 ounce can) (regular, sweetened cola, NOT diet!)
Instructions
  1. Slice the entire kielbasa into 1/2 inch wide slices. Place them in a skillet and sauté on medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the both sides of the kielbasa begin to lightly brown.

  2. Pour 3/4 of the can of cola into the skillet (total of 9 ounces). Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has reduced, thickened, and glazed the meat (about 20 min.). All the liquid should be gone from the skillet.

  3. Remove kielbasa from skillet and serve hot, alongside a serving of mashed potatoes and a veggie. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Sweet N' Sticky Polska Kielbasa
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 393 Calories from Fat 288
% Daily Value*
Fat 32g49%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 79mg26%
Sodium 995mg43%
Potassium 268mg8%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 16g32%
Vitamin C 1.2mg1%
Calcium 14mg1%
Iron 1.7mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Sweet n' Sticky Polska Kielbasa only has TWO ingredients, and is an EASY and delicious family friendly recipe, using pork or beef kielbasa sausage!

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PeachBerry Smoothie

A PeachBerry Smoothie is a cold and creamy, peach, raspberry, boysenberry, almond milk and yogurt fruit drink that tastes great any time!
PeachBerry Smoothie is a cold and creamy, peach, raspberry, boysenberry, almond milk and yogurt filled fruit drink that tastes great any time of day!

Summer. Heatwave. Hot!  Making a delicious, creamy, ice cold PeachBerry Smoothie beverage to enjoy drinking and cooling down with…priceless!

I sure enjoy a cold, refreshing drink on a really hot summer day, don’t you? When you finally get tired of drinking large amounts of ice water or cold iced tea, how about making a really good tasting peachberry smoothie?

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

The Search Begins… In The Refrigerator!

The quest for to create this smoothie began as most of mine do…scouring the contents of our refrigerator or fruit basket to see what we had available. During this scavenging for ingredients I came up with a couple of ripe peaches, some raspberries and some amazingly delicious boysenberries (can substitute blackberries).

These sounded like the beginning of a great peachberry smoothie to me, so I gathered the rest of the necessary ingredients and whipped a couple smoothies up for my husband and myself. Pretty tasty, if I might say so!

How To Make This PeachBerry Smoothie

Let’s hear it for the stars of this delicious fruit smoothie: Fresh peaches, raspberries and boysenberries. How can you go wrong with these sweet and delicious fruit ingredients?

Fresh peaches, raspberries and boysenberries ready for smoothie

Now add some vanilla flavored Greek yogurt and cinnamon to the fruit in the blender. This will help make the peachberry smoothie nice and creamy, plus add some protein!

Vanilla yogurt and cinnamon for smoothie added to peaches in blender

The next thing to do is add vanilla almond milk to the mix. Give it all a good blending until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Throw in some crushed ice to make it really cold and thick, and blend well until combined. Now you have an absolutely delicious, creamy peachberry smoothie!

Almond milk and yogurt added to peaches and berries in blender

Time To Enjoy A PeachBerry Smoothie!

I still think it’s weird that the color of the berries overtakes the beautiful orange color of the peaches. Oh well. This peachberry smoothie may not LOOK like it is full of fresh peaches, but it is, and it has lots of peach flavor!

Spoonful of fresh peachberry smoothie in glass with straw

This yummy peachberry smoothie is wonderfully refreshing. With the addition of Greek yogurt for a protein punch and in season fresh fruit, how can you not love this delicious drink? Hope you will give this recipe a try. I’m pretty sure you’ll love it! Have a wonderful day, and please come back again soon. 

Looking For More FUIT SMOOTHIE Recipes?

If you enjoy fruit drinks similar to this peachberry smoothie, be sure and check out my other smoothie recipes, including Blueberry, Banana and Kale, Orange Julius (copycat), Peach Crumble, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Triple Berry Banana. These and ALL of my recipes from the blog can be found in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page.

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe! 

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest:
The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram:
jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
PeachBerry Smoothie
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

PeachBerry Smoothie is a cold and creamy, peach, raspberry, boysenberry, almond milk and yogurt filled fruit drink that tastes great any time of day!

Category: Beverage, Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: peachberry smoothie
Servings: 2 servings
Calories Per Serving: 180 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 ripe peaches , peeled, pitted, and sliced
  • 5-6 raspberries
  • 5-6 boysenberries (or blackberries)
  • 1 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup crushed ice
Instructions
  1. Peel, pit, and slice peaches.
  2. Puree first 6 ingredients in blender until well blended.
  3. Add crushed ice to blender. Blend until smooth.
  4. Serve in 2 glasses. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
PeachBerry Smoothie
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 180 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 6mg2%
Sodium 202mg9%
Potassium 553mg16%
Carbohydrates 32g11%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 29g32%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 540IU11%
Vitamin C 12.2mg15%
Calcium 331mg33%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!PeachBerry Smoothie is a cold and creamy, peach, raspberry, boysenberry, almond milk and yogurt filled fruit drink that tastes great any time of day!

 

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Ravioli With Mushrooms And Snap Peas

Ravioli with Mushrooms and Snap Peas is a unique and delicious pasta dish, flavored with Parmesan cheese, pistachios, fresh sage and lemon zest.Ravioli with Mushrooms and Snap Peas is a unique and delicious pasta dish, flavored with Parmesan cheese, pistachios, fresh sage and lemon zest.

We’ve been experiencing a bit of a heat wave here in the Pacific Northwest.  I’ve been avoiding turning on our oven at all costs, to keep our kitchen cool. We’ve been grilling almost all of our dinners outside!  Last week I decided to try a new meatless recipe for Ravioli with Mushrooms and Snap Peas! Thankfully no oven was necessary, because this dish was made on our stove top.

My husband and I loved this ravioli with mushrooms, even with a few slight changes to the original recipe! I added additional Parmesan to the sauce, and used pistachios instead of hazelnuts, and regular milk instead of evaporated.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Use Packaged OR Homemade Cheese Ravioli For This Recipe

The recipe calls for a package of refrigerated ravioli. I always make my own from scratch, but know that buying fresh ravioli is a real timesaver. Either type of ravioli can be used flawlessly for this recipe. The original ravioli with mushrooms recipe was found on Pinterest, via Taste of Home magazine. It sure sounded good, so I set out to try it!

What is the verdict? A delicious, unique and filling main dish. The sauce on the ravioli with mushrooms is mild, yet full of flavor. I’ve never added snap peas to any pasta recipe before, but found the crunchy texture was a welcome addition to this dish, along with the fresh sage, lemon, mushrooms, and Parmesan cheese!

I Had Fun Making The Ravioli From Scratch!

Typically I make my own ravioli…so I did! I ended up making a batch of cheese/spinach ravioli for this recipe. See? I really made the ravioli from scratch, with the help of my handy dandy pasta machine. It’s lovingly referred to as my own little pasta making factory!

Homemade ravioli that I made to use in this dish.

It was fun to be able to use some of the fresh sage leaves from our garden in this recipe!

Fresh sage leaves from the garden add great flavor to the ravioli with mushrooms.

How To Make Ravioli With Mushrooms And Snap Peas

Cook the mushrooms, garlic and onions in a large skillet. They smell wonderful as they cook down and soften. These flavorful ingredients will be part of the sauce that tops the ravioli later on.

Cooking the mushrooms, garlic and onions for this dish.

Finely grated lemon peel and sliced sage leaves are prepped, and are now ready to season the sauce for the ravioli with mushrooms!

Grated lemon zest and sliced sage leaves to add to the sauce for the ravioli.

Cook The Mushrooms For The Sauce

Cook the mushrooms down, and now it’s starting to smell really good in the kitchen, because of the onions and garlic!

The mushrooms cook down a lot in the skillet.

The ingredients for the sauce have been added to the mushroom mixture. Now the lemon peel and the sage leaves are added to the sauce, for extra flavor!

Sauce and lemon zest is added to the mushrooms in the skillet.

Cook The Ravioli WITH The Snap Peas

Let the ravioli cook for just a few minutes in boiling water. Snap Peas (from our garden-yay!) cook in same water for a couple minutes, then they are drained.

I cooked the snap peas in the same pan as the cheese ravioli.

Add the cooked and drained raviolis and snap peas to the sauce in the skillet, and then gently mix it all together!

Ravioli with mushrooms and snap peas is heated through and ready to garnish, then seve.

Serve The Ravioli With Mushrooms And Snap Peas

And now it is time to dish this meal up!  We sure think it looks good enough to eat! Chopped pistachios and grated Parmesan cheese make a great garnish for the ravioli with mushrooms!

Finished ravioli with mushrooms is garnished with chopped pistachios and Parmesan cheese.

Here’s a close up look at these delicious ravioli with mushrooms! Yum!

A close up look at one of the cheese raviolis.

Hope you will give this great dinner with ravioli and mushrooms a try! I think you will really enjoy it! Have a GREAT day!

Looking For More PASTA Recipes?

You can find all of my pasta recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few pasta recipes you might want to check out are:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe! 

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest:
The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram:
jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signatureRecipe Adapted From: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/ravioli-with-snap-peas—mushrooms

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Ravioli With Mushrooms And Snap Peas
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Ravioli with Mushrooms and Snap Peas is a unique and delicious pasta dish, flavored with Parmesan cheese, pistachios, fresh sage and lemon zest.
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: ravioli with mushrooms
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 387 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 package (20 ounces) refrigerated cheese ravioli (or make your own!)
  • 1 pound fresh sugar snap peas , trimmed
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 pound (8 ounces) sliced fresh mushrooms (I used baby portobellas)
  • 3 shallots , finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves , minced
  • 2 cups milk (original recipe calls for evaporated milk - I used regular)
  • 8 fresh sage leaves , thinly sliced (or 2 teaspoons dried sage - I used fresh)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh finely grated lemon peel
  • 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (for sauce)
  • 1/4 cup shelled and chopped pistachios , for garnish (original recipe used roasted hazelnuts)
  • 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (for garnishing each dish)
Instructions
  1. Cook the ravioli per package instructions, in a large saucepan. During the last 3 minutes, add the sugar snap peas to the water. When done, drain pasta and snap peas.
  2. While the pasta cooks, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Cook this until the mushrooms become tender.
  3. Stir the milk, sage slices, grated lemon peel, lemon pepper, black pepper into the mushroom mixture; bring the ingredients to a boil. Add the 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for approximately 2-3 minutes or until sauce has thickened up a bit.
  4. Gently add the cooked and drained ravioli and snap peas to the sauce; gently mix to combine and heat through.
  5. When ravioli is hot, place portions on each serving plate. Garnish each serving with additional grated parmesan cheese, followed by chopped pistachios. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Ravioli With Mushrooms And Snap Peas
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 387 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 56mg19%
Sodium 625mg27%
Potassium 380mg11%
Carbohydrates 41g14%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 855IU17%
Vitamin C 35.8mg43%
Calcium 221mg22%
Iron 9mg50%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Ravioli with Mushrooms and Snap Peas is a unique and delicious pasta dish, flavored with Parmesan cheese, pistachios, fresh sage and lemon zest.

 

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Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie is a DELICIOUS classic diner-style dessert, made entirely from scratch, without pudding mix or canned ingredients! Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie is a DELICIOUS classic diner-style dessert, made entirely from scratch, without pudding mix or canned ingredients!There’s just something about a slice of an old-fashioned banana cream pie…this is the “old school” way to make a great pie, made from scratch, without using pudding mixes or any of the modern pie filling products on the market. Try it… it’s EASY and amazing!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Where I Found This Recipe

This is a recipe I found on Food.com. It was first published in 2001. It’s completely EASY to put together, especially if you use a purchased pie crust! Banana cream pie is pretty inexpensive to make, and tastes like the old-fashioned pies my Mom used to make! You know, the kind you get at a great 50’s diner. Yum!

I’ve made this pie a few times over the years, and it really is delicious! If you like bananas, you will go ape for this banana cream pie! Really can’t believe I actually wrote that last sentence – keeping it classy, ha ha!

Buy Pie Crust Or Make Your Own

You can either make your own pie crust (as shown below), OR you can buy a 9″ frozen pie crust and pre-bake it, before adding the banana cream pie filling!

Making pie crust dough in a food processor.

Pie crust dough is processed until it comes together in a ball.

For me, it’s easy to make my homemade pie crust since I’ve been making it the same way my Mom made it for years! Roll out the prepared crust, line the pie pan with it, and form the crust. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough with the tines of a fork. Pre-bake the crust, and then let it cool.

Pie crust dough is rolled out into a large circle on floured surface.

Dough for pie is put into pie plate, crust is formed, and dough is pricked with fork.

Fill The Banana Cream Pie

The banana cream pie filling is cooked from scratch (it’s quite easy). The ingredients are cooked on the stove top in one pan. The simple filling is cooked until it thickens, and then it is set aside to cool. Once the pie crust has baked and cooled, it is time to create the pie.  Line the baked pie crust shell with fresh banana slices.

Cove all of the banana slices in the pie with the creamy custard-like pie filling. Spread the filling out to evenly fill the pie crust. There you have it! You just made a banana cream pie from scratch!

Serve The Banana Cream Pie

Place the banana cream pie in the refrigerator until it is fully chilled. Once the filling has been refrigerated for at least 4 hours, it is ready to serve! Slice the pie into 8 servings. I like to serve each piece of pie garnished with a dollop of whipped cream and a fresh banana slice or two! Can you see the banana slices hiding out on the bottom of the crust?

Banana cream pie is served with dollop of whipped cream and banana slices.

YUM! This pie is filled with banana flavor! It is cold, creamy, and absolutely DELICIOUS! Hope you will give this recipe a try! With the heat wave we’re having in the Northwest right now, a cool slice of banana cream pie sounds pretty good! Enjoy!

Looking For More PIE Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a nice variety of pie recipes you might be interested in, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest:
The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram:
jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Have a GREAT day!

Author's signature

Recipe Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/old-fashioned-banana-cream-pie-14979

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0 from 0 votes
Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie is a DELICIOUS classic diner-style dessert, made entirely from scratch, without pudding or canned ingredients!
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: banana cream pie
Servings: 8 slices
Calories Per Serving: 332 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 9" pie crust , baked per pkg. instructions
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 egg yolks , room temp
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 ripe (but not mushy) bananas
Instructions
  1. Pre-bake the pie crust according to package directions OR pre-bake a homemade 9" pie crust according to recipe. Cool and set aside after baking.
  2. Place the milk in a large saucepan on the stove. SCALD the milk. (to scald milk simply means to heat the milk to just below the boiling point. Don't boil the milk or it may curdle).. Set aside.
  3. In a separate saucepan, mix together the sugar, flour and salt. Gradually stir in the scalded milk, stirring constantly as you add it in.
  4. Cook on medium heat; stir constantly and cook until mixture has thickened. Once thickened, cover the pan and cook an additional 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Set aside.
  5. Place the 3 egg yolks in a small bowl. Slightly beat the eggs with a fork or whisk, then stir a small amount of the hot mixture into the beaten yolks, stirring constantly as you add the hot liquid. (This is called "tempering" the egg yolks so they slowly warm up; this prevents the eggs from cooking when added to the hot mixture). When the egg yolks are thoroughly combined with the small amount of hot mixture, stir the egg yolks into the saucepan containing the hot mixture. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly.

  6. Remove pan from heat; blend in the butter and the vanilla extract. Once well combined, set the pan aside and let pie filling cool until it is lukewarm.
  7. While pie filling is cooling, slice the bananas. Line the bottom and sides of the pie crust with the banana slices.
  8. Pour the warm pie filling over the bananas. Refrigerate until ready to serve (at least 4 hours). When pie is completely chilled, serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top OR make and top with meringue made from the 3 remaining egg whites. Serve, and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 332 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 89mg30%
Sodium 227mg10%
Potassium 312mg9%
Carbohydrates 47g16%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 28g31%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 360IU7%
Vitamin C 3.9mg5%
Calcium 118mg12%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie is a DELICIOUS classic diner-style dessert, made entirely from scratch, without pudding mix or canned ingredients!

 

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Apple Pie Stuffed Won Tons

I love apple pie…I mean, really…who doesn’t? If you love apple pie, then I’m confident you will LOVE these Apple Pie Stuffed WonTons! All the yumminess of apple pie, in a bite-sized crispy treat!Won tons stuffed with apple pie filling, fried until crispy, then served with ice cream and caramel sauce is a fantastic family dessert!

Late last summer I went apple-picking for the very first time. I had apples coming out my ears after doing so, but was ecstatic to fill my freezer with apples, to make dehydrated apple chips (yum), bake pies for friends, and experiment a little with some recipe ideas. These apple pie stuffed won tons were another fun experiment!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

This recipe is one of the ideas I had, using some of the amazing apples I picked, (which were Gravenstein apples, by the way). I’d never even heard of or tried Gravenstein apples before, but… I’m not kidding, they were the best baking apples ever! (similar to a Granny Smith).

I can hardly wait to go again this year and pick a bunch more! Counting the days until the farm opens for apple-picking!

Big box of Gravenstein apples. Some were used to make apple pie stuffed won tons.

See? Here I am with the apples I just picked at a local U-Pick Orchard. I’ve got BIG plans for these Gravenstein apples!

I’ve used them to make a Dutch Crumb Apple Pie, an Apple Shortbread TartApple Butter, Apple Crumb Muffins, Mom’s Apple Cake, and Mini Apple Crisps, to name a few.

Woman smiling with a box of apples.

Are Apple Pie Stuffed Won Tons Difficult To Make?

The recipe is fairly straight forward and simple. Won tons are lightly “stuffed” with a fresh apple pie type-mixture, then fried quickly in hot oil, dusted with powdered sugar and garnished.

Here they are, hot out of the skillet, and lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Now the apple pie stuffed won tons are about to get “prettied up”!

Fried astuffed won tons, draining on paper towel

Garnish The Apple Pie Stuffed Won Tons To Serve

Anyway… this is a really delicious and easy recipe (it sounds harder than it really is). The dessert also look very appealing when you “pretty the apple pie stuffed won tons up”.

You can do this with some caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a fresh sprig of mint! YUM… they are soooo good!

Apple pie won tons on plate with ice cream and caramel sauce.

*FYI – Here’s an important tip, just so ya know… they are best if you serve them warm, right after cooking. If you try to save them for another day, they lose a lot of their crispiness.  If you like apple desserts, be sure to check out my recipes for Dutch Crumb Apple Pie, Apple Cobbler, and Apple Shortbread Tart…YUM!

Your family or dinner guests will love this dessert. It is simple in nature, but looks fabulous on the plate! I’m confident you will enjoy this sweet treat.  Hope you will give it a try!

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Have a GREAT day!

Author's signature

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Apple Pie Stuffed Won Tons
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Won tons stuffed with apple pie filling, fried until crispy, then served with ice cream and caramel sauce is a fantastic family dessert!
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple pie stuffed won tons
Servings: 12 won tons
Calories Per Serving: 46 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For WonTons:
  • 3 green apples (Gravenstein, Granny Smith), peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 12 WonTon wrappers (found in most grocery stores)
  • 2 cups Vegetable oil (enough to cover bottom of non-stick skillet with 1 inch of oil - about 2 cups)
For Garnish:
  • 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar (sifted, for garnish)
  • Caramel Sauce (optional, but great served with the wontons)
  • Vanilla ice cream (optional, but great served on the side)
  • Mint sprigs (optional, but makes finished dessert look "pretty")
Instructions
  1. To Make Filling: Put the chopped apples, water, cinnamon, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples have become soft, and the mixture is thick and bubbly. (this usually takes about 5-6 minutes). Remove from heat and let mixture cool.
  2. To assemble and cook WonTons: Remove a WonTon from wrapper carefully. Place on flat work surface, with corner point facing you (diamond shaped). Place approx. one Tablespoon of apple mixture into the center of the WonTon. Be sure to keep the edges of the WonTon wrapper free of apple filling, so the edges will seal.
  3. Using a pastry brush (or your fingers), lightly brush the edges of the WonTon with water (the water helps the edges to adhere to each other), pull half of the WonTon over the apple pie filling, and lightly crimp edges together (with the tines of a fork) to seal. Important! Make sure the edges are sealed... or the filling will spill out when you cook them!
  4. Heat oil to 375 degrees in a non-stick or electric skillet. When oil has reached temperature, carefully (HOT OIL!) place 3 or 4 WonTons at a time into the skillet. Fry for about a minute, or until the WonTon is golden brown, the carefully flip to the other side and cook until golden brown. When done, remove them to paper towels. Repeat process with remaining WonTons.
  5. Sift powdered sugar lightly over tops of warm WonTons.
  6. To serve finished WonTons: Drizzle caramel sauce onto individual serving plates. Place 3 WonTons on top of the caramel sauce. Garnish with a sprig of mint, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

Calories do not include the oil that is used to fry won tons.

Nutrition Facts
Apple Pie Stuffed Won Tons
Amount Per Serving (1 won ton)
Calories 46
% Daily Value*
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 46mg2%
Potassium 6mg0%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Sugar 5g6%
Vitamin A 10IU0%
Calcium 4mg0%
Iron 0.3mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Won tons stuffed with apple pie filling, fried until crispy, then served with ice cream and caramel sauce is a fantastic family dessert!

 

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Apricot Mini Hand Pies

Apricot Mini Hand Pies (also known as fruit empañadas) are little hand-held miniature fruit pies, with a sweet apricot filling inside. Delicious!Apricot Mini Hand Pies (also known as fruit empañadas) are little hand-held miniature fruit pies, with a sweet apricot filling inside. Delicious!
One of the most vivid memories I have of my maternal grandmother is seeing her standing by the stove, cooking fried fruit pies for our family (apple, apricot, peach, etc.) Yum!  I especially enjoy these little Apricot Mini Hand Pies when I want just a little taste of something yummy.

My grandma was from east Texas, so I just assumed little fried pies were a very “Southern” thing that all Southern grandmas cooked. Well, it’s not just a Southern thing, but this recipe for Apricot Mini Hand Pies takes me right back to those happy, carefree childhood days long ago. My Grandma passed away many years ago at age 99, but sweet memories of her live on!

I decided to make some little apricot hand pies one day, for no good reason, except they sounded good, I had all the ingredients, and I was thinking of my Grandma.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Another Name For Mini Hand Pies

I love little fried pies. They are sometimes called “Empanadas”, which are typically a Spanish or Latin pastry turnover, filled with a variety of ingredients and baked or fried. They are usually filled with savory ingredients like meats and onions, but there are also many varieties of fruit-filled empanadas.

THIS is one of THOSE fruit-filled empanada (or fried pie) recipes, utilizing dried apricots that are available at most grocery stores. If you enjoy little fruit-filled pastries like this, you will also love my recipe for blackberry air fryer handpies, or  apple pie stuffed won tons!

Making Apricot Mini Hand Pies Is Very Easy!

The apricot filling only has 5 ingredients. For the pastry, you can either make your own favorite pie crust recipe (this is what I do), or start with pre-made pie crust dough purchased at your local grocery store. Whatever works best for you.

The pie crust is rolled out thin, then cut into small circles (about 3 inches wide – you can use a biscuit cutter or a drinking glass to cut the dough out).

A very small amount of the prepared filling is placed in the middle of the dough circle, then the edges are sealed, crimped, and the little filled fruit pies are fried in hot oil until golden brown. That’s it!

Ten apricot mini hand pies on green doily on plate, ready o eat!
How Many Apricot Mini Hand Pies Will This Recipe Make?

I can usually get about 10-12 of these mini-fried pies made out of two pie crusts. You can use your favorite pie crust recipe (seems like everyone has their favorite) or you can use the one I use for all my pies (see link below).

Hope you will give these apricot mini hand pies a try. They’re yummy little treats…bite-sized, and perfect for munching! Don’t have a clue where the recipe came from for the apricot filling (maybe my Grandma?). I’ve had it for years and years, written on a 3×5 index card. The pie crust recipe is from my Mom (DIY-Mom’s Pie Crust).

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest:
The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram:
jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

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Apricot Mini Hand-Pies
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Apricot Mini Hand Pies (also known as fruit empañadas) are little hand-held miniature fruit pies, with a sweet apricot filling inside. Delicious!
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apricot mini hand pies
Servings: 10 servings
Calories Per Serving: 256 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 4 ounces dried apricots
  • 1/8 cup cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 Pie Crust Dough (for 2 crusts)
  • Vegetable oil for frying (enough to cover the bottom of skillet 1" deep)
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan, cook dried apricots in 1/4 cup water, until tender and soft.

  2. Add cornstarch, sugar, salt, and butter to pan. Mix well with the apricots. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes or until mixture has thickened.  Add additional water, if needed, to thin mixture out a bit.

  3. Once mixture thickens, remove it from heat. Pour into a small bowl, cover and chill completely. Once chilled completely, make the pastry dough and roll out on a lightly floured work surface. Using a biscuit cutter or a glass, cut 3 inch circles out of dough.

  4. Spoon about a Tablespoonful of the filling into the center of one half of the dough. Do not overfill or fill to the edges or the filling will run out while you are crimping the edges!

  5. Once pastry circles have been filled, pull over half of the dough to cover the filling. You should now have a half circle of dough. Use a fork to "crimp" around the edges of the half circle to seal the two pieces of dough together. This is very important, or the apricot filling will leak out while cooking!

  6. Preheat oil to 375 degrees. When oil is very hot, carefully place fruit pies in skillet. Cook a couple of minutes on each side. The dough should be golden brown before you turn them or remove them from the pan. Drain fruit pies on paper towels (to absorb extra oil). Making sure the oil in skillet is still very hot, repeat the process until all hand-pies are done cooking. Let hand-pies cool slightly (they will be hot inside!), then serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Apricot Mini Hand-Pies
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 256 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 3mg1%
Sodium 179mg8%
Potassium 164mg5%
Carbohydrates 40g13%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 21g23%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 445IU9%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 13mg1%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Apricot Mini Hand Pies (also known as fruit empañadas) are little hand-held miniature fruit pies, with a sweet apricot filling inside. Delicious!

 

 

 

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“Not Outta the Box” Macaroni And Cheese

“Not Outta The Box” Macaroni And Cheese is a delicious baked pasta dish, with creamy, cheesy sauce and a bread crumb topping."Not Outta The Box" Macaroni And Cheese is a delicious baked pasta dish, with creamy, cheesy sauce and a bread crumb topping.

Comfort food and macaroni and cheese go together like bad singing and Christmas caroling. Always good, no matter what! By the way,  I nominate this for the worst intro ever for “Not Outta The Box” Macaroni And Cheese”. You’re welcome…*cough, cough.

So, here’s the back story. I grew up in your typical, average, All-American household. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we were well-fed. Our Mom often fed us macaroni and cheese out of a lovely blue and gold box (go ahead – insert nationally known name brand here!), and we loved it!

Yes… we loved it…and I have to admit that my hubby and I occasionally STILL eat it when we want something quick cheesy. Truth. We can’t help ourselves, because it’s in our family genes, I guess. The recipe I am sharing is for a BAKED version of this creamy and very cheesy pasta dish.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Sometimes I crave a homemade version of those cheesy macaroni noodles and don’t want to use a box mix, filled with orange cheese-like substances. I wanna go full out and make it  FRESH! I found this easy and very tasty recipe on Pinterest (my “go to”) for quick recipe searches. We tried it, and loved it. End of story. Oh yeah…they all lived happily ever after, their little tummies filled with homemade “not outta the box” macaroni and cheese.

Bake And Serve “Not Outta The Box” Macaroni And Cheese

Now wasn’t that a nice little story? Well, here’s the nice little recipe. My photos of this dish are not some of my best, but don’t let that mess with your head. This is a great recipe for “not Outta The box” Macaroni And Cheese. Hope you enjoy it!

"Not Outta The Box" Macaroni and Cheese after it finished cooking.

Hope you enjoy this recipe. It really is good (despite my horrible photos).Thank you for stopping by, and have a great day.

Looking For More PASTA Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of great pasta recipes for you to enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest:
The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram:
jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: http://www.iheartnaptime.net/homemade-macaroni-and-cheese/

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"Not Outta the Box" Macaroni And Cheese
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

"Not Outta The Box" Macaroni And Cheese is a delicious baked pasta dish, with creamy, cheesy sauce and a bread crumb topping.

Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: macaroni and cheese
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 873 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. elbow macaroni noodles
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 cube) butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream (I used heavy)
  • 1 Tablespoon yellow table mustard
  • 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese , grated
  • 1 cup medium cheddar cheese , grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon creole seasoning (or you may substitute seasoning salt)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup additional grated cheddar cheese (to top dish with prior to baking)
  • 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (for topping - optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cook the elbow macaroni noodles according to package directions. Remove and drain once macaroni is cooked.
  3. In a separate large saucepan, melt the butter on low heat. When melted, whisk in the flour. Cook these two ingredients together for 3-4 minutes. Stir constantly while these are cooking.
  4. Add the salt, pepper and creole seasoning (or seasoning salt) to the flour mixture.
  5. Add the milk, whipping cream and mustard. Whisk these ingredients until they are well combined.
  6. Add the sharp and medium grated cheddar cheese. Stir these as they melt. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
  7. Add the drained macaroni to the cheese mixture; stir it to combine.
  8. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour the macaroni and cheese mixture into this dish. Add the additional cheese on top, followed by the bread crumbs.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and the dish is beginning to turn golden brown on top. Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition Facts
"Not Outta the Box" Macaroni And Cheese
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 873 Calories from Fat 450
% Daily Value*
Fat 50g77%
Saturated Fat 31g194%
Cholesterol 152mg51%
Sodium 1083mg47%
Potassium 210mg6%
Carbohydrates 70g23%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 1660IU33%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 781mg78%
Iron 2.4mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!"Not Outta The Box" Macaroni And Cheese is a delicious baked pasta dish, with creamy, cheesy sauce and a bread crumb topping.

 

 

 

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Watermelon, Lime & Mint Agua Fresca

Watermelon, Lime and Mint Agua Fresca is an all natural, flavor-filled, family friendly beverage sure to refresh those you love on a hot summer day!Watermelon, Lime and Mint Agua Fresca is an all natural, flavor-filled, family friendly beverage sure to refresh those you love on a hot summer day!

Temps are in the 90’s in the Pacific Northwest this week…so here’s a fantastic, delicious and healthy beverage to guzzle on a hot, summer day… Watermelon, Lime & Mint Agua Fresca!

This refreshing, fruity, delicious drink is perfect on a hot day! It only takes 4 ingredients (including water) to make an entire pitcher full! Yum. This refreshing drink is colorful and all natural, too! 

Lucky for me, we had a huge watermelon in the refrigerator begging to be eaten, a lime laying on the counter, and I grow fresh mint in our garden. How could I NOT make this on a blazing hot day?

The watermelon agua fresca recipe is super easy…and I’m telling you, it’s wonderful! I found the recipe on Pinterest, and am sure I will be making it many times this summer!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Watermelon used to make agua fresca!

How To Make Watermelon Agua Fresca

First you blend up the watermelon, a small bit of water, and lime juice, then you “muddle” (smash) some fresh peppermint into the watermelon juice. This releases the flavor of the mint.

The next thing you will need to do is strain out the peppermint leaves (optional- I did), and serve the drink over crushed ice! That’s it! Easy peasy and yummy! Here’s some pics and the detailed “how-to’s”:

Puree The Watermelon

Blend up the watermelon chunks with lime juice and water. You can do this step using a food processor or a blender. 

Strain the watermelon juice once blended to remove any wayward seeds that are hiding away in the puree.

Watermelon chunks are blended with lime juice and water into puree

Muddle The Mint Leaves For Flavor

Add fresh mint leaves to a small portion of the watermelon juice in a small container. I use a measuring cup for this.

I don’t think you will even break into a hard sweat doing this step… just sayin’.

Fresh mint leaves are added to a small amount of watermelon puree

Muddle or smash the leaves into the juice. I improvised and used the end of a wooden spoon to grind the leaves into the bottom of the cup.

The more you “smash” the leaves up, the more mint flavor will be released into the watermelon juice. That’s a GOOD thing!

Mint leaves are "muddled" into watermelon puree to release flavor

Time For Some Watermelon Agua Fresca!

Strain out the peppermint leaves from the juice (if desired). I have found I enjoy the watermelon agua fresca more if I strain out the crushed peppermint leaves.

All that said, to strain out the leaves or leave them in is ultimately YOUR CHOICE.

Pour the watermelon agua fresca over a cup filled with crushed ice. Garnish each drink with a tiny sprig of fresh peppermint leaves to make it look colorful and cute!

Watermelon agua fresca served over ice with fresh mint sprig

Now all you have to do is sit back, take a sip of this delicious watermelon agua fresca, and enjoy!

Watermelon Lime Mint Agua Fresca is ready to serve!

Hope you enjoy this cold, delicious and refreshing drink on a HOT day! It really is delicious and very refreshing!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you’ll come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a GREAT day!

Looking For More COLD BEVERAGE Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have other cold beverage recipes for you to enjoy, including:

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Author's signatureRecipe Source: Jennifer Chong at: http://blog.jchongstudio.com/2014/05/watermelon-lime-mint-agua-fresca.html

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
Watermelon, Lime and Mint Agua Fresca
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

Watermelon, Lime and Mint Agua Fresca is an all natural, flavor-filled, family friendly beverage sure to refresh those you love on a hot summer day!

Category: Beverage
Cuisine: American
Keyword: watermelon agua fresca
Servings: 5 servings
Calories Per Serving: 56 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 5 cups watermelon , cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
  • juice from 2 limes
Instructions
  1. Place the watermelon chunks, water and lime juice in a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Strain the watermelon puree into a pitcher. (straining helps to remove any wayward seeds).
  2. Remove about 1/2 cup of the watermelon puree and place it in a measuring cup. Add the mint leaves.
  3. With a wooden spoon "muddle" the juice and the mint leaves together to release flavor. Basically just smash the leaves (or grind them into the bottom of the cup) over and over. Strain the leaves out of the puree when done (optional - I did), and pour the puree back into the pitcher.
  4. Mix the juice well to combine, and serve over crushed ice. Garnish with a mint leaf, if desired.
  5. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Watermelon, Lime and Mint Agua Fresca
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 56
% Daily Value*
Sodium 4mg0%
Potassium 223mg6%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 1070IU21%
Vitamin C 21.5mg26%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Watermelon, Lime and Mint Agua Fresca is an all natural, flavor-filled, family friendly beverage sure to refresh those you love on a hot summer day!

 

 

 

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