Halloween/ Holidays/Parties/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Caramel Apple Biscuits

Fall has arrived and with it is some of my most favorite flavors, holidays & traditions! I love all things about fall– the changing colors of our midwest trees, lighting candles to cozy up on cool fall evenings, and both the color and the taste of caramel!

Halloween is the first fun fall holiday, and with it comes many traditions our family has participated in, old and new. It has hit hard lately how quickly time passes and I never realized until lately that some traditions are destined for change. As the years pass, our girls get older and some things that excited & brought joy to them years ago, just are not quite what they used to be!

Trick or treating is one of those things, and will only be done by our youngest this year, which is really hard to believe! The older two used to LIVE for Halloween, with the most anticipated moment being when they arrived back to our warm home & dumped their bags of candy out. They would immediately start sorting their candy, lining all the ‘likes’ together and trading out their least favorites. I loved watching it, their rosy cheeks puffed up from smiling so big (and also because they were so full of candy!)

{a recent family photo-2015}

This year, I will be home with my older two girls, Teagan & Colsie, while Todd takes Avery trick-or-treating. I will make a crockpot full of chili, which is our traditional Halloween meal. I do not like being in the kitchen on Halloween, so chili in the crockpot is a great way to be able to offer a warm, comforting meal to my family by making it earlier in the day.

I’ve been thinking about what I could make that was sweet for my older 2 girls who are home with me and not out gathering a bunch of candy. I wanted something easy & festive, and I did NOT want to be in the kitchen for very long. I wanted something that would make the house smell like fall and help us make a new traditions of being home together, passing out candy and eating a great dessert instead of trick-or-treating.

Since I did not want to make anything from scratch, and it IS a holiday after all, I have decided to make my girls Caramel Apple Biscuits using Pillsbury Grands®!

Pillsbury® has been part of a few of our past family traditions, from a family favorite Monkey Bread recipe that came from my aunt, to a Taco Ring recipe from a cousin of mine. Both recipes have been passed around and are favorites at family potlucks. It is only fitting for Pillsbury® to be a part of our new tradition!

When it comes to special occasions, I am totally at peace with taking shortcuts. These little Caramel Apple Biscuits were actually inspired by shortcake! A shortcut shortcake.

I did a little practicing on the recipe to make sure what was in my head would actually work, and boy, did it ever! It turned out beautiful and scrumptious. I think this sweet will be the perfect follow-up to our spicy chili dinner.

I went to Wal-Mart and took advantage of all things store-bought to keep this recipe short and sweet! I grabbed Pillsbury Grands® Buttermilk Biscuits, some already-made apple pie filling, some caramel bits for melting, and whipped cream. I had butter on hand for coating the tops of the biscuits. This little step made me very happy, as I am a big salted caramel lover, and the saltiness of the butter and the biscuits give this recipe a nice salty/sweet balance. It is so good.

It took no time at all to put together, and I think my girls will be quite impressed with how sophisticated it looks. Their palates and tastes have become pretty mature, which I love because they appreciate pretty food that has a variety of flavors and textures.

This recipe certainly has a variety of flavors and textures, with the cinnamon-y apples, the tender biscuits with salty-buttery tops, the ooey- gooey caramel drizzled all over, and the creamy whipped cream. It is key to serve it up warm which keep the soft gooey factor to a maximum! It is super shortcut easy, and really delicious — and I can’t wait to serve this new tradition to my girls on Halloween night!

Caramel Apple Biscuits

{a no recipe, recipe}

1 Roll Pillsbury Grands!® Buttermilk Biscuits, warm from the oven

1 can apple pie filling, warmed up a bit

1 pkg. caramel melting bits or plain caramel’s, melted

Whipped cream

Cube of butter

Bake:

Bake the Pillsbury Grands!® Buttermilk Biscuits according to package directions. Remove from oven and immediately rub tops of biscuits with the cube of butter.

Assemble:

~Cut the buttered biscuit in half. Add a scoop of warm apple pie filling to the bottom part of the biscuit.

~Drizzle with melted caramel. Note: You may need to thin with some milk and stir well until drizzle consistency. I melted mine in the microwave.

~Add the top biscuit.

~Top with a dollop of whipped cream.

~Drizzle the whole thing, including the plate, with more caramel.

~Serve warm

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What is your favorite holiday tradition?

{my youngest, Avery, last year in her ‘nerd’ costume, which she made by herself!}

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury. The opinions and text are all mine.

FUN/DIY/ Holidays/Parties/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Apple S’mores

My in-laws have the best fire pit, and we have used it more than once the last few weeks. There is nothing like the smell of fire in air and seeing marshmallows puff up and turn golden that gets me more excited about fall. Ok, maybe the smell of chili, but, naw…s’mores win!

This Apple S’more is a version that is a favorite with my family. My sister-in-law’s mother learned to do this in girl scouts, and boy am I glad she did! It really is a great way to have a s’more. It adds some great texture and makes me feel good that we are having a bit of fiber with all that sugar! All you need to do is substitute apple for graham crackers.

Want to know a way to take this even up a notch? Instead of Hershey’s chocolate bars, use a large Reese’s Peanut Butter cup. Oh man. It is awesome! It is like you are eating an apple dipped in peanut butter and chocolate and marshmallow–oh my!

Isn’t it a pretty pit? Our friend Michael, author of Koinoia, knows how to build a wicked fire. He built the one above for us during my daughter’s birthday party. See the cross in it? Fitting, for he is a Godly man.

Holidays/Parties/ RECIPES/ Sides

Cranberry Apple Citrus Vinaigrette & Eating Plant Strong During The Holidays

Keeping my food intake plant strong during the holidays is a little bit challenging, but not impossible.

How do I plan on doing it?

1. I’m not going to stress about it.

2. I plan on indulging a bit.

3. I will start my day with a green smoothie, which will give me a big head start on getting my fruit and vegetable servings in, provide all my protein needed for the day, and get in my Omega’s from chia.

4. Most of our Christmas celebrations are pot-luck style, where everyone brings a dish to share, so I am planning on making one that is plant strong, to load my plate with and share with others.

{Green Smoothie}

I have decided not to stress about small amounts of dairy and sugar, and just enjoy what the season is about. I am focusing on getting in my servings of plants each day, and as long as I do that, having a bit of junk along with it seems just fine. I do notice that I don’t feel too well when I do indulge in foods I am not used to eating (sweets, meat and cheese), so that keeps my portion sizes to a minimum, which is not a bad thing.

One way I plan on keeping plant strong, especially during our FIVE Christmas celebrations coming up, is by bringing a dish that is mostly green. I want it to be delicious and festive, one that everyone can enjoy, but I also want it to be one I can fall back on, one that I can fill the majority of my plate with, leaving less room for foods that won’t make me feel very good. The below recipe of Cranberry Apple Citrus Vinaigrette, drizzled on a salad of greens, fruit and nuts is the perfect dish to bring in my opinion!

Another reason I choose to bring a plant strong dish is that I never want to put extra stress on my hostesses due to my different eating habits. It is amazing what I can find at a potluck- style dinner that is plant strong, as long as I do not stress about small amounts of food that I usually do not eat.

{Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies}

I have been surprised at how letting go of a few of our family traditions involving junk food has been just fine this year. We have plenty left that do involve tastes of the season, so my kids are not even missing my traditional “Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies.” Neighbors and my husbands co-workers have kept some yummy treats in our home, which we love. This frees me to “just say no” to doing my own traditional Christmas baking. We did make our traditional sugar cookies, but I kept it very simple and minimal by buying a kit from Trader Joes, which made just enough to enjoy for one evening! Love that, no leftovers to tempt us.

So what green recipe am I planning on bringing to at least 2 of our Christmas celebrations?

A Salad of Greens,

Topped with Candied Pecans from Trader Joes, Apples, Pears, Clementines and Dried Cranberries,

Drizzled with Cranberry Apple Orange Vinaigrette! Delish!!

Cranberry Apple Orange Vinaigrette

{this recipe is from Oh She Glows}

Cranberry, maple, apple, and clementine make one lovely stand-out holiday dressing. This festive cranberry dressing is sweet with a light tangy aftertaste. Feel free to use more or less maple syrup to adjust to your own taste buds. You can also use any type of sweet citrus that you prefer.

Yield: just over 1 and 1/4 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup, or adjust to taste
1.5 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp fresh clementine or orange juice (or use bottled)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a medium pot, heat the cranberries, maple syrup, and vinegar over medium heat until the cranberries burst, about 7-10 mins.

2. Slightly cool cranberry mixture and place in a blender along with the rest of the ingredients (except salt and pepper). Blend until smooth. Now add salt, 1/4 tsp at a time, to taste. Blend again. Adjust other ingredients to taste if necessary. You may want more maple syrup than I used. I liked this dressing with a bit of tart aftertaste to really let the cranberries shine. Place in fridge to chill. Should keep in fridge in an air-tight container for up to 5-7 days.

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Yum! I made this as part of our Thanksgiving dinner and it was a big hit.

I do think my nephews are going to miss my famous Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Lil’ Smokies, but I just can’t bring myself to handle all that raw meat. I am out of practice!

What are you thoughts on eating healthy through the holidays?

Brunch/ RECIPES

Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Oatmeal

If you have read many posts here at New Nostalgia, you will know that I have a thing for oatmeal. I have oats almost every morning. I love how filling and nutritious they are. I like ’em cold in the summer (overnight chia oatmeal pudding) and hot in the winter, just like my coffee!

{I miss them already}

My sister, Laurie from Beauty Divine, and her boy came to visit last week and I made them Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Oatmeal. My sister loved it and called me for the recipe the minute she got home. I told her I would post it, so here it is!

Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Oatmeal
Serves 2.

1 cup water
1 cup milk or milk substitute (I used almond)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
pinch nutmeg
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 cup oats
1 apple, sliced thinly, then chopped

Sweetener of choice-I drizzle with real maple syrup
Pat of butter or butter substitute (I use Earth Balance) (optional)
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Bring water, milk, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg & cranberries to a boil. Add oats. Stir and reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add thinly sliced apples. I use a mandolin, then do a rough chop. This makes them small enough for the hot oats to soften them just enough. Drizzle with maple syrup or sprinkle with brown sugar.

Cinnamon Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal

Overnight Breakfast Chia Oat Pudding

2 Minute Steel Cut Oats

What’s your favorite way to eat oats?

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