Apple Cider Apple Cups

I saw the post on Gimme some Oven for cups made out of apples (!!!) and HAD to make these.  Seriously, you cut open apples and put in some homemade (or store-bought if you want) apple cider.  Genius.  Hot apple cider on a cold day, snuggled up on the couch, is one version of paradise.  You can also try putting caramel in these apple cups and serving apple slices to dip into it (Genius again!).  Here's a link on how to do the caramel apple thing.  It's on my to-make list once my son is old enough for that sort of treat (9 months is a little early for both sugar and crunchy food though).  These apple cups are not only edible when you're done, but super-cute, fun, and different.  Try making some for a party or just because.

Ingredients:
Apples
Apple Cider (Homemade, or Store-bought)
Lemon Juice
Cinnamon Sticks

Directions:

1. Cut tops off of apples and set aside.

2.  Use a paring knife to cut around the edge of the apple to make a "rim," about 1/4"-1/2" inch thick.

3.  Using a spoon, or melon-baller, scoop out the meat of the apple.  Brush a little lemon juice inside the apple to keep it from browning.

3.  If your apple sits lopsided, feel free to shave/cut a little bit off the bottom (as long as you don't cut through the apple for obvious leakage reasons).
4.  Fill with cider, add a cinnamon stick and Enjoy!!

Homemade Apple Cider

Hot apple cider is perfect on chilly fall and winter nights.  I had never tried making my own apple cider before, but saw a recipe (from my Pinterest obsession) on gimme some oven for apple cider served in apples and decided I had to try not only to make my own cider, but also to serve Hot Apple Cider in Apple Cups.
Plus, our home was just begging to be filled with the amazing smells of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, apples, and oranges.
So, I decided to modify the recipe I saw and go to the store to get my first cheesecloth (yep, first timer).  My main modification to the recipes I found is in terms of sugar.
[Aside: I figure that fruit is sweet enough and I don't like sugary juices, so why make a juice with sugar?  I included the optional sweetener and amounts in the ingredients, just in case you do want to make it with extra sugar.  However, I usually buy no-sugar-added juices, made with fruit only.  So, naturally, that is what I am making at home.]
The results were awesome and we enjoyed our homemade cider snuggled up on the couch.

Ingredients:
12 Medium Apples
1 Orange
4 Cinnamon Sticks
1 ts. Ground Cloves
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Allspice
Cheesecloth, or other fine strainer
Optional:
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar, Stevia, or other all-natural sweetener (or brown sugar if you want to use sugar).  Most recipes call for 1/2 cup to 1 cup sugar, so if you want it sweeter, go right on ahead.

Directions:
1.  Wash and cut apples and oranges into quarters (leave in stems/seeds/skin/etc).  Place in large stockpot.
2.  Add in cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice (and sugar/sweetener if you prefer).  Cover with water, filling the pot nearly to the top (minus 2-3 inches).

3.  Bring to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 1 hour.  Feel free to stir or mash (with a masher) or squeeze (with tongs), the fruit occasionally.
4.  Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 more hours. Feel free to stir or mash (with a masher) or squeeze (with tongs), the fruit occasionally.
5.  Discard fruit from pot.  Filter the juice through a fine strainer (recommend a cheesecloth) and store in pitcher.

Serve hot with a cinnamon stick (cuddly blanket optional).

Enjoy!

Skinny Strawberry Banana Muffins

The inspiration for these muffins was that it was time for breakfast and I was hungry.  I had some over-ripe bananas on my kitchen counter and a bag of frozen strawberries in the freezer just waiting to be used.  So, I searched a little bit online and found some recipes for Strawberry Banana Muffins.  I used Joy of Baking's recipe, but modified it a bit to make it a little healthier.  My version uses less butter, some applesauce, adds in whole-wheat flour, and uses a partial sugar substitute.  And they still taste awesome.
Serve these pretty muffins for a quick grab 'n go breakfast, an anytime-snack, as dessert, or for a party.

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup (1/2 Stick) Light Butter, Softened
1/4 Cup Applesauce
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Agave Nectar (or substitute brown/white sugar if you don't have this)

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 Cup Ripe Bananas, Mashed (about 3 Bananas)
1 lb. Frozen or Fresh Strawberries, Cut into Bite-Size Pieces

3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 1/2 Cups Whole-Wheat Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Line a muffin pan with paper liners (or you can spray the muffin cups directly with non-stick cooking spray.
3.  In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Fold in the strawberries (coating them in the flour helps prevent sinking while baking).
4.  With your Kitchenaid, or other mixer, combine the butter, applesauce, brown sugar, and agave until well-combined.  Mix in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla and the bananas.  Thoroughly mix.
5.  Slowly mix the strawberry-flour mixture in with the wet mixture.  Don't overmix.
6.  Pour batter into muffin cups.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack and Enjoy!

Makes 12 Regular-Sized Muffins or 6 Jumbo-Muffins or 24 Mini-Muffins.

Freezer-Friendly: After baking and cooling, place muffins in a dated/labeled freezer bag.  Remove as much air as possible and freeze for up to 3 months.  To defrost, pop back into muffin pan and bake at 350 until warm, or defrost slightly in microwave.

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

More autumnal recipes!  I'm all about fresh, local, and organic ingredients (as I'm sure you know by now) and just bought a bunch of apples and squash for making baby food.  And again, I had plenty of leftovers, so I decided to come up with another fall soup.  Like my Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup recipe, this recipe is pretty simple in terms of number of ingredients and directions.
I looked around at a few different websites, and found a few different recipes for squash and apple soup.  Inspiration came from recipes by Food Network's Ina Garten and Emeril Lagasse.
I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash, Halved Lengthwise, Seeds/pulp removed
2 Apples (Granny Smith, McIntosh are good, but I actually used Fuji)

2 Cups Chicken Stock

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp. Minced Onion
1 1/2 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Black Pepper
Sour Cream, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place squash halves, skin side up, in glass baking dish.  Pour water, so about 1" sits in dish.  Place in oven for 40-50 minutes, or until squash is tender.
2.   Meanwhile, peel and core apples.  Slice and place in stockpot with chicken stock.  Set aside.
3.  In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the minced garlic and onion.  Cook about 4-5 minutes.

3.  Add the onion and garlic mixture to the stockpot.  Bring to boil and stir for about 5-7 minutes, or until apples are tender.  Reduce heat to low.  Add in chili powder and black pepper.

4.  Remove squash from oven, flip squash over and scrape out the "meat."  Add all of the squash to the apple stockpot mixture.  Discard squash skins.
5.  Using a blender or immersion blender, puree the ingredients (you may need to work in batches).

Serve warm with a spoonful of sour cream in the middle.  Enjoy!

Freezer-Friendly:  You can also put this soup in dated/labeled freezer-bags and store in your freezer for up to 3 months.