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Coming up this week at Jam Hands is a week of recipes from the Rainbows & Ponies birthday party my daughter had for her 5th birthday. Enjoy the cuteness!

Apple Week is coming to an end today and I've got a sweet and unique dessert for you to try. Refreshing Apple Tapioca Pudding. Some of you may be giving me skeptical looks right now, but trust me, it really is delicious. Using applesauce is the shortcut here and you could even get creative with your flavors if you used a strawberry or other fruit flavored applesauce instead of regular sweetened applesauce.

Refreshing Apple Tapioca Pudding
Makes 4-6 servings

• 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 cup sweetened applesauce
• garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon

1. Put the 6 first ingredients in a heavy saucepan.  Cook at medium heat, stirring constantly, about 15 minutes or until it thickens. (Note: I only had to cook my tapioca for about 2 minutes before it was completely thickened. I'm not sure if this was a difference in styles of tapioca, but be sure to watch yours and use your best judgement for cooking time). Let cool to room temperature.

2. Add the applesauce and whisk.

3. Put in indivudual dessert dishes and put in the fridge at least 2 hours.

4. Serve cold with whipped cream and cinnamon on top.

Note: It's important to stir constantly if you don't want your tapioca to stick together.

Recipe from Food.com

It is the final day of Apple Week. I hope you found lots of tasty apple recipes to try. Here are the final Roundups. Enjoy!


From top left:

• Caramel Apple Milky Way Cheesecake Bars at Inside BruCrew Life
• Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Pops at Bakeaholic Mama (Recipe coming soon)
• Apple and Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Caramel Pecan Frosting at Jam Hands
• Apple Pie Fudge at Shugary Sweets
• Cinnamon Streusel Apple Pizza at Bake Your Day
• Apple Walnut Pull-Apart Bread at Six Sisters' Stuff
• Apple Spice Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting at Sally's Baking Addiction
• Apple Pie Cheesecake Gingersnap Trifle at Shaken Together
• Apple Pie Danish at Chocolate, Chocolate and More
• Spiced Apple and Banana Bundt Cake with Vanilla Caramel Glaze at Averie Cooks
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake at A Pumpkin & A Princess
• Caramel Apple Cinna-Minis at Crumbs and Chaos

• Apple Almond Pastries 
• Acorn Squash with Apple & Sausage Stuffing with Apple Glaze
• Sweet & Spicy Apple and Pecan Coleslaw

From top left:

• Apple and Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Caramel Pecan Frosting
• Refreshing Apple Tapioca Pudding
• Apple Bacon Cheddar Melts with Roasted Red Onion Mayo

From top left:

• Caramel Apple Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting at Bakeaholic Mama
• Caramel Apple Truffles at Shugary Sweets
• Crockpot Applesauce at Crumbs and Chaos
• Fried Apples at Chocolate, Chocolate and More
• Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls at Shaken Together
• Apple Cider Whoopie Pies with Red Hot Cinnamon Frosting at Inside BruCrew Life

From top left:

• Apple Stuffed Pork Chops with Herbed Gravy at Shugary Sweets
• Caramel Apple Granola Bars at Inside BruCrew Life
• Brown Sugar Cinnamon Apple Dip at Chocolate, Chocolate & More
• Cinnamon Streusel Apple Pizza at Bake Your Day
• Apple Jelly Meatballs at Shaken Together
• Apple Pie Salsa at Crumbs and Chaos

• Mini Caramel Apple Cheesecakes at A Pumpkin & A Princess
• Dutch Apple Pumpkin Crisp at Crumbs and Chaos
• No Bake Apple Pie Cheesecakes at Shugary Sweets
• Quick Apple Crisp at Chocolate, Chocolate & More
• Apple Bags & Snack Cups at Shaken Together
• Toffee Apple Pie Cookies at Inside BruCrew Life

From top left:

• Spiced Apple and Banana Bundt Cake with Vanilla Caramel Glaze at Averie Cooks
• Apple Spice Muffins with Caramel Glaze at Shurgary Sweets
• Apple Pie Cheesecake Parfaits at Inside BruCrew Life
• Apple Crisp at Bakeaholic Mama
• Caramel Apple Munch mix at Shaken Together
• Apple Spice Cupcakes  with Slated Caramel Frosting at Sally's Baking Addiction

Next up for Apple Week is a side dish that is unique and super tasty. Lots of crunch, sweetness and a touch of heat make up this delicious coleslaw. I actually skipped the shredded carrots as you can see, but feel free to add them in for more color if you prefer.

Sweet and Spicy Apple & Pecan Coleslaw
Makes 6-8 servings

• 2 pounds shredded green cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup diced or thinly sliced green apple
• 1 cup pecans, chopped if desired
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
• 1/4 cup mustard
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar 
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl, toss vegetables, apple and pecans together.

2. In another medium bowl, prepare the coleslaw  dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, sugar, black pepper, and cayenne. Toss dressing with the cabbage mixture, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover with plastic wrap  and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Adapted from The Neelys

Know what I love about pastries? They are a dessert that you eat for breakfast. In this case, made even more acceptable because they have fruit! The fruit makes a pastry healthy, right? Right!


Apple Almond Pastries
Makes 8 large pastries

• 2 sheets puff pastry
• 4 apples, cored, peeled and sliced thin

Filling:

• 1 can almond paste, broken into pieces
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar

Egg wash:

• 1 beaten egg + 1 Tbsp. water

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• milk (enough to get to desired consistency)
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Optional currant glaze:

• 1/2 cup red currant jelly, warmed in microwave until very thin

1. Prepare almond paste: In a food processor add the filling ingredients and pulse until combined. Set aside. Prepare apples if you have not done so.

2. Preheat oven to 400-f degrees. Roll puff pastry sheets into 10"x10" squares. Cut each sheet into four squares. Lay pastry dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper on top of your baking sheet. Spread filling diagonally across puff pastry sheets. Add a layer of sliced apples. Fold over two corners, dabbing a bit of water on the bottom corner ends so they stick together. Brush pastries with prepared egg wash.

3. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. While pastries are baking, prepare the powdered sugar glaze. Remove from oven to cool. Glaze apples with red currant jelly if using, then glaze with prepared powdered sugar glaze.

Onward to day three for Apple Week! I saw this recipe for Apple and Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Caramel Pecan Frosting at Jenny Bakes. It is the essence of Fall flavors in a bundt cake. A moist, spicey cake is mixed with a cream cheese filling, then over the top is a sweet caramel frosting studded with pecans.

Note: The topping for this is quite fussy. When the recipe says to immediately pour the frosting over the cake, please do that! I waited a few minutes too long and it became impossible to pour over the cake and was difficult to work with. Some have had feedback that the topping was more of a glaze, and some have said it was more thick. The longer you let it sit in the pan after preparing the frosting, the thicker it gets.

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Next up for Apple Week is a delicious savory and sweet recipe for Acorn Squash with Apple & Sausage Stuffing with Apple Glaze. It combines some great fall flavors. I will admit I loved this recipe and that I snarfed this. I snarfed it hard.


Note: If you would like to skip making the apple glaze, you could substitute maple syrup for the glaze.

Acorn Squash with Apple & Sausage Stuffing with Apple Glaze
Makes 4 servings

Stuffing:

• 1 1/2 cups diced bread
• 8 maple sausage links, cooked and cut into chunks
• 1 large apple diced
• 1/4 cup diced, sauteed onions
• 1/4 cup diced, sauteed celery
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• pinch thyme
• 2 acorn squash

Apple glaze (Directions follow below):

• 1 12 oz. can apple juice concentrate 
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp Penseys Chinese 5 Spice

For Squash:

1. Preheat oven to 400-f degrees. Cut squash in half. Scoop out seeds. Fill a large baking dish with 1/2" water.

2. Combine stuffing ingredients (except squash) in a large bowl and stir to mix. Spoon into prepared squash. Place filled squash halves in the baking dish (stuffing side up). Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Remove foil and glaze. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes.

For Glaze:

1. Dissolve the cornstarch in a ramekin with a little bit of the apple juice concentrate. Then combine all glaze ingredients together in a medium saucepan over med-high heat. Bring to a boil and stir for 1-2 minutes. Set aside.

This week is going to be a lot of fun! Starting Sunday and going through until Friday I'll be featuring a brand new recipe here at my site. It is apple week and I have some really tasty recipes for you guys to try.

I was invited to participate by Aimee at Shugary Sweets and Jocelyn at Inside BruCrew Life. Also participating are a group of awesome food bloggers which I'll be featuring daily in a separate post. Enjoy!


Okay, back to the food! I've made my fair share of apple and cheese sandwiches in the past and while they are tasty, they can be a little boring. I was hopeful that this recipe would have a ton of flavor and it did not disappoint.

The apple gives it a tart sweetness and crunch, the cheddar a sharp bite. The roasted onion mayo add so much to the sandwich, so please don't skip it.


Grilled Apple, Bacon and Cheddar Melt with Roasted Red Onion Mayo
Makes 1 sandwich

• 2 slices (1/2-inch-thick) sourdough, multigrain or another hearty bread 
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked crisp 
• 4 slices Cheddar 
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple, cored, sliced thin 
• Roasted Red Onion Mayo, recipe follows 
• Butter

Roasted Red Onion Mayo:   

• 1 medium red onion, chopped 
• 2 teaspoons olive oil 
• Salt and pepper 
• 1-cup mayonnaise

1. Preheat a seasoned grill pan or griddle over medium heat. Assemble this sandwich just as you would a traditional grilled cheese sandwich: spread 1 slice of bread with some Red Onion Mayo, then top with 2 slices Cheddar, the bacon, the apple slices, then 2 more slices of Cheddar, finishing with another mayo-slathered slice of bread. Butter the outsides of the bread and transfer to the hot grill. Grill about 3 minutes per side, since this sandwich is so thick. Remove to a cutting board and cut the sandwich in half on the diagonal to serve.

Roasted Red Onion Mayo:  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. On a small-rimmed baking sheet, toss the red onion, olive oil, salt and pepper together. Roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the onion is very soft, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and let cool. Transfer to a food processor and buzz until finely chopped. Add the mayo and pulse until smooth and combined.

Recipe from Paula Deen

For the mushroom lovers out there, today I have a recipe for a delicious Mushroom Melt, inspired by this recipe over at Closet Cooking. This isn't a boring mushroom sandwich. The mushrooms have a ton of flavor, like lemon, Parmesan and thyme. Added to that is lots of yummy melted cheese and grilled sourdough bread.


Mushroom Melts
Makes 4 sandwiches

• For the mushrooms:
• 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound mushrooms
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400F/200C.

2. Zest the lemon, reserving the juice for later. Combine the zest, thyme and enough olive oil to make the mixture pourable in a bowl. Clean and slice the mushrooms and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with half the olive oil mixture and season with salt and pepper.

3. Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the parmesan over the mushrooms and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is lovely and golden.Drizzle the remaining olive oil mixture and some lemon juice (to taste) over the mushrooms.

• For the sandwiches:
• 8 slices sourdough bread
• 8 slices cheese, recommended: Havarti or Fontina
• butter

Don't you hate it when you start a recipe and at the last possible second you realize you are missing an ingredient? That is exactly what happened with this Orange-Pecan Salmon, which is missing some pecans. I think it may be time to hit up a bulk store for a giant bag of pecans so this doesn't happen again.

Anyhow, this recipe was simple and delicious. The combination of salmon and sweet citrus is a tasty combination. Serve with sticky rice.

Orange-Pecan Salmon with Sticky Rice
Makes 4 servings

• 1 cup orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each and 1 inch thick)
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• Serve with: Sticky rice

1. In a small bowl, combine the marmalade, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Pour 2/3 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the salmon; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes. Set aside remaining marinade.

2. Drain and discard marinade from salmon. Place salmon in a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. While the salmon is baking, prepare the sticky rice according to the rice maker instructions.

3. In a small saucepan, bring reserved marinade to a boil; cook and stir until slightly thickened. Stir in pecans; serve with salmon.

Recipe by Taste of Home

Mushroom Swiss Burgers are one of my favorite comfort meals. This is a simple recipe so you want to take the time to make sure each component tastes good. I picked up Onion rolls, which are the same size and shape as hamburger buns, and toasted them with a little bit of butter so they were warm and delicious.

[Continue reading...]

I think at this point a lot of folks are over on the Pinterest. If you aren't, why the heck not? You should definitely sign up, follow me, and then go browse the food section. That is exactly how I found this gorgeous recipe for Baked Lemon and Thyme Mushrooms by Simple Provisions.

I used fresh thyme growing from the garden. On a side note, I am gonna be pretty bummed out during Winter when you can't just walk outside and get fresh herbs. Anyhow, if you are a mushroom lover, try this one out. It is delicious!

Baked Lemon and Thyme Mushrooms
Makes 2 servings

• 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound mushrooms
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400F/200C.

2. Zest the lemon, reserving the juice for later. Combine the zest, thyme and enough olive oil to make the mixture pourable in a bowl. Clean and slice the mushrooms and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with half the olive oil mixture and season with salt and pepper.

3. Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the parmesan over the mushrooms and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is lovely and golden.Drizzle the remaining olive oil mixture and some lemon juice (to taste) over the mushrooms.

Recipe from Simple Provisions