Heath Bits Toffee Dip!

This is amazing. . . with or without apples.  Took everything in me not to grab a spoon and just go crazy.  The dip is great with apples, but we all know that the apple is just a vessel to get this delicious dip into your mouth. . . My kids absolutely loved it, but who wouldn't?  Definitely a crowd pleaser here people!

Heath Bits Toffee Dip

1 8oz brick of Cream Cheese
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 package of Heath Bits

1.  Mix together the cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.

2.  Add 1/2 the bag of Heath to this mixture.

3.  Spread in a shallow serving dish, and sprinkle on remaining Heath Bits!  (If you'd like, you can drizzle caramel on top. . . I just had some Caramel Ice Cream Topping on hand so I heated it up and drizzled it on!)

4.  Serve with apple slices!

Apple Pie Salsa and Cinnamon Tortilla Chips!

 

Went to a Mom's Group last week and someone made a fruit salsa with cinnamon tortilla chips. . . tasted like a Pampered Chef recipe that I made years ago. Was DELICIOUS!!!! Got me thinking: I could SO DO an Apple Pie version of this! Made it tonight and it was really great! I ate mine just like chips and salsa. . .but everyone else had a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream, topped with warm Apple Pie Salsa, with the Cinnamon Tortilla Chips on the side. Dave said it's his new fave!

Apple Pie Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips!

APPLE PIE SALSA:
4 apples, peeled and diced SUPER tiny
6 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Combine all ingredients and toss in the microwave until apples are crisp/tender.

CINNAMON TORTILLA CHIPS:
10 tortillas
1/4 cup melted butter
cinnamon sugar
Brush melted butter on tortillas, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, cut into wedges, and bake at 400 for about 11 minutes or until crisp!

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

APPLE FILLING:
10 cups of peeled, diced apples
1 cup of butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and stir until incorporated.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for ten to fifteen minutes.

3. Cool slightly before topping bars.


CRUST & TOPPING:
4 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup butter, cubed

1. Mix all ingredients together until course and crumbly.

2. Pat 3/4 of the filling into a 10 x 15 pan.

3. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

4. Top with apple filling.

5. Crumble remaining crust ingredients over the top of the apple mixture.

6. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

Apple Citrus Salad

When we were at Disney World, we went to an Italian Restaurant in Epcot. It was in the Italy Pavillion located inside the World Showcase, called "Via Napoli." It was supposed to have AMAZING pizza. I have to say the pizza was good, but no where near AMAZING. However, my son ordered a salad, and in my opinion, it was AMAZING! It was fresh spring greens, apples, and a dressing that was to die for. It was so light and refreshing. It had everything you could want flavor wise, it was sweet but a little salty, slightly bitter, and full of flavor. I loved it. I came home and tried to re-create it. This is what I came up with. It's definitely not exactly the same, but it's close.

Apple Citrus Salad
Citrus Viniagrette:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup fresh grapefruit juice
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1 clove garlic
salt and papper

Salad:
1 bag spring mix salad
1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup SUPER thinly sliced apples
Toasted Almonds

1. Mix together all the juices.

2. Put garlic through garlic press and add to juice.

3. Add in oil and honey.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Toss together lettuce, cucumber, celery, and apples.

6. Toss gently with enough dressing to taste.

7. Sprinkle with almonds.

Caramel Apple Galette

Caramel Apple Galette

1 pre-made pie crust
3 large Granny Smith Apples
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp heavy cream
3 Tbsp sugar

1. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of flour on your baking pan.
2. Line with pie crust.
3. Peel and thinly slice apples.

4. Lay apples over pie crust leaving two inches at the edges.

5. Mix together brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.

6. Cut in butter until course and crumbly.

7. Spoon brown sugar mixture over apples.8. Fold up the edges of the pie crust.9. Brush pie crust with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.10. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Upside Down Apple Cinnamon Cake

So, if you don't already know this, I am on the Weight Watchers plan. (6 pounds down!) At times. . .it sucks. SO, last night I was checking out Martha Stewart's website for some slightly less indulgent treats. I came across an Apple Upside Down Cake. It looked SO GOOD! (I was craving something sweet!) When I saw the recipe, I thought I had to make it. However, I wanted a gooey caramel sauce with it too. (I also added a vanilla glaze.) So I took the idea of a caramel roll, and mixed it up with the idea of an Apple Upside Down Cake. And here it is. . .

Upside Down Apple Cinnamon Cake

Caramel:
5 Tbsp butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp milk

Cake:
2 apples, peeled and sliced
8 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 to 3 Tbsp milk

1. Melt together butter, brown sugar, and milk. Pour into the bottom of a 9" round pan.
2. Arrange apples over the caramel mixture in whatever pattern you'd like.

3. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla.

5. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

6. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.

7. Slowly add in milk and sour cream.

8. Spoon cake batter over the top of the apples.
9. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
10. Cool for about 10 minutes then invert onto a plate. Cool completely.
11. Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze, and glaze the cake!

After School Apple Snack

This snack came about today because of leftovers. As usual. Gotta find a way to use up that Peanut Butter Buttercream. After school today I took the kids to the grocery store. We bought apples. . .Honeycrisp Apples. Our fave. Can't beat those sweet, crisp, cold, Minnesota grown apples. We got them home and sliced them up. At the same time, I was making a batch of Peanut Butter Brownies. The kids were BEGGING to dip their apples in the buttercream frosting. . . and voila! After school snack!

After School Apple Snack

2 Honey Crisp Apples, sliced
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 or 3 Tbsp milk
Reese's Pieces!

1. Mix together butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

2. Stir in milk.

3. Whip frosting till it's light and fluffy.

4. Pipe a dollop of frosting onto each apple slice and top with a Reese's Pieces piece.