Using up Fruit "Everything" Pie with a Crumble Topping and Traditional Pumpkin Pie

 

Everything Fruit Pie with a Cinnamon Crumble Topping

This pie is to 'use up' lots of different fruit.  Over the course of a couple months I'd toss 'extra' fruit into the freezer.  I also had extra jars of home canned apples I wanted to use up.  I also had bought our favorite frozen fruit mixture at the store many times, but the peaches in frozen fruit mixes are always terrible - never ripe or sweet - so the peaches area always picked out and tossed into a ziplock in the freezer to use for other things.  Like this pie.

Into a big pan on the stove I added a bunch of fruit.  Everything I had on hand that needed to be used that could go into a fruit pie.   This time the mixture was/is:  apples, cranberries, strawberries, rhubarb, peaches, mango and... maybe something else.  I can't remember.   Brought to a boil, then reduce to be simmered on the stove with sugar and cinnamon added, along with a cornstarch/water slurry to thicken.  I didn't want to use it right then so I let it cool, refrigerated it, and put it into a food sealed bag and popped it back into the freezer.

I tossed the bag into the refrigerator last week to thaw and sit until needed.  Yesterday was a pie making day. 

1 unbaked pie crust
Crumble topping (recipe below)
Fruit of choice, with sweetener and flour to thicken (you could also use just apples, apples and cranberries, blueberries, etc)


Topping:
12 T sugar
6 T butter
1/2 c flour
6 T quick cook oatmeal
3 t cinnamon
1/4 t dried lemon zest

Crumbled together with your fingers, a fork, or pulsed a few times in a food processor.  Crumble onto your unbaked pie and bake as directed.

Baked at 350 for about 45 minutes.  Cool completely.

 

 

Pumpkin Pie

2 eggs
3/4 c brown sugar
5 oz. evaporated milk
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ginger
1/8 t nutmeg
(or just use about 2 t pumpkin pie spice instead of all the above)
2 T boiling water
1 t vanilla extract
1 2/3 c pumpkin puree
1/4 c half and half
1 pie shell, unbaked

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Put the pie crust into your pan.
In a food processor or a bowl, beat the eggs, add the sugar, milk, spices and boiling water.  Beat.  Add the pumpkin and half and half, beat again briefly just to smooth.  Pour into your pie shell.

Bake 15 minutes at 425.  Lower the temp to 300 and continue to bake until the center is 'set' - about 30 minutes.  Cool completely.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

 

Making blueberry cherry jelly from frozen fruit

I believe in wasting no food when there are other options.  Yesterdays canning task came about because last summer I had bought a bag of wild blueberries that were really awful - and not really good for fresh eating, as well as a bag of cherries that were also just not good; very blah.  I tossed them into the freezer for use in 'something else' down the line. 

I also do this with the last apple or two that has been ignored and starting to get old looking (peel, chop and freeze) and I pick out all the peaches from our favorite frozen fresh fruit mixture, because the peaches are never, ever ripe tasting or sweet and always sour and ruin the rest of the mix (strawberries, mango, papaya and pineapple). 

Yesterday I opened the freezer and decided it would be the day to use up these bags of yucky blueberries and bland, awful cherries.  I'd make jelly.  The fruit(s) would be great with all the sugar used to make jam and jelly - it would really bring out the flavor.

Regarding the cherries.  Normally you have to clean, pit and cut them.  Because they had been frozen and were softer than fresh, I started just taking off the stems and cutting them with my paring knife, which was a lot faster than pitting them.  But then I realized since I was making JELLY and not JAM, I was going to mash them a bit and boil them and then strain them through cheesecloth anyway... so I wasn't going to bother cutting.  Instead I took off the stems and just cut them in half quick and tossed them into the pot. 

To the cherries, I added the frozen wild blueberries as well.  Looking at them, I figured I wouldn't have quite enough juice to work with according to the directions, so I added a bag of my frozen apples as well.  As it all cooked down, I mashed with a wooden spoon.

Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. 

Poured everything into a cheesecloth lined bowl and tied the ends so I could hang it up to drip and drain.

When it stopped dripping I squeezed it all around to get more juice out - turning and squeezing until I had nothing but pulp left in the cheesecloth.

The juice equaled right at 5 cups.  Since I was mixing cherry and blueberry, I went with the 5 cup average.

Juice according to package directions
Sugar according to package directions
Low Sugar Sure Jel Pectin

Boil for 1 minute

Ladle into jars.
Wipe rims.
Top and add rings.
Water bath the jars 5-10 minutes.
Remove and let cool.
Remove rings.
Wipe down.
Store.

 

 

 

STRAWBERRY CRUMBLE BARS - keto, low carb, sugar free

STRAWBERRY CRUMBLE BARS - keto, low carb, sugar free and so good.  

 

 

Last night I decided I'd make some raspberry crumble bars to have here as snacking options for the next couple days. 

Incredibly yummy... even if I don't bother to take out perfectly cut squares and prop them up for a social media worth "photo shoot" - Meh. 

 

 

STRAWBERRY CRUMBLE BARS

I used the dry ingredients from my keto white cake mix recipe:

3 c good quality, blanched, fine grained almond flour
1/3 c whey protein powder - vanilla or unflavored (I only use zero carb, zero sugar)
2/3 c sweetener, granular (I like erythritol and monk fruit blended versions)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Then I used the wet ingredients from my raspberry crumble recipe, increased amounts a bit:

9 T butter, melted
1 1/2 t vanilla or mixture of almond extract and vanilla extract
2/3 c sugar free strawberry preserves, jam or other filling of your choice
Grease or line a 9" pan with parchment.  Preheat the oven to 350.

Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Melt the butter in cup in the microwave and add the extract to it.  Pour this into the dry mixture and mix with a spatula until it starts to come together - the consistency of a crumbly play-doh.   Press just over half the dough into a greased 8X8 inch pan. 

Bake this bottom crust for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Take it out and let it cool for about 10 minutes. 

Place the preserves or jam in a bowl and microwave for a minute or so to soften the preserves for spreading. Spread the filling over the crust, getting up into the corners and sides as well.  Now crumble the rest of the topping over it all and press down lightly just to adhere to the filling, but don't flatten it.  Return to the hot oven and bake for 18-25 minutes until turning golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.

You can eat them as they are or add a simple glaze made from about 1/3 c powdered or confectioner sugar-free sweetener, a dash of vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon soft butter and a teaspoon or 2 of milk or cream - make as thick or thin as you like with the cream amount.  You can spread lightly on the bars or drizzle.  Let set, cool in the refrigerator or serve right away.

 

 

 

 

 

Cherry Dessert Trifle Recipe: Grandma's Vintage Cherry Dessert Recipe Meets White Cake and Becomes a Trifle

 

I love to look 'back' and see what I was doing on certain days in years past.  I did this when I was younger and kept diaries, I've done this with old calendars I've tucked into an office drawer or storage box and I do it with recipes as well.

It is a holiday weekend here in the States but I'm not out celebrating... I'm home.   I'm waiting on a refrigerator delivery.  If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know that story.  They didn't show up yesterday (well, they paused for 10 seconds in the street in front of the house and drove off, claiming no one was home so they didn't have to deliver).   After some phone calls they are supposed to deliver (again) today.  

Sitting here this morning, enjoying morning coffee, I briefly wondered what I was doing 10 years ago and what I was making.  I clicked back to 2012 and saw a yummy dessert I had made.  I blended my Grandma's Cherry Dessert recipe with an 'extra' white cake I had made and came up with this dessert. 

Cherry Dessert Trifle

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Original Post:  July, 2012

Just because I used a from-scratch white cake doesn't mean you have to.  Simple use a white cake of your choice.  You can also play with the filling.  Blueberry, cherry, strawberry...  whatever you wish.  I particularly like cherry pie filling with this and although I do sometimes make my own, I had a can of cherry pie filling in our camping supplies and it was the perfect 'quick' filling I needed.

Cherry Dessert Trifle

1 white cake of your choice
1 can cherry pie filling
1/2 cup (approximate) graham cracker crumbs
2 T melted butter
2 cups whipped cream (you could use spray whipped cream in a can)
1 c heavy whipping cream (or use 2 cups Cool Whip)
2 T sugar
1 package cream cheese

Cut the cake into cubes.  This is sometimes easier if it's frozen first.  But they don't have to be 'pretty' as no one will see them. Place 1 cup of the whipped cream in the bottom of a glass dish.  Top with the can of cherry pie filling and push down a bit into the crevices of the bowl between the cake squares.  Smooth evenly on top.  Mash the graham crumbs with the melted butter and place over the cherry layer.  Mix the whipping cream with the sugar and cream cheese.  Beat smooth.  Spread this over the graham layer.  Top with the last cup of whipped cream.  Add a cherry or strawberry or blueberry for garnish to compliment your filling.  Chill at least 2 hours if you can before serving but up to 6-8 hours.

I think this tastes best with cherry filling

I left off the melted butter this time but it was too powdery. Add the butter to the graham crumbs.

Mixing the cream, sugar and the cream cheese.  I love this layer.

 

 

 

 

 

From my Instagram: I've been dehydrating again... Dehydrating Lime Peels, Whole Limes and Cabbage (UPDATED)

THERE IS A SMALL UPDATE ON MY DEHYDRATOR AT THE END OF THE POST (1/22) 

I (like most all of you) are so so so busy lately that I never find the time to pop in to post - even though I obviously cook and bake daily.  Three or more times a day.  But I often don't bother to take photos - or I start to take them but forget to take a 'finished' product picture - or I do take photos and then they live in my computer files and never see the light of day because.... too busy.

A couple weeks ago I was doing some dehydrating.  I had limes leftover from a weekend of guests, and I didn't want them to go bad before I could get around to using them.  So, I juiced the limes to get the juice for my favorite chicken marinade and then used the peel to get a nice little bottle of dried lime peel.  I like to keep dried lemon peel, lime peel and orange peel on hand for baking and cooking.

I also had extra cabbage on hand - which lasts forever - so I didn't need to hurry really, but there have been times when I wanted cabbage and we didn't have any so I decided to dehydrate a head of it so I'd have it ready in the pantry for beef stew and boiled cabbage, etc.

 

 

There really is no recipe for drying cabbage.

You don't have to blanche it or do anything to prep it. 
Just slice into thin strips or small pieces, place them on your dehydrator trays, and let them dry until the pieces are dry, small and ready to put into a mason jar or container of your choice.

For the limes I used half of them to make dried lime peels for the pantry and then used the rest to dry 'whole' and grind up into dried lime powder.  You can buy dried lime powder and dried lime slices online but they are sooo simple to make yourself!  

For the dried peel, just peel the zest off your lime (the green part) and lay them out to dry on your tray.  When they are brittle, you can pop them into your container, or chop them a bit first, or spin them in a small food processor first to chop them quick and easy.

To do the lime slices, just wash your limes well and slice thin.
Lay the slices out and dry until brittle.
They will turn quite dark.
You can use them as is to cook with (laid under chicken and fish is nice!) but I grind mine up and use the dried lime powder in marinades.

  

I just reuse old spice bottles and repurpose them to whatever I need at the time.
This one now holds dried lime zest.

This is a close up of whole dried limes ground into powder.

In 2022 I upgraded my dehydrator to a larger, rectangle version with shelves and adjustable temperature.  Any dehydrator will do, but I do find the upgrade is easier and better to adjust the temperature so I get the colors of my goods to stay nice and bright.

What I did this past weekend... 9 pints of fresh cherries home canned.

 

Wash your cherries. You'll need about 2 - 2.5 lbs. per quart.
Pit them and if you want to, you can put the pitted cherries in a bowl of water with fruit fresh or a teaspoon of citric acid in it to help the color stay bright.  If you do this, just drain your cherries when they are all finished and ready.
You can do a hot pack, raw pack or make cherry pie filling of them before canning. 
I oped for raw pack.
You can pack in water or a simple syrup.  We don't eat sugar so I was going to opt for water packed, but in the end, I used a simple syrup made with natural sweeteners.
In a pan of water add your sweetener/sugar for as strong/thick of a syrup as you wish.  I went with a very lightly sweetened syrup/water to pack - I used about 6 c water to 3/4 c sweetener.  You can find more light to heavy syrup ratios here:  link
To each hot, sterilized jar I added 1/2 cup light syrup.
Pack with cherries.
Added more liquid to fill, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
Used a chopstick to debubble the jar, removing air.
Checked for headspace again. Filling if needed.
Wiped rims with a papertowel dipped in vinegar.
Topped with a lid from a lightly simmering pan of water.
Screwed on the lid.
Processed in a water bath according to the time for my altitude.
Removed them, let them cool overnight on a towel on the counter.
Checked seals (all sealed perfectly) and put up all 9 pints in my emergency storage pantry.

 

National Food Center for Home Food Preservation

Procedure: Stem and wash cherries. Remove pits if desired. If pitted, place cherries in water containing ascorbic acid to prevent stem-end discoloration. If canned unpitted, prick skins on opposite sides with a clean needle to prevent splitting. Cherries may be canned in water, apple juice, white-grape juice, or syrup. If syrup is desired, select and prepare preferred type as directed.

Hot pack – In a large saucepan add ½ cup water, juice, or syrup for each quart of drained fruit and bring to boil. Fill jars with cherries and cooking liquid, leaving ½-inch headspace.

Raw pack – Add ½ cup hot water, juice, or syrup to each jar. Fill jars with drained cherries, shaking down gently as you fill. Add more hot liquid, leaving ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.

		Process at Altitudes of:
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 3,000 ft	3,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Pints	15 min	20	20	25
	Quarts	20	25	30	35
Raw	Pints or Quarts	25	30	35	40

Quick and Easy! Homemade Low Carb, Sugar Free, Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins

There is nothing particularly stunning about this muffin recipe.  It doesn't have a crumbly lemon topping like some of my blueberry muffin recipes. It doesn't combine  flavors (like lemon and blueberry) as some of my other versions do.  It is just a simple, basic almond flour blueberry muffin recipe if you need to whip up something very quickly at the last minute.

They taste good but be sure you allow time for them to cool before serving as the taste improves as they cool and the stay together better when cool, as they are prone to easy breakage (due to the only almond flour base) when hot.

My husband loves these even more than the 'fancier' muffins I usually make.  And I like these because I can whip them up fast using only a bowl, a wooden spoon and/or whisk, and the oven.

 Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins

2 c almond flour
1 T sweetener of choice in granular form (Ideal, etc.)
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 t baking soda
2 eggs
2 T sugar free honey
1 T apple cider vinegar

1 t vanilla and 1/4 t almond extract
1 cup blueberries; frozen or fresh

Whisk or beat the eggs, honey, vinegar, extracts.  Blend the dry and add it to the wet, along with the blueberries. Mix just until blended completely.  Scoop or spoon into 12 lined muffin tins.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until the centers are done; about 20 minutes depending on how your oven runs, and the baking pan used.   Cool.

Frozen Fruit Smoothie Puree'

I'm not a fan of sweets, which includes sweet fruits.  I'll invariably choose vegetables over fruits and when I do eat fruit, there are only a handful I like.  But those I like, I love!  And when they are frozen? I love them oh-so-much more.

Nectarines, mangoes, cranberries, cherries, pineapple and strawberries are on the list and when frozen, I'll eat a pound them;  blended in almost any combination, with just enough liquid to make them smooth.  The end result is a gelato looking blend that is nothing but frozen fruit slushy goodness.

Here was what I ate 3 nights last week - as my 'go to' snack.  My body was craving the vitamins I guess, because I seriously was craving it.

I do not like dairy products in my smoothies... at all.  So YOU can feel free to add yogurt, milk, almond milk, etc. to this but... I won't don't.


FROZEN FRUIT SMOOTHIES

Fruit of your choice - frozen
Liquid of choice - just enough to make it smooth (water, seltzer, fruit juice, etc.)
Options:  yogurt, milk, sweeteners like a tablespoon of honey, sugar, etc. (I don't add but you can!)

Blend in a good quality blender or food processor - pulsing and scraping down the sides until smooth.  Adding a small amount of liquid when needed to get the consistency you prefer.  Pour into a bowl or glass and eat with a spoon or use a thick 'smoothie' straw.

You can see the bits of cranberry in it... yum!

Frozen goodness

It almost looks like gelato...but no dairy! Just yummy frozen, pureed fruit!

Homemade Strawberry & Rhubarb Pie (using frozen fruit)

Strawberry & Rhubarb Pie

3 c frozen rhubarb pieces (the whole bag)
3 c frozen strawberries, whole (the whole bag)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 c cornstarch
1/4 c flour (I used this in addition to the corn starch since it was frozen fruit)
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1/2 t lemon juice
1/2 t vanilla
egg white
sugar

Mix all but the egg white and extra sugar into a bowl.  Stir and blend well.  Pour into a prepared deep dish pie crust.  You can choose to prick it ahead of time and brush with a beaten egg white or not.  Totally up to you.  Fill the pie crust and use an additional bit of pie crust dough or a second frozen pie crust to roll out on a lightly floured surface.

Cut strips about 3/4 of an inch wide.  Use these to make a lattice top on your pie OR use the 2nd crust to cover the fruit filling without bothering with a lattice.  Seal the edges in your favorite way (finger seal or fork). Place the pie on a baking sheet (foil lined baking sheet if you hate scrubbing pans like I do!)  Beat the egg white with about a teaspoon of water and brush it on the top and sides of your pie and then sprinkle with a bit of sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 1 1/2 hours.  Turn off oven and let it sit in the hot oven for another 15 minutes if you feel it needs a bit more time.  Remove and cool completely before slicing.


The fruit, sugars and spices all mixed in a bowl

I pricked and brushed the bottom crust but it's totally optional

After filling the pie dish, either top with a second crust or cut strips to make a lattice crust

Trim if you have excess on the edges

Seal either with fingers or fork.  I had extra dough so I laid a small rope around the entire edge and pressed it down and then sealed.

Brush the top with beaten egg white and sprinkle with additional cinnamon and sugar

Cool completely before slicing so it's allowed to 'set up' - you can also chill it or just let it set out on the counter until the next day before slicing so it will set up nice.  When  a fruit pie is sliced too soon or when warm, it's quite liquidy.  Not a bad thing at all - especially if you serve the pie with ice cream!

Blueberry Pie! - A 3 year olds First Blueberry Pie (adapted original recipe to include some store bought items)

My little helpers and I made two (2) blueberry pies yesterday!  Although I planned to make it completely from scratch like usual, I realized with a 3 year old and a 16 month old wanting to 'help' and trying to get two dinner meals made (one to eat and one to refrigerate for the next night) AND the fact we weren't starting until about 5:00 that afternoon....  while I was at the store picking up some groceries, I opted for a few 'already made' store bought items that made the fun little project quick and easy for all.

My original Blueberry Pie  Recipe
(originally posted on An American Housewife in 2006 and 2007)

3 pints blueberries - cleaned and stems removed or frozen
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 c sugar (I use a mixture of brown and white)
1/4 t cinnamon
2 T butter, cut up

A double pie crust (I don't have time to post the recipe - so use your recipe or just buy the canned or frozen version).

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl and then place in the bottom crust. Top with the cut up butter and then carefully place the top crust over and crimp or use a fork to seal the edges. Slice a pretty star shape on the top with a knife or fork to let steam escape. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 for another 30-40 minutes.

Let cool and serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

*Note*
I've listed this recipe on here before but I want to add some notes to this one. You can ALWAYS 'play around' with a recipe and add and delete on a whim. I wanted to let you know what I do to perk this one up sometimes.

lemon rind
orange rind
vanilla
ginger
all brown sugar, no white
a little rum or rum extract

I've used all of the above at one time or another. Just a light sprinkle of one or two of them together really brings out some flavor in this pie. 

_____________________________________________

Adapted recipe to use some store bought items to make it faster and easier

2 cans blueberry pie filling

1 pint fresh/frozen real blueberries

2 packages store bought frozen pie crusts (deep dish style)

1 T sugar

1 T brown sugar

1/2 t cinnamon

Pre-bake the crusts for about 10 minutes for a better textured bottom crust.  Pour the pie filling into the deep dish pie crust. Top with the fresh blueberries.  Use the second crust to turn over, upside down onto the pie/fruit.  If it's frozen, let it set about 10 minutes, if it's thawed, continue right away to crimp the edges to seal.

Slash some holes in the top and mix the sugars together and sprinkle all over the pie.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven about 50 minutes or so.  If the crust is getting to brown on top just place some aluminum foil over the top and continue cooking.  Remove and set aside to let cool completely.

These freeze well.

Pear Crisp - Can be made low sugar and flour free!

I make it sugar free and flour free by using a natural sweetener and coconut flour but obviously most people just use sugar and wheat based flour.  Use what you have.  These kind of grandma recipes also allow for you to use more or less ingredients based on your own taste and what you have on hand.  I had to use up 5 pears and they were all average medium size.  I also LOVE the oatmeal/cinnamon topping more than I do the fruit, so I make a nice amount of topping so it's nice and thick and crunchy.  If you are like my husband, you like fruit fillings more than crumble, crisp or pie toppings and crusts; so if that's the case, just half the topping ingredients. 



Pear Crisp

4-5 pears, peeled and sliced
2 t lemon juice
1 T sugar or sweetener
2/3 - scant brown sugar or sweetener
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 c oatmeal
1 1/2 T coconut flour (or 3 T flour)
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground ginger
3 T butter

Place sliced pears into a baking dish approximately 8-9" square or the equivalent.  Drizzle and sprinkle the lemon juice over the pears.  In a bowl, mix together the sugars, oatmeal, coconut flour and spices.  Cut in the butter with your fingers until crumbly.  Layer evenly over the pears and bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.  Let cool completely before serving.  Great alone or with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, etc.

Sliced pears in a dish and ready to be sprinkled with lemon juice

Oatmeal and sugar with spices... mmmm

Cut in the butter til crumbly

Topped and ready to bake!

Let cool completely before serving or til just barely warm as this allows the fruit to 'set up' and thicken a bit.

Moist and Delicious Homemade Banana Bread

Originally posted in 2014


Since I usually cook everything from 'scratch' that means I don't actually use recipes.  I often will take 3 or 4 recipes of a certain style or type of dish and then I just start 'cooking from scratch'.  To me, a recipe is more like a general idea or something to help me brainstorm.  So last nights banana bread recipes ended up being used to brainstorm amounts for the flour, baking powder, eggs and butter but everything else was by me thinking what sounded good, or doing taste testing and deciding to add some things.  It turned out AMAZING but since it isn't actually a recipe, I decided I had better post it to my online files so my kids could make it if they wish, or if I wanted to make it again and see what I did!  Ha.  Amounts are pretty much guesstimates - just taste the batter and see if you want to add more or less of something.  It's that simple.

Banana Bread

2 c flour
1/2 baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
4-5 mashed, really ripe bananas
2 1/2 cups cereal with flakes;  I used Grape Nut Flakes
1/4 c hot water
2 eggs
1/2 c butter, soft
1 c granulated sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1 t lemon juice
1/2 t cinnamon
1 c pecans, roughly chopped

Mix the bananas, hot water and the cereal together and let them sit for a couple minutes to soften.  Add the eggs, butter and sugar, vanilla and lemon juice and mix.  Add the final dry ingredients; flour, soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nuts.  Stir till blended.  Pour into a greased or parchment lined loaf pan.  Bake approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes until done.  Start testing the center at 1 hour with a knife to see if the center is done yet.  The pan you use and your own oven will determine if you need another 15 minutes.  You can cover the top with foil if it's starting to get too brown.  Let cool complete.  Turn out of the pan.  Wrap in foil and refrigerate overnight.  This improves taste and texture of quick breads!

Nature's Candy: Dehydrating fresh pineapple (only 1 ingredient needed)

The photo is silly with little sunshine's because it's a screen shot of my snapchat picture I put on my storyline for my family that day. 

Dehydrating pineapple slices is so quick and easy - I found I do not need any other ingredients at all.  You don't need to dip them in a lemon juice mixture or use citric acid or anything.  Just slice and dry!  

Dehydrated Pineapple

1 fresh pineapple

Clean and core your pineapple.  Slice it into either small 1" pieces or thin slices, depending on what you like best.  The idea is to have your pieces or slices pretty uniform in size and thickness.  Dehydrate according to your machine; ours does not have a temperature control, just a simple 'on' and 'off'.  It takes about 6-7 hours dry time for our machine.   Flip the slices or pieces over half way through cooking. I also like to rotate the trays as they dry faster on the bottom rack than the top.  Remove slices to a plate to cool as they become dehydrated. 

Eat immediately or put in plastic baggy or vacuum food seal. 

Let's use up these Fall apples! Homemade applesauce and dehydrating apples to the rescue!

This is really more of a reminder post...  because it's Autumn and hello?  APPLES! 

I was at the store a couple days ago and needed to pick up more apples for my husband.  Our local store currently has small bags of apples going for $.97 a pound so I bought two bags.  A handful saved for my husband to grab on his way out the door to work, and the rest made into applesauce and dehydrated for breakfast oatmeals and snacking.

If you visit An American Housewife often, then you know I make a big batch of applesauce at least every two weeks.  It's my husbands 'late night snack' when he watches tv after I go to bed and every morning I find the empty jars in the sink.  I love it though because since it's homemade I control what goes into it - and believe me, there is ZERO ADDED SUGAR and absolutely, certainly NO CORN SYRUP.  None of the chemicals or additives in store bought applesauce obviously and why in the world they ADD SUGAR to an already sweet natural applesauce is beyond me.

My recipe for applesauce is so incredibly easy it's almost no work and involves apples... and nothing else unless you choose to add a bit of natural sweetener or cinnamon.  You can find that recipe here if you don't already have it. 

Apples ready for applesauce!

 

 Doing some dehydrating as well

Just a note about peeling the apples for dehydrating:  SAVE THEM and add them to your applesauce.  They have so many nutrients in them, and help the applesauce naturally thicken.  Just wash and peel your apples like usual, but while you throw away or compost the cores, add the peelings to your apples in the crockpot.