#134 Oatmeal Apple Crisp

We made this last sunday, and it was delicious. Just a little too sweet for me, but it's a great breakfast dish or snack and is perfect with coffee or tea. I  did not have the brown sugar, so my topping is lighter than it should be. But even with white sugar, it was delicious! The recipe below calls for brown sugar and I also reduced the amounts to balance the sweetness.

Yield: Serves 8 

OATMEAL APPLE CRISP

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 cups apples - peeled, cored and

chopped

2 teaspoons white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour and butter. Mix until crumbly. Place half of crumb mixture in pan. Spread the apples evenly over crumb mixture. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons white sugar and cinnamon and top with remaining crumb mixture.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

 Recipe adapted from here

Apple Crisp originated in the US. Read more about it's history here

Loved it!

#118 Mango Muffin Loaf

We were in the mood to make muffins, but after finding the box that I thought had enough blueberries, empty, I decided to use the fruit sitting in the   fridge next to it. Mango. Somebody told me it is one of the most delicious fruits ever, and I totally agree. My regret is that when I was living in the Philippines I never got to this point, where I would incorporate this fruit to salads, sauces and pastries. Before, mangoes were abundant, comes in baskets and costs nothing but just an effort to pick it from the low branches, or on the ground after it fell.  My Mama has several fruit mango trees, it's fruit is soo sweet, and my father has I think at least a hundred of mango trees, could be less- like 75; back then, we'd just simply slice and eat  5 to 10 mangoes after lunch. When I look at mango nowadays, I think of what dish I could make using a single mango, haha. It's quite expensive to buy too. This was a great experiment, one of the three mangoes I had on that day was put into good use, and what a joy to find a moist mango flavored muffin loaf, we love it!

MANGO MUFFIN LOAF

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup chopped mango meat, or the meat of 1 whole mango
1/2 cup white sugar


Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease loaf pan.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

 

 

 

  Yummy!

#100 Mango Salsa

 

This is another simple and delicious way to enjoy mangoes as an accompaniment to meats, breads and other vegetable dishes. Mango salsa is a variation of Salsa Fresca. Mangoes were likely used  as an ingredient in salsas as early as the time of the Aztec, Incan and Mayan times. The fruit is said to have been cultivated in South Asia for thousands of years before it reached East Asia and other parts of the world. It is the national fruit of my home country, the Philippines, also of Pakistan and India, the latter is  the world's top producer of this delicious fruit, Mexico places 5th.  It's a delicious fruit loaded with vitamins A and C, very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, high in dietary fibers and vitamin B6. Ripe mangoes are used to make drinks, ice cream, cakes, and other desserts. I used semi-sweet ones for this dish. Unripe mangoes are used to make sauces, pickles, chutneys, etc. Back home, the most sour young mangoes are eaten sprinkled with rock salt, or dipped in soy sauce with sugar and hot fresh chili or bagoong, a Philippine condiment made of fermented fish or shrimp or both and salt. Mouth watering to someone like me who enjoys sour food! Unbearable almost. :) This salsa recipe is great, I omitted the onions when I made it, but I recommend to put even a little because it will add more flavor. I ended up doing that in the end.

Yield: Serves 4

MANGO SALSA

Ingredients:

2 large mangoes

1/2 cup diced bell pepper (green or red)

1/4 cup red onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon minced jalapeno

1 tablespoon lime juice

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Scoop out meat of mangoes and chop  into small pieces.
2. Combine mangoes with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Cover and chill until ready to use.

This was served with Jamaican Jerk Chicken. Delicious!

#98 Watermelon Tomato Salad

We made Watermelon Salad this weekend. It was a first for us; a very juicy, crunchy and fresh tasting delight. The combination of the fruit, vegetables and the dressing was perfect.

WATERMELON TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients:

5 cups (3/4-inch) seeded watermelon cubes  
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Romaine lettuce leaves (optional)
Cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine watermelon and tomatoes in a large bowl; sprinkle with sugar and salt, tossing to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.
2. Stir in onion, vinegar, and oil. Cover and chill 2 hours. Serve chilled with lettuce leaves, if desired. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper to taste.

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, 2007

Thought to have originated in North Africa, Watermelon has many variations, some has yellow meat, some with stripes, some have black skins with no stripes. Some are shaped oblong, some round, in Japan, they found a way to grow a cubic and pyramid shaped watermelon. :) US grows watermelon too, and soon it will be in season. We got ours on sale at Albertsons for less than $1. Sorry I brag about my cheap finds all the time. LOL. I just love sharing. Watermelon is a good fruit, it is 92% water, rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and lycopene. This is a great new healthy salad  discovery for us, it's one of our favorites.

We will make it again and again.
What a great dish for the coming hot summer months.

#65 Strawberry Kisses

 Little Miss Strawberry's treat. She's in love with strawberries and chocolates.

 Cut strawberries, melt some chocolates, and then put the molten chocolates in the middle.

Use a toothpick to form a peak.

Then give it to the one who deserves all your kisses.

From our global kitchen, to yours...Much LOVE with strawberry kisses on top!

#57 Ambrosia

We love fruits and whipped cream. Combine both, the result is a delicious and nutritious dessert called  Ambrosia. I like making mine with fresh fruits, never canned! and instead of using sour cream, I like to use heavy whipping cream. It is a simple dish, anyone can make it. A great activity for the entire family, even very young children can help prepare it!



Ambrosia


Ingredients:

pineapples, diced
sweet ripe mango, diced

strawberries, diced
raspberries
grapes
kiwifruit
maraschino cherries
mandarin oranges
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 pint  of heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons of sugar (add according to your taste)
coconut flakes


Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all the fruits. Pour the lemon juice on the fruits and mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and heavy whipping cream. Using an electric mixer, whip the mixture until it forms a peak.
3. Serve in individual bowls or glass, scooping the fruits first, sprinkle flaked coconuts on top of the fruits then add the cream mixture, continue layering.
4. Enjoy!

Ambrosia is an American dessert. It first appeared in American cookbooks during the last quarter of the 19th century and most popular in the southern part of the US. There are many variations of Ambrosia preparation. I have tried several recipes and in my opinion, less is more :)

#24 Homemade Apple Sauce

HOME MADE APPLESAUCE


Ingredients:

4 organic apples, peeled, core removed and chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
ground cinnamon


Directions:

1. Combine the first three ingredients in a pan, bring to boil.
2. Simmer until very tender.
3. Mash it.
4. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon (optional)
5. Enjoy!

 

We love to make our own applesauce from organic apples. It's so easy and always delicious. We eat apple sauce mostly as a dessert or snack. In some countries in Europe, it is an accompaniment to a variety of dishes. Where did apple sauce originate from? I could not find the answer. Some say in Europe, others say in Egypt. I would like to find out!