Crockpot Applesauce (No Sugar Added) & Weekend Potluck #186

WELCOME TO WEEKEND POTLUCK! 

If your week has been as crazy as mine, I want

you to join me in sitting and resting a bit.

What fun to check out these delicious recipes being shared today! 

AND....

When I share something worth sharing...again...

I just LOVE fall dishes, and using up luscious apples to make this

applesauce...sweetened with honey, agave or your choice of sweetener...

is a real treat. 

Crockpot Applesauce (No Added Sugar)

Now, let's take a quick peek back at last week...

The recipe with the most clicks was ~

Simple Pretzel Toffee Bark by The Better Baker

(Thanks so much!) 

Recipes that caught our attention ~

Hawaiian Potato Salad by Cooking with Curls

Grilled Honey Chipotle Lime Chicken Wings by Meatloaf and Melodrama

And, a personal favorite ~

Angel Lush Cakes by Simply Suzanne's at Home

Your hostesses ~

• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Frugal Family Favorites ~ Tabitha
• Sweet Little Bluebird~ Mary

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVE blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

Linky Guidelines:

If you wish to be a featured recipe or for us to promote your recipe either on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, you MUST follow these instructions.

1. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog.
2. LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. 
   When you are kind enough to follow our guidelines, we work hard to get you as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. We want this to be a fun and rewarding experience for everyone!
   
   
   
   An InLinkz Link-up
   
   
   
   
   
   

Tomato Spice Muffins (no mixer needed)

I tried a new recipe that I found intriguing and trust the author of the cookbook since she's a very dear friend..and an awesome cook, so...

(thank you Margaret and your "Our Family Cookbook") 

I also loved the idea I could mix this by hand...that means less mess.  

I baked breads and muffins too and they were sooo good.

My hubby even commented they were not too spicy and had a perfect blend of spices!

And believe it or not...you add a can of tomato soup to this yummy recipe!

If you like spice cake, I think you'll love this like we did!

As I normally do, I reduced the amount of sugar, and we thought it was

just fine, but adjust it to your liking...

I also want to share with you that in baking lots of quick breads to sell at the local farmer's market this summer, I have fallen head over heels in love with

Baker's Joy...the cooking spray that has flour in it.  My breads and muffins turn out of the pan perfectly every time.  I don't know why it's taken me so long to use it regularly...I LOVE IT! 

TOMATO SPICE MUFFINS

2 c. all purpose flour

1-1/3 c. white sugar

(I used 1 even cup)

4 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 (10.75 ozs) can tomato soup

2 eggs

1/4 c. water

Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin tins or small bread pans with

non-stick cooking spray (or Baker's Joy). 

In large bowl, add dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. 

In small bowl, blend soup (straight from the can) with eggs and water.  Add to flour mixture and stir until smooth. (I used a wooden spoon).

The mixture will be thick. Pour into prepared pans (I was able to make 2 small (6") breads and 6 muffins from this batch. 

Bake about 30 minutes. When tops spring back, they are just right. 

Cool a few minutes; remove from pan to cool on rack. 

Linked to Full Plate Thursday

You may also enjoy these recipes...

Sweet Cornbread Muffins (using a cake and a cornbread mix)

Self-Frosting Pumpkin Nutella Muffins

New York Apple Muffins with Streusel

​

1-2-3 Banana Bread & Browning Your Own Bananas

I think this recipe is all over the net and internet.  I just had to try it for myself. 

I've been making/selling baked goods this summer at our local farmer's market, so this was a great recipe - quick and easy - to whip up to sell. 

I'm amazed how folks 'scarf up' my table-full of goods so quickly.  It's been fun to visit with hometown friends too, and make some new friends as well. 

I renamed this recipe...just so folks might remember it better. 

It's ONE yellow cake mix...

TWO eggs...

THREE ripe bananas...

I threw in a few chocolate chips as well.  

I made one medium, one small, and several mini muffins with this simple recipe. 

(Hover over image to pin)

I have to say I give this about a 4 rating, out of 5.  It wasn't as moist as my Sour Cream Banana Bread but it was very tasty. 

It's perfect for when you want something quick...especially if you have ripening bananas.  (Or if you're like me, I throw brown bananas...peel and all...in the freezer, then let them thaw when I'm ready to use them). 

1-2-3 BANANA BREAD 

1 (16 - 18 ozs) yellow cake mix
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, peeled & mashed
chopped nuts or chocolate chips, optional


Preheat oven to 350. 

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans or 4 small (6" pans). 

In large bowl, combine first 3 ingredients; mix with mixer until
smooth.  Stir in chips or nuts.  (I suggest lightly coating choco chips with flour first so they don't sink to the bottom). 

Pour into prepared pans. Bake 25 - 35 minutes, depending on size of pan. 

Remove from oven when toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean; let stand 10 minutes; remove from pan to cool on rack. 

**TIP**

Here's a tip that has come in handy for me...just in case you didn't know, you can bake yellow bananas to 'brown' them up, so the insides get nice and soft, making them perfect to mix up in some banana bread...

Preheat oven to 300. Break bananas apart and spread on a cookie sheet. Place in oven; After 40 minutes, the bananas will be blackened. Just cool, then squeeze out of the peel and you're ready to rumble....

You might also like these...

Zippy Zucchini Pineapple Bread

Streusel Apple Pie Bread

German Chocolate Bread (Lighter Options)

​

Self-Frosted Chocolate Zucchini Cake & Weekend Potluck #185

WELCOME TO WEEKEND POTLUCK!

Always so happy you joined us...pour some coffee and pull up a chair

and stay a while...(It looks like this is dessert week...almost! =)

AND....

When I share something worth sharing...again...

A simple zucchini cake with brown sugar and chocolate chips over the top to make it's own crunchy frosting on this moist and delicious cake.

Self-Frosted Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Now, let's take a quick peek back at last week...

The recipe with the most clicks was ~

Insane Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake by Mirlandra's Kitchen

Recipes that caught our attention ~

German Chocolate Pie by Cooking with K

Apple Butter Bundt Cake by Served Up with Love

And, a personal favorite ~

Crockpot Cheeseburgers  by Everyday Mom's Meals

Your hostesses ~

• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Frugal Family Favorites ~ Tabitha
• Sweet Little Bluebird~ Mary

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVE blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

Linky Guidelines:

If you wish to be a featured recipe or for us to promote your recipe either on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, you MUST follow these instructions.

1. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog.
2. LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. 
   When you are kind enough to follow our guidelines, we work hard to get you as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. We want this to be a fun and rewarding experience for everyone!
   
   
   
   
   An InLinkz Link-up
   
   
   

Gift Giving Idea - Everyone Needs a little "Dough"

So...everyone DOES need a little 'dough' huh?

For a long time, we've been matching our kids and grandkids birthday number,

giving them that number in dollars. Money is always good, right? =) 

But how fun to dress things up a little when presenting it...

I was tickled to be able to give this special gift to our oldest grandson, Ethan,

who just turned 18 on August 19th...his first day of the school year!

He's a guy of few words, so I felt really good when he said
"That's pretty cool". 

This is a lot more fun than just putting cash or a check, in a card! 

You can use glue dots (I used Plasti-Tac - also called Mounting Putty) 

to hold the bills in place, and then to 'glue' the quarters on top of them. 

I just happened to meet a friend for lunch at Pizza Hut the same day we 

were going to take his gift to him, so I didn't have to make an extra

trip anywhere for a box.  They GAVE me one.  Nice!

I printed the sign and tacked it to the inside top of the box...added some 'confetti' on top of the bills and a bow...then put a stretchy ribbon around the outside of the box. 

When Kym, E's mom, read the note, she said 

"I do think HE COULD live on pizza alone"....*-* 

He got home from football practice while we were there and really

did eat some cold pizza then.  

I was mad at myself because I didn't get a fresh picture of him to add here! =(

He's a senior in high school and is 6' 5" and over 300#.  But truly he's such a gentle spirited guy...and is much loved. A big teddy bear! 

It's so great to be able to do a little something special when gift giving cash. 

I saw this idea some time ago at Making Memories with Your Kids who has

many simple gift giving ideas....go check them out!

Here's another fun idea I've done from the same site...

"Birthday Dough" - Easy Gift-Giving Craft

​

3 Perfect Ways to Jazz up Pretzels {Blast from the Past}

Pour butter flavored oil over pretzels; sprinkle with dry ranch dressing, mix and let stand until oil is absorbed. No baking involved...can you say ADDICTING??? 

Snappy Ranch Pretzels

This is similar to the saltine cracker candy that is popular.  

A wonderful sweet & salty treat! 

Simple Pretzel Toffee Bark

Mix 3 simple ingredients - pour over pretzels, mix and bake.

Folks are always commenting they can't believe how easy this recipe is. 

And tasty too!!

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

Pineapple Beets

I've been making this delectable dish since my kids lived at home...that's a long while ago!

(Hover over imagine to pin) 

I always loved 'dressing up' veggies...sure, anyone can cook carrots or beans, add some butter, and serve them, but

we enjoyed things like Cheese Scalloped Cabbage and 

Favorite Asparagus Casserole or Glazed Ranch Carrots.

I just had a hankerin' to add some 'love'....and we all enjoyed it.

We always had lots of company and it was fun to serve something with a 'special touch'....

My kids weren't fussy eaters at all...

I think they would tell you they ate pretty good around our table growing up. 

Fresh beets are in season right now and hubby and I have enjoyed them a couple of times already - they're SOO tasty.

I was reminded of this special dish and wanted to share with you so you could enjoy these 'dressed up beets' too...it only takes a few simple ingredients.

You can use fresh or canned...either way they are out of this world wonderful!

If you like beets, you are going to LOVE this dish. 

For those of you who have my first cookbook..."Recipes & Recollections"...

this recipe is on page 36. 

PINEAPPLE BEETS 

1 (12 ozs) can pineapple chunks

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. cider vinegar

3 - 4 Tb. brown sugar

1 TB. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

2 (15 ozs. each) cans sliced, drained beets

(or use about 3-1/2 c. fresh cooked) 

Drain juice from pineapple; mix with water and vinegar.  Combine brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and ginger in medium saucepna; add vinegar mixture.  Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add beets; heat to boiling.  Just before serving; mix pineapple into hot mixture and warm. 

Yield: 6 - 7 servings 

(or 3 or 4 if you REALLY love beets) 

Linked to Full Plate Thursday
Meal Plan Monday

Glazed Carrots & Pineapple

Mom's Zucchini Casserole

Baked Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar Maple Sauce

​

Product Review: Island-Ware Half Sheet Jelly Roll Pan

I was so excited to be sent a lovely Half Sheet Pan by Island Warein exchange for a review. It is very high quality, excellent for baking and far surpasses other sheet pans I've used over the years. It's heavier and thicker, so it won't ever warp. And one of my favorite things about this lovely pan - it's made in the USA!!

(prepared pan prior to baking sheet cake)

I am a grandma to 8, food blogger, newspaper columnist and author of 2 cookbooks, so I have done plenty of baking in my lifetime. 

The first thing I baked was a sheet cake.  It baked perfectly even and I was impressed with the results. I've had other pans that warp while baking, but this pan is too strong for that. I also baked cookies and they turned out great. 

Be aware that the pan holds heat longer and therefore, baking requires a shorter time, by a few minutes. The pan also cleans up very nicely.

I like that it has no seams, which tend to collect water...and rust. 

I also appreciate the oversized ends that are like handles, which makes it easier to move to and from the oven. 

The only negative thing I can think to say about this pan, 1" in depth, is that I wish it was just a little deeper. Otherwise, it's perfect for me and will be used often and I know it will last for my lifetime too. Makes for a great serving tray also. 

*Disclosure:  I received this pan for the purpose of providing a product review.  I promise I will only provide my honest review on this blog.  This post includes my amazon affiliate links. You are not obligated to purchase, but when you do through one of my links, I will make a small percentage on the sale. Thank you for supporting my site.

To order your own pan, click the image below:

 

Skinny Meatloaf 'Cupcakes'

I have always had a special love for meatloaf.

It was the first meal my hubby asked his mom to make for him when he returned home from Vietnam. (I knew he was the one for me right then too!=) 

I'm also wild about single servings, so when I saw these

adorable and delicious 'cupcakes' at Skinny Kitchen, 

well...we ate them soon after and really enjoyed the idea of having the

mashed taters on top. 

DE-LISH!!! Very filling and satisfying too. 

They're easy and can even be (mostly) made ahead. 

SKINNY MEATLOAF CUPCAKES

1 # extra lean ground beef or turkey

1 slice whole wheat bread

1 c. onions, diced

2 egg whites

3 Tb. ketchup

2 Tb. Worcestershire sauce 

1 Tb. spicy brown or yellow mustard

1/4 tsp. salt

fresh ground pepper, to taste

Topping:

1/4 c. ketchup

1 Tb. mustard

2 tsp. brown sugar

Taters:

3 c. (1#) baking taters, peeled and cubed

1/3 c. (reduced sodium) chicken broth

1 Tb. reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light

1/8 tsp. salt

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Using non-stick cooking spray, coat a 12-cup muffin tin; set aside. 

Remove crust from bread; add to blender or food process. Process until crumbs.

In large bowl, add ground beef, bread crumbs, onions, egg whites, ketchup,

mustard, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Mix together well, using your hands if necessary. 

Measuring about 1/3 c. of mixture, fill 9 muffin cups. In small bowl, mix topping ingredients.  Spread about 1 Tb. over each meatloaf.  Bake for 40 minutes. 

While baking, make the mashed potatoes.  In a medium saucepan, cover potatoes with water; bring to boil; simmer until fork tender. Drain well; mash with fork, adding butter, broth, salt & pepper. Mash until smooth, keeping warm over burner. 

Remove meatloaves from pan; place on paper towel to drain.  Top each with 2 rounded Tb. of mashed potatoes. Serve. 

Yield: 9 'cupcakes' 

From Skinny Kitchen's website:

Weight Watchers (old points) 3

Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 4

SKINNY FACTS: for 1 meatloaf cupcake 154 calories, 3g fat, 0mg chol, 13g prot, 17g carbs, 2g fiber

FAT FACTS: the skinny and fat facts are the same for this recipe

Linked to Weekend Potluck

Cheesey Mini Meatloaves (Make Ahead)

Easy Taco Pie

Easy Crockpot Meatballs