Nov
2021

Green Beans and Bacon

categories: Side Dishes, Vegetable Dishes
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Green Beans and Bacon is a simple, yet delicious veggie side dish to serve with a variety of main dishes! This recipe makes 4-5 servings.
Green Beans and Bacon is a simple, yet delicious veggie side dish to serve with a variety of main dishes! This recipe makes 4-5 servings.

I don’t know about you, but in our home we really enjoy eating green beans! Our little backyard raised bed garden has been our source of fresh green beans every summer for the past 10 years. A large part of our harvest of beans is home-canned each summer and lasts us until the following year. HOWEVER, nothing beats using fresh green beans in other dishes, so we always save a lot of them to eat fresh!! I’ve been making fresh green beans like the ones in this recipe for years.

When I was growing up, I didn’t really like green beans that much. My mom was a great cook in every way, but she would BOIL our green beans for a LONG time before serving. The beans were always a greyish green color and were really soft by the time we got to them… ugh… not a fan! I prefer them to be nice and green with a tiny bit of firmness to the bite.

The recipe I am sharing today is a delicious way to cook fresh green beans and bacon together for a nice side veggie side dish. These green beans are first blanched, then sautéed in a skillet to finish the dish. I will also share a tip (below) for ensuring your green beans stay a nice shade of GREEN, and don’t turn a pale olive/grey color while being cooked.

Scroll Down for A Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Page

Cook The Bacon And Onions First

The first thing I do when making this dish is to cook the bacon and onions first. Cut the strips of bacon into small pieces (I use kitchen scissors, but a knife will do just fine). When I cut the bacon into small pieces, it really helps it to cook faster!

Cook the bacon and chopped onion for about 4 minutes, then add minced garlic and continue cooking for 30 seconds (don’t burn the garlic). Remove from heat. Drain off any accumulated grease and set aside. The bacon may only be about ¾ of the way cooked at this point, but that is okay. It will finish cooking later in the process.

Bacon pieces are cooked in skillet along with chopped onion.

Tip For Cooking Green Beans So They Keep Their Color

Did you know that cooking fresh green beans with a lid on the pan will result in loss of some of the green color pigment? Much like tree leaves, green beans have chlorophyll in their cell structure which give them their nice green color. For example, in the Fall, we see the leaves on trees lose a lot of their natural chlorophyll (these nutrients are stored in the trunks for the following Spring). This results in the leaves changing color from green to orange, red, yellow or brown.

The same thing happens to green beans when heated with a lid on, because their green pigment is heat sensitive. Heating will reduce the amount of natural chlorophyll, which then changes their color. When a lid is placed on a pot of cooking green beans, any natural acids present in the green bean cell structure will condense on the lid. and then drip back into the pan full of green beans. This diminishes the natural green color even more to a more greyish olive green color. By cooking the beans without putting a lid on the pan, you will end up with a more vibrant true green color.

Now… there’s nothing different about the taste, but the color sure looks better when green beans are cooked this way. So, there you have it… a simple tip to keep those green beans GREEN. The End. And now… back to your regularly scheduled recipe.

Time To Cook the Green Beans And Bacon

Now we’re on to blanching the green beans. Be sure to trim off the stem end, then snap or cut the beans into approximately 3″ pieces. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, then add the green beans and the bacon/onion mixture.

Cook the green beans for 5 minutes UNCOVERED in the boiling water. After 5 minutes, pour the beans into a strainer to drain off the water. Immediately after draining put the hot green beans into a bowl of ice water and let them chill for 3-4 minutes. This ice bath prevents the beans from continuing to cook, and the process is called “blanching” the beans. After 3-4 minutes, drain off the water and ice from the green beans.

Green beans and bacon are cooked in boiling water for 5 minutes.Immediately after cooking, the green beans are immersed in ice water to stop the cooking.Draining the green beans in a colander.

Time To Sauté The Green Beans And Bacon

Melt a teaspoon of butter in a large skillet. Add the strained green beans (with bacon and onion) to the skillet. Sauté the beans on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes. When done, they should be tender to the bite, with just a little bit of firmness. As it cooks, the bacon will “brown up” more as it cooks in the skillet.

When the green beans and bacon have heated through and are at your desired tenderness, add a Tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Stir until butter melts, then season to taste with salt and pepper (approx. ½ teaspoon each, or as desired).

The green beans and bacon are cooked in butter in a large skillet.Butter is added to the green beans in the skillet.

Time to Eat!

Transfer the hot green beans and bacon to a serving bowl and serve immediately (while hot) alongside your favorite main dish. The green beans pair well with chicken, pork, turkey, beef and fish. You typically will get 4 nice sized servings, and you can get 5 servings if the portions are a bit smaller.

The hot green beans and bacon are served in a white serving bowl.You can see the nicely browned bacon with the green beans.

I hope you have a chance to try this recipe for green beans and bacon. Basically it is a simple veggie side dish that is fairly easy to make, and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you will come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care!

Looking For More VEGETABLE SIDE DISH  Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of wonderful veggie recipes to check out, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Green Beans and Bacon
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

Green Beans and Bacon is a simple, yet delicious veggie side dish to serve with a variety of main dishes! This recipe makes 4-5 servings.

Category: Side Dish, Vegetable
Cuisine: American
Keyword: green beans and bacon
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 136 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 slices bacon
  • ¼ small yellow onion , chopped
  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1½ pounds fresh green beans , de-stemmed, cut or snapped in 2-3" pieces
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • ½ teaspoon salt , approx., season to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper , approx., season to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Cut bacon into small pieces. Cook bacon and chopped onion for about 4 minutes, Add garlic; continue cooking for 30 seconds (don't burn garlic). Remove from heat. Drain grease; set aside. Bacon will finish cooking later.

  2. Trim off stem from beans; snap or cut into approx. 3" pieces. Bring a large saucepan half full of water to a boil. Add green beans and bacon/onion/garlic mixture to boiling water. Cook beans for 5 minutes UNCOVERED. Remove from heat; pour beans into a strainer to drain water. Immediately after draining put hot green beans into a bowl of ice water for 3-4 minutes. . After 3-4 minutes, drain off water and ice from beans.

  3. Melt a teaspoon of butter in a large skillet. Add green beans (with bacon and onion) to skillet. Sauté uncovered on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes. When done, beans should be tender to the bite, with just a little bit of firmness. Add a Tablespoon of butter. Stir until butter melts, then season beans to taste with salt and pepper (approx. ½ teaspoon each, or as desired).

  4. Transfer hot green beans and bacon to a serving bowl; serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Caloric calculation made based on 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Green Beans and Bacon
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/4 of total))
Calories 136 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 17mg6%
Sodium 408mg18%
Potassium 394mg11%
Carbohydrates 13g4%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 1298IU26%
Vitamin C 21mg25%
Calcium 68mg7%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Green Beans and Bacon is a simple, yet delicious veggie side dish to serve with a variety of main dishes! This recipe makes 4-5 servings.


Nov
2021

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts

categories: Desserts, Pies/Tarts
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Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts are mini (4″) decadent desserts, drizzled with homemade caramel topping (2-3 small servings per tart). THEY’RE SO GOOD!
Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts are mini (4") decadent desserts, drizzled with homemade caramel topping (2-3 servings per tart). SO GOOD!

Oh boy… this is one delicious dessert! Many, many years ago, I ripped a page out of one of my Sunset magazines because the dessert I saw was calling to me. Ha Ha! This is that dessert! I don’t even know which issue it was in, because I ripped the page out (oops). All I know is I LOVE this dessert.

I modified the original recipe to make two cute chocolate caramel pecan tarts. This was done to use my mini tart pans AND because you can never go wrong with smaller sized portions, especially when the dessert is so decadent. My husband and I cut each tart into small portions, but we can’t stay out of them, going back again and again for another bite. Dangerous!

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts taste like a chocolate chip pecan pie… on steroids! This treat features a buttery shortbread bottom crust, chocolate pecan filling, and is drizzled with a homemade (easy) caramel sauce. Oh my goodness- it tastes AMAZING! Rich, dense, cute looking and sweet, this is one dessert you’ll enjoy serving to those you love. Here’s how to make it:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make And Bake The Crust

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place flour, sugar, and COLD chunks of butter in a small mixing bowl. Rub these ingredients together with your (clean) fingers (or use a pastry blender) until the mixture becomes coarse crumbs You will need to use cold butter so it doesn’t melt between your fingers. Add, and stir in a teaspoon of water.

Work the dough into a ball, squeezing dough together as you form the ball, to hold it together. Lightly butter two 4″ tart pans (the kind with removable rims). Divide the dough into two equal parts and place in the two tart pans. Firmly press the dough down to form a bottom crust, and let the dough extend up about 1″ around the sides of the pan.

NOTE: Don’t have 4″ tart pans? This recipe can also be made using one 6″ wide cake or tart pan (with removable rim). General directions and bake time are the same, and will yield one tart that you can be sliced into 6 small portions.

Bake the crust at 350°F. until the crust becomes golden brown. This will take about 20 minutes, and the crust should be firm to the touch when pressed lightly. Remove from the oven and transfer the pans to a wire rack.

Cold butter, flour and sugar are rubbed together to form coarse crumbs in bowl.Dough is divided into two 4" tart pans and pressed to make crust on bottom and sides.Crust is baked for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Make The Chocolate Chip Pecan Filling

While the crusts are baking, make the filling for the chocolate caramel pecan tarts. Place the filling ingredients into a large mixing bowl. These ingredients are egg, granulated sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, chopped pecans and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Stir to fully combine the filling.

When the crusts come out of the oven, let them sit for 1-2 minutes to cool slightly. Carefully pour the filling onto the warm crust, dividing evenly between the two pans. Once filed, put the tarts back into the oven. Bake the chocolate caramel pecan tarts for approximately 30 minutes. When done, the surface will be golden brown and when the pan is lightly shaken, the filling will be set. Transfer the pans to a wire rack, and let the tarts cool for AT LEAST half an hour or more before removing the pan rims to serve.

Ingredients for the chocolate pecan tart filling are combined in a large mixing bowl.Filling for the chocolate caramel pecan tarts is poured onto baked crust.After baking 30 minutes, the chocolate caramel pecan tarts cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Make The Caramel Sauce For Drizzling The Top Of The Tart

While the tarts cool, make the decadent, EASY caramel sauce to drizzle over the dessert for serving. Place a Tablespoon of butter and 5 Tablespoons of granulated sugar in a 1½ quart saucepan. Cook on HIGH heat, stirring often until the sugar has melted and turns amber in color. This will take about 3 minutes, and you will need to keep a close watch on it, so the sugar doesn’t burn.

When the sugar turns amber in color, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream, and continue stirring until the mixture becomes smooth. When you add the whipping cream it will “sputter” a bit (that’s normal). Once fully combined, the warm caramel sauce is ready to drizzle on the finished tarts.

Collage showing making caramel sauce with butter, granulated sugar and whipping cream.

When the chocolate caramel pecan tarts have cooled for at least half an hour, you’re ready to serve this yummy dessert. Release the outer rims of the pans to reveal the tart. Doesn’t it look scrumptious? The buttery shortbread crust goes part of the way up the sides of the tart, and holds together very well.

Once the tart pan rims have been removed, you can see the golden brown crust on the side.

Serving The Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts

The decision will have to be made about how many pieces to cut the tart into for serving. The chocolate caramel pecan tarts are VERY RICH in flavor, so we have found a small piece always satisfies. Each tart can be cut into either 2, 3 or 4 small pieces. We usually end up slicing 3-4 small portions per tart because it is so rich tasting, but the decision on serving size is up to you.

Below is a photo of one entire tart. To serve you can garnish the whole tart or you can make each individual slice look good with it’s own garnish. Again… your choice. For the sake of the photo, I am showing you an entire tart, garnished for serving.

To serve, drizzle the top of the tarts (or slices) with caramel sauce, allowing it to run down the sides. Dollop with whipped cream, and add a fresh sprig of mint for color! The second photo below is included to show you what the filling looks like inside the tart. It is dense and thick, and tastes quite amazing!

Each of the chocolate caramel pecan tarts is served with caramel sauce, whipped cream and a mint sprig.The inside of each the tarts is thick, rich in taste and dense in texture.

I really hope you’ll give the chocolate caramel pecan tarts a try. There are a few steps involved for the recipe, but trust me… you will love this dessert! Thank you for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again for more family-friendly recipes. Have a GREAT day!

Looking For More DESSERT Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of yummy dessert recipes you’ll enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Adapted From: Sunset magazine (edition unknown), page 114 (page ripped out from an old magazine)

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Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
 

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts are mini (4") decadent desserts, drizzled with homemade caramel topping (2-3 servings per tart). SO GOOD!

Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate caramel pecan tarts
Servings: 6 small servings
Calories Per Serving: 352 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Crust:
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons cold butter , cut in chunks
  • 1 teaspoon water
For Tart Filling:
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 Tablespoons chopped pecans
  • 3 Tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
For Caramel Topping:
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup whipping cream
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or butter 4" tart pans (with removeable rims) on bottom and sides.

  2. Make Crust: Place flour, sugar, and COLD chunks of butter in a small mixing bowl. Rub together with your fingers (or use pastry blender) until mixture becomes coarse crumbs Add/stir in a teaspoon of water. Work dough into a ball, squeezing dough to hold it together. Divide dough into two equal parts; place in pans. Firmly press dough to form bottom crust, letting dough extend up about 1" around sides of pan. Bake crust at 350°F. for about 20 minutes, until it becomes golden brown. Crust should be firm to the touch when pressed lightly. Remove from oven; transfer pans to a wire rack. Let cool 2 minutes before filling.

  3. While crusts bake, make the filling. Place egg, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, pecans and chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. Stir to fully combine. Pour filling onto warm crust, dividing evenly between pans. Put tarts back into oven. Bake for 30 minutes. When done, surface will be golden brown and when pan is lightly shaken, the filling will be set. Transfer pans to wire rack; let cool AT LEAST half an hour (or more) before removing pan rims to serve.

  4. While tarts cool, make caramel sauce. Place butter and sugar in a 1½ quart saucepan. Cook on HIGH heat, stirring often until sugar melts and turns amber in color. This takes about 2-3 minutes; keep a close watch so sugar doesn't burn. When sugar turns amber colored, remove pan from heat. Stir in whipping cream; stir until sauce becomes smooth. **When you add whipping cream it will "sputter" a bit (that's normal).

  5. To serve, drizzle caramel on top of tarts (or slices), allowing it to run down the sides. Dollop with whipped cream, and add a fresh sprig of mint for color! Serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: Don't have 4" tart pans? This recipe can also be made using one 6" wide cake or tart pan (with removable rim). General directions and bake time are the same, and will yield one tart that you can be sliced into 6 small portions.

Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/6 of total))
Calories 352 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 65mg22%
Sodium 92mg4%
Potassium 97mg3%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 35g39%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 431IU9%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 25mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts are mini (4") decadent desserts, drizzled with homemade caramel topping (2-3 servings per tart). SO GOOD!


Nov
2021

Pear Pecan Bread

categories: Breads, Breakfast
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Make 2 loaves of absolutely delicious Pear Pecan Bread, drizzled with a sweet vanilla glaze. Make one loaf for you and another for a friend!
Make 2 loaves of absolutely delicious Pear Pecan Bread, drizzled with a sweet vanilla glaze. Make one loaf for you and another for a friend!

We were recently blessed with a grocery bag full of pears from one of our neighbors. He said they couldn’t handle any more and since it was the last of the harvest, they thought we might enjoy them! YES, PLEASE!  I let them ripen for about another week, then canned some pear butter to store in our pantry. YUM.

I’ve made pear bread before, but decided to try another recipe I found online that sounded wonderful. I doubled the original recipe, and added a vanilla glaze drizzled on top of each loaf. That way, we could eat one loaf, and give the other one to another family (or wrap it and freeze it for later. This pear pecan bread is so tasty, and it was no trouble at all for us to gobble it up within a matter of about 3 days!

The recipe makes two beautifully browned standard sized loaves of bread, using 8½” or a 9″ loaf pans. Small pieces of fresh pears and pecans dot each slice, and the bread is NOT dry (unless you over cook it… ha ha!). It is flavored with vanilla and the warm spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. Here’s how easy it is to make pear pecan bread:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Mix The Wet Ingredients

Before making the batter, preheat your oven to 350°F, and lightly spray (or grease) two 8½” or 9″  loaf pans. Set aside. The batter doesn’t take too long to make, so you want your oven preheated and ready to go when you are!

To make the “wet” ingredients, place vegetable oil, granulated sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk (or beat) these well, until fully combined. Add the peeled and chopped pears, chopped pecans and vanilla extract to the bowl. Stir well, to fully combine these “wet” ingredients.

Oil, sugar and eggs are whisked together in mixing bowl until smooth.Chopped pears, pecans and vanilla extract are added to the batter.

Mix The Dry Ingredients And Add To the Wet Ingredients

In a separate bowl, stir (or whisk) together the “dry” ingredients. The dry ingredients used are all purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Once combined, slowly add these “dry” ingredients, a little at a time, to the bowl containing the “wet” ingredients.

Stir as you add, and continue stirring just until all the dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the batter. When done combining the ingredients together, you will have the batter ready to make two loaves of pear pecan bread.

The dry ingredients, including flour and spices, are combined in a bowl.Dry ingredients are stirred into the pear pecan bread batter until combined.The batter for the bread is thoroughly combined and ready to pour into loaf pans.

Ready To Bake The Pear Pecan Bread

Evenly divide the batter between the two greased loaf pans, then place on a middle rack in your preheated oven. Bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes. Oven temps can vary quite a bit, so check for doneness at the 55 minute mark.

When done, you can insert a toothpick into the center of a loaf, and if it comes out batter-free (clean), the bread is done. The loaves should be wonderfully browned, as well. Transfer the loaf pans to a wire rack, and let the bread cool for 10-15 minutes before trying to remove it from the pan. To remove from pan, slide a butter knife around all the edges of the pan to loosen the bread. Turn loaf pan upside down to release the bread. Cool the loaves on a wire rack after removing them from the pan.

Bread batter is poured evenly into two greased loaf pans before baking.After baking, the loaves of pear pecan bread are browned and cool on a wire rack.

Make The Vanilla Glaze For Drizzling

While the pear pecan bread is cooling, you can make the simple vanilla glaze that will be drizzled on the bread once cool. In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a few drops of water. Stir, and continue to add a few drops of water at a time until the glaze is thinned just enough to drizzle over the top of the bread.

If you get it too thin, simply add a little bit more powdered sugar. If it is still too thick to drizzle with a fork, simply add a couple more drops of water until it reaches the desired consistency. Once the pear pecan bread has completely cooled, drizzle the top of each loaf decoratively with the vanilla glaze. I usually use a fork OR a honey dipper to do this. TIP: For easy cleanup, place a sheet of wax paper, parchment paper or aluminum foil UNDER the wire rack to catch drips while drizzling the glaze.

A vanilla glaze is made by combining powdered sugar, vanilla and water.Each of the pear pecan bread loaves is drizzled with vanilla glaze.

Time For A Slice Of Pear Pecan Bread!

Once the drizzled glaze has firmed up, the bread is ready to slice and serve! You can get about 8, one-inch slices per loaf. Serve with your favorite hot beverage (or a big glass of cold milk), and enjoy! We enjoy pear pecan bread for breakfast OR a great afternoon snack. It is delicious!

If you are interested, these loaves freeze very well. I usually wrap the loaf in plastic wrap, and then in aluminum foil when freezing. All you will need to do is let the loaf thaw completely before serving!

A peek at the inside of the loaf, and a slice of pear pecan bread.

I really hope you have the opportunity to make and enjoy this bread. We LOVE it! Thank you for taking time to visit my blog today. I hope you will come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, and have a wonderful day. God Bless You.

Looking For More BREAD Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have some tried and true, delicious bread recipes there, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe adapted from Michaela Kenkel at: https://anaffairfromtheheart.com/pear-bread/

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Pear Pecan Bread
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
55 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 

Make 2 loaves of absolutely delicious Pear Pecan Bread, drizzled with a sweet vanilla glaze. Make one loaf for you and another for a friend!

Category: Bread/Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pear pecan bread
Servings: 16 (8 slices per loaf)
Calories Per Serving: 414 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2½ cups fresh pears peeled/cored/chopped
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
For Drizzle Glaze:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • drops water ,as needed to thin glaze
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray/grease two 8½" or 9" loaf pans. Set aside

  2. Place oil, granulated sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk or beat well, until combined. Add pears, pecans and vanilla extract. Stir well.

  3. In a separate bowl, stir (or whisk) together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Slowly add this mixture, a little at a time, to the pear mixture, stirring as you add. Stir only until fully incorporated into the batter.

  4. Evenly divide batter in prepared pans; place on middle oven rack. Bake at 350°F. for 55-60 minutes. Oven temps can vary; check for doneness at the 55 minute mark. Insert a toothpick into the center of a loaf; if it comes out clean, bread is done. Transfer pans to a wire rack; let bread cool 10-15 minutes before removing from pan. Cool loaves on wire rack after removing from pan.

  5. Make vanilla glaze while bread is cooling. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and a few drops water. Stir; continue to add 2-3 drops of water at a time until glaze is thinned enough to drizzle on bread. Too thin? Add a little powdered sugar. Too thick to drizzle? Add a few drops of water until it reaches desired consistency. Once bread has cooled completely, drizzle each loaf with glaze, using a fork OR honey dipper. TIP: For easy cleanup, put wax paper, parchment paper or aluminum foil UNDER rack to catch glaze drips.

  6. Once glaze has hardened, bread is ready to slice and serve! Slice into 8, one-inch slices per loaf. Loaves can also be frozen if wrapped well. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Pear Pecan Bread
Amount Per Serving (1 slice (1/16th of total))
Calories 414 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 10g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 47mg16%
Sodium 233mg10%
Potassium 128mg4%
Carbohydrates 56g19%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 35g39%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 78IU2%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 32mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make 2 loaves of absolutely delicious Pear Pecan Bread, drizzled with a sweet vanilla glaze. Make one loaf for you and another for a friend!


Nov
2021

Crock Pot Mongolian Beef

categories: Beef, Main Dishes, Slow Cooker Recipes
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Crock Pot Mongolian Beef is a delicious, easy meal you’ll love! Strips of beef are cooked in Asian sauce until tender, then served on rice!Crock Pot Mongolian Beef is a delicious, easy meal you'll love! Strips of beef are cooked in Asian sauce until tender, then served on rice!

Looking for a delicious, hearty dish you can whip up in a few minutes and then throw in the slow cooker? Try this yummy recipe for crock pot Mongolian beef! It’s SIMPLE to prepare, and then your handy dandy slow cooker does the rest of the work for you! If you don’t have a lot of time to prepare dinner (busy days, right?), this dish is a perfect solution.

Strips of beef (I use flank steak) are cooked low and slow in a delicious Asian-inspired, slightly sweet sauce. The beef strips, once cooked, are coated in a thick, lip-smackin’ sauce and are incredibly tender. We enjoy the beef and sauce served on rice, with a veggie on the side. It’s a delicious and hearty meal you’re going to love! Here’s how simple it is to make:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Prepare The Meat

For this recipe you will need 1¾ pounds of flank steak. It is usually packaged as a long, flat strip of meat. You will need to slice the beef into thin (about ½”) strips. TIP: If you freeze the flank steak for about 15 minutes, it will be much easier to slice.

Put the strips of beef into a large re-sealable plastic bag. Add cornstarch to the bag, and shake well, to cover the beef strips with cornstarch. The cornstarch will help to thicken the sauce for this recipe. Set the bag aside once the meat is fairly well-coated.

Flank steak is sliced into thin strips on a cutting mat.Strips of flank steak are coated with cornstarch in a large plastic bag.

Make The Sauce

Okay… now it’s time to make the sauce. It’s EASY! The sauce ingredients can be added directly to your crock pot. To make the sauce you will need water, low-sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, minced garlic, and grated carrots.

Add the sauce ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir well, to fully dissolve the brown sugar and combine the ingredients.

All ingredients for the Asian-inspired sauce are combined in a slow cooker.Sauce for the Mongolian beef is stirred to combine, before adding meat.

Ready, Set… Cook!

Add the prepared beef strips to the slow cooker and stir, to combine with the sauce. Now the crock pot Mongolian beef is ready to cook. See how easy that was?

There are two choices for how long you want to cook this dish. You can either cook it on HIGH for 2-3 hours OR you can cook it on LOW for 4-5 hours. I usually cook it on a low setting, because then I can simply not think about it, and go about my business. Towards the end of the cooking time I make a pot of rice (and a veggie) to serve with this dish.

Strips of beef are added to the crock pot with sauce and cooked several hours until tender.

When done, the sauce will have thickened, and the beef strips will be incredibly tender. This means the crock pot Mongolian beef is ready for serving. Whoo Hoo!

When done cooking, Crock Pot Mongolian Beef will be tender and coated in a thick sauce.

Serving Crock Pot Mongolian Beef

To serve this meal, I lay down a base of steamed rice on each plate, and spoon the crock pot Mongolian beef (and sauce) on top. At this point, this meal is ready to eat, but if you want to “fancy it up” just a bit, why not make it “pop” a bit more? We eat with our eyes first, so I enjoy making it LOOK GOOD, too!

I like to garnish each serving with a few grated carrots and chopped green onions. It gives this dish color (and even more flavor!). When served with a nice green veggie (we enjoy steamed broccoli), this becomes a very pleasing to look at meal! Just wait until you taste it, though. It is DELICIOUS!

Crock pot Mongolian beef is served on rice, with a garnish of chopped green onions.Steamed white rice and broccoli are served with the crock pot Mongolian beef.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have the opportunity to try this meal, and trust you will enjoy it as much as we do. Have a great day, and please come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care!

Looking For More CROCK POT Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have several slow cooker recipes you might enjoy, including:

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Recipe adapted from Alyssa at: http://therecipecritic.com/2015/08/slow-cooker-mongolian-beef/

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Crock Pot Mongolian Beef
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs 10 mins
 

Crock Pot Mongolian Beef is a delicious, easy meal you'll love! Strips of beef are cooked in Asian sauce until tender, then served on rice!

Category: Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: crockpot Mongolian beef
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 369 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1¾ pounds flank steak
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • ¾ cup brown sugar dark or light
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • chopped green onions/grated carrots, for garnish OPTIONAL, but GOOD
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Slice beef into strips (about ½") . TIP: If you freeze meat for 15 minutes, it's easier to slice. Put beef strips of beef in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Add cornstarch. Shake well, to coat beef strips with cornstarch. Set bag aside once meat is well-coated.

  2. Add water, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, carrots and garlic to crock pot. Stir well, to dissolve brown sugar and combine ingredients.

  3. Add beef strips to crock pot; stir, to cover with sauce. Cook on HIGH (lid on) for 2-3 hours OR you can cook it on LOW (lid on) for 4-5 hours. When done, sauce will have thickened and meat will be very tender.

  4. Serve the beef (and sauce) on top of rice. If desired, garnish each serving with additional shredded carrots and chopped green onions. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Crock Pot Mongolian Beef
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/6 of total))
Calories 369 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 79mg26%
Sodium 803mg35%
Potassium 598mg17%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 28g31%
Protein 30g60%
Vitamin A 3564IU71%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 64mg6%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Crock Pot Mongolian Beef is a delicious, easy meal you'll love! Strips of beef are cooked in Asian sauce until tender, then served on rice!


Nov
2021

Easy Smoky Almonds

categories: Appetizers, Holidays!
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Need a simple, delicious appetizer, snack or food gift? Make a batch of Easy Smoky Almonds, covered in sauce, and roasted to perfection!
Need a simple, delicious appetizer, snack or food gift? Make a batch of Easy Smoky Almonds, covered in sauce, and roasted to perfection!

Years ago I found a recipe for smoked almonds and jotted the recipe down on a 3×5″ index card. I’m not sure of the source for the original recipe, since I didn’t write it down at the time. The recipe card was put into my old, well-worn recipe box, where it sat for years.  After re-discovering it, I knew I had to make these yummy snacks again (and take photos).

The recipe is simple. Unblanched almonds are mixed with a simple mixture of Liquid Smoke, water, and vegetable oil. After being covered with flavoring, they are roasted in the oven for 20-25 minutes. They come out of the oven wonderfully browned and crunchy! After roasting, the almonds are then lightly salted. They come out of the oven wonderfully browned and crunchy! YUM!

It really is super simple to make this recipe. The recipe as written will make one cup of Easy Smoky Almonds. However, the recipe is super easy to double or triple, depending on the amount of almonds you want.

They’re a great snack (we love to munch on them)! It’s also fun to put out a bowl of the smoky almonds with other appetizers. You can also put them in a cute container and give them as a tasty food gift for celebrations or holidays.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Prepare The Almonds For Roasting

First, you will need to preheat your oven to 300°F. You will want the oven nice and hot, since it hardly takes any time to prepare the almonds for roasting.

In a small bowl, combine the liquid smoke and water. Most grocery stores sell Liquid Smoke. It is a highly concentrated liquid that is quite smoky flavored. This mixture is what will flavor the almonds well.

Water and liquid smoke are combined to help flavor almonds.

Place unblanched, unsalted almonds in a bowl, and pour the Liquid Smoke and water mixture over them. Stir well, to ensure all the almonds are coated.

Once they are covered with the smoky flavoring, add a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Stir the almonds again, to fully coat them with oil.

A mixture of liquid smoke and water is poured onto the unblanched almonds in a bowl.A teaspoon of vegetable oil is added to the smoky flavored almonds.

Ready For The Oven

Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper (or aluminum foil). Spread the almonds out on the paper in a single layer, and put the almonds into a preheated oven.

Bake at 300°F. for 20-25 minutes. STIR THE ALMONDS A COUPLE TIMES DURING THE ROASTING TIME!

When done, the almonds will be crunchy and nicely browned. Remove the baking sheet of almonds from the oven.

Almonds are placed in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for roasting.Nicely browned and crunchy, the easy smoky almonds are removed from the oven.

A Little Salt For Added Flavor!

Lightly sprinkle the roasted almonds with salt, to taste. Let them cool to room temperature before serving.

Roasted almonds are sprinkled with salt before serving.

Time To Enjoy Some Easy Smoky Almonds

Once the almonds have cooled, they are ready to eat, OR you can package them up for gift giving! That’s it! See how EASY they were to make? I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Easy Smoky Almonds are served in a pretty bowl.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your time, and trust you will have the opportunity to make these delicious easy smoky almonds. Please come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, and have a great day!

Looking For More APPETIZER Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have quite a few delicious appetizers you might enjoy checking out, including:

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

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Easy Smoky Almonds
Prep Time
3 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
23 mins
 

Need a simple, delicious appetizer, snack or food gift? Make a batch of Easy Smoky Almonds, covered in sauce, and roasted to perfection!

Category: Appetizer/Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy smoky almonds
Servings: 4 (serving = 1/4 cup)
Calories Per Serving: 214 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • salt to taste
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F.

  2. In a small bowl, combine the liquid smoke and water.

  3. Place unblanched, unsalted almonds in a bowl, and pour the Liquid Smoke/water mixture over them. Stir well, to fully coat. Once covered with smoky flavoring, add vegetable oil. Stir again, to fully cover almonds with oil. Spread almonds on a parchment paper (or foil) lined baking sheet in a single layer.

  4. Bake at 300°F. for 20-25 minutes. STIR ALMONDS A COUPLE TIMES DURING THE ROASTING TIME! When done, the almonds will be crunchy/nicely browned. Remove from oven. Lightly sprinkle with salt, to taste. Let almonds cool to room temperature, then serve. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Easy Smoky Almonds
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 214 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 11g
Sodium 3mg0%
Potassium 252mg7%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 1IU0%
Calcium 94mg9%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Need a simple, delicious appetizer, snack or food gift? Make a batch of Easy Smoky Almonds, covered in sauce, and roasted to perfection!


Nov
2021

Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins

categories: Breads, Breakfast, Muffins
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Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins are full of pumpkin spice flavor and topped with a buttery pecan streusel. You’ll love these yummy muffins!
Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins are full of pumpkin spice flavor and topped with a buttery pecan streusel. You'll love these yummy muffins!

Fall is the time for all things PUMPKIN! I have been making pumpkin muffins for years, but today I want to share our absolute FAVORITE recipe (found online) for these delicious breakfast treats. Full of flavor from pumpkin pie spices and topped with a decadent streusel topping, they are a real taste treat! Here’s how to make them:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Prepare The Muffin Batter

Before mixing the batter, remember to preheat your oven to 375°F so it’s hot when the muffins are ready to bake. To make the batter, place pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, vanilla and butter (melted but cooled) in a large mixing bowl. Whisk these ingredients well, until combined and smooth. These are your “wet” ingredients.

Melted butter, pumpkin puree, eggs and vanilla extract are whisked together in large glass bowl.The wet ingredients for the muffins are whisked together until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine all purpose flour, granulated sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt, and stir to combine. These are your “dry” ingredients. Stir or whisk the dry ingredients a little at a time into the wet ingredients. Continue to stir or whisk only until the ingredients have been incorporated into the batter. Don’t overmix!.

Flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice mix, baking soda and salt make up the dry ingredients for muffins.The dry ingredients are combined with the wet ingredients for the pumpkin pecan streusel muffins.

Place 12 paper-liners into a standard sized muffin tin. I like to give each paper liner a little shot of non-stick baking spray before filling them with batter (a little trick a former professional baker told me over 25 years ago). Fill each muffin cup about halfway with batter, dividing the batter evenly. Set the pan aside and make the streusel topping.

The muffin batter is evenly divided into 12 paper-lined muffin cups.

Make The Pecan Streusel Topping

In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, chopped pecans, pumpkin pie spice, melted butter and salt. Once mixed together with a spoon or fork, it will be a crumbly streusel topping for your muffins.

If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice mix in your pantry, you can use my simple recipe to make your own. It will make a bit more than you need for this recipe, so you can have extra for the NEXT batch of muffins! Get the pumpkin pie spice mix recipe HERE.

A streusel topping is made with butter, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pecans, pumpkin pie spice and salt..After being combined, the streusel topping is ready to add to the muffin batter.

Time To Bake The Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins!

Top each of the muffins with the pecan streusel, dividing it evenly between the 12 muffins. Now they’re ready to bake in your preheated oven. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes at 375°F.

When done, the muffins will be nicely browned, and a toothpick inserted into the top of a muffin should come out free of batter. Remove the muffins, and lightly sprinkle sifted powdered sugar over the top of each muffin. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling, and then they’re ready to serve and enjoy!

Each of the cups of pumpkin muffin batter is topped with pecan streusel before baking.Powdered sugar is sifted onto the muffins after they finish baking.

Who Wants A Yummy Muffin?

After the muffins have cooled slightly, they are ready to gobble up. We think they taste fantastic just slightly warm or at room temperature! Peel back those muffin paper-liners, and take a big bite.

These muffins are AMAZING! My husband says they are some of the best muffins he’s ever had (and he’s eaten a LOT of muffins over the years). Hope you enjoy them just as much as we do. YUM! They truly taste wonderful any time of year, but we especially love their warm pumpkin spice flavor during FALL! 

Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins, cooling on a wire rack after baking.A close up of one of the pumpkin pecan streusel muffins.

I am confident you will really love these delicious Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins. They are absolutely wonderful! Thanks for stopping by, and I sincerely invite you to come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Have a great day.

Looking For More MUFFIN Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious muffin recipes for you to enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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Author's signature

Original recipe source: Kathi and Rachel (a mother-daughter team), at laughingspatula.com/pumpkin-pecan-crunch-muffins/

3 from 1 vote
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Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins are full of pumpkin spice flavor and topped with a buttery pecan streusel. You'll love these yummy muffins!

Category: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pumpkin pecan streusel muffins
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories Per Serving: 332 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Muffin Batter:
  • 1½ cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see NOTES below to make your own)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ⅓ cup butter (melted and cooled) = 5½ Tablespoons
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Streusel Topping:
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup chopped pecans can substitute walnuts
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see NOTES below for substitution)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup butter, melted = 5½ Tablespoons
Sprinkle Finished Muffins With A Small Amount Of SIFTED Powdered Sugar (if desired)
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

    2. Place pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, vanilla and melted (but cooled) butter in a large mixing bowl. Whisk well, until combined/smooth.

    3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt; stir to combine. Stir or whisk these ingredients a little at a time into the pumpkin mixture. Stir or whisk only until ingredients have been incorporated into the batter. Don't overmix!

    4. Place 12 paper-liners into a standard sized muffin tin. Spray paper liners with non-stick baking spray, if desired. Fill each muffin cup about halfway with batter, dividing the batter evenly. Set pan aside; make streusel topping.

    5. MAKE STREUSEL TOPPING: In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pecans, pumpkin spice, melted butter and salt. Streusel topping will be fairly crumbly. Top muffins with streusel, dividing evenly.

    6. Bake muffins for 20 minutes at 375°F. When done, muffins will be browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the top of a muffin should come out batter-free. Remove from oven; lightly sprinkle sifted powdered sugar on top of each muffin. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling, then serve and enjoy!

    Recipe Notes

    NOTES: Don't have any pumpkin pie spice for this recipe? Make your own! HERE is the recipe for a handy mix (this makes extra), so you will have it handy. https://www.thegratefulgirlcooks.com/pumpkin-pie-spice-mix/

    Nutrition Facts
    Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins
    Amount Per Serving (1 muffin)
    Calories 332 Calories from Fat 135
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 15g23%
    Saturated Fat 7g44%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
    Monounsaturated Fat 5g
    Cholesterol 59mg20%
    Sodium 345mg15%
    Potassium 126mg4%
    Carbohydrates 46g15%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 25g28%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 3546IU71%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 37mg4%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins are full of pumpkin spice flavor and topped with a buttery pecan streusel. You'll love these yummy muffins!

     

     

     

     


    Nov
    2021

    Lemon Krispie Cookies

    categories: Cookies, Desserts
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    Make 4 dozen yummy Lemon Krispie Cookies, drizzled with lemon glaze on top! This easy to make recipe uses boxed lemon cake mix as a shortcut!
    Make 4 dozen yummy Lemon Krispie Cookies, drizzled with lemon glaze on top! This easy to make recipe uses boxed lemon cake mix as a shortcut!

    If you’re looking for an easy to prepare, delicious batch of homemade cookies, I sure hope you will try these lemon krispie cookies!

    With only a few ingredients added to a boxed cake mix, you can have 4 dozen amazing tasting cookies to eat, share, etc. in practically no time! I saved the recipe from an old food magazine (from 1998), and it’s a KEEPER!

    Lemon flavored, with a crunch from puffed rice cereal, the baked lemon krispie cookies are then drizzled with a simple lemon glaze, which enhances the taste even more! They are delicious, and would be a perfect food gift one you love. Here’s how to make them!

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    What Ingredients Will I Need?

    To make lemon krispie cookies, you will need a box of lemon cake mix, puffed rice cereal (like Rice Krispies), butter, an egg, and grated lemon peel.

    If you want to drizzle lemon glaze on them (recommended- once baked), you will also need powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice. Before gathering the ingredients, preheat your oven to 350°F.

    NOTE ABOUT THE CAKE MIX: The original recipe (from 1998) calls for an 18.25 ounce box of cake mix. Most boxed cake mixes nowadays are smaller in “quantity” at 15.25 ounces, and they still will work perfectly! 

    Five ingredients are gathered to make lemon krispie cookies.

    Make The Cookie Dough

    Place the dry cake mix, krispies, melted butter, a beaten egg and grated lemon peel (zest) in a large mixing bowl.

    Stir them together until completely blended. This is your cookie dough. See how easy that was?

    Cake mix, melted butter, puffed rice cereal, egg and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl.The cookie dough has been mixed together and is ready to shape into balls.

    Time To Get Rollin’

    The next step is to shape the cookie dough in 4 dozen 1″ balls. If you’re careful about the size (don’t make them too big), you WILL get 48 cookies from this dough! Use a cookie scoop or a teaspoon and roll a piece of dough between the palms of your hand to form a 1″ ball.

    TIP: The dough is VERY forgiving, so if you don’t have enough cookies to make 4 dozen… simply pinch little pieces off the “chubby” ones (ha ha), and re-roll.

    Place the dough balls about two inches apart on an UNGREASED baking sheet. I use two baking sheets and make the 4 dozen cookies in two batches.

    Cookie dough is shaped into 1" balls and placed on baking sheet.

    Let’s Bake Some Lemon Krispie Cookies!

    Bake the cookies at 350°F. for 10-12 minutes. I find with our oven it usually takes the full 12 minutes, but keep an eye on yours. Oven temps can vary greatly, and you don’t want them to overcook.

    When done, remove them from the oven, and let the cookies cool in the pan for one minute before transferring to wire rack to finish cooling.

    The cookies should be set on top, very light golden in color, and the bottoms will be golden brown. Let them cool completely before drizzling with the lemon glaze.

    Cookies are golden in color once removed from oven after baking.A close up of the lemon krispie cookies cooling on a wire rack after baking.

    Make The Lemon Glaze

    While the cookies cool, you can quickly make the lemon glaze to drizzle on top of the cooled “room temp” cookies. Place a cup of powdered sugar into a small bowl. Squeeze fresh lemon juice in, a few drops at a time. Stir after each addition of lemon juice.

    Continue until the lemon glaze is still thickened, but “thin” enough to easily drizzle over the cookies. Too thin? Add more powdered sugar. Too thick? Add more lemon juice!

    Place a sheet of wax paper, parchment paper or aluminum foil UNDER the wire rack (to help with cleanup)! Move the completely cooled cookies tightly together.

    Using a honey dipper OR a fork, drizzle the glaze over the cookies. Make several passes over the cookies until the glaze is gone, and all cookies have a bit of glaze drizzled on them. Let glaze firm up before serving.

    Fresh lemon juice is combined with powdered sugar to make a drizzle for the cookies.The lemon glaze is thin enough to drizzle onto the cooled cookies.A honey dipper is used to drizzle lemon glaze over the cookies.

    Ready To Eat Some Lemon Krispie Cookies!

    Once the lemon drizzle has firmed up, the lemon krispie cookies are ready to be served! They have wonderful lemon flavor, and a tiny bit of crunch when you bite into them, thanks to those krispies inside!

    Any leftover cookies that don’t get gobbled up can be frozen, (sealed well) in an airtight container.

    Once drizzled glaze has firmed up, the lemon krispie cookies can be served.

    I hope you have the opportunity to make these EASY, quick and delicious cookies for your family or friends. Thank you for stopping by today, and I invite you to come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Have a wonderful day, friends.

    Looking For More COOKIE Recipes?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of yummy cookie recipes for you to enjoy, including:

    Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

    I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
    Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
    You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

    Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Instagram:     jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

    Author's signature

    Recipe adapted from: “Taste of Home” magazine, June/July 1998 issue, page 9, published by Reiman Publications, LP

    ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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    Lemon Krispie Cookies
    Prep Time
    10 mins
    Cook Time
    12 mins
    Total Time
    22 mins
     

    Make 4 dozen yummy Lemon Krispie Cookies, drizzled with lemon glaze on top! This easy to make recipe uses boxed lemon cake mix as a shortcut!

    Category: Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: lemon krispie cookies
    Servings: 48 cookies
    Calories Per Serving: 64 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    For Cookie Dough:
    • 15.25 ounce boxed lemon cake mix
    • 1 cup puffed rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
    • ½ cup butter, melted , = 1 stick
    • 1 large egg , lightly beaten
    • 1½ teaspoons finely grated lemon peel , = lemon "zest"
    For Lemon Glaze Drizzle:
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • fresh lemon juice , a few drops at a time, + more, as needed
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

    2. Place dry cake mix, krispies, melted butter, beaten egg and grated lemon peel (zest) in a large mixing bowl. Stir together until completely blended.

    3. Shape cookie dough into 48, 1" balls, by rolling pieces of dough between the palms of your hands. Place dough balls onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2" apart. TIP: The dough is VERY forgiving, so if you don't have enough cookies to make 4 dozen... simply pinch little pieces off the "chubby" ones (ha ha), and re-roll.

    4. Bake cookies at 350°F. for 10-12 minutes. When done, cookies will be golden in color, set on top, and bottom of cookie will be golden brown. Remove from oven. Let sit for 1 minute before transferring cookies from baking sheet to wire rack to finish cooling. Let cookies cool completely before glazing tops.

    5. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl. Squeeze lemon juice in, a few drops at a time. Stir after each addition of juice. Continue until glaze is still thickened, but "thin" enough to easily drizzle over cookies. Place wax paper, parchment paper or aluminum foil UNDER the wire rack (to help with cleanup)! Move completely cooled cookies tightly together on rack. Using a honey dipper OR fork, drizzle glaze over cookies. Make several passes over the cookies until glaze is gone, and all cookies have glaze drizzled on them. Let glaze firm up, before serving. Enjoy!

    Nutrition Facts
    Lemon Krispie Cookies
    Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)
    Calories 64 Calories from Fat 18
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 2g3%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 9mg3%
    Sodium 87mg4%
    Potassium 7mg0%
    Carbohydrates 10g3%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 6g7%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 104IU2%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 20mg2%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make 4 dozen yummy Lemon Krispie Cookies, drizzled with lemon glaze on top! This easy to make recipe uses boxed lemon cake mix as a shortcut!


    Oct
    2021

    Salmon and Pearl Couscous Bowl

    categories: Main Dishes, Seafood
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    Looking for quick dinner ideas? Try a delicious Salmon and Pearl Couscous Bowl, with chives, lemon and peas, and on the table in 30 minutes!
    Looking for quick dinner ideas? Try a delicious Salmon and Pearl Couscous Bowl, with chives, lemon and peas, and on the table in 30 minutes!

    We happen to love salmon in our home. Years ago I didn’t like it… in fact we almost never had it. Then a switch was flipped with my taste buds, and I began to enjoy it. Now for the past 10-15 years we try to eat salmon about once a week, and I LOVE it! Who knew that your taste buds can really change, after all? I even have lots of salmon recipes on my blog now, to prove it!

    Today I want to share a really yummy all-in-one meal that features salmon fillets and pearl couscous, topped with a drizzling oil with lemon and chives. Throw in some peas, garlic and shallots for more flavor, and this is a great meal that’s ready to serve in 30 minutes. I found the recipe in one of my beloved cookbooks, and knew I had to share the recipe on my blog. Here’s how to make this delicious 30-minute meal:

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    TIP: Before beginning- preheat your oven to 200°F. Place an empty, oven-proof baking dish (large enough for 4 salmon fillets) in the oven (on a middle rack) while it preheats.

    NOTE: The recipe (as written in recipe card below) makes 4 servings. My photos reflect only the amounts used for 2 servings, just so you know. 

    Cook The Salmon Fillets

    Okay… while the oven preheats, prepare the salmon fillets. Pat each one dry using paper towels, and then lightly season the top with salt and pepper. NOTE: The reason to pat the salmon dry is because excess moisture tends to “steam” the salmon. You want them dry so the salmon can be pan-seared and crispy brown.

    Heat 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. When the skillet is really hot, but not smoking, carefully place salmon, seasoned side down into the hot skillet. Cook the salmon (without moving them) in the skillet for about 5 minutes, until the bottom side is nicely browned.

    Once the bottom has browned well, transfer the fish into the baking dish that has been heating in the oven, with the browned side of the salmon facing up. Bake the salmon (uncovered) at 200°F. for approx. 15 minutes. When done, the salmon will turn a bit opaque, and will flake easily.

    Salmon fillets are patted dry, then seasoned with salt and pepper before cooking.The salmon fillets are pan-seared, seasoned side down in hot oil in a skillet.Browned salmon fillets are baked in the oven after pan-searing.

    Cook The Pearl Couscous While Salmon Bakes

    While the salmon bakes, prepare the couscous. Wipe the skillet (you used for the salmon) clean with paper towels. Put another 1 Tablespoon of oil in the skillet, and heat it on medium-high. Measure the pearl couscous into the hot oil in the skillet. Lightly cook, stirring often, until the couscous turns a light golden brown color. This usually takes only a couple minutes.

    Add the lemon zest, minced shallot and garlic to the couscous. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds (don’t burn that garlic!).

    Pearl couscous is lightly "toasted" in a hot skillet until golden.Shallots, garlic and lemon zest are added to the skillet with toasted pearl couscous.

    Immediately add 3 cups of water to the couscous, and stir to combine. Continue to cook on medium-high heat, stirring often, until the couscous becomes soft, tender to the bite, and the liquid has been absorbed (approx. 11-12 minutes).

    Water is added to the pearl couscous and it begins cooking in skillet.Water has been absorbed into the pearl couscous in the skillet.

    Make The Lemon Chive Drizzling Oil While The Couscous Cooks

    While the couscous is cooking, make the quick and easy drizzling oil for the finished salmon. Place the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil in a small bowl, then add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons of chopped chives. Whisk well, to fully combine these simple ingredients. Set aside.

    A small bowl, holding the lemon chive drizzling oil to top the salmon fillets.

    Final Steps To Finish This Dish

    Now we’re ready for the final steps! As soon as the couscous is tender and the liquid is absorbed, remove the skillet from the heat source. Add frozen peas to the couscous, put a lid on the skillet, and allow to remain undisturbed for 2 minutes. The heat from the couscous will heat the frozen peas through!

    After 2 minutes, take off the skillet lid. Stir in the rest of the chopped chives (2 Tablespoons) and lemon juice (1 Tablespoon). Toss gently, to combine these ingredients with the hot couscous. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

    Frozen peas are added to the skillet of hot pearl couscous.Chopped chives and lemon juice are added to the peas and pearl couscous for seasoning.

    Serving The Salmon and Pearl Couscous Bowl

    To serve, spoon about one fourth of the couscous into each serving bowl. Carefully place a salmon fillet on top of the couscous, re-stir and then drizzle one fourth of the lemon chive oil over the top of the salmon. Repeat for each serving.

    Serve the salmon and pearl couscous bowl while all ingredients are hot, and enjoy this delicious, all-in-one meal! The salmon is nicely browned and should be flaky all the way through. The pearl couscous has a nice light flavor, and the lemon/chive drizzling oil brings it all together in every bite! Hope you enjoy it!

    A Salmon and Pearl Couscous Bowl is served with lemon chive drizzling oil on top.The salmon fillet in the Salmon and Pearl Couscous Bowl is fully cooked and flaky.

    Thank you for stopping by today. I sincerely hope you will come back again soon, to discover more family-friendly recipes to make for those you love. Take care, and have a wonderful day, friends.

    Looking For More SALMON Recipes?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of yummy salmon recipes you can check out, including:

    Interested In More Recipes?

    Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

    You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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    Author's signature

    Original recipe source: “The Best 30-Minute Recipe” cookbook, page 129, published in 2006, by the Editors of Cooks Illustrated

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    Salmon and Pearl Couscous Bowl
    Prep Time
    15 mins
    Cook Time
    15 mins
    Total Time
    30 mins
     

    Looking for quick dinner ideas? Try a delicious Salmon and Pearl Couscous Bowl, with chives, lemon and peas, and on the table in 30 minutes!

    Category: Main Dish, Seafood
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: salmon pearl couscous bowl
    Servings: 4
    Calories Per Serving: 551 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    • 4 salmon fillets (approx. 4 ounces per fillet) , 1¼" thick, skinless
    • salt and pepper , to lightly season salmon
    • 4 Tablespoons olive oil , DIVIDED USE
    • 1½ cups Israeli pearl couscous , uncooked
    • 1 shallot , peeled/finely minced
    • 3 garlic cloves , peeled/finely minced
    • ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest , = finely grated lemon peel
    • 3 cups water
    • ¼ cup chopped chives , DIVIDED USE
    • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice , DIVIDED USE
    • ½ cup frozen peas , frozen, NOT thawed
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. TIP: **Before beginning recipe... preheat oven to 200°F. Place an empty, oven-proof baking dish (large enough for salmon fillets) in the oven on the middle rack while the oven preheats.

    2. COOK SALMON- Pat salmon dry with paper towels; season top lightly with salt/pepper. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil on medium-high heat in a large, non-stick skillet. When oil is really hot, but not smoking, carefully place salmon, seasoned side down into skillet. Cook (without moving fillets) about 5 minutes, until bottom side is well browned. Transfer salmon into heated baking dish with browned side facing up. Bake salmon (uncovered) at 200°F. for 15 minutes.

    3. PREPARE COUSCOUS- While salmon bakes, make the couscous. Wipe salmon skillet clean with paper towels. Add 1 Tablespoon of oil to skillet; heat on medium-high. Measure couscous into skillet. Cook, stirring often, until couscous turns golden brown (2-3 minutes). Add lemon zest, minced shallot and garlic. Stir/cook only about 30 seconds (don't burn garlic!). Immediately add 3 cups of water; stir to combine. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring often, until couscous is tender to the bite, and liquid has been absorbed (approx. 11-12 minutes).

    4. MAKE DRIZZLING OIL- While couscous cooks, make drizzling oil. Put remaining 2 Tablespoons oil in small bowl. Add 1 T. of lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons of chopped chives. Whisk well, to fully combine Set aside.

    5. TO FINISH- When couscous is tender and liquid absorbed, remove skillet from heat. Add frozen peas; put a lid on skillet; let sit undisturbed for 2 minutes (heat from couscous will heat frozen peas through). After 2 minutes, remove skillet lid. Stir in remaining chives (2 T.) and lemon juice (1 Tablespoon). Toss gently, to combine with couscous. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.

    6. TO SERVE- Spoon ¼ of the couscous into each bowl. Carefully place a salmon fillet on top of the couscous. Re-stir lemon/chive/oil mixture; drizzle ¼ of it over top of salmon. Repeat for each serving. Serve hot, and enjoy!

    Nutrition Facts
    Salmon and Pearl Couscous Bowl
    Amount Per Serving (1 (1/4 of total))
    Calories 551 Calories from Fat 198
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 22g34%
    Saturated Fat 3g19%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 5g
    Monounsaturated Fat 13g
    Cholesterol 62mg21%
    Sodium 68mg3%
    Potassium 752mg21%
    Carbohydrates 55g18%
    Fiber 4g17%
    Sugar 2g2%
    Protein 32g64%
    Vitamin A 294IU6%
    Vitamin C 13mg16%
    Calcium 48mg5%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Looking for quick dinner ideas? Try a delicious Salmon and Pearl Couscous Bowl, with chives, lemon and peas, and on the table in 30 minutes!


    Oct
    2021

    Chocolate Banana Berry Oatmeal

    categories: Breakfast
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    Make your breakfast look AND taste good with a bowl of Chocolate Banana Berry Oatmeal! Filling and delicious, you’re gonna like it!
    Make your breakfast look AND taste good with a bowl of Chocolate Banana Berry Oatmeal! Filling and delicious, you're gonna like it!

    Do you enjoy oatmeal for breakfast? I sure do, and for years now have been enjoying it made in a variety of ways 2-3 times a week. It fills me up, and I truly think it tastes delicious, whether it’s made with nuts, raisins, cinnamon, apples, brown sugar, cranberries or other ingredients. THIS recipe is for chocolate oatmeal with fresh fruit. Yep. You heard me, and it’s so good.

    A few years ago I shared a recipe on my blog for “healthy chocolate oatmeal“. That recipe originally was discovered online from another blogger named Kristen at Dine And Dish. I loved that dish then and still do, but several months ago decided to make a couple changes, and this recipe is the result. The addition of several ingredients, plus a different cooking style and fresh fruit help this breakfast LOOK good, and it will definitely fill you up!

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    Time To Make Some Oatmeal!

    Measure old fashioned oats and milk (I use low-fat) into a medium sized saucepan. Bring this mixture to a low boil, and then cook on low for about 3-4 more minutes. When done, most of the liquid will have reduced.

    Take the pan off of the heat source. Immediately stir in a couple Tablespoons of cocoa powder, a teaspoon of pure maple syrup (or honey) and a Tablespoon of almond butter. NOTE: The almond butter is optional, but I like to add it to the oatmeal for a little bit more protein.

    Stir these ingredients into the oatmeal until thoroughly incorporated (and almond butter has melted). If the oatmeal becomes too thick for your taste, simply stir in a tiny bit more milk.

    Old-fashioned oats and milk are cooked together in a saucepan.

    Maple syrup (or honey), cocoa powder and almond butter are added to the cooked oatmeal.

    Once fully incorporated, transfer the chocolate oatmeal into a small serving bowl. Now it’s time to “pretty it up” for serving and eating!

    The chocolate oatmeal is transferred to a serving bowl, to garnish before serving.

    To Serve Chocolate Banana Berry Oatmeal

    Now you’re almost ready to serve Chocolate Banana Berry Oatmeal. The only problem with that is you will still need to add bananas and strawberries, right? Right!

    Garnish the top of the finished oatmeal with thinly sliced bananas and strawberries. I love to do this, because the fresh fruit adds a nice “POP” of color which really makes the dish look inviting. The fresh fruit garnish also add additional sweetness, texture and flavor to the chocolate oatmeal

    Slices of banana and strawberries are added to make it chocolate banana berry oatmeal.A spoonful of chocolate banana berry oatmeal, ready to be eaten.

    I hope you enjoy this filling and delicious Chocolate Banana Berry Oatmeal! The recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if making it for more than one person. Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you will come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Have a great day!

    Looking For More OATMEAL Recipes?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a nice variety of oatmeal recipes you may enjoy, including:

    Interested In More Recipes?

    Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

    You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Instagram:     jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

    Author's signature

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    Chocolate Banana Berry Oatmeal
    Prep Time
    5 mins
    Cook Time
    3 mins
    Total Time
    8 mins
     

    Make your breakfast look AND taste good with a bowl of Chocolate Banana Berry Oatmeal! Filling and delicious, you're gonna like it!

    Category: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: chocolate banana berry oatmeal
    Servings: 1
    Calories Per Serving: 399 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    • ⅓ cup old fashioned oats ,uncooked
    • ⅔ cup low-fat milk ,or milk of choice
    • 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1 Tablespoon almond butter , optional but good!
    • 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup , or honey
    For Garnish:
    • 2 large strawberries , thinly sliced
    • ½ large banana , thinly sliced
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Measure old fashioned oats and milk into a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a low boil, and then cook on low for 3-4 more minutes. When done, most of the liquid will have reduced.

    2. Take pan off the heat. Immediately stir in cocoa powder, maple syrup (or honey) and almond butter (if using). Stir until fully incorporated (and almond butter has melted). If oatmeal becomes too thick for your taste, stir in a bit more milk.

    3. Transfer chocolate oatmeal into a serving bowl. Garnish with thinly sliced bananas and strawberries. Serve, and enjoy!

    Recipe Notes

    NOTE: Caloric calculation was made using low-fat milk AND almond butter.

    Nutrition Facts
    Chocolate Banana Berry Oatmeal
    Amount Per Serving (1 g)
    Calories 399 Calories from Fat 144
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 16g25%
    Saturated Fat 4g25%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
    Monounsaturated Fat 7g
    Cholesterol 13mg4%
    Sodium 81mg4%
    Potassium 932mg27%
    Carbohydrates 59g20%
    Fiber 11g46%
    Sugar 24g27%
    Protein 15g30%
    Vitamin A 211IU4%
    Vitamin C 38mg46%
    Calcium 291mg29%
    Iron 4mg22%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make your breakfast look AND taste good with a bowl of Chocolate Banana Berry Oatmeal! Filling and delicious, you're gonna like it!


    Oct
    2021

    Italian Plum Shortbread Tart

    categories: Desserts, Pies/Tarts
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    Looking for a fabulous dessert? You’ll love this Italian Plum Shortbread Tart, with juicy plums, buttery shortbread crust, and streusel top!
    Looking for a fabulous dessert? You'll love this Italian Plum Shortbread Tart, with juicy plums, buttery shortbread crust, and streusel top!

    What To Do With A LOT of Italian Prune Plums?

    That was the case last month when a friend of ours gave us a LOT of Italian plums from a friends tree. I gave a bunch of them to one of our sons, but there were still too many for my husband and I to eat!

    What is a girl to do? I ended up creating this recipe to use most of them (recipe takes about 25 plums). After making the tart, I also made a jar of Italian plum jam with the remaining plums (yes… we STILL had more plums-go figure). 

    My inspiration for this recipe is one of my favorite recipes for fruit-filled shortbread tarts. I received a recipe card for an apple shortbread tart many years ago from a dear friend.

    Over the years I have modified it to make a boysenberry shortbread tart, and a peach shortbread tart. All those ripe plums inspired me to tweak the recipe once again to make an Italian Plum Shortbread Tart! I decided to use the same crust and topping, but come up with my own Italian plum filling.

    Italian plums are dull black in color and oblong in shape.

    SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

    WOW! The results turned out amazing and delicious! Who knew that this humble looking plum could be the star in such a delicious fruit tart?

    The really cool part is that while the insides of this raw “oblong-shaped” fruit are GOLD in color, after baking they turn a brilliant shade of RED! WAIT… WHAT???

    The shortbread crumble serves as both the crust AND the topping for this dessert, which is made using a tart pan with a removeable bottom.

    NOTE: No tart pan? You can make this dessert using a 9″ deep dish pie pan. The plums turn out juicy and incredibly delicious inside this yummy Italian Plum Shortbread Tart. YUM! Let me show you how to make it!

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    Prepare The Crust For The Tart

    The shortbread crust can be made using a hand held pastry blender, two forks OR a food processor. Place all of the crust ingredients EXCEPT FOR EGG YOLKS in a large bowl (or processor).

    Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the butter has been reduced to about the size of peas. Add the egg yolks, and mix only until just combined. IMPORTANT- **Measure out 1/4th of this mixture and set aside to sprinkle on top of the tart later.

    Pat the remaining shortbread mixture very firmly onto the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. I like to use the back of a large spoon to do this. Once packed firmly down on the bottom and into the sides, the shortbread crust is ready for the plum filling.

    Cold butter is cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender.A back of a spoon is used to press down the crumb topping firmly to form crust.The tart crust is now formed and is ready for the fruit filling.

    Prepare The Plum Tart Filling

    Wash and dry the plums, and leave the skin ON. Slice the plums (from top to bottom) into ¼” slices, and remove the seed from the middle. You should get about 4 slices per plum.

    See how the insides are a beautiful golden color BEFORE baking? Discard all the seeds, because we don’t want any of them in this dessert!

    You will need a total of 1¼ pounds of sliced plums for this recipe. The weight is calculated AFTER plums have been sliced and the seed has been removed.

    For me, that meant using about 25 medium-sized Italian plums. I weighed the total amount of sliced plums occasionally as I cut them up.

    Holding one of the Italian plums before slicing.Italian plums are a golden color inside, once sliced and seed has been removed.

    Time To Fill The Tart

    In a large mixing bowl, gently combine the sliced plums, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon until well-coated. Pour the plum filling into the uncooked shortbread crust, and distribute evenly to fill the crust.

    Sliced Italian plums are coated with flour, brown sugar and cinnamon to make the fruit filling.Fruit filling has been added and the Italian Plum Shortbread Tart is ready to top with streusel.

    Add Streusel Topping Then Bake!

    Evenly sprinkle the top of the fruit with the remaining crumb topping you set aside earlier. Completely cover the the top of the tart. Once done, carefully place the tart on a middle rack in your preheated oven.

    TIP: Place a sheet of aluminum foil under the pan, in case of any drips during baking.

    Bake at 400°F. for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F.. Continue baking for about 25-30 minutes at the lower temperature, until the topping turns golden brown.

    When the topping is nicely browned, remove the Italian plum shortbread tart from the oven, and place on a wire rack to cool.

    Topped with streusel, the plum tart is ready to bake.After baking, the Italian Plum Shortbread Tart is golden brown on top, and bubbly around edges.

    Removing The Tart From The Pan

    After the tart has cooled to room temperature, remove the tart from the pan. To do this, place your hand firmly on the bottom metal disc, and gently press the metal disc upward to release it from the sides of the tart pan. Transfer the metal disc with the tart on it to a serving plate.

    Can you see the miracle? Those originally golden colored plums have now turned a beautiful shade of red during baking! I think that is amazing!

    A side view of the crust edges of the plum-filled shortbread tart.

    Time For A Slice Of The Italian Plum Shortbread Tart

    The tart will slice the best if it has had the chance to cool. Once ready, slice the Italian plum shortbread tart into slices, and transfer to serving plates. You can see in the photo below that the metal tart pan disc is still in place under the tart.

    Serve this fruit tart slightly warm, with a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream and a mint leaf garnish, if desired. It tastes wonderfully DELICIOUS!

    Once baked, Italian plums turn a beautiful red color, shown in the Italian plum shortbread tart.A slice of Italian plum shortbread tart, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream & mint sprig.

    I really hope you will have the opportunity to make this Italian Plum Shortbread Tart for those you love. It’s a fantastic way to use those humble, Italian plums when they are in season.

    Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, and have a GREAT day!

    Looking For More DESSERT Recipes?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots and lots of dessert recipes you might enjoy, including:

    Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

    I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
    Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
    You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

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    Author's signature

    ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

    0 from 0 votes
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    Italian Plum Shortbread Tart
    Prep Time
    20 mins
    Cook Time
    35 mins
    Total Time
    55 mins
     

    Looking for a fabulous dessert? You'll love this Italian Plum Shortbread Tart, with juicy plums, buttery shortbread crust, and streusel top!

    Category: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Italian Plum Shortbread Tart
    Servings: 8
    Calories Per Serving: 394 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    For The Crust/Topping:
    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ cup COLD butter , cut in small chunks. (=1½ sticks)
    • 2 large egg yolks
    For Plum Filling:
    • 1¼ pounds Italian Prune Plums , approx. 25 Italian plums/sliced
    • ¼ cup brown sugar , packed
    • 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

    2. Place all crust ingredients EXCEPT FOR EGG YOLKS in a large bowl (or processor). Cut COLD butter into flour mixture (w/ 2 forks or pastry blender) until butter is reduced to the size of peas. Add egg yolks; mix only until just combined. IMPORTANT- Measure out 1/4th of this mixture and set aside to sprinkle on top of the tart later. Pat remaining shortbread mixture very firmly onto bottom and sides of the tart pan. Set aside.

    3. Wash/dry plums. Slice plums from top to bottom (½" thick, leaving skin ON), and remove seed. You should get about 4 slices per plum. In a large mixing bowl, combine sliced plums, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon until well-coated. Pour plum filling into uncooked shortbread crust; distribute evenly to fill crust.

    4. Evenly sprinkle fruit with the remaining crumb topping you set aside earlier. Completely cover the fruit. Once done, carefully place tart on a middle rack in preheated oven. TIP: Place a sheet of aluminum foil under the pan, in case of any drips during baking.

    5. Bake at 400°F. for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F.. Continue baking for 25-30 minutes, until topping is golden brown. Remove tart from oven; transfer to wire rack. After tart has cooled to room temp., remove tart from pan (not necessary if using pie pan). To do this, place your hand firmly on the bottom metal disc,; press disc gently upward to release it from the sides of the tart pan.

    6. Cut tart into 8 slices, and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired. Enjoy!

    Recipe Notes

    NOTE: I used about 25 Italian plums for this recipe. The total weight of 1¼ pounds was calculated after slicing and removing the pits.

    Nutrition Facts
    Italian Plum Shortbread Tart
    Amount Per Serving (1 slice (1/8 of total))
    Calories 394 Calories from Fat 171
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 19g29%
    Saturated Fat 11g69%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 5g
    Cholesterol 92mg31%
    Sodium 229mg10%
    Potassium 166mg5%
    Carbohydrates 53g18%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 26g29%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 838IU17%
    Vitamin C 7mg8%
    Calcium 26mg3%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Looking for a fabulous dessert? You'll love this Italian Plum Shortbread Tart, with juicy plums, buttery shortbread crust, and streusel top!