Peanut Butter Energy Bites

I'm pretty sure my son is the pickiest eater in the history of picky eaters. Here are the things he will eat:

• Creamy Peanut Butter (Only eaten if he can lick it off a honey wheat pretzel. Please note: he doesn't eat the pretzel itself; it's merely a vehicle.)
• Saltines (Don't even try to give the kid Ritz. He eats only square-shaped crackers.)
• Annie's White Cheddar Bunnies (Not the orange ones. This I learned after purchasing a lifetime supply of the orange ones at Costco.)
• Macaroni and Cheese (Must be from a box.)
• Mashed Potatoes (Must be instant. Seriously.)
• Apples, Bananas, Melon, Grapes (Preferably purple.)
• Anything in a squeezie pouch. (As an experiment I once served him squash and a squash squeezie pouch in the same meal. He ate the pouch and refused to touch the stuff on his plate. Try explaining the irony to a three-year-old.)
• Noodles (Served plain. Don't consider adding sauce.)
• Oatmeal (He would eat oatmeal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I let him.)
• SWEETS (Cupcakes! Ice cream! Cake! Cookies! Chocolate! The boy knows the good stuff.)

On a whim I decided to enlist his help in whipping up these Peanut Butter Energy Bites. They contained three of his food groups, so I thought there was a chance he'd try them. And, glory be, he did. And...he liked them! 

Guess what we're having for lunch every day now. 

Let's get cooking!

Erin

Peanut Butter Energy Bites
Adapted from Get Creative Juices
About 24 bites

1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir together until everything is evenly combined. Roll into 1" balls and place on a parchment- or waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until set, about 1-2 hours. Store in the refrigerator.

P.S. If at all possible, enlist the help of your adorable kid in making Peanut Butter Energy Bites. Here's mine, making his "CHEESE!" face. (Also pictured, my very messy house. Real life here, people.)

Apple Crisp

A trip to the apple orchard here in Central Illinois is one of my family's fall traditions. It gives us a chance to go out into open country and appreciate nature a little more.

My boys and any friends who come along love running down the rows of apple trees and seeing who can pick the fruit highest up the tree. The kids usually eat their weight in apples before we're done filling up our bags — it's all part of the experience. 

We pick more apples than we need. At home, we make at least one apple pie before we switch over to apple crisp.

This year, Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples were ready when we went picking. I've never used either in baking and am surprised at how well these apples melt down while keeping some firmness.

When it comes to making the crisp topping, I'm not a purist. With this dessert, I added some shredded coconut and chopped nuts, just because I had a small amount of each taking up space in the pantry. When you're mixing things up with brown sugar, cinnamon and butter, it's bound to taste delicious.

Mangia! Mangia!

Andrea

Apple Crisp

4 cups apples, peeled and sliced (A mixture works best. Add a Granny Smith for tartness.)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup flour (white or whole wheat)
1/8 cup to 1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/8 cup to 1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger or ground cloves
1/2 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray. Place apples in pan to evenly cover the bottom. (If you double the recipe, use a 9 x 13 inch pan.)

In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger (or cloves.) Place butter in bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two butter knives, blend butter into dry ingredients until crumbs form.

Generously sprinkle crisp topping over apples to cover. (You might have some topping left over. Save it in the fridge or freezer to use on oatmeal.)

Place on the middle rack in your oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the topping is browned and the apples are bubbly.

Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

My boys Max and Sam and their friend John goof around after picking apples.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

A friend tried my roasted chicken recipe and afterward she made chicken stock in her slow cooker. She told me that once I tried it I would never make stock on the stove top again.

So, the last time I roasted a chicken, I put the frame in the slow cooker overnight along with all the necessary ingredients and when I got up in the morning...voila chicken stock! My friend was right. I will never again make chicken stock any other way.

So, then, I took that chicken stock -- all eight cups -- and made a double batch of my pressure cooker chicken noodle soup.

The dreaded Fall cold has swept through the George house, so this soup will have us all feeling better in no time -- and there's enough to freeze! BTW, both the soup and the stock by itself freeze nicely.

XOXO,
Amy

PS: No slow cooker? Check out how to make chicken stock the old fashioned way in Andrea's post "Chicken Stock & Chicken Tortellini Soup."

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

Frame of one roasted chicken
Two carrots, peeled
Two celery stalks
1 medium to large onion, peeled and quartered
1 lemon, sliced in half
2 to 3 garlic cloves, pierced with a knife but left whole
1 bay leaf
Fresh herbs (whatever you have on hand), tied into a bouquet with kitchen twine if you have it

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and fill to top with water. Set to low for eight hours.

Remove chicken frame and all the solid ingredients. Pour stock into containers, using a mesh strainer to catch all the small bits and pieces. Place stock in refrigerator. I recommend not using the stock right away but letting it cool in the fridge so that you can remove the light layer of congealed fat that forms at the top of the broth. After you do that, use the broth in your favorite soup or recipe or freeze for later.

Hands-Off Butternut Squash Soup

I love butternut squash soup, and there's plenty of proof here on Hot Dinner Happy Home. I've made Curried Butternut Squash Soup, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, and Apple Butternut Squash Soup. One would think I covered this delicious autumn treat in plenty of detail, but no. I need to take it one step further to solve the one issue I have with butternut squash soup: cutting up the squash.

It is a pain in my patootie (yes, I'm the mom of a toddler) to slice butternut squash. First you have to peel the darn thing. Then you have this giant, slippery vegetable, and you're supposed to take a knife to it? Yeah, good luck. It's like chopping down a tree with a butter knife. Typically I buy pre-cut butternut squash to save myself the hassle, but it's more expensive. And I hate to pay extra for something I can technically do myself.

So I set about making butternut squash soup that didn't require any squash chopping. I microwaved the whole squash until it was easy to slice in half. Then I roasted it with carrots, apple, and onion to add some complexity to the soup. It was super simple to scoop the cooked squash out of the shell and puree it with the veggies and some broth. And Hands-Off Butternut Squash Soup was born!

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Hands-Off Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 apple, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 onion, peeled and cut into 1" slices
1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
2 - 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Sour cream for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Pierce squash with a fork in several places. Microwave 10 minutes on high, flipping over halfway through. (We want the squash to soften enough so it's nice and easy to slice in half.) Remove squash and allow it to rest until it's cool enough to handle. Slice squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Drizzle both cut sides of squash with 1 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet.

Place carrots, apple, and onion on a second large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables so they're evenly coated and spread into a single layer on the baking sheet.

Roast the squash and carrots, apple, and onion for about 30 minutes, stirring the carrots, apple, and onion halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and caramelized.

Set aside squash for a few minutes until it's cool enough to handle. Scoop remaining vegetables into a large pot over medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup broth into the rimmed baking sheet and scrape the browned bits off the bottom to incorporate the flavors into the broth. Pour broth from the baking sheet into pot with the vegetables. Once the squash has cooled, scoop the flesh into the pot. Pour about 1 3/4 cups broth into the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to your desired consistency. (If you don't have an immersion blender, blend in batches in a blender.) If the soup is too thick, stir in remaining broth until you're happy with the consistency.

Serve soup with a dollop of sour cream.

Hearty Egg Casserole

If you've never tasted a farm fresh egg, you haven't lived.

I didn't know this until my former co-worker Kevin started raising chickens. He often shared extra eggs with those of us on staff who wanted them. The flavor is so good that there is no need to add  anything — the eggs can easily stand on their own.

It's like the difference between a tomato from the garden and one you buy in the grocery store. No comparison. Fresh eggs from chickens that eat a varied diet and roam free pack a richer punch to the palette.

So I didn't think it was possible to get farm-fresh taste from grocery store eggs. Not so! The folks at Blue Sky Family Farms asked us to give their free range, organic, humanely raised eggs a try.

These beauties are the real thing. The shells are harder, the yolks are a deep orange color and the flavor tastes like eggs should.

We tried these brown eggs by themselves in scrambled and fried versions. The eggs are light and fluffy and simply delicious. They'd also be perfect for Soft Boiled Eggs or Spring on Toast.

My brother Greg happened to be visiting when the Blue Sky Family Farms eggs arrived, so we decided to use a dozen in a casserole, We wanted to see how the eggs hold up when baked with cheese, potatoes, sausage and tomatoes. Greg is always experimenting in the kitchen and gets the credit for this recipe. You can serve this egg bake at breakfast, lunch or dinner, with toast, fruit or even a green salad.

Finally, if you're not raising your own chickens or don't have access to farm fresh eggs, you can find Blue Sky Family Farms eggs at many grocery stores in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio and Kentucky.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Hearty Egg Casserole

1 15 ounce can sliced white potatoes
1 dozen eggs
2/3 cup half and half
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 to 1 cup cooked sausage crumbles
1 brick of Gruyere cheese, sliced (between 1/2 pound and 1 pound)
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13 inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray.

Place sliced potatoes in a singe layer in bottom of pan. Sprinkle sausage on top of potatoes.

Crack eggs into a medium bowl, add half and half and salt and pepper. Whisk together until yolks are broken and incorporated into mixture. Pour eggs into pan over sausage and potatoes.

Lay slices of Gruyere evenly in pan.

Top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Place in oven on middle rack and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until casserole is puffed and light browned on top.

Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Blue Sky Family Farms free range eggs are packaged in the pretty carton above.

Soul-Soothing Red Lentil Stew

As the weather recently turned more brisk and some seasonal stress piled on at work, I craved the comfort of a stew. Some people believe chicken noodle soup to be food for the soul and I can appreciate that. (Please see Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup.) But what soothes my soul lately: a good lentil stew.

XOXO,
Amy

PS: This photo doesn't do my stew justice.

Soul-Soothing Red Lentil Stew
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution, Volume 2: The Easy-Prep Edition

2 tablespoons coconut oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 pinches of red pepper flakes
2 1/2 cups water
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
Salt and pepper
4 tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups light coconut milk
2/3 cup frozen peas

Spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray.

Microwave coconut oil, garlic, garam masala, and pepper flakes in bowl, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about one minute. Transfer to slow cooker. Stir in water, carrots, lentils, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low.

Stir in tomatoes, coconut milk, and peas. Cover and cook for another 6 hours on low. Yeah, you gotta be patient for this stew, but I think it's worth it.

Hubby and girls ate this stew with crackers. I preferred to top mine with avocado.

Apple Cranberry Stuffed Pork Loin

I don't know about you, but I'm reveling in all things autumn. The crisp air, colorful leaves, piles of pumpkins adorning every porch. But the best part? The food.

Autumn food is cozy food. Every meal feels like a warm hug. And Apple Cranberry Stuffed Pork Loin is no exception. Sweet apples and ruby red cranberries are the perfect complement to roast pork loin.

This would be a fabulous meal for guests. Not only does it look impressive, but you can saute the apples and stuff the pork loin ahead of time and bake it just before dinner. That way you can focus on cocktails with your company instead of slaving over the stove. "Another Spiked Cider? Yes, that sounds lovely, thanks."

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Apple Cranberry Stuffed Pork Loin
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen
Serves: 6-8

1 tablespoon butter
3 apples, peeled and chopped into 1/4" pieces
1 onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 teaspoon herbes de Provence*
Salt and pepper
2-2.5 pound pork loin, butterflied**

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish and set aside.

Heat butter a large skillet over medium-high. Add apples, onion, and honey, and saute until apples and onion are soft and golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, dried cranberries, and herbes de Provence, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate browned bits into the sauce. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Season the inside of the pork loin with salt and pepper. Spread stuffing on top of the pork loin (there will be lots!) and roll to close. (It will look like a savory Ho Ho. And I love Ho Hos.) Use kitchen twine to tie the roast in several places to make sure it stays closed. Season the outside of the pork with salt and pepper and place in prepared baking dish.

Roast pork loin for about 1 hour, until the internal temperature reaches 140-145 degrees. Tent with foil and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes. Remove twine and slice before serving.

*Don't have herbes de Provence? Try substituting thyme.

**Ask your friendly butcher to do this for you. It will make your life—and dinner—much easier.