Fall Archives | Mama Harris' Kitchen

Apple Yogurt Parfaits with Homemade Fall Flavors Granola

September 16, 2016 by MamaHarris 15 Comments

This blog post was sponsored by Starbucks® but the opinions are completely my own based on my experience. These Apple Yogurt Parfaits with Homemade Fall Flavors Granola were inspired by Starbucks® Fall Flavors, now available at Walmart.

During the Fall season so many changes can occur that it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with daily rituals. Typically in the summer months the kids are home with me throughout the day and the summer season is slow for work so Mr. Harris is home a lot more too. However, once the Fall season rolls around school is back in session, work has picked up, kids are being shuffled to practice, and games and all of their activities and we’re onto a whole new routine again. It seems that just when I’ve begun to get comfortable with our routines, they change again! There’s one part of my daily routine that is always constant though, and that is my morning coffee ritual. I’m not the type that likes to head to a busy café for my cup of joe, I prefer to savor the morning hours alone with my favorite coffee all to myself. Maybe it’s because I’m an only child and used to being alone, but that’s just how I gather my thoughts and get my days started. This is probably one of the only routines of mine that stays constant, no matter how much our family or work schedules change, which makes it even more meaningful that Starbucks® Pumpkin Spice Caffé Latte K-Cup® pods are now available for purchase at Walmart to brew at home! The PSL is basically synonymous with the Autumn season, and now it can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. WINNING!

Not only are the Pumpkin Spice Caffé Latte K-Cup® pods a more convenient way to enjoy your seasonal favorite flavor, the two step brewing process includes real pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg flavors combined with dairy and it’s specially crafted to complement the smooth balanced Caffé Blend made from 100% arabica coffee. Every cup is velvety rich in taste and deliciously familiar. I even took the short quiz at walmart.com/starbucksfall to find my personalized flavor recommendations based on my tastes, and it described me as having a smooth and balanced nature -which is the perfect match for the Pumpkin Spice Latte!

The two step blending process includes a packed of Sweetened Dairy Blend with Pumpkin Spice flavors (including real pumpkin. Just add the packet to your mug, pop the K-Cup Pod into your Keurig, and brew up a delicious Pumpkin Spice Caffé Latte. Easy peasy! You’re on your way to a delicious tasting cup of coffee in practically no time flat.

Starbucks also has a Fall Blend available in a roast and ground package as well as K-cup pods that’s hearty with spice notes. It combines coffees from all three growing regions in a full-bodied blend. With warm and fresh spice notes from Sumatran beans, citrusy brightness stemming from coffees from Kenya and subtle nuttiness and balance from beans from Peru this is a cup of coffee that hearty and refined.

Speaking of delicious coffee, I’ve discovered that to get the maximum effect of a great tasting cup of coffee there’s actually a process to developing your tasting skills. Don’t worry, it doesn’t take long but it will definitely help you savor every sip!

Smell the coffee. How the coffee smells really enhances the entire tasting experience. Your mouth can only distinguish salty, sweet, bitter or sour, but your nose detects thousands of smells!
Slurp the coffee. I know this goes against everything I’ve taught my kids about table manners, but to really get all of those subtle flavors and aromas to reach all of the tasting zones in your mouth you have to slurp it a bit so the coffee can spray across your palate.
Locate the coffee. Sure, it’s in your mouth but take a moment to savor how it feels. The weight of the coffee and where you’re experiencing the different flavors.
Describe the coffee. Now that you’ve smelled it, tasted it and located it you should be able to adequately describe your coffee tasting experience. How would you describe the aroma, flavor and how the coffee feels in your mouth. Do you taste any other food flavors (like pumpkin?) or aromas that you can compare the coffee to?

Now that you’re a pro with your tasting skills, let’s take it a step further. There are also four tasting characteristics when sipping on your favorite coffee flavors. They are aroma (the way a coffee smells), acidity (the tanginess or tartness of the coffee – described as low, medium or high), body (the weight of the coffee on your tongue) and flavor (the way a coffee tastes).

But you don’t have to be a pro to know you just like how it tastes and smells. Certain coffee flavors and scents really do remind me of certain seasons that got me inspired while I was stocking my Keurig drawer full of Starbucks Fall products.

I’m really a simple breakfast person, especially during the week when I’m savoring my cup of coffee alone. I just want to make something easy that I can enjoy with my coffee, so I was inspired to make a batch of Homemade Fall Flavors Granola. When I was younger I actually preferred a good bowl of granola with milk instead of the sugary cereals other kids liked, and I also love to serve granola over a simple low-fat yogurt with fruit. This granola is inspired by the aromas and flavors of the Starbucks Fall Blend and the Pumpkin Spice Caffé Latte.

Making homemade granola is so easy and much tastier than many store bought granola. It tastes fresher and you can really customize the flavors however you please. For this batch I used plenty of Fall flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and all-spice along with honey-roasted sunflower seeds, golden raisins and dry bananas. Feel free to substitute your own favorite flavors to really customize a granola mix that you can enjoy. I’ve enjoyed snacking on this granola as is for the past few days, but it’s amazing over vanilla bean low-fat yogurt with some stove-top caramelized apples that I fixed up for a fall flavored parfait that’s perfectly suited to pair with the Starbucks Fall Blend or the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Ingredients for Homemade Fall Flavors Granola:

3 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon all-spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup honey roasted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup crushed dry bananas

Ingredients for Stove-top Caramelized Apples:

2 honey-crisp apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup water
1/2 tablespoon butter

Ingredients for Apple Yogurt Parfaits with Homemade Fall Flavors Granola:

low-fat vanilla yogurt
stove-top caramelized apples (recipe above)
Fall flavors granola (recipe above)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. To make the granola, start by mixing the rolled oats with the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice and cloves in a medium bowl. Stir to make sure all the spices are combined well, then add the honey roasted sunflower seeds.

In a smaller bowl, combine the honey, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk well until the mixture looks smooth and whipped, it will thicken a bit.

Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture, and make sure all of the oats are completely covered with the honey coating. Spread the oats out onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.

While the oats are cooking, pour the golden raisins into a small bowl, then let them soak for about 20 minutes in the apple juice. This will plump up the raisins a bit and add great texture to the granola. Once they have soaked thoroughly, squeeze out any excess moisture with a cheese cloth or paper towel before adding to the granola.

Stir the oats and bake again for another 10 minutes or so. They will be a pretty golden color.

Once done, stir in the raisins and bananas, then allow to cool completely.

While the granola is cooling down, prepare the stove-top caramelized apples. Add the diced apples to a bowl with the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir well so apples are fully coated. Melt the butter in a skillet with the water, and add the coated apples. Allow them cook on a medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the apples are softened. The apple mixture will thicken as they caramelize, remove from heat and allow to cool once done.

Add your favorite vanilla yogurt to a bowl or glass, then top with the caramelized apples. Top with a bit more yogurt.

Finish it off with the granola and serve. Enjoy!

Apple Yogurt Parfaits with Homemade Fall Flavors Granola

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Apple Yogurt Parfaits with Homemade Fall Flavors Granola

Apple Yogurt Parfaits with Homemade Fall Flavors Granola inspired by the taste and aroma of favorite fall season coffee flavors!

Ingredients

Ingredients for Homemade Fall Flavors Granola:

3 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon all-spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup honey roasted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup crushed dry bananas

Ingredients for Stove-top Caramelized Apples:

2 honey-crisp apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup water
1/2 tablespoon butter

Ingredients for Apple Yogurt Parfaits with Homemade Fall Flavors Granola:

low-fat vanilla yogurt
stove-top caramelized apples (recipe above)
Fall flavors granola (recipe above)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
To make the granola, start by mixing the rolled oats with the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice and cloves in a medium bowl.
Stir to make sure all the spices are combined well, then add the honey roasted sunflower seeds.
In a smaller bowl, combine the honey, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk well until the mixture looks smooth and whipped, it will thicken a bit.
Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture, and make sure all of the oats are completely covered with the honey coating.
Spread the oats out onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.
While the oats are cooking, pour the golden raisins into a small bowl, then let them soak for about 20 minutes in the apple juice.
This will plump up the raisins a bit and add great texture to the granola.
Once they have soaked thoroughly, squeeze out any excess moisture with a cheese cloth or paper towel before adding to the granola.
Stir the oats and bake again for another 10 minutes or so. They will be a pretty golden color.
Once done, stir in the raisins and bananas, then allow to cool completely.
While the granola is cooling down, prepare the stove-top caramelized apples.
Add the diced apples to a bowl with the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Stir well so apples are fully coated.
Melt the butter in a skillet with the water, and add the coated apples.
Allow them cook on a medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the apples are softened.
The apple mixture will thicken as they caramelize, remove from heat and allow to cool once done.
Add your favorite vanilla yogurt to a bowl or glass, then top with the caramelized apples. Top with a bit more yogurt.
Finish it off with the granola and serve. Enjoy!

https://mamaharriskitchen.com/2016/09/apple-parfaits-fall-flavors-granola/

#StarbucksAtHome | #SavorEverySip

Do you like to prepare your coffee at home?

Which flavor do you think you identify with more? Don’t forget to find out your flavor profile and let me know what you think of your results! All three of Starbucks’ fall flavors – the Fall Blend, Pumpkin Spice Caffé Latte and Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa – are available at Walmart. I also have good news for my Starbucks Rewards friends, when you buy any three qualifying Starbucks products at Walmart you can get 75 stars! Find out more info here.

Join Chef Rick Bayless at Macy’s in Walnut Creek!

November 15, 2015 by MamaHarris Leave a Comment

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency; as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Are you a foodie located in the Northern California Bay Area? I’ve got an awesome treat for you!

On Thursday, November 19, 2015 Chef Rick Bayless will be at the Macy’s in Walnut Creek showing off his cooking skills during a live cooking demo during the Macy’s Walnut Creek VIP Preview Night. During this session he will cook four of his delicious recipes and you will get your own scrumptious sample of each one! You get to learn from the master as he shares tips on how to prepare some of his award winning dishes.

Chef Rick Bayless is most well known as the winner for “Bravo’s Top Chef Master” with his authentic Mexican cuisine. He is also a recipient of multiple awards, including “Midwest Chef of the Year”, “National Chef of the Year”, and “Humanitarian of the Year”. He and his staff began the Frontera Farmer Foundation in 2003 to attract support for small Midwestern farms which helps capital improvement for the farmers and their families.

I love Rick’s approach to Mexican cuisine. Being that I live in California where Mexican food is plentiful, it’s great to have a chef that shows you how to make flavorful and delicious Mexican cuisine that also tastes authentic and full of flavor. Not only that, his recipes have a quality to them that makes them seems attainable without being overly complex. I do love that, whether he’s creating tacos or a salad the ingredients are simple, fresh, and attainable.

The Details:

Macy’s Walnut Creek VIP Preview Night
1301 Broadway Plaza
Walnut Cree, CA
Thursday, November 19, 2015 – 6:00 PM

RSVP for free:

walnutcreekvipnight.eventbrite.com

Plus with any purchase of $35* or more in the Home department, receive a $10 Macy’s gift card** and a copy of Rick’s cookbook, Frontera or Everyday Mexican**, which he will sign for you after the event.

Seating is limited to a first come, first served basis.

*Purchase must be made on Nov 19 at Macy’s Union Square.
**One per customer, while supplies last. Gift card and book distribution on Oct 3rd, 2015. Gift card valid Oct 3 – Oct 10 only.

Mini Pear Apple Pie

October 6, 2015 by MamaHarris 107 Comments

Well the first day of fall has come and gone so I’m ready to announce the official start of baking season. That’s right: it’s all about cookies, cakes, and we must not forget the pies! I must say, I love a good pie, with a nice flaky crust; and I thought I’d celebrate the kick off to the fall season with some decidedly seasonal fruits that just scream AUTUMN to me. That’s right, pears and apples. I just love these two flavors together, when the pears are just slightly sweeter than the apple, yet not quite as crisp. With a bit of a milder flavor, then combined with the crisp tartness of a beautiful green granny smith apple. It’s a flavor combo I will never tire of, and I decided to switch things up a bit by making a few tweaks to this recipe by making it low calorie. I get a lot of emails asking for healthier desserts; low calorie, reduced sugar but still full of richness and flavor.

I know I had a tough task in front of me with this one, because pies are technically flour, butter, sugar, maybe some fruit or cream and possibly even some shortening. That’s not exactly a low calorie type of indulgence, but I did some homework and found Born Sweet® Zing™ Baking Blend – a combination of stevia leaf extract and cane sugar made with only real ingredients – nothing artificial – that bakes and browns just like sugar, with only 5 calories per serving. Sounds great, right? It’s an easy supplement; just replace the sugar ingredient for half as much of this sweetener. So if a recipe calls for two tablespoons of sugar, you just need one tablespoon of Zing™ Baking Blend. Depending on the ingredients or type of dessert you are baking, sometimes you may need to make minor adjustments to compensate for the difference, but you can find some great baking tips on the ZingStevia.com website!

I love that it comes in this 20 oz. Easy-Pour canister, which makes it so simple to measure out the amount I need and then snap the lid closed for easy storage and no fuss. What’s even better is that one 20 oz. container sweetens just like 2.5 lbs. of sugar! There’s only 5 calories and 2 grams of carbohydrates per serving. I knew I was up for a task with pies, but I just couldn’t contain my excitement for the season. I love baking season, I love challenges, I love making people smile. With the low calorie mini pear apple pies I could accomplish all of this. Yay!

Most apple pies call for a mixture of brown and white sugar. I just used the Zing™ Baking Blend along with typical spices and it came out amazing. I loved the flavor and texture of the filling, and it didn’t even have the low calorie taste that some desserts have when you start replacing ingredients. To help keep this a low calorie dessert, I decided to make mini pear apple pie in small ramekins, using a crust only on the top in a rustic lattice pattern. Instead of butter or shortening (or a combination of the two) I discovered a way to make the crust using coconut oil. Since we just need a few strips to cover each ramekin it helped cut down calories and fat, but the texture of the crust is so flaky and tasty you would never know. They end up only being 111 calories per serving, so you even have a little wiggle room to add a small dollop of homemade whipped cream or vanilla frozen yogurt on top!

Since they are mini pies, the baking time is cut down significantly as well. Your kitchen, however, will smell amazing and these little treats will satisfy any sweet craving for sure!

Filling Ingredients for Mini Pear Apple Pie:

1 red pear, peeled, cored and diced
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1.5 tablespoon Zing™ Baking Blend
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Ingredients for Crust:

1/2 cup all purpose flour
dash of salt
1/3 cup coconut oil (solid, not melted)
3 tablespoons cold water

Directions:

Begin by adding diced pears and apples to a medium bowl. Add Zing™ Baking Blend, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg to the bowl.

Mix until all ingredients are well combined.

In a separate mixing bowl add flour and salt together. Spoon in the coconut oil, and combine with a pastry blender. Carefully add water one tablespoon at a time, continuing to use the pastry blender until dough becomes just wet enough to come together. Form into a ball, then place on a floured surface.

With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about the size of a 5-6 inch round. Cut into strips using a pastry cutter.

Place four ramekins on a small cookie sheet, and lightly spray the insides of the ramekins with non stick baking spray. Spoon 1/4 of the mixture into each ramekin.

Carefully place the pie crust strips on top of the fruit mixture, forming a weave pattern. Lightly sprinkle with Zing Baking Blend and place in lowest position in oven. Bake at 425 degrees for about 8 minutes, then turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 22 minutes, until golden.

Allow to cool, then serve while still warm.

Serve with some whipped cream, or even vanilla ice cream. Both are optional as this pie is pretty tasty on its own!

All you need is a dollop.

Enjoy!

Mini Pear Apple Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1 mini pear apple pie

Calories per serving: 111

Fat per serving: 3.2 grams

Mini Pear Apple Pie

Mini pear apple pie made with Zing Baking Blend for a low calorie treat!

Ingredients

Filling Ingredients for Mini Pear Apple Pie:

1 red pear, peeled, cored and diced
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1.5 tablespoon ZING baking blend
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Ingredients for Crust:

1/2 cup all purpose flour
dash of salt
1/3 cup coconut oil (solid, not melted)
3 tablespoons cold water

Instructions

Begin by adding diced pears and apples to a medium bowl. Add Zing baking blend, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg to the bowl.
Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
In a separate mixing bowl add flour and salt together. Spoon in the coconut oil, and combine with a pastry blender. Carefully add water one tablespoon at a time, continuing to use the pastry blender until dough becomes just wet enough to come together. Form into a ball, then place on a floured surface.
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about the size of a 5-6 inch round. Cut into strips using a pastry cutter.
Place four ramekins on a small cookie sheet, and lightly spray the insides of the ramekins with non stick baking spray. Spoon 1/4 of the mixture into each ramekin.
Carefully place the pie crust strips on top of the fruit mixture, forming a weave pattern. Lightly sprinkle with Zing Baking Blend and place in lowest position in oven. Bake at 425 degrees for about 8 minutes, then turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 22 minutes, until golden.
Allow to cool, then serve while still warm.
Serve with some whipped cream, or even vanilla ice cream. Both are optional as this pie is pretty tasty on its own!
All you need is a dallop.
Enjoy!

https://mamaharriskitchen.com/2015/10/mini-pear-apple-pie/

Do you have a favorite low calorie dessert?

Dish with me in the comments and you will be entered to win a $100 Walmart gift card!

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Last Minute Thanksgiving Ideas

November 27, 2013 by MamaHarris 2 Comments

If you’re looking for that perfect last minute dessert or dish to compliment your Thanksgiving meal, you’ve come to the right place! I have a long list of recipes that is sure to please and compliment any Thanksgiving meal! Whether you’re hosting and you forgot a dessert or you’re bringing your own dish to a pot-luck and haven’t a clue what to bring, no worries! I’ve got you covered!

(I am apologizing in advance for some of these older photos – if anything, let’s just laugh together at how they’ve evolved!)

For Breakfast or Brunch:

Apple, Coconut & Carrot Breakfast Muffins

Savory “Omelet Inspired” Breakfast Casserole

Easy Bacon and Egg Cups

Cranberry Crumble Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Spice Bread Muffins

For Appetizers

Holiday Berry Parfait

Roasted Garlic Hummus and Homemade Seasoned Pita Chips

Mama Harris’ Guacamole Dip

For Dinner (main & sides):

Garlicky Green Beans & Bacon

Classic Macaroni & Cheese

Southern Creamy Cauliflower-Broccoli Bake

Savory Slow Cooker Stuffing

Buttery, Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Traditional Cranberry Relish

Turkey Brine

For Dessert

No-Bake White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

Peanut Butter & Cheerios Balls

Apple-Pear Shortbread Crumble Bars

White Chocolate Cranberry Nut Cookies

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Copycat Caramel Apple Spice

Most of all, enjoy your holiday and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Remember to let your loved ones know how thankful you are for them, not just this holiday, but every day! I’ll be taking the next few days to spend time with my family and prepare for Thanksgiving, I’ll see you after the holiday!

Chocolate Delight Holiday Trifle

October 31, 2013 by MamaHarris 2 Comments

Disclosure: I am a Blog Ambassador for Walkers Shortbread. I was provided free product to try and was not compensated for this post. All thoughts are my own.

For the past few months I’ve been an ambassador for Walkers Shortbread and have been able to try many of their amazing cookies and create recipes with them. I’ve discovered that Walkers is a wonderful company, committed to bringing tasty products with all natural ingredients. What I love about Walkers is they’ve kept true to their traditions of simple cookies with few ingredients, while continually adding more flavors and variety to their product line. For me it’s a bit difficult to choose a favorite Walkers cookie flavor, I really do love them all. This month I received an amazing box of products that I could make a Holiday Dessert with, but this time I also received a few products from another company with the same values as Walkers. In addition to many other goodies, I received two flavors of preserves from Bonne Maman. With these preserves there’s no artificial coloring and no preservatives. All ingredients are all natural and produced from the highest quality fruits. In addition to that, the jar design is simple and refreshing. I’m a fan!

I decided I wanted to incorporate the preserves into this months dessert and create something a little different. The thing I enjoy most about using Walkers with my dessert recipes, is that because they are made with simple ingredients it encourages me to streamline that into the rest of my recipe. So for this months decadent dessert I decided to make a Holiday trifle. This trifle incorporates some pretty delicious flavors and the spices and seasonings I used are straight from the Holiday table. I used my Banana Pudding recipe as a base for the custard, switching out a bit of the vanilla extract with some almond extract and adding a bit of ginger and nutmeg while doubling the recipe to create a larger dessert. I also decided to use the Golden Plum Preserves (which are AMAZING on their own!) and adding some fruit with it into the trifle. I had a large bag of dark plums and I decided to “candy” them by adding a bit of sugar and cinnamon to a pot in order to soften them up. In addition, I infused my whipped cream with some cinnamon and toasted some coconut for a topping. Originally I was just going to drizzle some melted chocolate atop the whipped cream and sprinkle with the coconut, but last minute I decided I wanted to make some chocolate pudding and incorporate that as additional layer. I’m so glad that I did! It totally changes this dessert and took it from delicious to decadent and delightful! Everything is better with chocolate, am I right? I found a very easy chocolate pudding recipe online, and I have to say it tasted even better than store bought pudding, and it was SO EASY with just six ingredients!

The result is a very decadent and flavorful Holiday dessert. The chocolate pudding mixed with the plum preserves gives such an amazing flavor. The hints of holiday spices mixed with the delicious butter shortbread and toasted coconut is an explosion of flavors. It’s a large dessert and because it’s so decadent you don’t need too much to be satisfied. Due to that, this would be great to bring to a holiday potluck. Really, this is the only dessert you need, and you could even add a few drops of spiced rum over the cookies for an extra treat.

Custard:

4 cups milk
1-1/3 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger powder
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Candied Plums:

8 ripe plums, halved with pits removed
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Infused Whipped Cream:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Finishing Ingredients:

3-4 cups chocolate pudding, you can use instant pudding or you can make your own like I did with this recipe (amazing!)
two boxes Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread Rounds
1 jar (13 ounces) Golden Plum Mirabelle Preserves
2 tablespoons toasted coconut (here’s some great tips to help you)

Directions:

In a medium saucepan combine the milk, sugar, cornstarch, eggs, salt, ginger and nutmeg.

Whisk ingredients together thoroughly, then continue whisking over medium heat. After about 10 minutes the mixture will begin to thicken. Be sure to whisk consistently until then!

After about 2-3 minutes of feeling the thicker consistency, remove from heat. It should not be watery like a soup, instead it should be about the consistency of pudding.

Add extracts and butter, stirring with whisk to combine until butter is melted.

Pass through a mesh sieve then refrigerate to set.

While the custard is setting, cut up the plums, removing the pits.

Place in a medium pot and pour the sugar and cinnamon over them.

Stir to combine, then turn the heat to medium. Stir every so often until sugar has dissolved and plums reach their desired consistency. Place in a bowl to cool, then set aside. Prior to building the trifle, cut the plum halves into quarters to layer in the trifle.

Now prepare your whipped cream.

Just add all ingredients to a large bowl and combine using a hand or stand mixer set to medium speed.

Continue to mix until all ingredients are well combined, and stiff peaks begin to form.

Refrigerate until needed.

Using a trifle dish or glass bowl, begin to build the trifle.

Layer the cookies at the bottom of the dish, then a few of the plums.

Top with half of the preserves, spreading evenly.

Then top with more plums.

Layer half of the custard on top, smoothing it out to the edges of the dish.

Then layer half of the chocolate pudding on top.

Cover the pudding with half of the whipped cream, then repeat the process!

Once complete, add a few more cookies for decoration and a couple plum slices if you have any.

Sprinkle with toasted coconut for an amazing finishing touch.

Refrigerate for an hour or more and serve.

Enjoy!

You can receive an exclusive 20% discount off your total purchase of Walkers Shortbreads (excluding sale items) with the promo code KMHFALL. This code expires on Monday, November 4, 2013, so be sure to get your orders in & take advantage of the great discount!

Moments of Connection with Coffee-Mate Pumpkin Spice #loveyourcup

October 22, 2013 by MamaHarris 4 Comments

Today we’re going to talk about one of my favorite subjects. We’re talking coffee. Actually, scratch that. I’m a coffee addict, but what makes my coffee extra delectable and something I look forward to each day is the creamer. A little secret as to why Autumn is my favorite season.. well, that’s when my favorite seasonal coffee creamers are fully stocked at stores everywhere. My favorite flavor is Pumpkin Spice!

I’ve shared many times my affinity for coffee, about how I fantasize in the evening about the next morning when I will have a sip. Sometimes I’ll even make a second cup in the evening if I have a deadline to meet or some work to do, or if I really just can’t wait until morning. I even collect extra large mugs because an average mug is just too small to have my one cup a day. The secret is it’s not really the coffee that I love. It’s the creamer. Of course, I love my little caffeine rush but if I had to drink it black I wouldn’t drink it at all. What makes my coffee so fantasy worthy is the creamer I add to it. I do love my coffee a lighter shade of beige and I’ve tried quite a few creamers, the one I always come back to is Coffee-Mate. It’s the perfect blend of cream and flavor and the Pumpkin Spice is always my go-to for this season. My heart swells with joy the first time I spot it!

I have a very special weekend routine I’d like to share with you. I wake up early, while the whole house is asleep and I enjoy my quiet time alone. I’m sure any parent of a toddler and preschooler can relate! The very first thing I do when I awake is prepare my coffee. I sip it alone while I write out recipes for the coming week and plan our family meals. Usually RiRi will wake up shortly after me, and we enjoy our coffee together. I bounce ideas off of her for meals, photos and ideas. This is when we bond, just the two of us girls in this house absolutely full of boys. I love our coffee time together, and we are both huge fans of Coffee-Mate Pumpkin Spice. She’s the only other person I trust to make my coffee for me just how I like it, it’s that serious!

Regardless of which roast we buy, or if I buy a flavored coffee like French Vanilla or Caramel, I love the flavor of the Pumpkin Spice by Coffee-Mate and it pairs well with them all. It’s thick enough to where you don’t need too much creamer to get the taste, and it also blends into a pretty beige when mixed. RiRi doesn’t drink coffee every day, but it’s her special indulgence on the weekends with me and we love those quiet moments we can steal away together.

You can find your own seasonal favorite of Coffee-Mate at your local WalMart. The Pumpkin Spice flavor comes in regular and sugar free as well. I also spotted the Peppermint Mocha in regular and sugar free as well!

She’s so adorable with her little hipster mug.

Do you have a favorite moment that you enjoy your coffee? What are your own “Moments of Connection”? I’d love to read all about it!

No-Bake White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes & Copycat Caramel Apple Spice #HarvestFun

September 24, 2013 by MamaHarris 9 Comments

Happy Autumn Equinox! This is always my favorite time of year. The weather, the fashion, the colors.. and of course the delicious aromas of seasonal recipes! Here we are only a few days into the season and I have such a variety of Fall recipes I can’t wait to share. First things first- have you seen the seasonal M&M’s? The packages are so festive for the season and each package comes in seasonal colors. Well, recently while shopping I spotted them and just had to purchase them. What?? It’s for research purposes, I mean, I am a food blogger! (p.s. you can see more of my shopping trip here) Well, I picked up a few bags of my favorite flavors and got inspired by the seasonal White Chocolate Candy Corn M&M’s! Have you heard of these before? They’re so cute! They come in white chocolate flavors, and candy corn colors. So cute! I decided on the first official day of Fall I would create a delicious Autumn treat inspired by these White Chocolate Candy Corn M&M’s, and to go with it a very authentic tasting Copycat Caramel Apple Spice.

For the dessert, I decided to make mini no-bake cheesecakes with a twist. The filling would be white chocolate, enhanced with the gorgeousness of real vanilla beans. For the crust, instead of a traditional graham cracker crust, I made my own chocolate graham cracker crust. For garnish a bit of caramel drizzle and some crushed peanut M&M’s with my favorite M&M flavor (peanut butter) in the middle, in seasonal colors of course! What’s the Fall season without apples and cinnamon? Nothing! When I think of Fall I always think of warm drinks and tasty desserts. A nice hot apple cider is just the thing, so I used my Mott’s Apple juice and created a replica of one of my favorite drinks to purchase. The treats paired with a nice warm Caramel Apple Spice Cider was a great way to welcome the Autumn season in the tastiest way!

Aren’t these the cutest? These completely inspired my mini cheesecakes!

No-Bake White Chocolate Mini Cheesecake Ingredients

Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust:

1-1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine

White Chocolate Filling:

1 brick (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/2 cup melted white chocolate
1/2 tub whipped cream

No-Bake White Chocolate Mini Cheesecake Directions:

Combine all crust ingredients (minus butter) in food processor until ground and mixed well.

Place in medium bowl and add melted butter or margarine, press into mixture until well saturated

Press the crust into cupcake liners or mini parfait cups (I used both) with the back of a spoon, making sure all sides are even.

Refrigerate the crust while you make the filling.

Mix cream cheese on low then add sugar and vanilla beans. Mix together until well combined.

Melt the white chocolate, then mix together with the cream cheese mixture.

Last, add in the whipped cream, mix until filling thickens a bit.

Looks so good!

Scoop filling on top of crust, then press to smooth.

Refrigerate at least one hour.

Drizzle with caramel syrup and crush peanut M&M’s, placing your favorite flavor in the middle.

Delish!

These are even better the next day!

Copycat Caramel Apple Spice Ingredients

Cinnamon Syrup:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Copycat Caramel Apple Spice:

2 cups Mott’s Apple Juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon syrup
whipped cream
caramel syrup
sprinkle of sea salt (optional)

Copycat Caramel Apple Spice Directions:

In small saucepan combine all ingredients for cinnamon syrup.

Bring to a boil, stirring often. Let boil for a few minutes until sauce reduces down about halfway.

Remove from heat, refrigerate. This recipe creates plenty for later use!

Heat two cups of apple juice (more if making for more than one person).

Once heated, add the two cups of juice to your cup or mug, add two teaspoons of the cinnamon syrup.

The cinnamon sugar definitely gives the drink a deeper color.

Top with whipped cream and plenty of caramel syrup.

Add a sprinkle of sea salt if it’s your thing (hubby and daughter wrinkled their noses at this!)

Enjoy!

For more great ideas follow M&M’s on Facebook & visit the Fall Baking & Entertaining Pinterest Board!

Hearty and Comforting Shephard’s Pie

December 14, 2012 by MamaHarris 29 Comments

One of a handful of the first things I made when I started really getting into cooking was a Shephard’s Pie.
This came at a time when money was extremely tight for us, and it cause me to get very creative in the kitchen.
(You can read a little more about that here)

Sometimes piecing together ingredients with a tight budget can be the times you get most creative in the kitchen! I wouldn’t trade those hard times for anything, because that’s when I was forced to learn to try different things when it came to feeding my family, and when my love of cooking began!

At the time, I only had a handful of ingredients on hand; potatoes, ground turkey, and frozen vegetable. A quick google search for recipes with those ingredients brought about a handful of ideas for Shephard’s Pie. (Don’t you just LOVE that you can search anything on the internet and find something?!)
Shephard’s Pie is hearty and comforting, with a true traditional meat and potatoes feel and it’s perfect for those cold winter nights.
This is something I’ve tweaked a bit to suit my personal tastes, it’s a hearty meal that you can make on a tight budget to feed plenty, and I have a husband and a lot of boys in my house! It satisfies everyone’s appetite, and they’re digging in for every last bite.

PRINT THIS RECIPE

Ingredients:

3 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, divided*
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1-2 cups vegetables
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon Sherry
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
salt, pepper, parsley, seasonings

Directions:

Start by peeling and quartering your potatoes, then boiling in a large pot for about 20 minutes. (I boil first, then just peel the skins off, no potato peeler needed, the method is up to you!)

While the potatoes are boiling, in a large pan heat 1/4 cup butter or margarine till melting, then add the chopped onions and saute for a few minutes until soft.

Once the onions are cooked, add your raw ground beef or turkey and minced garlic.

I typically like to season my meat while it’s raw, so at this point is where I would add salt, pepper, etc.
With this dish, I actually tried these 2 wonderful finds that I picked up from Safeway. I just seasoned to taste, and added some ground ginger to it as well. I don’t have exact measurements, but if you’ve been reading a while you know I love to season everything! Season away!

Once the meat is browned, add your frozen veggies. I used peas and carrots, corn, and french cut green beans. About 1-1/2 cups worth of veggies for me.
Now add the Worcestershire sauce and Sherry, and let that cook for a few minutes until the veggies are thawed out and soft. Stir every so often and mix it around a bit.

Now add the beef broth, and bring it just to a slight boil and turn down the heat to low. Let it cook on low for about 10 minutes, stirring every so often. If it looks a bit dry then add a little more broth, but 1/2 cup should be perfect.

While the meat is cooking in the broth, drain your potatoes. Place them in a large bowl with 1/4 cup butter or margarine. I seasoned this with some dried parsley and the spicy sea salt and pepper seasoning pictured above. Mash them up well.

While mashing, pour whipping cream in. Mash until everything is well combined and potatoes are all smoothed out.

Prepare your baking dish by spraying or lightly greasing the sides. Fill the bottom of the dish with the meat mixture and spread it evenly.

Now spread the potatoes evenly on top of the meat, creating little peaks with a fork.
Pop this in the oven, and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the sides are bubbling.

The potatoes will be golden and buttery looking, with a slight crisp to the peaked edges.

Let cool for about 15 minutes or so before cutting in to serve.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts are my own.

Savory "Omelet Inspired" Breakfast Casserole

December 6, 2012 by MamaHarris 20 Comments

Sometimes weekend mornings can be very busy for me. Even on those days on the weekend when we actually don’t have a football / baseball / basketball / softball / cheer / track event. We have a big family, and sometimes making one omelet for each of my family members (or something like that) will leave me in the kitchen for way longer than I like, no matter how much I love cooking. I love to spend time with my family and eat together, enjoying one another’s company.

So a while back I decided to try a breakfast casserole, inspired by all the things I love in an omelet – and maybe a few extras. Of course it’s evolved a little from the initial time I made it. I also made this last year for Thanksgiving morning with my Pumpkin Spice Bread Muffins and a pot of coffee and it was a hit. This would be great to prepare the night before Christmas, and just heat and serve Christmas morning after everyone is done unwrapping presents!

There’s a lot of ingredients in here, some you can switch out for others for those picky eaters in your life. I like to eat it as is, my older sons and husband like it with hot sauce or salsa. I believe one time I sliced up some avocado and served it with the slices on top and some sour cream and salsa. Just like an omelet! However you like it, serve it or switch it up, it’s definitely a different take on breakfast or brunch than the average scramble and pancakes.

Ingredients:

2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and shredded
lemon pepper, to taste
season salt, to taste
canola oil
8 oz thick sandwich meat ham, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1 (4 ounce) can diced greed chile
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
2 ounces monterey jack cheese, small slices
5 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper, to taste
medium cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

Start by peeling your potatoes, then shred them. I use a cheese grater to shred.

Potatoes naturally have a ton of moisture in them, so I like to use a cheesecloth to get it all out.
I intend on frying these up like a hash brown, and they’re difficult to fry if they have all the natural moisture in them. Just wrap a cheesecloth around your shredded potatoes, form it into a ball like this, and squeeze as much moisture as you can out of them.

It will look like this when you’re done.

Now add about 2 tablespoons of oil to a medium sized pan. Once the oil is heated, add the potatoes. Add a little bit of lemon pepper and seasoned salt to season them, and fry them up, a few minutes on each side, and try not to move them around too much. Just flip every few minutes.

They should look something like this when they’re done. You don’t want them too crispy, but you want them to maintain their shape. They will be on the bottom of the casserole dish under the rest of your layers for your casserole.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare your casserole dish by lightly greasing or spraying the inside. I suggest something around the size of an 8×8 square dish. If you use a different shape or size, adjust your cooking times accordingly.
Once the dish has been prepared, layer the potatoes in the bottom of the dish as evenly as you can.

Now chop up the ham and onion. Add them to the same pan you cooked the potatoes in and saute a few minutes. No need to add any oil, the pan should be perfectly seasoned from the oil and potatoes.

Once the ham and onions have been sauteed a few minutes, add in the garlic and mix around for a minute or two. Then add the parsley and oregano.
Once complete, add to the casserole dish on top of the potatoes.

Combine the drained mushrooms with the diced chile, and layer that in the dish on top of the ham mixture.

Now chop up the spinach and bell pepper, combine, and layer above the rest of the ingredients in the dish.

Slice up your monterey jack cheese (you can play around with the cheeses, I just always have mainly 3 cheeses in my house because that’s my kids favorites.) and layer it above everything else.

In a bowl combine the eggs, whipping cream and salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth.

Then carefully pour the mixture over the ingredients.

Sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese. Cover with foil (spray the inside of the foil with non stick spray so the cheese won’t stick!) and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, then bake another 20 minutes.

The cheese should be golden and the casserole should hold well and not be jiggly. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before slicing. I prefer to make this the night before, I let it cool, then cover and refrigerate. It’s a breeze to cut through and heats up well. This is a staple in my home for Thanksgiving and Christmas brunch, but also make it on those occasional weekends. It never lasts long!

So many tasty layers, definitely a savory dish!

There’s your potato crust!

Serve warm, and enjoy!

Homemade Traditional Lasagna

December 4, 2012 by MamaHarris 12 Comments

Lasagna always reminds me of one thing. My Aunt. When I was a kid, every Halloween we would go to my Aunt’s house and go trick or treating. During that time, she’d be making her delicious lasagna so after our night of trick-or-treating we would come back and have a delicious plate of lasagna. I don’t think I had anyone else’s until many years later, and hers is the basis that I compare any to.

Now, I know it’s well past Halloween, but this is definitely the season for cuddle weather and comfort food. What’s more comforting than a nice big pan of delicious lasagna? This is not my Aunt’s recipe, matter of fact I should ask her for hers sometime. But this is my own that I’ve developed through the years and I think it’s pretty good. Hopefully you do too, and it does my Aunt proud! (Auntie E., I’m talking to you!)

Ingredients:

one pound Italian sausage
one pound ground beef (I use ground turkey)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can of Italian style crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped (divided)
8-10 dry lasagna noodles
23 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1/4 cup
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Start by combining the meats, onion and garlic in a pan and browning them.

Once the meat is mostly browned add the mushrooms and spinach.

Continue to cook through until meat is browned and spinach is wilted, as shown here.

Once browned, add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste with the water.

Combine the sauce and stir thoroughly. Add in the sugar, salt, celery seed, marjoram, salt, pepper, chopped basil, and 1/4 cup of the chopped parsley. Stir to combine, and then simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours. Because this dish does take a bit of time, you can even make the meat sauce the night before. Simmer it for about an hour and 1/2 and then refrigerate it and finish making the lasagna the next day. The meat sauce just keeps getting better, as it refrigerates, so you will be happy with those results. If you are making it all in one day, simmer at least the recommended time. This allows the flavors and seasonings to all combine and meld together. If you refrigerate it, when you are ready to prepare it, put the sauce back in a pot and reheat at a medium heat until it’s warm throughout.

While the sauce is simmering (or warming up), get a large pan and put the dry lasagna noodles in. Pour warm water over the noodles, and let sit for 15-30 minutes. This is in place of boiling the noodles, and you will find it softens them perfectly without the risk of breaking them. every few minutes move them around just a bit so they don’t stick together.

While the sauce is simmering and the noodles are softening, you can prepare your cheese filling. Combine the ricotta cheese in a bowl with the egg and nutmeg and the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped parsley. Mix together well to form the filling.

Once everything is ready and prepared you can start building your lasagna. First lightly spray a lasagna pan so the sides won’t stick. Then place a few large spoonfuls of sauce at the bottom of the pan.

Lightly shake off 4-5 lasagna noodles and lay them out over the meat sauce.
My pan is a little longer than the noodles, so I tore a few extra noodles into squares to place at the bottom right of the photo to make the noodles fit.

Now spread about half of the ricotta cheese filling over the noodles.

Spread 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over the top of the filling, and 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese over that.

Now spread about half of the remaining meat mixture over the top.

Now lay down your remaining 4-5 noodles.

Now spread out the remaining ricotta filling.
Then 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese, and 1/3 of the parmesan cheese.

Here you’ll spread out the remaining meat sauce mixture.

Now use the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
Cover with foil (I spray the inside of the foil so it won’t stick to the cheeses) and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil, and bake another 25 minutes.

Remove from oven, the sides will be bubbling.

Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
I use this time to make a salad and some garlic bread, like my Pull-Apart Garlic Cheesy Bread.

After it’s cooled for a bit, you can serve.
I use a serrated knife to cut the lasagna if I’m serving it the same night. It won’t mess with the layers too much, but if you refrigerate it you’ll notice it firms up nicely and the layers look lovely. I had planned to do that with this lasagna, but it got eaten up too quickly and I never got the chance!

Serve and enjoy!