Recipe: Baked Apples

I just realized that is Wednesday already and I haven't posted a thing! Sorry about that-things have been hectic with my two girls, and I have been spending all of my "free-time" (do you ever really have free time after having kids?) studying, as I am also taking two classes this semester as well.
I have also been gathering up recipes to try so that hopefully I can bring some new dishes to Thanksgiving next week! So I'll keep you posted as to my successes with that.

Tonight the girls helped me make baked apples for our dessert. We rarely have a dessert after dinner, so this was a special treat. I really love cooking with them. Mara does a dance around the kitchen when I ask them to help me.

This recipe is just so simple, taken from "The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook". This was the perfect recipe to cook with helpers. They helped add the ingredients, mix it up and then took turns filling each apple. They gobbled these up, which was kind of surprising to me since neither child likes applesauce (but love plain apples). So this was exciting for me, and we will be making these again!



Ingredients

4 apples
1 cup apple juice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 strips of orange zest (I also sprinkled in some McCormick's orange peel)

Core the apples, leaving the bottom in tact. Place into a small baking pan. Mix up the rest of the ingredients, and pour liquid into each apple.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1-1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Apples will be done when tender.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Pumpkin Cookies

I love to cook with the girls, although right after dinner was not the best decision I made today :) They bring so much joy into cooking-every step is so exciting for them. I hope they never lose their joy for cooking.
This was the first time making this recipe with the modifications for Mara. They turned out really good! Next time I want to play around with reducing the amount of brown sugar used. The biggest difference I have found in using gluten-free all purpose flour is that the cookies tend to crumble easily, and tonight was no different. The girls did not mind, enjoying their cookie before heading off to bed.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 c (15 oz can) Pumpkin
2 large eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup Canola Oil
2 tbsp Molasses
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups gluten-free all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets.

In a large bowl, beat together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar and molasses. Add the salt, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Beat until blended.
Add the flour and beat for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom and beat again until fully blended.

Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop the batter and drop onto baking sheets, 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
Bake 10-12 minutes, until they feel firm to the touch. Remove and cool on rack.

Enjoy!