Plum Crumble Dessert Bars

We have been enjoying all the summer fruit harvest. Lately we get cherries, peaches, blueberries, and melon.  When I saw these small black plums from a local grower, I thought we'd try them out.  They are perfect for snacking, but somehow they weren't getting eaten quickly enough.  Looking around for recipes yielded all kinds of interesting plum items.  Finally I settled on these breakfast bars. It's interesting for me to try new recipes.  I liked that the bottom of the crust is baked alone first.  I did question the need for so much butter!  And more butter mixed with the plums.  Next time I would play around with the quantities and see what else works well.  After trying this version, I would call them dessert bars as they are sweet and remind us of apple crisp.

Fruit Salad for camping

I decided it would be fun to take my daughters and three tween friends camping at a nearby campground.  We set up camp early in the afternoon and then returned with friends for pizza, a campfire, and snacks.  My daughter is the youngest of the bunch and isn't quite needing the constant stream of food that the older girls needed.  But I did realize the need for some snacks.

Because we were having pizza for dinner, I wanted something lighter for a snack.  S'mores were definitely on the agenda.  My daughter suggested fruit salad.  When I looked online at different camping food suggestions, fruit salad kept popping up in a waffle cone.  That sounded perfect!  I decided to get waffle bowls.  Half of the girls enjoyed the bowls too, the other half decided to throw them in the fire when done.  I liked the combination a lot.

Apple Muffins

Here's a recipe I made many years ago. Tried it again today with two three year olds and it came out pretty well.

1 egg 

1/2 cup applesauce

1TB oil

1/2-1/3 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 medium apple of peeled, chopped 

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup cider

Bake 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes for mini muffins 

Kettle Corn at Home

I found an easy recipe to make Kettle Corn at home.  I made a few modifications and it tastes great!

I use 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil

1/4 cup of raw sugar

1/2 cup organic unpopped corn

Salt after popping

It yields at least 10 cups when the popping goes very well. I had one time on a different stove where I yielded less. 

Everyone loves this at my house and it goes quickly. I based the serving size on what we do, you could have less to make it a healthier snack.