Fall apples: I picture the shiny apples of fairy tales, a long wind ruffling through the tree branches, crunchy leaves that break under my feet, and crisp clear night skies touched with notes of frosty bites that sting the skin. That’s my version of Fall as it weaves in and out of my memory.  I devote my hours housed in my baking kitchen atop a generous heap of various types of apples. I buy every color I can find at Walmart.  The tempting fruit spheres come in hues of the season: yellow, green, and red. Take your pick, my fine pretty, as they are super affordable.   What I make depends on my mood.  Once upon a time it could be a lovely apple tea, or happily ever after applesauce. If the witch’s broom touches down on the ground she might be in search for a candied apple. Perhaps if I bake an apple crisp I will attract every mouse, bear and rabbit to wait at my back door till I serve them each a scoop. I could make mountainous apple fritters that will serve as hiding places for the tiny sprites that live among the pines. Or maybe I should feed the little girl inside of me that is always chanting “apple coffee cake, apple coffee cake, apple coffee cake….” How could I ignore those precious wishes? I take whole grain flour and mix it with apples and other sweets for the most amazing tasty wholesome cake that just might wake me from my dream, because surely this is the cake of my dreams. Now just to figure out how to get the cake out of that darn tube pan.

Ingredients for whole grain apple coffee cake:

• For the topping: 3/4 – cups brown sugar (packed)
• 1/2 – cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 – cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 – cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 – teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 – teaspoon sea salt
• 6 – tablespoons cold butter (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
• For the center: 1/4 – cup brown sugar
• 1 – cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 – teaspoon ground cinnamon
• For the cake: 2 – cups sugar
• 3 – eggs
• 1 – tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 – cups vegetable oil
• 1/4 – cup orange juice
• 3 – cups whole wheat flour
• 1 – teaspoon baking soda
• 2 – teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 – teaspoon salt
• 1/2 – teaspoon powdered ginger
• 3 – cups chopped apples (peeled and cored)(about 3 to 4 apples)
• 1 – cup shredded sweetened coconut
• For the icing: 1 – cup powdered sugar
• 4 – tablespoons Cacique’s crema Mexicana

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spray a tube pan with a non-stick baking spray. Set to the side.
3. For the topping: In a bowl combine brown sugar, pecans, oats, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix with a fork to combine. Then using your fingers mash cold butter into dry mixture until it forms into little crumbs the size of peas. Place in the fridge until ready to use.
4. For the center: In a bowl mix brown sugar, pecan and cinnamon together. Set to the side until ready to use.
5. For the cake: In a mixer add in sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, and orange juice. Mix to combine completely.
6. In a bowl sift whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and ground ginger together. Slowly add dry mixture to wet ingredients until combined.
7. Add in apples and coconut. Mix until completely combined.
8. Pour half of cake batter into greased tube pan.
9. Sprinkle center mixture into top of batter. 
10. Top center mixture with remaining batter.
11. Smooth the top of batter with a spatula, then top cake batter with topping reserved from the fridge.
12. Bake cake for an hour and a forty minutes.
13. Remove from oven and let cool on cooling rack until completely cooled. I like to let it cool over night. 
14. Remove cake from tube pan (see video below on how to remove cake from tube pan) and place on a cake stand. 
15. For the icing: Whisk powdered sugar and crema Mexicana together. Drizzle over the top of the cake and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. 
16. Enjoy! 

Watch this quick video on how to remove cake from tube pan!

I have a friend who is getting married in a couple of weeks and asked me to make a fancy appetizer for her bridal shower.  She said she wanted something super tasty, simple, in season, and then she threw in the words “elegant and stylized.”  I pondered this idea for a while and wondered what I could come up with.  I never want to disappoint a bride, especially in her glorious moments of celebration.  My thinking cap was running on overdrive when the idea of grapes crossed my mind.  Grapes are in season and super tasty right now, that was all I needed to get the ball rolling.  I started looking around my local markets for grapes.  I’m the type of person that will pick a grape from the package before I purchase a bag, clean it on my clothes, and plop it in my mouth to measure how sweet they are.  I walked into Walmart and lo and behold was a huge display of grapes.  I ran over and scanned the wide variety they had…. seedless, organic, table, seeds, champagne, green, red, and black.  Hmmmm, choices.  I settled on black seedless grapes, not only would they add a pretty color to my appetizer, but they were the most flavorful.

I personally love grapes paired with nice cheese and must admit to eating that combo quite often while I work or watch television. But I wouldn’t be any kind of friend if I just plated the two and served them that way.  Once I was back in my kitchen I started to experiment with cheese and grapes…. here’s what I came up with.  I pinched a bit of goat cheese and patted it flat in my hand, then carefully rolled the grape in the center of the cheese till it was fully encased, then I encrusted it in chopped pistachios for a wonderful little nibble. That’s it, 3 ingredients and the brides wishes were met!

Ingredients for grape goat cheese pistachio nibbles:

• black seedless grapes
• goat cheese
• shelled pistachios (chopped)

Directions:

1. Rinse and dry grapes.
2. Remove each grape from stem/vine.
3. Take a teaspoon of goat cheese and pat it in the palm of your hand to create a flat surface.
4. Place a grape in the center.
5. Then carefully roll the cheese around the entire grape until fully covered.
6. Place covered cheese grapes on a plate and store in fridge while you work on all the other grapes. 
7. Chop pistachios.
8. Then roll each grape in chopped pistachios to coat. 
9. Enjoy! 

And if the recipe is not enough for you grape lovers…. here is a quick video on how to make grape jelly in 30 seconds:

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Latina Bloggers Connect and California Sweetpotatoes. All opinions and recipe are my own.

It’s a vivid memory that drives me to write this post. I had to be about 25 years old at the time of this story and I was sitting in a diner in NYC. The windows were fogged up due to the humidity and heat outside while the cool air blow around the restaurant making it a cool haven. A cat slipped by me under the table and made a bed on my feet. I don’t remember the name of the place other than it was the name of the lady who owned the joint. What I do remember clear as day is eating sweetpotatoes for the first time mashed into a thick puree sitting next to a perfectly grilled piece of chicken. The introduction of this fine sweet papa was all I needed, to know that it would be a flourishing relationship, and I would make it my business to go down every avenue the sweetpotato traveled. I have picked up many fun facts along the way. For instance, “sweetpotato” is one word, and has more than a day’s worth of vitamin A. Or did you know sweetpotatoes are grown in the sand and not in the dirt and are naturally sun cured on the vine before harvest?

Fast forward to present day, and I open my front down to the chirping of a bell that the UPS man on the other end is pushing. To my delight he is carrying a big box of sweetpotatoes. As I sign my name across his screened pad, my mind has drifted to a far away place of sweetpotato possibilities, and they are endless. Endless I say. Oh the joy…. What shall I make? What shall I make? I could make sweetpotato pancakes. No, too simple. I could make sweetpotato flan. I think I got something like that on my blog already. I could make sweetpotato en tacha sauce for dia de los muertos…. Too soon for that. I could make sweetpotato churros. I can’t find my churro tool to press them out into the long logs, bummer. I could make sweetpotato churro waffles with cajeta and candied pecans on top. Bingo! The winning idea took flight. Here is my waffle recipe… hope you like it.

Ingredients for sweetpotato churro waffles:

• 1 – sweetpotato  (small sweetpotato peeled and cut into 2 inch rounds) (you will need 1/2 cup sweetpotato puree)
• 2 – egg yolks
• 1 1/2 – buttermilk
• 3/4 – cup butter (melted)
• 1 1/2 – teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 – teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 – cups flour
• 1 – cup sugar
• 3 1/2 – teaspoons baking powder
• 3 – egg whites
• cajeta
• candied pecans

Directions:

1. In a small pot filled with water over a medium flame, bring water to a boil.
2. Add in sweetpotato rounds and boil for 25 to 30 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Drain water from sweetpotatoes and mash into a puree.
4. Preheat waffle iron by turning it on.
5. In a large bowl whisk egg yolks, buttermilk, butter, vanilla, and 1/2 cup sweetpotato puree together. whisk until batter is smooth. Set to the side.
6. In a large bowl sift 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and baking powder together.
7. Mix wet ingredients (buttermilk/sweetpotato) with dry ingredients (flour/sugar), and mix until completely combined. Set to the side.
8. In a mixer, whip egg whites until peaks form.
9. Then gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter. 
10. Pour 1/4 cups of batter onto the waffle iron. 
11. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes. 
12. Then repeat with more batter until all done.
13. In a large bowl mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon together.
14. Dust waffles off with sugar cinnamon mixture.   
15. Stack up waffles and top with cajeta and candied pecans!
16. Or if you prefer your sweetpotato churro waffles plain…. here is an option without the cajeta. 
17. Enjoy!

The thought of melted chocolate on anything my heart desires makes me go all googley eyed. Yes, I’m a chocolate fanatic. In fact, I went to a brunch last year where a free flowing dessert fountain oozed with an abundance of melted chocolate that could spark the envy of Willy Wonka. I was tempted to jump in and swim in a pool of chocolate, but I behaved myself and acted like a grown up. Instead I opted to make a cozy little seat at the rim of the basin and eat until my heart was content. As I sat at the edge of the fountain reaching over to dip my strawberries and marshmallows, I thought to myself “If only I could have a small portion of this melted chocolate to dip whenever I wanted. Oh that would be such giddy fun!” I imagined all the spectacular  projects I could do with my son, or how decorative the snacks would be at my next party. 

It seems Wilton has granted me my wishes, because they now have this amazing little pot to melt your chocolate melts in: Wilton Candy Melts™ Candy Melting Pot.  You choose the flavor, add them to the silicone lined pot, and let them melt. What you choose to dip or drizzle is up to you. Plus Wilton has the coolest tools to help make the whole dipping process a lot easier. Here’s the cool part, when your done, all you have to do is let the chocolate cool completely in the fridge, then pop it out of the silicone lined pot… So easy, and more importantly there is very little mess if any at all.

A few weeks ago my friend Ericka from Nibbles and Feasts hosted a “dip and drizzle” party here at my house, and invited over a handful of delicious friends: Wilton candy melts, pretzels, strawberries, marshmallows, cookies, potato chips, Wilton Candy Melts™ Candy Melting Pots, and a bunch of blogger friends. We had such a swell time dipping and drizzling, and of course the snacks were gone before we could even let them set and harden. Here are a few pictures from the party. Oh, and do yourself a favor…. melt some chocolate and dip away. 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Wilton. However all opinions are my own.

My belief is no matter what religion you believe in or not: To believe in the spirit of humanity. To be kind. To treat the people you love with tenderness, patience, and respect.  To extend a hand when you can. To love with everything you got. To let people live their lives as they see fit without judging them. I believe in unconditional love.

Two weeks ago I was out having dinner with my family and on the ceiling of the restaurant was a painting of Jesus. My 4 year old son asked me who was that man and what was he looking at? I found myself at a crossroads of how to explain faith to him. I myself am still coming to terms with what I believe and what I don’t believe, plus I wanted to be mindful to not force my beliefs onto what my son should believe. Instead I would love to open him up to all sorts of different religions and theories and let him decide on his own as he grows and matures.

I decided to start a gradual introduction of religion, so he would have the tools needed when he gets older to make that decision on what he chooses to believe. I announced we would have a family movie night, and I was going to make a heavenly dessert of coconut donut cakes to go with our movie viewing. I wanted to make the evening fun, and show the lighter side of faith first. I had heard that “Heaven Is For Real” was a great family friendly movie and could be our initial stepping stone into the world of faith. The movie didn’t depict the type of church I grew up with, but the message was the same. I’m not sure if my son understood what heaven was from this film because I asked him to draw a picture of heaven and he drew a picture of my coconut donuts instead, but he did understand the core of human emotions and reached his arms around me as the film left me teary eyed, saying “You’ll be okay Mom.” That’s all I could hope for from him at this age.

I absolutely loved that Heaven is for Real was based on a true story and was the story of a small-town couple who must find the courage and conviction to share their 4 year old son’s life changing experience with their town and the world. The film stars Greg Kinnear and Kelly Reilly as Todd and Sonja Burpo, the real life couple whose son Colton claims to have visited heaven while having a near death experience. I got my DVD at Walmart, which includes an exclusive bonus disc. That bonus disc filled my enquiring mind…. because of course I didn’t want the story to end… I wondered what happened to them, and where are they now? Here are a few of the bonus tracks you could look forward to if you buy your disc at Walmart.

1.  The Burpos: 11 Heavenly Years Later – An intimate sit down with the Burpos and a look at their home town to get a sense of their life now and how Colton’s miraculous story changed them.
2.  Heart of the Movie – Todd Burpo reflects on the events from his story and how they are reflected in the film
3.  Answers – Todd Burpo reflecting on the events in the movie.
4.  Religious Leader Vignettes – Religious leaders reflect on the themes of the film and how they translate to real life lessons for everyone.

What is your faith? Do you have one or many or none? When was the last time you had a family movie night? What would you like to eat these coconut donut cakes with?

Ingredients for coconut donut cakes:

• 2 – sticks butter (room temp)
• 3/4 – cup dark brown sugar
• 1 1/4 – cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 – teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 – teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 – teaspoon salt
• 1/8 – teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 – large egg
• 2 – egg yolks
• 1 – teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 – cup butter milk
• 2 – cups powdered sugar
• 3 – tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 – cup shredded sweetened coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spray a donut baking pan with a non stick baking spray. I used a mini donut tray and a normal sized one. Set to the side.
3. In a mixer beat butter and sugar until fluffy. For about 3 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set to the side.
5. Slowly add eggs to butter/sugar mixture and continue to mix until fully mixed in.
6. Alternate between adding in the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Mix until fully combined.
7. Fill the donut cavity one third of the way up. Use your finger to smooth the top of the batter. For the mini donuts I used 1 teaspoon of batter, and for the normal sized donuts I used 5 teaspoons of batter.
8. Bake for 7 minutes for mini donuts, and 12 minutes for normal sized donuts.
9. Remove from oven and  allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then invert them onto a cooling rack to cool completely. 
10. In a bowl whisk powdered sugar and whipping cream together to make an icing.
11. Dip each donut into the icing. 
12. Top with coconut. 
13. Let set on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
14. Enjoy!

This post is part of a compensated campaign between Kikkoman and Latina Bloggers Connect.

I’ve been making roasted vegetables for over a decade now. Once I discovered roasting vegetables was far more superior over boiled or fried in flavor I never turned back. I make roasted veggies quite often, and love to switch up the flavor in my vegetables when ever I can. Let’s take the precious brussels sprout for instance… my family won’t have anything to do with them, unless they’re roasted.

The other day my fiancé said he wanted a salad, and I looked into the fridge but didn’t have a head of lettuce in sight. I saw a nice plump supply of raw brussels sprouts sitting there begging to be made. I thought “What if I make a brussels sprout salad and enhance the flavor with Kikkoman soy sauce? I could coat the brussels sprouts with soy sauce before roasting, then make a soy sauce mustard dressing, and sprinkle the whole thing in goat cheese.” The thought of it made my mouth water. I then started kicking myself for not thinking of making my brussels sprouts with Kikkoman sooner. I skipped the regret and started making my old recipe with a new twist. It was so easy and simple to make and seriously the salad was so cosmic it belonged to the stars. You have to try this super yum-a-licious salad, it makes the perfect accompaniment to dinner, or a solo act for lunch.

Ingredients for roasted brussels sprouts and goat cheese salad:

• 1 – pound fresh brussels sprouts (stems trimmed off and cut in half)
• 4 – tablespoons olive oil
• 4 – teaspoons Kikkoman Soy Sauce
• 1 – teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 – teaspoons deli mustard
• 3 – ounces crumbled goat cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash, trim, and cut brussels sprouts.
3. Place brussels sprout halves in a large bowl.
4. Pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce over the brussels sprout halves. Mix with your hands to evenly coat brussels sprouts. 
5. Remove the brussels sprouts out of the bowl with your hands ( Note: Do not pour the brussels sprouts out onto the sheet, you don’t want the baking sheet to be wet) and place on a large baking sheet.
6. Place baking sheet in the oven for 10 minutes to roast. Then remove the brussels sprout halves from oven and using a spatula flip to roast the other side. Place back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Brussels sprout halves will be in the oven for a total of 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Some will be extra crisp and slightly charred and others will be a little browned. Set to the side and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
7. In a small bowl whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons Kikkoman soy sauce, garlic and mustard. 
8. Pour dressing over roasted brussels sprouts, and mix to coat evenly. 
9. Sprinkle goat cheese into the top of the salad, and mix one final time. 
10. Eat either warm or cold. 
11. Enjoy!

The countdown to the great Fourth of July is on! Exactly a week from now the sky will be showered in spectacular bits of light, a celebration for this amazing country’s  independence. I am taking a different approach to the holiday this year…. usually my energy is on fire running around trying to get everything done to be just so. Not this year, I am dreaming of something way more relaxed. Easy, but nice. Simple, but well thought out. Relaxing at home in comfy loose clothing with my flip flops on surrounded by a few of my closest friends, and really tasty food.

When I started to think of the menu, and what I would serve, my head sort of skipped around thinking of all things Americana. I thought about pie, watermelon, french fries, green salad, hamburgers, and hot dogs. Hot dogs get so much respect in my neck of the woods, especially the quintessential downtown Los Angeles bacon wrapped hot dog, there is no other dog that trumps it for me. And just like that I decided I would serve bacon wrapped hot dogs. They are so easy to prepare and take very little effort, but are “ooooohhhhhh sooooooo gooooooooood!” Plus I know I could find all the ingredients I need for my 4th of July Dogs at Walmart…. my one stop shop! Happy Red White and Blue USA…. Here’s to our Independence!

Ingredients for bacon wrapped hotdogs:

• bacon
• frankfurters aka: wieners
• toothpicks
• hot dog buns

Directions:

1. Take a single strip of bacon, and a frankfurter. Wrap the entire frankfurter by starting at the top and working your way to the bottom.
2. Ensure closure with a toothpick on both the top of the bacon wrapped frankfurter and the bottom. 
3. In a frying pan over a medium flame add in bacon wrapped frankfurters. Cook on  one side until crisp then turn to the other side. 
4. Using thongs, carefully pull the toothpicks out of each frankfurter, and continue frying on the sides until the entire frankfurter is cooked. 
5. Slice open hot dog bun and fill center with bacon wrapped frankfurter.
6. Garnish with ketchup, mustard, onion, pickle, mayo.
7. Enjoy!