Today's Rainbow

From our front porch, this afternoon

Sweet Potato Apple Muffins

Apples and sweet potatoes are a great flavor combination. These muffins use no oil, so they are low in fat. I prefer to use skim milk and unsweetened applesauce, so as not to add any unneeded fat or sugar. Granny Smith or Fuji apples both work great, depending on whether you want more tartness, or sweeter muffins.

1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
1/4 cup milk
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup applesauce
1 egg
1 cup peeled apple, chopped in small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda,baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sweet potato, milk, brown sugar, applesauce and egg. Blend until combined. Add in flour mixture and blend just until combined. Do not overbeat. Fold in apples with a spoon.
Spoon into muffin liners, bake 20 minutes.

Sweet Potato Dessert Ravioli with Pineapple Sauce

Sweet potatoes are a food item I'm always looking to incorporate into different dishes, because they are so nutritious and versatile. For this dish, I just bake the sweet potatoes in the microwave until they are soft, let them cool, and the skins easily peel off.

Sweet Potato Dessert Ravioli with Pineapple Sauce

2 refrigerated roll out pie crusts
2 cups cooked sweet potato (peeled and mashed)
4 oz cream cheese (half a brick)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg

4 tbsp milk
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Pineapple Sauce:
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 8 oz can of juice packed crushed pineapple
1 1/2 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 350. Unroll the pie crusts. Using a 2 1/2 round biscuit cutter, cut as many circles as possible out of each pie crust. About 14 per crust. Place half of the circles on a large, nonstick baking sheet. Set other half aside.
In a large bowl, thoroughly combine sweet potatoes, cream cheese, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, ginger and nutmeg. Place approx 1 tbsp of sweet potato filling on each pastry circle. There will be some filling left over, but if you re-roll the pastry scraps you can make enough additional circles to use it up.
Place the remaining pastry circles on top of the filling. Using your fingers or a fork, seal the edges of the circles. Poke the top of each “ravioli” with a fork. Lightly brush each ravioli with milk, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake approx 25 minutes until golden.
Prepare pineapple sauce - In a medium saucepan, combine salt, cornstarch, sugar and pineapple (including juice). Stir over medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Reduce heat slightly and stir for 5 minutes, or until the filling has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter until combined. Serve hot or cold with Sweet Potato Dessert Raviolis.

Easter is Coming...

Easter is almost here parents, so you'd better order soon. No one wants their children to be disappointed on Easer morning when they discover that the Easter Bunny hasn't left their traditional "Plush Long Arm Religious Gorilla"