I love trying seasonal recipes, but with a new babe in tow I haven’t gotten that ambitious this Fall as some nights feel like a scramble just to prepare dinner.

I have been scouring the internet for a caramel apple pie recipe, but have yet to find one that meets the craving. I may be heading to our local bakery soon to pick one up, because theirs is hands down the best!

So far we have substituted the pie for caramel apples, which the boys love. I used this recipe super easy, but would do more apples and less caramel on each, because once it cools and thickens it is a little too sweet. We also got creative rolling them in different toppings, chopped cashews, chocolate sprinkles and reeses peanut butter chips, my fave.

If you are looking for some other Fall favorites try apple pie dip or better than pie pumpkin dessert.

I contemplated waiting to share these Easter recipes until I had a few less than quality pictures to go along with the sweet treats. Decided to share them now in case you are still scrambling to figure out a menu!

Both of these recipes are family favorites. The pecan rolls is a recipe of my grandma’s and one I loved growing up and still do. For some reason I am still struggling to perfect it to taste just like mom’s. Perhaps it’s because I am scrambling to make them at 5:30am so we can eat them before leaving for Easter Mass.

The chocolate dessert is one my mom has made every Easter since I can remember, makes me miss home over the holiday.

Pecan Rolls
3 packages buttermilk biscuits (make sure to buy the regular size, otherwise they won’t turn out)
Pecans
Sugar
Cinnamon
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Butter
1/3 cup Cream

• Grease bundt pan and spread pecans on the bottom. Layer biscuits in pan. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon between each layer.
• Mix brown sugar, butter and cream in saucepan. Bring to a light boil. Pour over pan.
• Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Pudding Torte
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 sticks Butter
2/3 cup Chopped Pecans
8 oz. Cream Cheese
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 large Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding
3 cups Milk
12 oz. Cool Whip

• Combine flour, melted butter and pecans. Press mixture into 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
• Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and half of cool whip until smooth. Spread over cooled crust.
• Combine pudding mix with 3 cups milk and beat until thick. Pour over cream cheese layer.
• Spread remaining cool whip on top and refrigerate.
• Garnish with chopped pecans.

Watermelon is beyond a favorite in this house, I blame my husband. I was never much of a watermelon fan until marrying him and now I seem to be cutting one up weekly only to have our family devour it in a couple of days. So when I saw a recipe for a watermelon slush I knew we had to try it and it was a win. The original recipe is from Kraft and we made a few of our own adaptations.

3 cups of water
1/2 cup lime juice
2 packets of Crystal Light On The Go Lemonade
10 cups frozen seedless watermelon cubed

Blend all of the ingredients together until desired consistency. Enjoy!

 

With our surplus of rhubarb this year I had to search out a few new recipes. Thought I would share a couple of faves so far, one really easy and the other a bit more time consuming.

Rhubarb Cake (credit allrecipes.com):

1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
5 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch cake pan.

Stir cake mix, 1 cup water, vegetable oil, and eggs in a bowl until moistened. Pour batter into cake pan. Top the batter with rhubarb and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Pour 1 cup of hot water evenly over the cake.

Bake 50 minutes.

Using a box mix makes this dessert quick and easy!

Rhubarb Cheesecake:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
Mix ingredients together and pat in 9×13 inch cake pan. Pat slightly up the sides.

6 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup sugar
2 T flour
Mix together and pour over crust. Bake for 15 minutes.

2 – 8 oz pkg. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Beat ingredients together while the crust and rhubarb are baking. Remove pan from oven and spread cream cheese mixture over crust. Bake for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes.

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Cream ingredients together. Spread the mixture on top of the dessert. Refrigerate several hours or until cold.

The picture does not do this cheesecake justice, it is soooo good and worth the extra time! I recently brought it to a potluck and had a lot of people asking for the recipe.