Autumn is here! As the weather gets cooler we look to heartier recipes to fill our stomachs. This Pumpkin-Apple Soup from our friends at Cooking Light is the perfect dish to enjoy on a cool Fall night. This tasty recipe can act as a base and be made into two separate soups.  For mature palates, Chipotle Spiced Pumpkin Soup provides a kick and Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup will keep younger palates satisfied with its sweet taste of coconut.  These small variations give each soup a different flavor makeup.

Ingredients:

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Add stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 25 minutes or until pumpkin and apples are tender.

2. While soup cooks, combine pepitas, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 7 minutes or until sugar melts and pepitas are toasted, stirring often. Transfer to a plate; cool completely, breaking up any clumps.

3. Place half of pumpkin mixture in a blender, remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape). Secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters); blend until smooth. Place soup in a bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining pumpkin mixture. Pour in apple cider, and reheat in pan if needed. Divide soup evenly among 8 bowls; sprinkle evenly with pepitas.

• Thai-Coconut Soup: Omit cinnamon; instead add 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger with the pumpkin and apples in step 1. Omit apple cider; instead add 3/4 cup light coconut milk and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Omit pepitas, sugar, and salt in step 2; instead sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons cilantro before serving. Serve with lime wedges.

• Chipotle-Spiced Pumpkin Soup: Increase cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon. Add 1 finely chopped seeded chipotle chile canned in adobo sauce to apples and pumpkin in step 1. Omit apple cider; instead add 1/4 cup water. Omit pepitas, sugar, and salt in step 2; instead garnish with 1 ounce thinly sliced and slivered Spanish chorizo, cooked in a small skillet over medium-low heat until crisp.

Tips & Trick:

• Simple toppings like salty-sweet pepitas, chorizo, or freshly chopped herbs make each soup more flavorful.
• For a fun, no-fuss garnish, top any of the soups with 2 tablespoons popped popcorn.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Putting a new spin on classic children’s favorites is the perfect way to introduce kids to new foods and help them grow into more adventurous – and healthy – eaters. Encourage your kids to try more “mature” flavors like goat cheese, arugula, sage, and brussels sprouts with these delicious and easy Fall Recipes from our friends at Cooking Light. These dishes are sure to have even the pickiest eaters asking for seconds!

Apple, Goat Cheese, and Pecan Pizza

“This unique pizza combines the familiar sweetness of green apples with peppery arugula and tangy goat cheese to help kids discover and enjoy new flavor combinations. Pies can be made ahead and baked off when guests arrive, making this the perfect recipe for your holiday dinner party!”

Sautéed Carrots with Sage

“Sage takes kid-friendly carrots to a whole new level in this quick and tasty side dish.”

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Garlic, and Shallots

“Brussels sprouts may not have the best reputation among young eaters, but the smokey, salty bacon in this dish is sure to change your kids’ opinion of this incredibly healthy veggie.”

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Thanksgiving is known for turkey, delicious sides, and tasty pies. Between roasting the turkey and cooking up all the side dishes, there’s little time left to make pies from scratch. Homemade pies can take hours in the kitchen, but not with these quick and simple recipes! Both recipes for Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Pie and French Apple Pie have the crust baked right into the pie itself – taking away tedious steps and saving you time in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

Whip toppings, if desired

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 9-inch pie plate.
2. Stir all ingredients except whipped topping until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled. Serve with whipped topping. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes 6 servings

Tips & Tricks:

Save even more time on Thanksgiving day by making this pie ahead of time! It keeps great in the refrigerator and is delicious served chilled or at room temperature.

Ingredients:

Filling

3 cups sliced peeled apples (3 large)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened

2 eggs

Streusel

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/4 cup chopped nuts

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons firm butter or margarine

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 325ºF. Grease 9-inch glass pie plate. In medium bowl, mix apples, cinnamon and nutmeg; place in pie plate.
2. In medium bowl, stir remaining filling ingredients until well blended. Pour over apple mixture in pie plate. In small bowl, mix all streusel ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over filling.
3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Store in refrigerator.

Makes 6 servings

Tips & Tricks:

If apple pie isn’t your favorite, try using peaches, berries, or pears instead of apples in this simple and versatile recipe!

Video:

For more tips and a video how-to by Cricket Azima, view the video below.

 

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Just in Time Gourmet is just in time to save dessert on a busy school night or a child’s weekend birthday party. They plan dinner and dessert for you! Just in Time Gourmet, owned by PheonixFood, creates dry mix food products made from quality ingredients. Each mix contains the mix itself, a recipe on the back of the box that outlines any extra ingredients needed, and step by step instructions on putting the dish together. We love Just in Time Gourmet because they understand that even though life gets busy, a great meal and an even better dessert should be easy AND tasty. Their Caramel Apple Cheesecake is our favorite and is perfect for a kid’s birthday party or to make with your kids any day of the week!

From the Mouth of a Kid:

The caramel is sweet and sticky. The cake even tastes my favorite fruit: apples! I always ask mom for a second piece!

From the Eyes of a Parent:

Just in Time Gourmet Caramel Apple Cheesecake is a new family favorite in my house. I make it for all of our family gatherings—it’s a crowd favorite on Thanksgiving and my kids’ birthday parties! It’s even great for a special treat during weeknights. Every time I make it, my kids get in the kitchen and help me pour and stir the mix into a delicious dessert. It’s so easy to make—we only have to follow the recipe, adding a few extra ingredients. I also love the Caramel Apple Cheesecake mix because it is not overly sweet, but is sweet enough to ease my kids’ (and my) dessert craving. Plus, it has a fresh apple flavor. Its few ingredients let me know what’s in the mix and what’s going in my family’s tummies!

Flavorful Features:

Just in Time Gourmet makes other dessert mixes such as:

• Lemonade Cheesecake Mix
  
• Key Lime Cheesecake Mix
  
• Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Mix
  
• Carrot Cake Mix
  
• Double Delight Brownie Mix

They also create:

• Dip Mixes
• Cheese Ball Mixes
• Soup Mixes
• Side Mixes

The Icing on the Cake:

Just in Time Gourmet Caramel Apple Cheesecake mix comes with one cheesecake mix that contains only three ingredients:

• Powdered Sugar
  
• Brown Sugar
  
• Green Apple Powder
  

Time to Eat?!

As a sweet and tasty dessert after any meal!

Mix it Up!

For a fresh fruit twist, add cooked, fresh green apples to cheesecake batter, mix, then pour into graham cracker pie crust and put in the refrigerator until firm. You can even create cheesecake pops! Mix ingredients for cheesecake according to the package directions for Caramel Apple Cheesecake Balls. Once combined, refrigerate batter until firm. When firm, form into bite sized balls, and stick with Popsicle sticks. Drizzle the finished cheesecake pops with caramel sauce and enjoy!

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

This Cinco de Mayo, spice up your every-day guacamole with these mouthwatering mix-ins from our friends at iVillage. Get the kids involved by letting them mash the avocados and choosing which ingredients to add!

Guacamole con Granada

This recipe, from New York’s Toloache restaurant, has apple, mango, and pomegranate seeds for a fresh, fruity twist.

Click here for the recipe.

Artichoke-amole

What if all your favorite party dips joined together to form the supergroup of spreads? Part guacamole, part artichoke dip, part tapenade, this creamy green spread is 100 percent tasty–and surprisingly healthy to boot!

Click here for the recipe.

Green Pea Guacamole

This recipe cuts calories and fat by substituting green peas for some of the avocado. Serve with baked tortilla chips for guilt-free snacking!

Click here for the recipe.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Even though that rhyme originated nearly 150 years ago, it still stands true today! Apples are a crunchy snack full of vitamins and nutrients that keep us happy and healthy. That’s why here at The Creative Kitchen, we love CrunchPak, a simple pouch full of fresh sliced apples. Our favorites are the CrunchPak Disney Flavorz, with their fun flavors and distinguishable characters on the package that the whole family will love!

From the Mouth of a Kid:

I like that the bag has my favorites like Mickey and Disney princesses on them.

From the Eyes of a Parent:

Apples are a great snack for my kids, but sometimes it can be a pain to slice them small enough for my kids to eat the whole thing. CrunchPak is great because they’re fresh, pre-sliced, ready to go, and just the right size to feed small hands and small mouths.

Flavorful Features:

These 2 oz. bags of CrunchPaks come in 3 different Disney Flavorz:

• Strawberry Vanilla Cream Apple Slices (with Princesses)
• Blue Raspberry Apple Slices (with Monster’s University)
• Grape Flavored Apple Slices (with Mickey and Friends)

They come pre-packed in a multi-pak of 5 and contain only 30-35 calories.

The Icing on the Cake:

Apples are chock-full of Vitamin C (an immunity booster), pectin (a great soluble fiber), boron (helps brains and bones), and phytonutrients (like Vitamin A, E, and beta carotenes). All of these good things, along with natural fruit juice to flavor the fresh apple slices, makes for a healthy and tasty snack for all.

Good to Go?

Yes! Grab ‘em the same way you would an apple! These convenient individual pouches are pre-sliced and ready to go.

Time to Eat?!

When is it not good to eat an apple? Have them with breakfast, snack on them with lunch or after school, or eat them post-dinner as a healthier dessert. Dip them in yogurt or peanut butter (or your favorite nut or seed butter) for a sweet treat, too.

Mix It Up!

Make a funky Waldorf salad with cranberries, apple slices, raisins, walnuts or pecans, and celery.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.