Throwback Thursday - Fruit Leather - So Easy a Caveman. . .I Mean a Kid Can Do It!

I had this scheduled to post tomorrow and was working on something else for today when I was called away to some ministry things. So, I am you are getting my "Throwback Thursday" post on Wednesday! Enjoy!



I was thinking about Fruit Leather the other day so I looked up this old Angelfire blog post and thought I would share it this week. It was originally published on January 23, 2011. We love home made Fruit Leather. However, even more fun than resurrecting this recipe was seeing Joshua from four years ago! I even kept the horrible orange color. What was I thinking? Anyway, have fun and let me know what you think of the recipe.


What do you get when you add applesauce, unsweetened koolaid and sugar? Fruit Leather! Well, you have to dehydrate it first. Here's the deal.
My friend, Brenda, left a comment after yesterday's post saying she knew the answer and, since she was the one who gave me the recipe, then I'm pretty sure she's correct. So, here's the official Brenda Emmett fruit leather recipe:

• 32 oz of applesauce
• one packet of unsweetened koolaid mix
• one quarter of a cup of sugar (adjust to your taste)

Mix all ingredients together and pour on to dehydrator trays covered with plastic wrap. We were out of plastic wrap so I cut up a couple of gallon freezer bags and placed them on my trays and they worked perfectly. You can set your dehydrator at any temperature, but if you put it on high keep an eye on it. I put ours on low and leave it running all night long. In the morning we have delicious fruit leather. It's really so easy that our 10 year old, Joshua, could almost do it by himself. Here's proof!

Pour 32oz of applesauce in a bowl!

 

Pour in one packet of unsweetened Koolaid ~ this time we chose lemon lime.

 

Pour in about one quarter cup of sugar ~ a little more or a little less depending on your taste.

 

Mix well.

 

Pour onto dehydrator trays covered with plastic wrap,  spread evenly and dehydrate.

 

Here's Joshua with some grape fruit leather that we fixed a couple of days ago. We have also fixed orange. We'll make a batch and store it in plastic sandwich bags to be munched on for a healthy snack.

 

There you have it. Our fruit leather recipe. Thanks Brenda! If you don't have a dehydrator, you can put it on a cookie sheet, place it in your oven on low with the door cracked open a bit. Try it! I'll bet you'll like it!

Dad! Dad! They have POUTINE!

 

Actual poutine from a restaurant in Canada



"Dad! Dad! They have poutine!" I heard my boys yelling as I walked out of McKays in Knoxville this afternoon!

What! I couldn't believe my ears. "Could they really have poutine? Really, really, have poutine?" I thought with excitement. I was almost as giddy as the kids. I didn't think it could be possible to have poutine in middle Tennessee but there, right in front of me, was authentic, Canadian, poutine!

Poutine is one of our favorite foods!

So, what is poutine - pronounced poo-ten? Poutine is a Canadian dish originating in Quebec that consists of French fries topped with cheese curds and light brown gravy.

Sound yucky? Believe me, the Tinkel family doesn't think so! And neither do Canadians! It is all over Canada. They serve it at roadside stands, they have poutine carts at the Toronto Zoo, they even have it at McDonalds in Canada.

In fact, in Canada, there are whole restaurants that specialize in different types of poutine. Poutine with different types of curds. Poutine with different types of fries. Poutine with different types of sauces and gravy. Poutine topped with chicken. Poutine topped with pork. It goes on and on. The love of Poutine is so great in the country of our friends to the north that last summer we even found poutine flavored potato chips.

 

So where was it that we found this delicious dish in Knoxville? It was in a truck called "The Poutine Mobile" parked outside of McKays used book store. Here's a link to their webpage - http://poutinemobile.com. This place is the real deal! It is owned by Canadians whose mission, according to their webpage, is to "bring authentic poutine to Tennessee."

We are sure glad that they did. Of course we had to have poutine and soft drinks for everyone, including Grandma who had never had it before. We chose the authentic, regular poutine but they had a lot of different varieties. It made our day and gave us a taste of our second home - Canada.

If you happen to live close to or are visiting Knoxville, you can visit the Poutine Mobile webpage to find the location of their truck and the kinds of poutine that they are serving that day. It would really be worth it to hunt them down. They even have a catering service if you are interested.



If you don't have the pleasure of living close to Knoxville or, of course, in Canada, you can always make poutine at home. You can find a variety of recipes on the internet but below is our simple and quick recipe. Not necessarily the healthiest, but boy is it a good substitute for the real thing.

 

The Tinkel's Easy Poutine Recipe

(Not as good as the real thing but a great substitute)

 

Ingredient:

One bag of frozen French fries
Mozzarella (or any type) shredded cheese
(Cheese curds are better if you can find them)

Two packs of brown gravy mix

 

Directions:

Follow the directions on the bag of frozen fries and stick in the oven. While the fries are in the oven, follow the directions on the gravy mix and make the gravy. When the fries are done, serve them on plates, liberally sprinkle the fries with lots of cheese, then pour gravy over the top.

 

 

Told you it was easy! Try poutine for lunch one day and tell the kids you're serving an authentic Canadian meal. It will probably end up being one of their favorites as well. Let me know how you like it. Happy Eating!