Sweet Ideas for Celebrating Parents All Year Round

(Family Features) Regardless of the occasion, any excuse to celebrate moms and dads is a worthy one. From birthdays and holidays to regular weekends at home, one of the best gifts you can give them is time spent together. The entire family – including little ones – can get involved when the celebration calls for easy yet delicious recipes. Start a day of celebrating on a high note with these Apple Cinnamon Waffles for a sweet breakfast in bed. As the day goes on, keep everyone energized with Apple, Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwiches or Apple Berry Salsa served with chips, apples or graham crackers. Finally, as the day winds to a close, finish off the festivities with Apple Blondie Cupcakes for one last reminder of how much Mom and Dad mean to you. These recipes and more family-friendly breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snack ideas are enhanced by the satisfying texture and taste of Envy Apples for a consistently balanced, refreshing sweetness coupled with crisp, elegant crunch. Easy to spot by their large, sharable size and crimson red skin that sometimes features a golden blush, they offer a fresh flavor perfect for snacking. Try serving them as a tasty snack next time your loved ones gather for time together to watch an exciting family-friendly show like “Strawberry Shortcake.” Enjoy seasonal stories about her and her pals discovering hidden treasures while on vacation, encountering mysterious monsters and tangling with out-of-control spring flowers as she’s ready to “bake the world to a better place” all year round. Visit EnvyApple.com to find more recipes the entire family can enjoy together. Apple Berry Salsa Prep time: 15 minutes Servings: 4-6 2 Envy Apples, cored and chopped 1 pound strawberries, hulled and chopped 1 pint blueberries 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice tortilla chips, pita chips, apple chips or graham crackers, for serving In medium bowl, combine apples, strawberries, blueberries and salt. In small bowl, whisk honey and lime juice. Pour honey and lime juice over fruit mixture. Stir together to combine. Serve immediately with tortilla chips, pita chips, apple chips or graham crackers, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Apple Blondie Cupcakes Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Servings: 12 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg, at room temperature 2 Envy Apples, peeled, cored and 1/4-inch diced Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside. In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In large bowl, whisk butter and brown sugar 2 minutes, or until well combined. Add vanilla and egg; whisk until incorporated. Add flour mixture to large bowl of wet ingredients. Stir until just combined; be careful to not overmix. Fold in diced apples. Spoon batter evenly into cupcake liners. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean. Let cool and serve. Apple, Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwiches Prep time: 5 minutes Servings: 2 (1 sandwich per serving) 1 Envy Apple 6 tablespoons peanut butter 4 slices of bread 2 tablespoons honey Core apple and thinly slice. Spread 3 tablespoons peanut butter on two slices of bread, reserving two slices of bread for sandwich tops. Layer apple slices on top of peanut butter. Drizzle 1 tablespoon honey over apple slices on each sandwich half. Top each sandwich half with reserved slice of bread. Apple Cinnamon Waffles Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes Servings: 4 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 eggs 1 cup milk 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted 1 Envy Apple, peeled and cored nonstick cooking spray 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), at room temperature maple syrup, to taste In large bowl, whisk flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and brown sugar. In smaller bowl, whisk eggs, milk and melted butter. Make well in dry ingredients then mix in wet ingredient mixture until just combined. Using cheese grater, grate apple. Fold grated apple into batter. Prepare waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle 1/4 of batter mixture into waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer’s instructions. Repeat with remaining batter. Top each waffle with 1 tablespoon room temperature butter and maple syrup, to taste.