An apple for today

 

 Desperate for some sort of blog post in the midst of a busy week, I'm snagging just one question from the Hodgepodge to answer.  It's this one:

1. Monday was National Apple Day...did you eat an apple or enjoy something made with apples on Monday? Do you like apples? Do you prefer your apples raw, baked, or in cider? Do you have a favorite variety of apple?

Easy to answer with some fun posts to link to.

On Monday, we were visiting our friend Charlotte at her cabin.  She did serve applesauce as part of the wonderful lunch she prepared for us.

Sedum at the edge of our friend's driveway

 
Yes, I love apples.  I think probably I prefer them raw.  But they are wonderful in pies or crisps.  Here's a new to me recipe for maple apple crisp that I've made several times already this fall.  It is scrumptious!

Photo from Almanac.com

 
And if you would like some of my own tried and true apple recipes, go here!

Lovely vintage image from The Graphics Fairy

I have sweet memories of an apple orchard from childhood.

Last year, my hubby and I went on a short apple picking excursion in the fall -- something we'd like to make an annual excursion for the two of us.  Here are some pictures from 2023:

My favorite variety of apple is Honeycrisp.  But Cortlands, like those we picked at an orchard a couple weeks ago, are just amazing when they are fresh.

You can just click "apples" in the label cloud in the sidebar for a bushel more of apple fun!

Apple Crisp Pie Bars

 

A couple of weeks ago I had a lot of apples to use up and made a couple of apple desserts.   One of them was this recipe I put together by combining a couple of different recipes.

Regular readers may have noticed I have a tendency to do this.  I'll see a recipe I like the look of but on closer inspection it looks too complicated.  I'll streamline it if I can, but sometimes I'll see a similar recipe I can borrow from to create a whole new recipe.  Sadly, I also have the regrettable tendency to forget what I've done if I don't write it down.

That's what happened with these bars.  I had seen an apple bar recipe on Instagram that looked absolutely scrumptious, but when I looked the recipe up on Taste of Home (where it was from), it didn't have very good reviews and looked like a lot of work.  So I combined it with a dutch apple pie recipe, adjusted the quantity of crust to work with a 13x9 pan, and it all turned out quite well.  So ...

APPLE CRISP PIE BARS

For the crust:
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup butter, melted
Mix all crust ingredients until crumblly and set aside 2 cups or so of the crust mixture for the topping.  Press the rest of the mixture evenly onto the bottom and partway up the sides of a 13X9 baking pan.

For the filling:
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons apple pie spice (or 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon)
8 cups peeled, sliced, tart apples
Combine the sugar, flour and spices in a large bowl.  Add the sliced apples and toss well to combine.  Arrange the apples evenly over the crust in the pan.  Crumble the remaining topping over the apples. 

Bake in a preheated 375º oven for 45 minutes or a little more, or until the apple filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.  Cool in pan on wire rack before cutting into bars.  Makes at least 24 bars, depending on the size you cut them.

These bars are best served with a fork rather than eating out of hand.  They're a bit crumbly and the filling is a bit juicy.  They'd be great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side -- and a couple of times my husband and I had one for breakfast with vanilla Greek yogurt on top.  Hope you enjoy these bars if you try the recipe!  I've made them twice now and they went over very well with everyone who tasted them.

Making some apple coasters

Photo from Pixabay

Many, many years ago now when we first met our friends Dick and Terry, they had some apple shaped fabric coasters in their home, which I really admired.  I had seen similar ones in catalogs but hated to spend the money.  I borrowed one of Terry's coasters, took it home, and figured out how to make one.

I even made a pattern back then, but my first coaster turned out smaller than I liked, so I apparently drew around it to make a couple of larger ones. (And then kept the too-small pattern!  What was I thinking?)

Still, I was glad I had kept it, for late this summer when the impulse struck to make some more apple coasters, I was able to quickly find the pattern.  Using it for my first coaster in this batch made me realize it was really too small, so I did draw around it to make a larger leaf and apple.

I will spare you the wretched details of my first attempt using yellow homespun plaid for the apples -- my others had been homespun and I really liked the look, but in the process of trying to stitch the coasters I made an unbelievable amount of mistakes.  (And homespun is really unforgiving of mistakes.  It tends to shred if you try to pull out stitches.)

I will try and give a tutorial of sorts,  in case anyone else is in an apple coaster sort of mood.  You will need the apple pattern, fabrics and thread, cotton batting, and a sewing machine.  Oh, and an iron.

Here is the pattern I ended up with.  I think if you click on it, it will open up actual size.

Logically enough, you will need to cut 2 apple shapes and 2 leaf shapes for each coaster.  You could use red, green, or yellow fabrics for the apples.  The first ones I made were red and green.  Of course you will want some shade of green for the leaves.  You will also need to cut 1 apple shape out of cotton batting for each coaster.

Start by making a leaf.  Place the two fabric leaf pieces right sides together and sew around them using a 1/4-inch seam allowance, leaving the flat bottom area open and being sure to backstitch when you start and end your stitching.   Turn the leaf right side out and carefully poke out the seams to make a well shaped leaf.  Press the leaf flat with your iron.

You are going to pin the leaf in place between the 2 fabric apple shapes.  Keep the point of your leaf down and line up its flat raw edge with the raw edge of your apple pieces.  If you like, you can fold the bottom part of the leaf slightly before pinning to give it just a bit more dimension, as I did.  You can see that quite well on the coasters pictured below.

Next, place the batting apple shape on top of the fabric apple-leaf-fabric apple sandwich.  Pin everything together very securely.

Now you are going to stitch around the apple/leaf combination, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Start on one side and stitch around, leaving about 2 inches open for turning, backstitching at beginning and end of stitching.  Trim your seam allowance to make it the apple smoother and easier to turn.  I left the seam allowance in place at the open area to make it simpler to tuck it in.

Turn your apple right side out, carefully smoothing the edges from the inside to ensure a nicely shaped apple.  Neatly tuck in the open part of the seam allowance and hand-sew the opening closed.*

Now top-stitch all around the apple (not the leaf)  close to the edge, to give a neat finish that will hold the batting in place.  It will also hold your hand-stitched opening securely closed.

* I tried to save time by just tucking in the seam allowance, pinning, and then doing the top-stitching step, as a means of closing the opening.  You can see in the photo below that this really didn't work out as well as I had hoped.  I've done this on bigger projects like hot mats or place mats, and it's been fine, but I think the hand-stitching the opening shut is really essential on a project this small, with a rounded seam.

There you have it!  An apple coaster!  Now make as many more apples as you would like.  Shades of red, yellow, green, or gold would all look nice.

I decided that the ones I made were too bright yellow, and I didn't really like the green I had chosen for the leaves, either.  (If only I had been able to salvage my homespun ones.  But I couldn't.)  So I picked a gold toile and a green calico for the ones I would be giving away.  I still wasn't thrilled with these, but liked them better than the brighter colors, and I wanted to get them on their way.

I kept the brighter yellow ones for our own use.  I mixed them in with our red and green homespun ones and they look fine.

Happy apple season! 

Emma's Apple Cake (with gluten free and dairy free options)

(The photo above is from Pixabay, but it just reminds me so much of the apple barn I visited as a child.)

I'm sure I'm not the only one looking for good apple recipes this time of year!  Recently my friend Nikki posted on her Instagram about an apple loaf cake her daughter Emma had baked.  It looked so good that I asked Nikki if I could have the recipe.  This past weekend I finally got around to trying the cake.  It was SO delicious!

This cake is baked in a loaf pan.  You can see the "apple pie" layer in the middle and on the top.

Here is Emma's recipe, and I will tell you how I adapted it to be gluten free and dairy free.

APPLE PIE CAKE

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk (Emma says: you might add a bit more if the mixture is too thick.)
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling
2 medium apples, diced
1/3 cup apple butter

For the topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp.all purpose flour
2 Tbsp cold butter (small pieces)
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with some non stick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl stir together the flour, baking powder,  and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl using a hand held mixer cream together the butter and sugar for a couple of minutes, then add eggs and vanilla and mix for another minute.
4.Add the dry ingredients along with the milk. Mix just until batter comes together, then set aside.
5. In a bowl stir together the diced apples with the apple butter and set aside as well.
6. Lastly, make the topping: in a bowl add all the ingredients for the topping. Using a pastry blender, mix together cutting the butter into tiny pieces that are well distributed throughout.
7. Pour half the cake batter in your prepared pan, then spoon over it half the apple mixture (push into the batter a bit), followed by the remaining batter, remaining apples and finally finished off with the topping.
8. Bake about 50 minutes to an hour,  then allow it to come to room temp before serving.

(When I made this, I had left some longer ends of parchment paper when I lined the bottom of the pan.  I think it made it a lot easier to get the cake out of the pan.)

For gluten free:  I substituted the  Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour for all-purpose flour in both the cake batter and the topping.  I've mentioned before how much I love this flour, as it can make any cake, cookie, muffin, or biscuit recipe gluten free without having to make a lot of special adaptations.  I include again a photo of this flour, so you will be sure and recognize it at the grocery store.

For dairy free: I used almond milk (in this case the vanilla flavor as that's what my hubby likes) instead of regular milk in the cake batter.  I also substituted canola oil for butter in the cake batter.  In the topping, I also used canola oil instead of butter.

My very first order of business before trying this recipe had been to locate some apple butter.  I had looked at both my local supermarket and Wal*mart, to no avail.  Now, I know that both places do carry apple butter, and was able to find it on my second try.  It's near the jams and jellies, and was on a much lower shelf than I expected.  At the supermarket, I was very pleased to find the product below:

The only ingredients in it are apples, and apple cider concentrate.  No sweetener, no spices.  It was actually perfect for this cake, and there is still plenty left in the jar to bake several more cakes!  You can read about it here: Tap'nApple. 

Hope you'll enjoy this cake as much as we did!

Friday five (fall baking edition)

I didn't intend for this Friday five to be all about fall baking, but it sort of turned out that way, so ... here we go.

1.  First, let me say how thankful I am for last weekend's couples' retreat at The Wilds of New England!  My hubby and I just never want to miss this time.  It's like a yearly reset for our marriage; edifying Bible teaching for couples along with great food, fellowship, music, campfires, coffee, hayrides, ice cream and so much more.  All this in a glorious setting of New England fall foliage.  Yes, there is a baking connection here:  Friday night's dessert was homemade pumpkin whoopie pies with a delicious spiced filling.  Mm-mmm!

2.  A working oven.  Last Thursday we had guests for brunch and then a guest at supper.  My oven was going a good bit of the day.  That evening, I turned the oven on again to a low temperature, to dry out a metal pan.  There was a strong smell of gas and I remembered that my hubby had been saying he needed to order a delivery of propane, so we both assumed we might be running out.  But the burner flames looked fine.  Still, I turned the oven off immediately.
     When he called the next day to order the propane, he unthinkingly mentioned the strong gas odor, and was told they needed to send a technician out to look over the tank and stove.  In our state, maybe others, this is required by law if a customer mentions a strong propane smell.  He did come, everything is fine with both stove and tank and our tank is now full (we were not running out, as we thought, but it was time for a delivery to get us through winter).    So thankful for a working oven, as I've been baking a lot the past couple of days -- it's my turn to bring snacks for Sunday's coffee break at church.

3.  Aprons.  The older I get, the more necessary I find it to wear an apron when I cook, just like my mother and grandmother always did.  Thankful for cute aprons!

An apron I made for my granddaughter Sarah one Christmas

4.   Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour.  I like to use this for cookies, cakes, muffins, and biscuits because it means I can just use my old favorite recipes, substituting this cup-for-cup for regular flour.  (Don't try to use it for pizza or yeast breads, though, because it won't work.)  I absolutely love being able to use some of my old recipes again!

5.  Recipes.  As I was baking in my kitchen this morning I was thinking about how thankful I am for recipes old and new, but especially those that have been handed down from loved ones.   I guess this came to mind because I was making a Cranberry Coffee Cake.  This recipe got its start with one from my mother's good friend Evelyn, a fabulous cook and a faithful sharer of good recipes, so that's probably why it came to mind.

That, and all of the clearing out I've been doing at my childhood home, has really got me thinking about the importance of recipe boxes and notebooks.  This deserves a post all its own, so watch for it -- hopefully soon!

In the meantime, why not do some fall baking of your own?  You can check out some of my favorites here -- Some of my favorite apple recipes, pumpkin and squash recipes (this post also contains some main dish recipes) or just click "pumpkin" or "apples" in the label cloud.  Happy baking!

Ever make a dessert in a slow cooker?

 I hadn't, until recently.  The concept has been around for awhile, but most slow-cooker dessert recipes call for a smaller cooker than what I have had.  Then I inherited a 3-quart crockpot with a removable Corning Ware casserole as the liner.  At first I used it mostly for smaller main dish recipes or for side dishes like vegetables.

Recently it occurred to me that now I could try one of the slow-cooker dessert recipes that so intrigued me.  I could take them to Sunday potluck lunches at church so we wouldn't have any leftovers tempting us at home.  I've now tried two recipes and am sold on this idea, especially for fall and winter.

The cookbook shown above, Slow Cooking All Year Round, is one that I received for having a recipe published in it.  I'm so thankful that I have this cookbook, as I have turned to it again and again.

But now I could turn to the dessert recipes!  There are 29 dessert recipes in this book.  A few of them are candies -- one combines and melts the ingredients in the slow cooker and then the mixture is dropped onto waxed paper to cool and harden.  Most, though, are some sort of pudding, cobbler, or cake.

This is really a great idea for a church potluck as the dessert can be cooking unattended in the slow cooker during the services.  When ready to eat, you have a nice warm dessert to serve.  Of course, it could also work to have the dessert in your slow cooker at home if you are planning Sunday lunch for guests or family.

On to the recipes.  The first one I tried (and my favorite of the two) is Gingerbread Pudding Cake:
GINGERBREAD PUDDING CAKE
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg white*
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup water
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
----------------------------------
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup (or less) melted butter

In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg white* and vanilla.  In separate smaller bowl or a measuring cup, combine molasses and water.  Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the molasses mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients and beating well after each addition.  Pour mixture into a greased 3-quart slow cooker. 

Sprinkle brown sugar over top of batter.  Combine hot water and melted butter; pour over brown sugar.  Do not stir.

Cover and cook on High setting for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted near center of cake tests clean.  Turn off slow cooker; let stand for 15 minutes.  Serve warm, scooped into bowls and topped with whipped cream or ice cream.  Serves 6 to 8.

* Changes I made: I used a whole egg rather than an egg white because I just didn't have time to separate an egg right then.  The recipe did call for 1/2 cup chopped pecans in the batter, but I left those out.  I also used less melted butter at the end than called for; it called for 2/3 cup, which would have been impossibly rich.  It is a very rich dessert as it is.  Next time, I am going to try just 1/3 cup of melted butter, or maybe even 1/4 cup.

To make this at church, I had everything in the slow cooker except the hot water and melted butter at the end.  I just added those at church before turning the cooker on.  We just brought along a container of French vanilla ice cream to serve with it.

This dessert got rave reviews from those who tasted it.  It's delicious!

🍎 🍏 🍎 🍏 🍎 🍏 🍎 🍏 🍎 🍏 🍎 🍏 🍎

Now for the second recipe, Slow-Cooker Apple Pie:
SLOW-COOKER APPLE PIE
8 cups apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
5 Tablespoons softened butter, divided use
1 1/2 cup biscuit baking mix, divided use
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

In a large bowl, toss together apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg; transfer to a greased slow cooker.  (I just tossed them together IN the slow cooker.) 

In a bowl, blend eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, 2 Tablespoons of the softened butter and 3/4 cup of the baking mixture.  (I beat them together with a hand mixer.)  Spoon this batter over apples.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar with the remaining baking mix and remaining softened butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Spoon brown sugar mixture over batter.  Do not stir.

Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 7 hours.  Serve warm, spooned into individual bowls and topped with whipped cream or ice cream.  Serves 8 to 10.

I would not call this a pie, exactly; it was more of a cobbler.  But still very delicious!

So there you have it!  Some readers had been asking for the Gingerbread Pudding Cake recipe.  Now you can choose from two slow cooker dessert recipes if you are interested in trying this concept.  (And I highly recommend Slow Cooking All Year Round, too.)  Enjoy!

Two pies for Thanksgiving

... one new, one tried and true!

Yesterday at church we had a harvest dinner theme to our potluck.  One lady cooked a turkey and  others brought fantastic side dishes, salads, and pies.  For my pie contributions, I used one old favorite recipe and one that was brand new to me.

The old favorite was this

CRUMB TOP APPLE PIE

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Unbaked 9” pie shell
6 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
Lemon juice

Crumb topping:
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of salt
1/2 cup butter (may try using less; I think I've used as little as 1/3 cup before)

Begin by mixing together the brown sugar and spices in a small bowl. In the pie shell, alternate layers of apples with the spice mixture. Sprinkle each layer with lemon juice before adding another layer. When all apples and spices are in pie shell, make the topping by mixing the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and dash of salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until crumbs form. Top the pie with the crumb topping.

Bake the pie at 450º for 15 minutes; then reduce the heat to 350º and bake 30 minutes more. Serve warm if desired with cheddar cheese or ice cream on the side.  (For the potluck, I served it at room temperature and did not serve with either ice cream or cheese.  Every scrap of this pie was eaten!)

This excellent pie comes from Jane & Michael Stern’s wonderful cookbook, Square Meals. I have made this pie so many times that its page in my handwritten cookbook is freckled with apple juice and spices!

Now don't look at the several steps and decide this is too complicated.  It's actually very easy.  The hardest part is peeling, coring, and slicing the apples.  Once you get that solved (which I sometimes do by using one of those hand-cranked peeling/slicing/coring gadgets) it is literally as easy as pie.   My only quarrel with those gadgets is that they slice the apples a bit too thin, which can make for a mushy pie.

 🍁    🍂    🍁    🍂    🍁    🍂    🍁    🍂    🍁    🍂    🍁    🍂

The new recipe is Cape Cod Cranberry Pie, which I found in the Gooseberry Patch book Christmas Pantry.   This is made in a pie pan and slices fairly easily into wedges; still, I suppose it is not technically a pie for one makes no actual crust.  Still, it was delicious and I will definitely make this again for it was so easy.  I made this pie gluten-free simply by substituting the Bob's Red Mill 1-for-1 flour.    Here's the recipe:

CAPE COD CRANBERRY PIE

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 - 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour (regular, or gluten free)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Spray a 9-inch deep dish pie pan with non-stick baking spray.  Place cranberries in prepared pie pan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar and the walnuts; stir to combine.  In a bowl, mix remaining 1 cup sugar, melted butter, flour, eggs, and vanilla with a whisk (I used a hand mixer).  Pour this batter over the cranberry mixture in the pie plate.  Bake at 325º for 45 minutes or until brown.

Another time, I may cut down on the sugar in the batter part of the recipe.  I think 3/4 cup would be plenty.  The recipe also called for 1/4 cup of oil, but I didn't use it.  I felt that oil was unnecessary since there is quite a bit of butter in the recipe already.  It turned out very well and I will make this again, likely at Christmas time.

If  you needed some fresh inspiration for Thanksgiving pies, I hope you have found some here today!

From the October archives, part 2

This delightful free image is from Little Birdie Blessings

Here we go with a few more links to posts in the October archives!  I had so much fun browsing the archives to decide what to share.  I hope you'll take a look through the archives for yourselves.  After 12 years, there is a lot here!

Ham and Bean Chowder is a recipe I've had for some time and finally tried it one fall.  It's deliciously hearty and very warming.  Next time you have a ham bone to use, give it a try.

Photo from Taste of Home

From 2013, this grocery shopping perk is a great reminder of the little blessings that come our way when we're simply going about our everyday tasks.

Two nice fall recipes, from 2014, shares a main dish and a side dish filled with wonderful fall flavors.  You'll want to try one or both of these!

Speaking of which, if you enjoy the fall flavors of pumpkin and apples, you really must bake a Pumpkin Dutch Apple Pie!  It's a favorite Thanksgiving pie for us and perfect for any fall event.

And lastly, Autumn in the Air is a nostalgic read about a 2001 visit to Cracker Barrel and how God used it to encourage us on a stormy night.

Hope you've enjoyed this browse through the Kitchen Table archives as much as I have!

Five things I love about fall

Inspired by this post: 5 More Things I Love about Fall at Creekside Cottage, I decided to answer her question here on my blog.

1. Gorgeous colors in fall foliage.  The photo at top was taken at my husband's job site (he works all over the state; never know where he'll be next!) last fall.  I also love looking at individual leaves; they vary so.

2. All things apple.  Cider, apples, apple crisp, apple pie, apple crisp pizza, pretty much anything apple.  Click "apples" in the sidebar label cloud for some good ideas.

3.  All things pumpkin.  Pumpkin desserts, pumpkin muffins, doughnuts, and coffeecakes, pumpkin spice coffee ... Again, click "pumpkin" in the label cloud to see some good recipes.

4.  Cooler temperatures.  I simply love the crisp, cool, brilliant sunny days of fall.  It's the nicest time of year here in New Hampshire.

5.  Fall retreats!  I've saved my favorite for last.  There is just nothing like a fall retreat.  I've been to 2 ladies' retreats this fall and am headed off to a couples' retreat soon.  The glorious scenery, the great fellowship and food, the encouragement from God's Word, the relaxed time to focus on God and on one another ... well, let's just say my hubby and I never want to miss a retreat.  We are so incredibly blessed to have The Wilds of New England here in our state!

And there you have my five favorite things about fall.  What would yours be?

From the September archives, Part 1

Better late than never!  I'm finally taking time to highlight some posts from the Kitchen Table archives from past Septembers.  In no particular order, here goes ...

Apple Crisp Pizza, from 2015 (and probably other years as well) is one of those recipes I must make every fall.  I'm planning to make one tomorrow, in fact, for a get-together with friends.

Photo from Taste of Home

Could you please repeat the question?, from 2007, is a somewhat humorous account of a political "poll" I supposedly participated in.

Delightful graphic from Little Birdie Blessings

 2 Favorite Freezer Recipes  

This is a post from 2005 and shares two of my favorite recipes to stash in the freezer for the busy holiday season ahead. 

 A fun fall getaway
 is from 2008 and tells all about a wonderful getaway to the far north of our state.

 Praising God
 This is a wonderful thought for your quiet time.  From 2008.

Graphic from Baptist Bible Hour

 Little library tote
 

I posted about these little totes (made from dish towels!) in 2009.  Since then I've made many.  A fun little sewing project!

Fall flower lights

These lights were a project I did with my granddaughter in 2010, and most years I bring them out in the fall. 

Hope you find some recipes or ideas that are new to you!

I found loads of great ideas in September's archives, so watch for another installment tomorrow.

Carol's Apple Spice Mix

Every year when the apples are ready in our local orchards, this fun recipe comes to mind.  Right now, according to one nearby orchard, the following are available in their store: Paula Red, Ginger Gold, Gala, McIntosh, Cortland, Honey Crisp.  Only McIntosh are currently available as pick-your-own.

One autumn when our friends Carol and Larry visited us, they brought a jar of this delicious spice mixture, and Carol wrote out the recipe for me.  This mix is delicious (no pun intended) with fresh apple slices as a snack.  Carol says she has also sprinkled this on baked apples or on apple salad.

Spice Mix for Apples

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp caraway seed
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix and enjoy!  Amounts can be varied according to taste.

(I would think this could also be buzzed in a blender to make the seeds less obvious and maybe spread their flavor throughout the mix a little more.)

Now go get yourselves some nice crisp apples to go with this mix!  My favorite is Honey Crisp, but those Ginger Golds are delicious also.

The quintessential Thanksgiving pie

Some years go, our family was introduced to this fabulous pie which looks and tastes like the essence of harvest time.  With apples, mincemeat, and fresh cranberries, it's the perfect pie for Thanksgiving, not to mention it's a tradition with some families and a bit of a vintage recipe to boot.  Originally it was a recipe clipped from an older Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

I shared this before, back in 2007, but I'm sure some of my current readers haven't seen it.  So here it is:

MINCE APPLE CRANBERRY PIE

Pastry for 9-inch single crust pie
1/4 cup flour, divided use
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tblsp. butter
3 medium-tart apples, peeled, cored, cut in wedges
Mincemeat-Cranberry Filling:
1 9-ounce box condensed mincemeat
1 cup water
3 Tblsp. sugar
1 cup cranberries

Heat oven to 425º. Prepare 9-inch pie shell with high fluted edge. Sprinkle 2 Tblsp. flour over the crust. Combine remaining flour with sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter; set aside.

For filling, crumble mincemeat into small saucepan. Add water and sugar; stir to combine. Bring to boiling; boil 1 minute. Stir in cranberries; remove from heat. Spread filling in bottom of pie shell. Arrange apple wedges in concentric circles over filling. Sprinkle reserved flour-sugar mixture over apples. Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe is from my friend Jean and is just excellent. It just captures the essence of what a Thanksgiving pie should taste like.  It's a bit of a process to put together, but the work is simple.

Every year after Christmas (if not after Thanksgiving) those little boxes of condensed mincemeat end up in the clearance bin at our local grocery store.  I usually pick up a few when I see them.