Apples, Apples Everywhere!

We are getting closer to Fall in my neck of the woods and the grocery stores are already lining up all varieties of apples, some old and some new.  There are so many things to do with apples, the obvious one is baking with them.  I have friends who make delicious applesauce from them. I love fried apples along with any cut of pork chops or roasts.  They are so good when they take on a savory taste and not so much sweet with sugar as expected. You can stuff them with a variety of things, either sweet or savory, then bake and serve as a side to any any entree.

My all time favorite apple are Honeycrisps.  I bought a bag the other day and made an Apple Crumb Pie. I usually make a regular 2 crust apple pie, but stepped outside the box of my normal. I used oatmeal in my crumb mixture and it gave it a nice texture.  I also thought afterwards that some chopped walnuts would have been really good too.  Check out my recipe below, it's pretty good even if I do say so myself!

These beauties are going to make an awesome pie!

The good stuff.

More goodness!

Yuuuuuuummmmm......

And here it is ready to be baked.

 

Piping hot!

It's so good hot from the oven with some ice cream and caramel sauce! 

APPLE CRUMB PIE

INGREDIENTS

1 pre-made 9" pie crust

7-8 medium sized Honeycrisp apples

1 lemon, juiced

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

pinch of salt

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

6 Tablespoons of cold butter, 

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out the pie crust into a 9" pie plate. If crust is too big you can trim it, or roll it under and crimp with a fork.  Prick the bottom with a fork in a few spots, set aside.  Wash, peel and core the apples.  Slice apples and toss in a large bowl with the lemon juice to coat them so they don't turn brown. Add 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon, cornstarch and salt. Toss together until all apple slices are coated.

In a medium size bowl, add flour, oats, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and butter.  With a pastry blender or fork, combine all until most of it looks like large pea size shapes.

Scoop the apples into the crust, be sure not to get all the juice or the crust will get too soggy.  Spread them out evenly over the crust.  Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples.  Place the pie plate on a baking sheet, put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Remember all ovens and temperatures are different. When pie is done, set on a cooling rack.

Serve warm or cold with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of gooey caramel sauce.  Enjoy! 

 

Do You Want Some More, S'Mores

I remember being in Girl Scouts making and tasting s'mores for the first time, they were so good, brings back memories.  My kids, who are in their twenties and thirties, love s'mores.  Whether they are at the fire pit with friends or at the grill, there is always a time to make them.  We make them two different ways, with fudge stripe cookies and with graham crackers.  My hubby, daughter and I made these s'mores last night around the grill.

Jet Puffed Flat Stacker Marshmallows, they are my favorite kind to use, little Hershey bars, break in half to fit Fresh Stacks Honey Maid Graham Crackers, and Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel Topping.

S'mores, they never go out of style!

The Sweet Smell of Apples and Cinnamon

Everyone loves the smell of apples and cinnamon, especially this time of year.  There is something so comforting about those two aromas together.  It's a welcome home smell when you walk into the house, and something with apples and cinnamon has just been baked.  It's even better when you eat it, all warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.  My son was hankering for apple crisp so I made it today for dessert.  He is a true Fall born child.  He loves anything with pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, all of the things related to Fall.  Here is my recipe for Apple Crisp, Enjoy!

It's so simple, just start with a few ingredients.  Mix the apples with cinnamon and sugar.

Melt butter in a fry pan and add the apples.   Ummm.... look at them, all bubbly and caramelized!

 OK, lets get back to the ingredients - Mix the flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, butter and cinnamon and you have the topping.

 Spray your baking dish with cooking spray and load up those apples.

Spread the topping over the apples and bake.  Looks great and can't wait to eat it!

Up close, look at that crunchy topping.  I served mine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and warm caramel sauce.

Apple Crisp

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 McIntosh apples

2 Tbsp. butter

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup dry oatmeal

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces

Caramel Sauce

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.  Mix the cinnamon and the sugar together in a small bowl, set aside.  Peel, core and slice the apples and put into a medium bowl.  Pour the cinnamon sugar over the apples and mix well.  Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan over medium - high heat.  Add the apples to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring as they cook.  Into another medium size bowl add the flour, brown sugar, oatmeal,, cinnamon and the cold butter.  With a pastry blender, or a fork, incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients.  You can also do this with clean hands, if that works better for you.  When the apples are ready, pour them into the baking dish and spread the topping over them.  Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until topping is browned.  Serve with vanilla ice cream and drizzle with caramel sauce.