The BER Months are to RememBER.

I have been seeing many references to the “BER months are here!” which means the last four months of the year: September, October, November and December.  Why do these months have the same ending?  In ancient Rome, the calendar had only ten months, all named after various gods or emperors.  The ninth month had two months jammed into it, September and October.  The tenth month was unnamed, but contained November and December.  Seems like those four months were an afterthought, and not very important, doesn’t it?  Their names were simplified by using the adjectival suffix “ber”, while the prefix indicted the number of the month.  March was the first month of the ancient calendar, and September, October, November, and December were months 7 (from septem, Latin for seven), 8 (octo, Latin for eight), 9 (novem, Latin for nine), and 10 (decem, Latin for ten).  Thanks goes to Julius Caesar for creating the Julian calendar, and allowing those last four months a free reign of their own.

In more modern times, the “ber” took on a weather related meaning.  When spring and summer have been hot and humid almost the entire six months, the start of the “Ber” months signals the start of cooler weather.  Agriculturally related, it signals the time for final harvesting of fruits and vegetables; or time to plant and harvest the winter wheat.

I believe it has a more profane meaning though.  Spring brought blooming trees and flowers, and a time for animals to bear their young.  Summer, even if hot, was fun in the sun, barbeques, and vacations.  Now, with the start of the “ber” months, it is time to begin to RememBER.  It is now time to begin to look back at the year, as its end will be here soon enough.  It is time to begin reflecting on what we experienced, accomplished, created and shared.  2020 was hard on us all, and remembering it did not bring the best memories to mind.  2021 has also been a hard year on us all, but, at times, eased up and gave us time to relax and breathe.

So, as we begin to crave apple cider, pumpkin spice and the last taste of fresh-from-the-garden vegetables, remember!  Remember your dearest friends and family members.  Remember the good times, and how the bad times were overcome with hard work and endurance.  Remember your neighbors!  Did they share with you their garden’s bounty, but you forgot to share yours with those who needed?  There is still time to make amends, still time to pay-it-forward.  Come December, wishes will be made upon gifting lists.  Remember though, whether it is God, another Deity worshipped, even Santa Claus himself; they are all making their own lists of who has been greedy, and who have been giving.

Now, as much as I love a cold glass of crisp and spicy apple cider, attempting to make it from scratch has not been on my to-do list.  I admit it, I was spoiled by being able to buy it at a farmers market; or even the fruit section of a supermarket.  On a cold night though, heating it up, adding a dash of rum or brandy, and a cinnamon stick to act as a stirrer, is a lovely option.

Who knows though, if the price on apples gets back to being reasonable, I just might take on the challenge!

Until then, let me share with you a recipe from another food blogger, Sally’s Baking Addiction.  Her recipe allows for apple cider to be created in either a crock pot, or a stock pot; and she gives directions for storage as well.  Oh, and let’s RememBER to share, and be grateful to those who shared with you.

 

Homemade Apple Cider

(From Sally’s Baking Addiction: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-apple-cider/)

 

Ingredients:

1 orange

10 medium apples (use a variety– I use Honeycrisp and Granny Smith)

3 cinnamon sticks (or 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon)

2 teaspoons ground cloves

granulated sugar*

 

Instructions:

1 - Peel the orange and place the segments in a 4 quart or larger slow cooker. (Pictures show unpeeled- we prefer peeling it for a less bitter flavor.) Wash the apples, cut into quarters, and place in the slow cooker. Add the cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, and sugar. Add enough water to cover the fruit.

2 - Cook on low heat for 6-7 hours. (Or high heat for 3.)

3 - After 6-7 hours, the fruit will be very soft. Use a large spoon to mash the fruit and release its liquids. Allow the cider to cook on low for 1 more hour.

4 - Very slowly strain the chunky liquid though a fine mesh sieve into a large pot or pitcher. You can discard the solids. Strain the cider one more time to rid any other solids. Serve the cider warm.

Leftover cider keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. Warm up on the stove before serving or enjoy it cold.  Yields about 1 and ½ quarts.

Notes

Freezing Instructions: Cider can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.

*Sugar: Adjust the sugar to your taste. We usually use 3-4 Tablespoons of granulated sugar for a spicier cider. If you prefer your apple cider on the sweeter side (like the kind you buy at the store), use 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar.

No Slow Cooker? No Problem! In step 1, place all of the ingredients into a large stock pot instead of a slow cooker. Turn the stove up to high heat and bring everything to a simmer while stirring occasionally. Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Mash the fruit as described in step 3. Then, allow the cider to cook for 1 more hour. Continue with step 4.

Special Tools: Slow Cooker (4-quart or larger) & Fine Mesh Sieve

…and once you have made that cider, go back to the November 17, 2020 issue of the San Juan Record, and look up my recipe for Apple Cider Donuts.  The smile on your face will just get bigger as you indulge in those.  Or click on Here to go directly to the recipe, on this food blog.

Mary Cokenour

Flipping Over Apple Cake.

"For I have had too much

Of apple-picking: I am overtired

Of the great harvest I myself desired.

There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch,

Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall."

After Apple-Picking by Robert Frost

 

Fall season and it is apple picking time, or is it?  Within the four states of Utah, Colorado, Idaho and Montana, there are twenty-four varieties of apples grown.  During the months of late July through October, a variety may be upon its boughs, waiting to be plucked, eaten, or simply fall to the ground below.  Utah State University offers online guides to Intermountain Tree Fruit Production, and apples can be found at: https://intermountainfruit.org/fruit-varieties-tables/Apple

“An apple a day” might keep the doctor away, but eat too many, and you might have to see that same doctor.  An average sized apple has about twenty five grams of carbs.  For diabetics, an average serving of carbs is 15 grams, so blood sugar may spike.  It also contains about 90 calories, and can contribute to weight gain; eat 10 apples, that is 900 calories!  Yes, apples are very nutritious, but with any food, moderation should be maintained.  Apples are acidic in nature, so can cause gastric distress, and eat away at tooth enamel.  So an apple a day, maybe two, but don’t be a little piggy with one stuffed in your mouth.

What to do with so many harvested apples?  Eat, bake, cook, give away, and store.  If storing, sort the apples by size and make sure to look for bruising or any damage.  That one bad apple will destroy the lot.  Apples emit ethylene gas which accelerates ripening.  Store other fruits and vegetables away from the apple bins, as the gas will accelerate their ripening as well.  If apples are stored in plastic bags, be sure to poke a few holes in them, so the gas can filter out.  Apples will stay fresh in the refrigerator, and longer if stored at 30-32F.  Like with other fruits, they can be thinly sliced, dehydrated, placed in airtight bags or containers.  On a pantry shelf, six months is the life span; up to a year in the freezer.  Hey, pretty much like the dehydrated tomatoes I wrote about in my last article, and they are a fruit.

Samhain, All Hallows Eve or Halloween is on a Saturday this year, there will be a full moon, and the clocks need to fall back one hour.  One tradition, apple bobbing, dates back to the Roman invasion of Britain (beginning in ADE 43, under Emperor Claudius, and essentially completed by ADE 87).  In Roman culture, the apple tree was scared to Pomona, the Goddess of Plenty.  This was shared with the Celts, and became part of their traditional celebration.

The object of the “game” was young, unmarried people try to bite into an apple floating in water, or hanging from a string on a line.  The first person to bite into the apple would be the next one allowed to marry.  In Ireland, a maiden would place the apple, she bobbed, under her pillow and dream of her future sweetheart.

Of course, cooking and baking with apples gives us all sorts of wonderful treats to enjoy.  Apple dumplings, fritters, strudel, donuts, pies and all sorts of cakes; apples are a wonderland!  Which leads me into an autumn recipe for Apple Walnut Coffee Cake.  This is not a traditional coffee cake, with a streusel topping.  It is actually an upside down style of cake, with the streusel on the bottom.

Now I have found that most baking recipes, involving apples, typically will list the use of the Granny Smith.  They are very tart, yet crisp and hold their shape when cooked or baked.  An average Granny has 24 grams of carbs and about 100 calories; eating them will make your face pucker, just like green tomatoes will.

The key for baking is to use a diverse variety of apples for a mix of textures and flavors: sweet, tart, crisp, and soft.  Try mixing Honeycrisp or Braeburn with Granny Smith if you prefer your baked goods more tart, or for a sweeter experience, go with Gala or Fuji.  Not sure which combo is the best?  Experiment!  Make an adventure of it, sort of like a treasure hunt.

…and now the recipe for Apple Walnut Coffee Cake, or what my aka for it is, Upside Down Apple Walnut Coffee Cake.  I used Braeburn and Granny Smith apples to balance with the brown sugar.

 

Apple Walnut Coffee Cake

(Autumn Earthsong at: https://autumnearthsong.com/2011/08/31/mabon-recipes/)

Ingredients:

2 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ cup brown sugar, packed

¾ cup butter, softened

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 egg

¾ cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 apples, cored, peeled and chopped

Preparation:

Combine flour, brown sugar, and butter with a fork until crumbly; stir in nuts.   Divide mixture in half.  Press one half into the bottom of a buttered 9 ½” springform baking pan to form crust; set aside.  Add baking soda, cinnamon and salt to remaining crumb mixture; mix well.  Make a well in the center; set aside.  Beat egg with sour cream and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth; add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined.  Fold in apples; spread batter evenly over crust.

 Bake at 375* for one hour and 20 minutes or until cake tests done; cool in pan on a wire rack. 

 

Makes 12 servings.

Note: Refrigerate leftovers, or store in airtight container in a cool place.  This is a very moist cake, and constant exposure to air will cause mold.

Mary Cokenour

The Hmmm of Fried Dough.

Fried foods, in general, give the kind of mouth-feel that says, "All is right with the world."  Why, is the question, but we all know the answer, it is the fat.  It does something to our taste buds, and our brains, which make us feel happy all over.  Fats are able to dissolve quickly, concentrate flavor, and release odor chemicals into the air.  The molecules from these chemicals enter the nose and mouth, so you are experiencing the “taste” even before the food is eaten.  For example, sizzling bacon in the pan, the smell wafting throughout the kitchen, the salivary glands begin working and you can “taste” that bacon before it is fully cooked. 

But, is eating fat good for the human body?  Good question, and the answers are surely confusing when considering Unsaturated Fat vs. Saturated Fat vs. Trans Fat.  Unsaturated Fat has two categories, and these are the best fats, nutrition wise: Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated.  Contrary to the name, the “saturation” deals primarily with not how the food, being fried, absorbs the fats, but the human body.  The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has a short, but informative, and easily understandable, article on the different fats available, and their benefits, or lack thereof.  (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/types-of-fat/)

Using “bad fats” for cooking is often justified by thinking the basic nutrition of a food will outweigh the “bad”.  For instance, deep fried vegetables, even the light Tempura style, are packed with veggie nutrition, right?   Sure, whatever you say; but we all know it is the crunch of the deep fried batter that we crave, and no one is thinking about nutritional value.

Now when it comes to deep frying, dough is a favorite in many cultures.   Native Americans have Fry Bread, which is nicknamed the “scone” of Utah.  Zeppole; singular term is Zeppola, and in the Southern dialects it is Zeppoli, are light, deep-fried dough balls about 2 inches in diameter.  They originated in Italy to celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph.  Since it is typically in the season of Lent, these can be compared to the German, Fastnachts; a type of deep fried donut made with flour, sugar and a fat.  If in New Orleans, the Beignet is the equivalent; all can be covered in powdered sugar, cinnamon, and, sometimes, filled with fruit or jam.

The all American favorite is the donut, supposedly invented by Hanson Gregory, an American. He created the ring-shaped dough-nut in 1847, aboard a lime-trading ship, when he was 16 years old; then taught the technique to his mother.  He punched a hole in the center of dough, with the ship's tin pepper box.  This enabled the dough to cook thoroughly throughout, and easy to flip over.  Now this story has been deemed an old sea tale, considering fried dough has been around for centuries, within many global cultures.  The hole in the dough-nut is attributed to a Jewish refugee, from czarist Russia, named Adolph Levitt; responsible for inventing the first automated doughnut machine in 1920. His machine-produced doughnuts were labeled the “Hit Food of the Century of Progress” at the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair.

Whether it is fry bread, beignets, Zeppole, or any other type of fried dough, deep down inside, we all have a little Homer Simpson in us.  "Hmmm...Donuts".  Nuff' said, and here are two recipes to try when you have got that fried, sweet food craving.

Apple Fritters

Ingredients:

Oil for frying

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

2 and ½ tsp. cinnamon

2/3 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 and ½ cups diced apple (peeled)

Glaze:

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 and ½ tsp. vanilla

½ cup warm water

Preparation:

Fill deep fryer to fill line, or deep skillet halfway up, with oil; bring temperature up to 375F.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.  Add in milk and eggs; beat, on medium speed, till smooth; fold in diced apple.

Use 1/3 measuring cup to spoon up batter, and a rubber spatula to ease the batter into the oil.  Depending on size of deep fryer, or deep skillet, 2-3 fritters can be made at a time.

While first batch is frying, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla and water to make the glaze; whisk until smooth and creamy.

When fritters are golden brown, drain on paper towels and let cool slightly; dip fritters into glaze and place on jelly roll pan lined with waxed or parchment paper.

Makes 6-8 fritters.

...but not to be outdone...

Zeppoli

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 eggs

3 Tbsp. sugar

¼ tsp. baking powder

Powdered (confectioner’s) sugar

Preparation:

Pour oil to fill line in a deep fryer, or deep skillet; bring temperature to 400F.

In medium bowl, mix together flour, eggs, sugar and baking powder until smooth.  Using a teaspoon, drop batter into the hot oil; depending on size of fryer, about 3-4 at a time.

To turn the Zeppoli in the hot oil, use a wooden chopstick or kebob skewer.  When the Zeppoli floats to the top, and is golden brown all around, remove to paper towels to drain. While hot, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes about 2 dozen.

Mary Cokenour

Warm Up With German Apple Cake.

The American tradition of Groundhog Day, initially began in Britain with Candlemas Day. Priests would hand out blessed candles to the residents of their community on February 2nd.  This tradition dealt in opposites, if the candles were distributed on a sunny day, harsh winter would keep ahold of the land.  If it was a stormy day, winter weather would end soon to welcome beautiful spring. 

Eventually the tradition was adopted by Germans, and they used a creature to predict the weather, the hedgehog. If the day was sunny and the hedgehog saw his shadow, people expected more winter weather; conditions were stormy and the hedgehog didn't see its shadow, spring was near.  When the Germans began to immigrate to Pennsylvania, in the 1800s, the hedgehog was not a native of the land, but the groundhog was.  The tradition remained, just the fortune teller changed.

Now while the 2020 prediction, from the groundhogs, is spring will come sooner this year; they have made a huge oops in many areas of the country.  Around 11am this morning, snow began to fall in Monticello, Utah; Dove Creek, Colorado and upper Utah showed photos and videos of their extreme snowfall.  Calendar wise, spring is about six weeks away; weather wise, winter will let go when it decides to, not when a groundhog says to.

Typically a fall harvest fruit, the apple, has become available for public consumption via supermarkets, local markets and farmers markets.  On a cold, windy, harsh winter day, wouldn't it be lovely to have a delicious slice of German Apple Cake along with a hot cup of tea or hot cocoa!?!

I found this recipe on another food blog, Plated Cravings, and found it to be easier than many other recipes online.  I also like how the cake looks, with pretty apple slices nestled into moist cake.

So I will simply share that recipe here, giving credit to that food blog, of course.  In addition will be photos of how it went along, with a very tasty finale.  By the way, I made a double batch of this cake as I enjoy sharing.

German Apple Cake

(Plated Cravings: German Apple Cake )

Ingredients:

4 small apples
1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups cake flour (see instructions above)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
Powdered sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch springform or use parchment paper.

Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Thinly slice each quarter lengthwise without cutting all the way through.
















In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add sugar and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time and beat for 30 seconds on high speed after each addition.
Add vanilla sugar (or extract), salt, and lemon juice. Beat until combined.
Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed add half of the flour, then 1 tbsp milk, followed by the remaining flour, and then the remaining milk. Beat until just combined. Don't overmix!





Transfer batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Distribute the apples with the sliced side up on top.

Bake in the lower third of the oven for 45 minutes, until lightly browned and a skewer comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and remove the springform ring. Let cake cool on the bottom of the springform pan to room temperature.

Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cooled cake and serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Reminder, apples are available all year long, so don't wait for a particular season.  Simply bake and enjoy!

Mary Cokenour

Cake Mix Cookies Redux

I first wrote about baking cookies from cake mix on October 4, 2019, but I've since done so much of it, that I had to share the experimental results.

With the holiday season now in full swing, time to begin thinking about, and experimenting with, cookie recipes.  Each year I like to make little gift plates for those businesses I deal with often.  It is just a little thank you, and holiday cheer, to those workers dealing with all kinds of customers daily.  One advantage of being on Facebook is all the recipes, with photos, that pop up in advertising, or are shared by those on my Friends list.  One recipe I definitely decided to try out was making cookies out of cake mix; not due to being lazy, but it sounded intriguing.  Three main ingredients plus add-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, sprinkles, and dried fruits.  Too good to be true, and how tasty were the cookies really?

Asking my hubby, Roy, to pick out the flavor of the cake mix for my first attempt, he choose Red Velvet.  In case you did not know, red velvet is basically chocolate cake with a dump load of red food coloring, or beet juice.  Making the cookies using a “scratch” recipe sort of defeats the purpose of easiness though.  Looking through various recipes, I found one recipe for these cake mix cookies which claimed they were "made from scratch".  Going over the recipe, it should be renamed, "Semi-homemade", as boxed cake mix is still a main ingredient plus the addition of instant pudding.   It was a complicated, many ingredient recipe which resulted in only 20 cookies at completion.  Simply not worth my time when I was looking for fast and easy.

Here is the basic recipe for Cake Batter Cookies (using a boxed cake mix) which I found listed on the internet many, many times.

Cake Batter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (15.25 oz./16.25 oz./18.25 oz.)

**oil (vegetable, canola or a blend of both)

2 eggs

** 1/3 cup is for 15.25 oz. + one ounce of flour, or 16.25 oz. total.

     1/2 cup is for 18.25 oz.

If you live in a high altitude area, like myself, add the appropriate amount of flour listed on the cake mix box.  I shifted the mix + flour, added the oil for the size mix used, and the 2 eggs; it all came together perfectly.

Additions:  1/2 cup for chips - mint, vanilla, semi-sweet, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, cinnamon or toffee.

                   1/2 cup for nuts and dried fruits; large nuts and fruits should be chopped.

                   1/4 cup for sprinkles - they are tiny, so a little will go a long way.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F; line jelly roll pans or cookie sheets with parchment paper (keeps the cookies from sticking and burning).

In a medium bowl, mix together cake mix, oil, eggs and any additions.  I used a heavy duty rubber spatula and it blended together without any issues.  A ball of dough will form (it can be wrapped in plastic wrap, refrigerated for use after an hour, in case several different flavors are going to be baked up).

Use a teaspoon to measure out the dough, roll into a ball with fingers and place onto parchment paper.  These cookies do not spread out wide, so the dough can be pressed down slightly and a crinkle effect will be created as they bake.

Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, let cool slightly before removing and plating.  Sprinkle powdered sugar to enhance the crinkles, or leave as is.

Makes 3 dozen cookies if using a teaspoon to measure out.  Want larger cookies, double the teaspoon amount, or use a tablespoon to measure out the dough.  Better yet, use a 1-inch diameter ice cream scoop!

Basically, I had 3 dozen delicious red velvet cookies, with semi-sweet chocolate chips, baked and plated.  I sprinkled half with powdered sugar, and the other half were left as is.  The whole process took 45 minutes as I had only have two racks in my oven; if I had a third, the time would have been 30 minutes.

Hint:  if you cannot decide what flavors of cake mix to purchase, stock up on "White".  Then you can add cocoa powder to create chocolate; vanilla, lemon, peppermint or other flavors of extract as well.  Consider the white cake mix to be a blank canvass, you are the artist, now create!

It has been a lot of fun playing with other flavors of cake mix, and added ingredients.  Chocolate Fudge with chopped walnuts, dark chocolate and mint chips were my absolute favorite.  Roy enjoyed the Spice with chopped fresh apple, chopped walnuts and cinnamon chips. 

Chocolate Fudge with chopped walnuts, dark chocolate & mint chips.

Red Velvet with & without powdered sugar

Spice with chopped apple, chopped walnuts & cinnamon chips.

But, I had to do it, I had to see what would happen if I used a made from scratch recipe.  No, not a cake recipe; a cookie recipe that would convert the flat, crunchy cookies into thicker, cakier cookies…Chocolate Chip!  Now don’t I sound like a mad scientist working in a lab?

Taking a basic recipe for, made from scratch, chocolate chip cookies, I simply added three extra tablespoons of flour and used a Stevia baking blend instead of pure cane sugar.  Instead of spreading out flatly and becoming crisp while baking, the cookies only flattered slightly.  The bottoms were lightly crisp, but the overall texture was like any cookies that had used a boxed cake mix.  Due to the Stevia baking blend, they were not as sugary sweet, but the milk chocolate chips (instead of semi-sweet) made up for that.

Now that these experiments have been a tasty success, time to begin playing with pumpkin!

Have fun baking!

Mary Cokenour

Autumn Equinox and Harvest.

On or near September 21^st, the autumn equinox, or Mabon, is a celebration of equal day and night; as with its spring counterpart, March 21^st, or Lammas.  This will be the last harvest of fruits and vegetables before winter blankets the landscape with frosty whiteness.  Or, as the southwestern states hope for, tons of snow upon the mountains to swell up the creeks, rivers and lakes come springtime.

Celebrating the autumn harvest is centuries old and spans many cultures worldwide.  In ancient Greece, Oschophoria was a festival held to celebrate the harvesting of grapes for wine, and in honor of Dionysus, the god of the vine.  Oktoberfest, a 16 day beer festival (September to October) originated in Munich, Germany, 1810, to honor the marriage of Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.  What better way to celebration the harvest of hops and grains?  Originally, the American Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated on October 3rd to celebrate the end of the fall harvest.

With the fall and winter holiday season fast approaching, many cooks and bakers are thinking about what creations will come from their bountiful harvest.  Apples, pumpkins and other types of squash will take center stage; while the last of the fruits and vegetables will be canned or frozen.

Apples; even though they are available all year long, there is just something special about the fall apple.  Maybe it’s all in the mind; the clear, crisp fall breeze upon the skin, as one bites into a juicy apple and a scent of spice suddenly wisps by.  The most delicious apple I have ever eaten was from an orchard on Mount Penn in Reading, Pennsylvania.  The “Mutsu” was a specialty apple with the most delightful taste of spice in every bite.  I have tried to find a similar type of apple, but nothing has even come close.  That is probably because what the orchard growers called “Mutsu” was a name used by other orchards as “Crispin”, “Pipkin” or “Liberty” apples; yet they were still not the same.  Well I might not find that apple ever again, but I sure do have very fond memories of it.

Now I’m going to ask all those wonderful made-from-scratch bakers to forgive me for the recipe I’m about to write out.  I came up with this semi-homemade recipe when, during a past holiday season, I had surgery on one of my hands.  The hand was immobilized for 6 weeks, so I was very, very limited to what I could do with one free hand.  So please feel free to use your own cake batter recipe and freshly spiced up apple slices instead of the packaged goods I mention.  I used a Super Moist Yellow Cake mix; yellow cake mix can also be bland, so I umpped up the flavor intensity by adding apple pie spice mix and a bit of ground ginger.  You could also think of this as a type of "upside down" cake where the toppings are baking in the pan underneath the cake layer, but when you flip the finished cake out, you see all the lovely apples and caramel.  I will consider myself redeemed by that little feature of the semi-homemade cake. 

Caramel Apple Cake

Ingredients:

For the Caramel Layer:

8 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 cups brown sugar

1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

For the Apple Layer:

1 (21 oz.) can apple pie filling

For the Cake Layer:

1 box Super Moist Yellow cake mix

1 tsp apple pie filling

Pinch of ground ginger

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F; spray two 9 inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray.  Cut out two circles from parchment paper to line bottom of cake pans; spray the paper with the nonstick baking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients for the caramel layer until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Divide the mixture up between the two pans pressing to the edges and 1/4 inch up the sides.

Divide the pie filling between the two pans, spreading it out up to one inch from the edges.

Prepare the cake mix according to packages directions, but add in the apple pie spice and ground ginger.  Divide the batter up between the two pans and use a spatula to smooth it out.

Bake for 35-40 minutes; cake will be golden browned and you might see some of the caramel oozing up the sides of the cakes.  Remove pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.

When cooled, use a hot knife around the edges to make sure the caramel will not stick to the sides of the pan.  Carefully flip the cakes onto a serving plate and peel off the parchment paper.  Cut into 8 wedges and serve with a scoop of ice cream.

Makes 2 cakes, 8 servings each.

Mary Cokenour

Semi-Homemade Apple Pie.

As I keep stating, I'm not much on baking as I don't like to do all that precise measuring. Whenever I've made a fruit pie in the past, I used the canned stuff; I know, shocking!  When I received six large Granny Smith apples in my last Bountiful Basket pack, I simply stared at them.  They're too tart, in my opinion, for eating as is, so I've always used them in some type of cooking recipe.  This time I was going to be brave and bake them, but the decision was , "Apple Dumplings or Apple Pie"?

I don't make my own pie crust which is what I would need for either recipe.  Off to the local market I went to get refrigerated pie crusts, but the Marie Callender deep dish pie shells were on sale too; so apple pie it was.  Now how to put the pie together?  Well, I've always enjoyed watching baking shows, have several books on baking; as always, I was going to wing it. 

Surprise!  My little adventure came out a delicious success.  The apples were neither too soft, or too firm; they had just the right scrunch.  The butter melted and combined with the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to make a rich, fragrant sauce that, again, was neither too thin, or too gooey.  Goldilocks would have been so awesomely proud of my creation.

Apple Pie

(Recipe makes two pies)

 

Ingredients:

6 large Granny Smith apples

2 qts. cold water
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. nutmeg
2- deep dish (9 inch) pie shells
1 package refrigerated pie crusts
8 Tbsp. butter

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425F.

 

Core, peel and slice apples into ¼ inch slices; place in a large plastic bowl, cover with water and add in lemon juice.

 

 

 

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Cut each tablespoon of butter into quarters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Into each pie shell, place ¼ of the apple slices; use a strainer to remove from the water and shake excess off.  Sprinkle ¼ cup of the brown sugar mixture over the slices; dot with eight quarter pieces of butter.  Repeat each layer – apple slices, brown sugar mixture, butter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top with pie crust and pinch the excess around the edge; with the tip of a knife, pierce the crust 9 to 12 times.

 

 

Place a piece of aluminum foil on the oven rack; center pie on top of foil to catch any dripping.  Bake for 45 – 50 minutes; until pie crust is a golden brown.

 

Mary Cokenour

Semi-Homemade Caramel Apple Cake.

As much as I enjoy making recipes from scratch, there are those times that I want to cut corners too due to time constraints or just plain old laziness.  Now usually for the holidays I make dozens of different types of cookies and give them out.  Oh don't worry, I keep a good amount for us too.  However, this year I'm not able to do this because I had carpal tunnel surgery done on my left hand.  If you don't know what this means, basically a nerve in my wrist began to become compressed from repetitive work; for me it was from working with computers.  It begins with a tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers gradually progressing to numbness to the point of not being able to feel something you are holding.  It also can be accompanied with severe pain in the hand, wrist and radiating up to the elbow.

Anyway, it takes about 4-6 weeks for complete recovery and you have to use the hand minimally which means no heavy lifting.  The bowls I use for my baking are of a heavy ceramic and definitely need two hands for handling them when they are full of batter or dough.  It's been 4 weeks now since the surgery and I have no intention of having a holiday dinner without some sort of dessert.  So, what to do, what to do?  Basically, do it semi-homemade, so it is as easy to manipulate and handle as possible; my right hand could still do all the work while my left hand kind of just went along for the ride.  While my right hand did all the grunt work, l let my lower left arm and inside elbow cradle the bowls; it still hurt a little, but my left hand didn't have any pressure on it.

Lets get to it then; to make it especially easy, I used a Super Moist Yellow Cake mix; but remember, this recipe is semi-homemade, so don't hesitate to use your own cake batter if you prefer.  Yellow cake mix can also be bland, so I umpted up the flavor intensity by adding apple pie spice mix and a bit of ground ginger.  You could also think of this as a type of "upside down" cake where the toppings are baking in the pan underneath the cake layer, but when you flip the finished cake out, you see all the lovely apples and caramel.

Caramel Apple Cake

 

Ingredients:

 

For the Caramel Layer:

 

8 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 cups brown sugar

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

 

For the Apple Layer:

 

1 (21 oz) can apple pie filling

 

For the Cake Layer:

 

1 box Super Moist Yellow cake mix

1 tsp apple pie filling

pinch of ground ginger

 

Preparation:

 

Preheat oven to 350F; spray two 9 inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray.  Cut out two circles from parchment paper to line bottom of cake pans; spray the paper with the nonstick baking spray.

 

In a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients for the caramel layer until it resembles coarse crumbs. 

 

Divide the mixture up between the two pans pressing to the edges and 1/4 inch up the sides. 

 

Divide the pie filling between the two pans, spreading it out up to one inch from the edges.

 

Prepare the cake mix according to packages directions, but add in the apple pie spice and ground ginger.  Divide the batter up between the two pans and use a spatula to smooth it out.

 

Bake for 35-40 minutes; cake will be golden browned and you might see some of the caramel oozing up the sides of the cakes.  Remove pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.

 

When cooled, use a hot knife around the edges to make sure the caramel will not stick to the sides of the pan.  Carefully flip the cakes onto a serving plate and peel off the parchment paper.  Cut into 8 wedges and serve with a scoop of ice cream.

 

Makes 2 cakes, 8 servings each.

 

Mary Cokenour