Let's Discuss Apples~It's Autumn After All

Let's talk about apples. With all the talk about pumpkins this time of year we can overlook the wonderful harvest of apples and all the delicious things they can be used for in baking. I always remember the one variety of apples that we always got in our lunches as little kids. The tiny, all red sometimes soggy ones, remember? They are called the Delicious ones but actually I never thought so. For us the best eating apples are Fuji most of the year and Honey Crisp apples right now. Oh my goodness, they are goodness if you like sweet and crispy!

One thing I have decided is that there are two clubs of apple eaters...the ones that eat them whole and the ones who prefer them sliced. I belong to the later club myself. Eating an apple whole is kind of bothersome. For one thing it gets lipstick on my chin sometimes...annoying. And then what to do with the core often presents a problem if you are out and about. Hmmm, just give me slices. Lately we have been eating the Honey Crisp apples by cutting them in wedges throwing them in a baggie and adding cinnamon. Very yummy, cinnamon is good for your blood sugar should you have a problem with it, so healthy! And if the apple oxidizes a little it is not noticeable with the cinnamon to camouflage it. And it is 0 WW points. So Fabulous.

Lately I have been adding some autumn recipes and you have seemed to like that so I have another one for you today. I have never made this recipe but I will be making it next week for a baby shower. I have eaten it a few times at Maureen's house and it is incredible. Try it, you'll love it and it looks so easy. The recipe photo below is not the actual recipe just one I found online. When I actually make it on Wednesday I'll take good photos to share.

Apple Carmel Cake

The Cake Ingredients

4 Cups of coarsely chopped Apples
2 cups of Sugar sprinkled over the Apples
2 Cups of Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of Baking Soda
2 teaspoons of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Salt

Mix lighting all of the above.

Beat 2 Eggs
3/4 Cup Oil
2 teaspoons of Vanilla
3/4 Cup chopped Nuts (Optional)

Mix together by hand!
Batter will be thick, spoon into a greased 9x13 pan.
Bake @350* for 35 minutes...
Or until done.

Carmel Sauce

1/2 cup both White and firmly packed Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Flour
1/2 Cup real Butter
1/2 cup unwhipped Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Tablespoons of Flour

Boil for one minute!
Drizzle over sliced cake and serve.
And add some candles if it is your Birthday!

You can use any apples in the cake but I am planning on Pippins or Gravensteins. My Mom told me to always bake with these because they are not full of water and because they will retain their shape and do not just dissolve into the batter or get mushy. I don't bake that much but when I do I follow her expert advice.

My mom was right, the best baking apples are green! And she made the best apple pie on my planet. So there you have another one...Happy Baking! If you lived closer and it was your birthday today...I'd bake one for you! Ah heck, even it is not your birthday I'd make one for you! :-)B

My Mom and Apple Pie

With Mother's Day coming up I have been thinking a lot about my precious Mom.  My Mom was the Queen of Apple Pie baking.  She was well-known for her scrumptious apple pies.  Seriously, nearly famous.  I have never tasted an apple pie that even came close.  I don't know what was so magical about her pies but they just seemed to say "I love you!"  They were simply unforgettable.

She was a beauty inside and out!
Don't you think?

These were her beautician days when

Finger waves were all the rage...

I looked at a lot of images to find a pie that 

looked like Mom's but none were exactly like hers.

Mom and Dad always made the pies together with the help of us kids.  They bought a huge sub-zero freezer for the garage and many years we would get lugs of apples and over the weekend we'd make 52 pies.  One for each week of the year.  There were apple peelings all over the place and everything was sticky as we all peeled and generally made a giant mess in the process. I can still remember the apple juice running down my arms and trying to pare the peeling off in one long strip.  I didn't mind the slicing but I didn't love the coring.  But a good bath at the end of the long hot sticky days and the satisfaction of seeing those pies frozen one layer at a time, and stacked in the freezer was amazing.

Mama would always wear a pretty apron even when she was doing this kind of work, she was lovely and such a classy lady to the end. And the fact that Daddy helped her was a heart print for me and a really cool memory now.  I can still see him in his white grampa t-shirt and his suspenders on those hot days in Sacramento working in the kitchen.  It made me want to marry a man just like him.  And I did.

 Working together as a family was very strengthening to us.  Mom gave away a lot of those pies so there really wasn't one for every week and that was fine.  It was a great learning experience in so many ways.  I am definitely going to try this again and get good at it.  It is about so much more than the pie.

This week I have been scanning old papers, documents, photos and even a few recipes.  I was pretty good at saving things like this when I was a young woman, never fully realizing what they would mean to me now.

Mom's recipe in her own handwriting~
priceless to me now!

I found another card written in my handwriting and
 thought maybe someday our posterity might
 like to see it in my writing.
Mom was not kidding on hers
when she said,
"All generous measurements!"

The Apples are Pippins

Or Gravensteins
Tart crispy green apples are the best for pies.

After assembling all the ingredients...

On top of the bottom crust, add a large, heaping,

 round mound of apples and 
sugar mixture and butter.

Add the top crust and pinch closed around the edges.
Poke the top with a fork for air vents.
Sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon on the top crust.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then turn 
down the oven to 350 for 55 minutes.
Cool and enjoy!

Thin slices promote even baking

For the Crust:

Flour, Crisco, Salt and Water

Although some people do,

Mom did not use any butter in her crust~

Just Crisco for a light and flaky texture.

The butter went into the pie filling.

For the Pie Filling:

Here's Everything you need!
Apples, Flour, Sugar, Cinnamon,
Salt, Nutmeg, Butter and of course 
a little Water.

So as you can see there was nothing extraordinary about the ingredients or the way the pies were made.  This is just a little slice of life with my Mom.  I think the magic in the pies was simply my Mom's touch.  Or maybe it was that old beat up 1/4 cup tin measurer that did it.  I have it around here someplace I'll have to dig it up and see it if helps!  But neither my Mom nor I were ever very good at exact measurements.  You can tell that by the slight variation in her measurements between her original recipe and the one she dictated to me as she was making a pie years later.  She varied the recipe until it was pure perfection. She just have a sense for how much to use, I guess.  The most important ingredient is the love. And a lot of it.  That I know for sure.

One Minute Fudge!

It is that time of year when you want to do
a little something for your special ones.
This is delicious and very user
friendly and a time saver!
What's not to love unless .......
You are a Weight Watcher like me?
Even then...
Fudge for your friends and family
That is sooooo easy.

In a 2 quart microwave proof bowl add:

1 can 14oz. can of sweet be condensed milk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate 12 oz. chips
Heat on high for 1 minute until melted.
Stir in 1 Teaspoon vanilla
Optional additions:
1 /2 cups chopped nuts
1 cup mini marshmallows.

Spread into 8x8 inch buttered pan.
You can put parchment paper in
the pan but it is not required.

Cool in pan in freezer for 15 minutes
or in refrigerator for 30 Minutes.
Cut and serve.

Let's Discuss Apples...

Let's talk about apples. With all the talk about pumpkins this time of year we can overlook the wonderful harvest of apples and all the delicious things they can be used for in baking. I always remember the one variety of apples that we always got in our lunches as little kids. The tiny, all red sometimes soggy ones, remember? They are called the Delicious ones but actually I never thought so. For us the best eating apples are Fuji most of the year and Honey Crisp apples right now. Oh my goodness, they are goodness if you like sweet and crispy!

One thing I have decided is that there are two clubs of apple eaters...the ones that eat them whole and the ones who prefer them sliced. I belong to the later club myself. Eating an apple whole is kind of bothersome. For one thing it gets lipstick on my chin sometimes...annoying. And then what to do with the core often presents a problem if you are out and about. Hmmm, just give me slices. Lately we have been eating the Honey Crisp apples by cutting them in wedges throwing them in a baggie and adding cinnamon. Very yummy, cinnamon is good for your blood sugar should you have a problem with it, so healthy! And if the apple oxidizes a little it is not noticeable with the cinnamon to camouflage it. And it is 0 WW points. So Fabulous.

Lately I have been adding some autumn recipes and you have seemed to like that so I have another one for you today. I have never made this recipe but I will be making it next week for a baby shower. I have eaten it a few times at Maureen's house and it is incredible. Try it, you'll love it and it looks so easy. The recipe photo below is not the actual recipe just one I found online. When I actually make it on Wednesday I'll take good photos to share.

Apple Carmel Cake

The Cake Ingredients

4 Cups of coarsely chopped Apples
2 cups of Sugar sprinkled over the Apples
2 Cups of Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of Baking Soda
2 teaspoons of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Salt

Mix lighting all of the above.

Beat 2 Eggs
3/4 Cup Oil
2 teaspoons of Vanilla
3/4 Cup chopped Nuts (Optional)

Mix together by hand!
Batter will be thick, spoon into a greased 9x13 pan.
Bake @350* for 35 minutes...
Or until done.

Carmel Sauce

1/2 cup both White and firmly packed Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Flour
1/2 Cup real Butter
1/2 cup unwhipped Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Tablespoons of Flour

Boil for one minute!
Drizzle over sliced cake and serve.
And add some candles if it is your Birthday!

You can use any apples in the cake but I am planning on Pippins or Gravensteins. My Mom told me to always bake with these because they are not full of water and because they will retain their shape and do not just dissolve into the batter or get mushy. I don't bake that much but when I do I follow her expert advice.

My mom was right, the best baking apples are green! And she made the best apple pie on my planet. So there you have another one...Happy Baking! If you lived closer and it was your birthday today...I'd bake one for you! Ah heck, even it is not your birthday I'd make one for you! :-)B

Chewy Pretzel Bites

Chewy Pretzel Bites*

*Makes about 2 dozen pretzel bites

Thank you, Missy, for sharing this fun recipe with all of us at our family reunion. The chewy little bites were just so delicious and smelled heavenly while baking! You really have the knack and we all appreciate it!

*Note: if using active dry yeast, increase the yeast to 1 tablespoon. Proof the yeast in the warm water and sugar (let it bubble and foam - maybe about 5 minutes) before adding it to the flour and salt.

Dough:

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water

Topping:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water

2 tablespoons baking soda

Coarse salt (optional)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn't overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Don’t be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brown up perfectly and stay soft on the inside. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ inches in width. You don’t have to be completely exact, just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

"I just love cooking with Kosher Salt, don't you? It makes me feel so gourmet! "

{Said Gramma Bonbon!}

Bake the pretzels for 5-6 minutes or until they're golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time - it won't hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.

*from melskitchencafe.com

Flickr photos except for Melissa, of course!

Spring Break~Girls' Day

I have already posted several of the fun things we did when the girls came to visit for 8 days over their spring break. I still have a few more posts to do. I love that by going to the edit page and selecting options on the bottom you and change the date and put them in correct order when the entire week long event is finished. I just somehow ran out of time before the whole vacation was finished but eventually it will all run in a sequence on the blog. Magic! I also did the same thing on a few days of our New England vacation but I may never get to those. It is really hard to go back but having an accurate and complete record is the motivator.

The first full weekday they were here Jim designated as "Girls' Day!" He wanted to go to work at the Temple so he micro managed "highly suggested" this should be our craft, baking and shopping day! Isn't he clever in having us do the things he wanted to pass on, while he was gone? Of course we had to schedule out each day so we could fit everything in and keep the girls from getting bored.

These look a lot better and
smoother when they are done.

So we did crafts first thing on Monday morning. We made the tissue eggs and that was a lot of fun and took a few hours. Jen brought all the crafty stuff then Grampa boiled the eggs the night before and had them all ready to work on. He wanted to be sure his agenda items happened while he was away! By the end of the day he had over booked us and we were exhausted! Haha!

Back to the eggs...No cracks in the hard boiled egg is the key to making them last a long time. I have some I made many years ago. The yoke and white dry up something like the inside of a gourd.

Jen also brought fun things for the little girls to work on that were not as time consuming. This is the foam egg Hazie decorated with foam stickers. Chloe made one too but Hazie is the one I can always find sitting quietly when it is time to take a picture. Chloe is a moving target! LOL! It is funny how little kids run everywhere they go until one day they don't. Chloe can still be heard running around the house from room to room. I find that so interesting that one day they just stop doing that. She will be six in May but she still does it.

These eggs you are seeing above and this Mr. and Mrs. egg are in process. Since you are putting something flat on a curved surface you have to finesse the paper with gluing and drying and pressing it down and gluing some more. The girls did some and Jen and I did too. They were pretty cute when all finished. We meant to spray glitter them but ran out of time and energy by the end of the week.

The big girls made Easter cupcakes and cleaned up their mess! Yay! Jen and I finished up the egg and craft projects and cleaned up that mess! We were busy little beavers that morning.

This is what Hazie did!

Doing the decorating later in the afternoon!

So cute! Dessert for dinner!

Well maybe the big sisters let
Hazie try one before dinner!

We were expecting Great Grandma Gloria over for a taco dinner and a bonfire to roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories outside. It was a plan devised by Grampa and Piper.

In the afternoon we went to Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton and looked around, did girl things and saw their Easter displays.

We took these photos because the store front window
was so pretty as a background.

Some of the mall displays.

So Sweet!

The girls had a little bit of money to spend and this Beauty Mask is what Chloe bought with hers. Love the hair's new arrangement! She wore it all day long! She had this one front tooth on the top hanging by a thread all week. Look what happened on their way home!

After dinner we went outside for the bonfire. Somehow I missed getting any pictures of Grandma Gloria with the kids. I think it was because she wasn't feeling too well at all and didn't stay too long after dinner.

Toasty warm and ready for the spooky stories.
I thought those were for Halloween but what do I know?
I found it interesting that one of the spooky stores involved
someone receiving scary texting on their cell phone.
Times have changed, huh?

What happened to the one where the girl's
head fell off and rolled down the stairs
when she took off her neck scarf?
Remember that one?

The yummy part!

We had a fun night outside. The spookiest thing was the frogs that serenaded us with such loud croaking it was overwhelming you could barely talk over them. And several times I tried to record it and they would immediately stop croaking when I would start. There were so many and they were so loud and we have never seen a frog in this yard. Where they were hiding is a mystery all together because they sounded like they were right beside us. I felt like all their eyes were on me when I would silently touch my camera to record! Spooky for sure.

This was the best I could catch on video!

Cacophony of Frogs and Humans...