Thursday, September 9, 2021

Birthday Giveaway #9 - - The Apple of My Eye

This was originally posted in 2015. I was going to write a new post for today about my favorite fall fruit but I haven't found any new recipes that top these three when it comes to setting my taste buds to dancing. So, here we go...again. :)


Fall is my favorite season of the year for many reasons. One of those reasons is local orchards filled with sweet, tart, juicy, can't-get-enough apples. I eat a lot of apples this time of year - probably at least five per week. For snacking, I prefer Gala and Fuji. They find their way into salads, slices eaten with peanut butter or, frequently, eaten on their own. Just the pure, sweet taste of apple. Baking is something else I enjoy this time of year. Granny Smiths are the apple of choice for my baking and they star in many of the dishes I bake. Here are a few of my favorite recipes.  



APPLE CRISP

5 cups sliced, pared apples (I use Granny Smith)
1 cup Bisquick 
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup firm butter

Heat oven to 375
° F. Arrange apples in an ungreased 9x9x2 baking pan.

Mix Bisquick, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake until apples are tender, about 30 minutes.

I love mine with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream!

*Because I have a gluten intolerance, I substitute gluten-free baking mix for the Bisquick.




PJ'S APPLE PIE SQUARES

8 medium apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced (I use Granny Smith)
3/4 cup sugar


2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
2 TBSP butter
2 pie crusts
1/2 TBSP lemon juice
Powdered sugar
Milk
Pure vanilla extract


Sprinkle sliced apples lightly with lemon juice. 

Combine sugar, flour, spices and a dash of salt; toss with sliced apples. Roll one pie crust to a 9x11 rectangle and place it in the bottom of a baking dish of the same size. Fill with the apple mixture then dot with slices of butter. 

Roll the second pie crust to the same dimensions and place over the top of the apple mixture, sealing the edges. Cut slits in the top crust to allow the steam to escape and lightly sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400° F. for 50 minutes or until done.

Stir together powdered sugar, milk and a squirt of vanilla to make a glaze. Drizzle over slightly cooled pie and cut into squares. This is great hot or cold, either with ice cream or on its own.

*I substitute gluten-free flour for the regular all-purpose flour and use gluten-free pie crust. I like the Wholly Gluten-Free brand. 



APPLE COCO-NUTTY MUFFINS

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup Crisco Oil
2 cups peeled and diced apples (your favorite type)
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts
3/4 cups shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350
° F.

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.

In a medium bowl, mix eggs, sugar, and oil. Stir in apples, nuts, and coconut.

Stir apple mixture into dry ingredients until moist.

Grease 16 muffin cups. Fill each cup 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes before removing muffins from the pan.

* Again, I substitute gluten-free flour for the regular all-purpose kind.


What's your favorite fruit to indulge in this time of year? 

Do you have orchards or farmer's markets nearby where you can buy it fresh from the trees?

Do you have any favorite authors who routinely include recipes in their books?

Do you have special recipes that you tend to only indulge in during the fall? Feel free to share!

Birthday Giveaway #9:

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, September 10 will receive a package of books from my home book stash. 

*U.S. only
*Must be 18
*Void where prohibited


29 comments:

  1. The first two recipes sound wonderful (afraid I'm not a coconut lover). We do have apple orchards they we visit. My oven is broken so no baking for me. Nothing like fresh, off the tree. Cherries, peaches and melons of any kind are wonderful this time of year.

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    1. Peaches are my favorite summer fruit and I'm lucky enough to have fresh from the orchard peaches all summer. So good.

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  2. I love apples at this time of year. Especially Macintosh which are so tasty for baking, cooking and eating. Ever fall I look forward to the wonderful bounty of apples available. We go apple picking and then start making applesauce and apple cake. Nothing like it.

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    1. Growing up, my mom always used McIntosh apples for baking. They're harder to come by where I live now so I've gravitated to the Granny Smith. I like that little bit of tartness.

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  3. Apples are the BEST!! In fact, I live next to an Apple Orchard that offers apple picking on the weekends in the Fall. We always pick a ton of apples and I have the best intentions of making apple sauce and pastries with them, but in the end we eat them all because they are so good.

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    1. I'm laughing at you eating them all before you can bake with them because that's exactly what I usually end up doing!

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  4. Such delectable and tempting recipes. Fall is my favorite season since apples are there for picking which is a great activity but also fresh apples from the tree are the best ever. My fall recipes are awaiting since apples are ideal now. Apple, vanilla, cinnamon cake, baked apples, apple strudel and applesauce. I can hardly wait to share these yummy treats with family and friends.

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  5. While I eat apples year round, I indulge even more during the fall! Since I'm up in the Teton area, I do have a farmer's market that gets fresher apples than those I can get in Texas. I've been craving a baked apple desert lately. I never have used exact measurements, but you need: Apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, a touch of vanilla, and bourbon - baked for an hour at 350. It's best served with ice cream but the bourbon and ice cream are optional.

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    1. Oh my gosh, that sounds so good! I'm going to have to try that.

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  6. No favorite recipes to indulge during the fall; I love rhubarb which comes out in the spring.
    Joanne Fluke has nice recipes in her cozies.
    We don't have any farmer's markets nearby, but have lots of great farm stands all over the island. I love apple and all fruit desserts; thanks for sharing.

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    1. I don't think I've had a rhubarb pie since I was a little girl. My grandparents were farmers and my childhood was filled with all kind of delicious fruits and veggies.

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  7. I've never been to a u-pick orchard for apples. No one will get me up on a ladder to pick those apples. As much as I love them, I'll let someone else do the work! I prefer berry picking.

    I sort of recall reading a book many moons ago with dessert recipes at the beginning of each chapter. But just don't remember the title or the author.

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  8. I grew up in a walnut orchard and near cherry trees. Now I live where grapes are the important crop.

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  9. My favorites are apples and peaches. In fact I've made several apple crisps lately...my family loves them!

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  10. I love apple pie. I read a good series a few years ago by Louisa Edwards, 4 or 5 books I think where chefs were in a contest, don't recall if any recipes were included but boy did my mouth water. I love to bake and really do not follow what is in season, which really makes no sense - lol, I love just about all fruit desserts and anything chocolate or with real whipped cream. Peaches and nectarines are favorites, but to be honest even getting them from farm stands, they are not as good as they have been many years ago - from around here anyway. TY for your recipes. Debbie Macomber did a book which included a chocolate fruitcake. Absolutely delicious.

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  11. Oh, my--those recipes sound delicious! We are blessed to have a number of generational, family-owned orchards about a half-hour's drive from my home. I absolutely love apples, and I always took a vacation week in October which included a trip to the orchards. Some of my favorite authors who include recipes in their books are: Joanne Fluke, Nina George, Ruth Logan Herne, Hillary Manton Lodge, Barbara O'Neal, and Amy E. Reichert. Hallmark Publishing also features a recipe in each of their books.

    Here's a simple and delicious recipe that combines two of my favorite foods--apples and cheese:

    Apple & Cheddar Bake

    8 cups unpeeled chopped apples (a mix of tart & sweet, green, yellow & red is wonderful)
    1 cup sugar
    3/4 cup self-rising flour
    1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
    2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
    1/2 cup butter, melted

    Preheat over to 350F degrees (177C). Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish. Place apples in the baking dish. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, flour, nutmeg and cheese. Blend in melted butter. Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

    *****For a more savory version, stir in several strips of crumbled, cooked bacon along with the cheese.

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    1. You have me over here wiping the drool from my chin. That sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing.

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  12. I am a fan of apples at this time of year. I love baking with apples. I also love baking with other fresh fruits. No nearby farmer's markets. There was once, but no longer. And I enjoy recipes from several authors. There are a couple of British authors, and the only issue is figuring out the measurements.

    I have just baked a lime ice box pie that came from a book and for the life of me, I do not remember which author it was....obviously a senior moment. The pie recipe is simple and really good and works for limes and lemons.

    Hope everyone is well and taking care and happy

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  13. Ooh, yummy, PJ! Thank you for sharing these recipes! I do love apples this time of year, and pears are also a favorite, but I don't have many recipes that include them.

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  14. The muffins sound great, I love apple crisp as well as baked apples. I hate to see all our beautiful summer fruit go away but I love apples,too.

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  15. I love everything about Fall, weather, smells, foods. I love Apples. They can be used in so many ways! I make pumpkin bread once or twice every Fall.

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  16. Unfortunately the orchard near us is not open. I love to apple pick. Fresh are the best. Mom would make apple pie and turnovers. My kids did not like baked apples so I stopped making them. Hubby likes apple pie so that is a fall thing. Carolyn Brown tends to put recipes at the end of her books.

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  17. I love apples but my favorite fruit around now are the Concord grapes from my mom’s garden. They are so different from store bought table grapes and are a bit more complex in flavor. As for authors who include recipes in their books, Lucy Burdette and Cleo Coyle (husband and wife writing team) are cozy mystery writers that include great recipes, and of course, Jenny Colgan for romance and includes recipes.

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  18. Apples, apples, apples!! We have apple orchards nearby as well as a wonderful farmer's market where we can get freshly picked apples. Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen mystery series includes recipes throughout the stories.

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  19. Apples are my favorite fruit any time of the year. Of course they are best in the Fall when they ripen and are fresh and crisp. I was spoiled growing up. We lived in apple country in Northern New York, almost to the Canadian border. I babysat for the two orchard owners who live just down the road from us. The one who owned the orchard across the street from our house let us pick any drops (those that fell off the tree naturally) and pick those varieties they didn't really market. They had greenie apples that I loved. They were huge and I could slice off pieces while doing my homework. The area's specialty is MacIntosh apples. They have a good tartness and are good for baking and sauce. We have discovered that the same variety of apple will taste different depending on where it is grown. Of course we like those grown there the best. We live on the TN/NC border now but try to get back home in the Fall to load up on Macs. This area in TN/NC is known for their apples and the neighboring town has an annual apple festival the first weekend of Oct. .
    No favorite author or series with recipes. There are many who do and I appreciate every one of them.
    I have my own recipe for apple pie, not too different from yours, but make it in a traditional pie pan and lightly sprinkle sugar on the top crust before baking. No glaze, for me that would be too sweet. I have a good apple bread recipe and a good apple cake recipe. I do like to bake these recipes when the apples are fresh.

    Apple Bread
    Mix: I cup oil 2 cups sugar (I usually reduce this a bit)
    3 eggs 1 tsp. Vanilla
    Sift and add to above: 3 cups flour 1 tsp salt
    Stir in: 3 cups diced apples. 1 cup chopped nuts
    Oil 2 bread pans. Pour in batter. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until done.
    Let cool. While still warm, remove from pans onto a piece of foil that has cinnamon sugar on it.
    Sprinkle a little more over bread. Wrap tightly.

    I usually use MacIntosh or Granny Smith apples and walnuts, although I never add nuts if I am giving them away or serving to people I don't know. I have made this in all sized loaf pans from full sized to mini loaves. I include small loaves in my Christmas baskets. Best of all, it is quick, easy, and delicious.

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    1. I did pull out the apple cake recipe, but it is longer and I think I rambled on long enough.

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  20. I love apples, too. There's a farm market near me which has its own orchard.

    denise

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  21. I love the fall season. My grandparents grew their vegetables and fruits and often gave us some whenever we visited. I always loved the chunky applesauce my grandmother made. My dad always request the ones sold at Trader Joe's. I look forward to the persimmons. They're not here yet. They're a special treat. My grandfather grew them, too. My favorite apple is the graventein. They were the ones my grandfather grew and my dad always buy them from a farmer. bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com

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