APPLES, APPLES, APPLES!!

Well, I thought when summer came to an end, and fall entered in, that things would slow down a bit, and I could get back to my cooking...no such luck! Not yet anyway...so since I haven't had time to try any new recipes to post, I am going to post some old favorites, and some new recipes that I haven't even tried yet! Today my theme is APPLES....just in time for apple picking season. If you have a favorite APPLE recipe you would like for me to try, or share (or both) just send the recipe in a comment, and I will get it posted, and hopefully try it out! So bring on those APPLE recipes! In the meantime, here are some oldies, and some newbies for you to try.

Mom's Fresh Apple Cake:
(From Angie's Kitchen)

1 cup salad oil

2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chopped raw apples

Chop apples and set aside. Measure salad oil, add sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until creamy on low speed. Sift flour with salt, soda, and baking powder. Add a small amount of flour at a time to creamy mixture. Beat well after each addition. When all flour has been beaten in remove from mixer, fold in nuts and apples. Bake at 350 degrees in greased pan for 45-55 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick comes out clean. (Bake on 3rd rack.)



Paula's Wacky Taffy Apples:
(From: Paula Deen)

Craft sticks

12 apples
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup white corn syrup
2/3 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chopped nuts, if desired

Directions

Insert craft sticks into stem of apples. Mix all the ingredients, except the vanilla and nuts, in a large saucepan: cook, stirring constantly, to 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and let cook until mixture thickens. Add vanilla. Quickly dip apples in the mixture and twist until apples are evenly coated. Place on waxed paper to drain and firm up. If desired, roll candy apples in chopped nuts.



Apple Dumplings:
(From: Angie's Kitchen)

2 large apples of your choice (I use Golden Delicious)

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 sticks butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 12-ounce can Mountain Dew or Mellow Yellow

Peel, core and slice each apple into eights. Roll each apple slice in crescent triangle, and place in a 9x13 baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon; mix well. Cover dumplings with mixture. Pour Mountain Dew on top. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. ( I think they turn out best baked in a stoneware dish.)


Crockpot Apple Butter:
(From: Mommy's Kitchen)

1- 48 - 50 oz jar unsweetened apple sauce or cinnamon apple sauce
3 lbs granny smith apples (diced into chips)
4 cups sugar
1 cup apple juice or cider
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp allspice

Peel and cut apples into small chips. Place all ingredients in the crock pot and stir. Cover and cook on low overnight (eight to ten hours). In the morning remove cover, stir and taste. Add more spices or sugar if desired. Remove the lid and change the temperature to high continue cooking for about 4 more hours, uncovered, until some of the liquid is gone and the apple butter has cooked down a bit. Rule of thumb a wooden spoon should be able to stand upright when you place it in the apple butter. Pour into jars and refrigerate or process in a hot water bath. Serve over hot biscuits, toast, scones.

Process half pints for 5 minutes and pints for 10 minutes. The time starts once the water comes to a boil.



Apple Pie Filling in a Jar:
(From: Mommy's Kitchen)

4 1/2 - cups sugar

1 - cup cornstarch
2 - teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 - teaspoon nutmeg
1 - teaspoon salt
3 - tablespoons lemon juice
10 - cups of water
6 pounds of tart apples, washed, peeled and thinly sliced
(I used golden delicious and a few granny smith apples)

Note: Slice apples into a solution of 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to 1 quart of water to avoid discoloration. Drain the fruit well before packing in jars.

In a large pot, blend together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in the water and lemon juice with a wire whisk. Cook and stir until bubbly and thick; remove from heat. While the filling was cooking I sliced the apples and added them into a solution of 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to 1 quart of water to avoid discoloration. Drain the fruit well before packing in jars. Pack apples into clean, hot canning jars leaving an inch from the top of the jar. Fill with the hot syrup, leaving 1/2 inch space from the top of the jar. Remove air bubbles by running a knife around the insides of each jar. Close the jars with sterile lids and rims. Process in a boiling water bath for 20 -30 minutes Use a jar tongs to remove the jars from water Place the jars on a dish towel to dry and allow the jars to cool for several hours Check the seals to make certain the lids are sealed properly (the lids should be lowered in the middle and not move up or down)

To Make Apple Pie:

Pour 1 quart jar of home canned apple pie filling into an unbaked 8-9 inch pastry shell and dot with butter. Place top crust, trim and crimp the crust around the edges and then cut slits to vent the steam. Sprinkle with sugar and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbling.



Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing:
(From: food.com)

4 thick cut pork chops or 4 butterfly pork chops

1 (6 ounce) box stove top pork stuffing mix
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup apple juice or 3/4 cup cider
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup red onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If pork chops are not butterflied, slice through leaving attached at one side so it opens like a book. Season inside and out with salt and pepper to taste. Heat a skillet on medium high heat with 2 T oil. Place pork cut side down in the pan. Leave for 4-5 minutes. Turn and fold the chop shut and brown each outer side of the meat. If the edges are very thick you can also brown the edges. The meat should not be cooked all the way through, only nicely seared and browned. Remove pan from the heat and cover to keep warm. To start the stuffing, add the apple liquid, chicken broth, onions, apples, cranberries and the butter to a saucepan and following directions bring to a boil. Once liquid is boiling stir in the bread and seasoning. Fold in well making sure all bread gets moistened. Cover. Remove from heat and let stand 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Arrange meat with the "hinged" side down in a 9x9 baking dish or cake pan sprayed with a nonstick spray. Fill the upward facing pockets of the pork with the stuffing. If you have any stuffing left, spoon around the base of the meat. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes or the meat is cooked to your satisfaction.