Apple Shenanigans

Well Hello All! 

Again I know my postings have been infrequent over the last few months but I will continue to do my best to bring you some of the latest highlights before winter! First off, fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Gorgeous fall leaves set the backdrop for bright orange pumpkins lining front porches while the kids are fast asleep after their busy days of apple picking. Not to mention the smell of that fresh apple pie sitting on your kitchen counter!

Although fall went by quick this year I was ecstatic to spend at least one day apple picking at Douglas Orchards in Shoreham VT. After picking a 1/2 bushel of Macintosh for the low low price of $3.50, I had enough apples to make everything imaginable. Pan upon pan of apple crisp disappeared from my kitchen over the weeks without time enough to even snap a picture! Another fabulous dessert I tested this year for the first time was apple cake. Extremely easy to make, this cake was fluffy, moist, and used up the last of my soft, somewhat rough looking apples! If you want to take a gander at the recipe follow the link below. 

Easy Apple Cake.  

Another awesome idea I had, Apple Chips! Slice your apples and gently pick out any seeds, the stars in the center are edible. Put on a peice of parchment paper and sprink the slices with cinnamon and sugar. Preheat your oven to 225F and forget about them for awhile. They can cook in 45 minutes but can take as long as 3 hours!

This year was also my first attempt at homemade applesauce which came out perfectly! I started by peeling and coring all of my apples- I use an apple corer and am left with 8 slices. 

 I then combine the apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, and I utilized apple juice.

I let these apple slices cook for about 15-20 minutes until the apples were tender. I then put them in my handy dandy food processor (compliments of my parents) and pulsed for about 1 minute. This made about 5-6 servings of apple sauce and did not require any canning! 

Megan's Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

4 cups of apples, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup of apple juice or water

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Stir regularly for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. Put through a food processor until desired consistency.

I hope you can try some of these quick and easy recipes this fall! Good luck!