Tuesday, October 24, 2006

More Fall tastes...

Here is a recipe I make every Fall after we go to Apple Hill. It is easy to make and so delicious all through the Fall!

All Day Apple Butter

5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.
Cover and cook on high 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour. Use an immersion blender to make it extra smooth after it's done cooking.

Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

Monday, October 16, 2006

What fall should taste like

Pumpkin-Apple-Spice Bread

For topping:
1 Tbs all-purpose flour
5 Tbs sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
A shake of Pumpkin pie or apple pie sasoning
1 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
For bread:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt2 tsps baking soda
1 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon---*
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg---*
1/4 tsp ground cloves---*
1/4 tsp ground allspice---*
(--*OR 3 t of pumpkin pie or apple pie seasoning)
1 (15-oz) can solid-pack pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie in a can)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (2 cups) OR whatever apples you have OR take two cups of the food storage dried apples and soak them for 5 minutes or so and add them in
MAKE THE TOPPING: Blend together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a small bowl with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.
MAKE THE BREAD: Put a rack in the middle of oven and preheat oven to 350F. Butter two 9 X 5 inch loaf pans.
Combine all ingredients, fold in apples at last
Divide batter between buttered loaf pans. Sprinkle half of topping evenly over each loaf.
Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of bread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
Cool loves in pans on a rack for 45 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Or eat right away and burn your tongue. Whichever.