No Fail Apple Crisp

Going to continue with another apple recipe.  I made this yesterday for company and it turned out great.  It is not like me to stay with the same ingredient, but since apples are so plentiful right now, I just had to share.  We will just call it our theme for the week.  It was so easy and the taste was divine!

Serve it warm and top with vanilla ice cream.  Pure heaven!!

Any variety of apple will work, I used golden delicious.

Topping:

6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon nutmeg
5 Tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and softened
1/2 Cup Oats, or Walnuts, or Pecans finely chop nuts if using

Filling:

6 to 8 Apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
Cinnamon to taste
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

For the topping:  Mix the flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg.  Add the butter and toss to coat. Pinch the butter chunks and dry mixture between your fingertips until the mixture looks like crumbly wet sand.  Add the oats or nuts, and toss to incorporate. Refrigerate the topping for at least 15 minutes before baking.

For the filling:  Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Mix the apples, sugars, sprinkle on cinnamon, and the lemon juice together and place in an 8 inch square glass or ceramic baking dish or a 9 inch deep dish pie plate. Distribute the chilled topping evenly over the fruit.

Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes.  Let cook on wire rack for ten minutes before serving.

Super Easy Apple Cake

Apples are so plentiful right now and we are always looking for new ways to use them.  I am fortunate I have two apple trees in my back yard and this year was the year for them to flourish, thanks to my husband giving them extra TLC.  We planted our trees the year Alana was born, in fact I was pregnant when the little trees arrived.  They looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  So bare and so small.  I thought it would be a miracle if we ever took a bite out of an apple.

Thoughts of Julia Roberts were swimming in my head when she was in the movie Sleeping with the Enemy, she rented a home in the South with an apple tree in the back yard.  I watched her pick, and gather the apples that she placed in a pile in the front of her country style dress.  She then returned to her kitchen to make a homemade apple pie, and I thought how great it must be to walk in your own back yard, pick apples and immediately bake them up into something wonderful.

My dream came true and I had the most beautiful apples this year, so I did what I always wanted to do, I picked the apples and baked a wonderful dessert.  Take a look at my apples, still basking in the sun, aren't they a beauty?

This dessert is so easy and you won't believe how fast it is to do.  If you don't have beautiful apples growing in your yard, don't fret,  just stop by the store and grab a few.  You will only need 3 for this dessert.  Seriously, this cake is so moist and no one will ever know you used boxed cake mix.  Perfect for times when you have to make a dessert with little time and so few ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350

Grease a tube pan

Ingredients:

1 Box Super Moist Yellow Butter Cake Mix
1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Apples, peeled, cored and finely diced
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans or Walnuts

Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions.  Stir in the cinnamon and vanilla extract, then fold in the chopped apples and nuts.

Pour the batter into prepared pan.  Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake come out clean.  Allow to cool.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Here is the finished product, doesn't it look yummy?

Fool Proof, Delicious Apple Pie

First off, I apologize for being away so long. I have been crazy busy with the job that helps pay the bills due to hurricane Irene! I work for an Insurance Company and since the storm hit I have been dedicated to the policyholders insured with the Company and have had no time for the loved ones and/or hobbies in my life. I am back and I am so happy to have caught up a bit.

Here is a great recipe for this time of the year since apples are now in season. I do not make my own pie dough, I think I still have flour in my kitchen from the times I was experimenting. There is no need to go crazy when Pillsbury Pie Crust is right in your grocers refrigerator ready for you to roll into your pie plate. No one will know it's not homemade unless you tell them. Follow my technique with the topping and whoever takes a bite of this pie will swear you spent hours making it. Only you and I will know the difference, your secret is safe with me!

This is my husbands favorite. Alan, I dedicate this one to you. I love you!

Ingredients:

1 Pillsbury Pie Crust, Room Temperature
6 Cups Golden Delicious Apples, Sliced
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar, plus more for topping
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
Cinnamon, To Taste
1/8 Tsp Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 9 Inch Glass Pie Plate
Cooking Spray
Milk for Top of Pie

Preheat oven to 425

Directions:

Remove the two curst from the box and set aside. Leave the crust in the wrap until ready to use.

Place the sliced apples in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and salt. With a spoon stir until thoroughly blended, Set aside.

Spray the pie plate with cooking spray and unfold one of the crusts. Roll the crust with a rolling pin until slightly larger then the pie plate. Lay the crust in the plate and sprinkle the bottom with a little sugar (this will keep the bottom crust from being soggy). Pour in the apple mixture and dot with butter.

Unfold the other crust and roll that slightly larger then the bottom curst. Place on top of the apples and crimp the side marrying the top and bottom crust. Brush the top with milk and sprinkle with a good amount of sugar. This will make the pie shiny and beautiful. Here is where you fool even the toughest critics!

Cut a few slices on the top crust to allow the steam to escape and bake for 30 to 40 minutes on the lowest rack in your oven until the top is golden brown and the apples are tender. Place on a cooling rack for an hour then serve, can be served with ice cream for an extra treat!