Recipe of the Week: Baked Apples

Apples are in season again…..and there are so many ways to enjoy them. One of my favorite and simplest recipes is for baked apples:

Cut apple into chunks and place in a microwavable dish. (The apple - at the left - I chose for my treat was a Ginger Gold.)

Microwave for 1 minute.

Sprinkle with cinnamon. Add some butter. Decide if the apples need extra sweetening; if so drizzle with molasses or honey. (I used cinnamon, ginger, butter and honey on mine - at the right.)

Microwave for 1 minute.

Stir the apples. They may already be soft enough to eat. I tend to want my baked apples to be hot and just beginning to soften - not turned to mush.

This works very well for one serving. If you are making baked apples for a crowd - use a conventional oven, a larger baking dish, put all the ingredients in the pan at the beginning. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the softness you prefer.

Some other apple recipes I’ve posted are:

Sautéed apples as a pancake topping

Apple Crisp

Celebrating October 2012

What do you celebrate in October? Here are some ideas:

Apples and squash. The new harvest is in and apples are at their best. There are a large number of varieties to try other than ‘Delicious’ – so experiment and find a new favorite! Many communities host festivals that feature the produce of fall and fresh apple cider or apple butter.....and all those colorful squashes.

Foliage. Take a drive or a hike through a forest of deciduous trees. Timing it just right is always a challenge – but easier now that there are so many web sites that predict the peak color and even have pictures of areas.

Leaves. Play in piles of leaves. Yes – the raking is a chore…but make it into a fun activity while you are at it.

Cooler weather. After the swelter of summer and even September – October has some very welcome cooler days. Celebrate with some outdoor activities and enjoy a picnic.

Halloween. Buy those bags of candy and be prepared to offer a treats to all those goblins that come knocking! We purchased a plastic jack-o-lantern that looks like the real thing years ago; turned out to be a great purchase to decorate the front porch for the big night.

Recipe of the Week: Apple Crisp

This is a great fall recipe but I got it out early this year because I had a bag of Granny Smith apples that were not as tasty as usual for eating fresh. Maybe they were last year’s apples and storage had taken some of their usual flavor; apple crisp is more forgiving because of the added sugar and spices. It sometimes takes some extra effort to utilize food effectively...getting as much value as possible from every $1 spent for groceries.  I turned it into a celebration by making a favorite fall recipe!

• 4 cups apples, diced (peel if you must, I like the texture the skin provides...and it has nutritional value too)
• Cinnamon for sprinkling (optional)
• Lemon juice (optional)
• Molasses (optional)

 Topping: 

• 1/3 cup soft butter
• 2/3 cup apple juice concentrate
• 1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. nutmeg
• Molasses (for drizzling on top)

~~~~~

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place apples in pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cinnamon and lemon juice if desired. Drizzle with molasses.

Blend remaining ingredients in a small bowl.

Spread over apples. Drizzle with molasses.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.

Apple crisp is good warm or cold….I always have a first serving as soon as it comes from the oven.