Things to Make with Apples

In my stores, fresh apples are just arriving. If you're looking for some inspiration about how to use them, here you go.

(Also, do I seriously not have a decent picture of Apple Crisp. I seriously do not. This needs immediate remedying.)

1. Apple sauce. I make it in the crock pot most of the time and it's dumb easy.



2. Apple Crisp. Easier and sweeter than apple pie.

3. Crock Pot Apple Cider. So good. Makes your house smell like heaven swallowed cinnamon. 



4. Apple Cinnamon Rolls. Really lovely take on the classic rolls.



5. Classic (and amazing) Apple Pie. And if you're looking for something a little simpler or slightly healthier, there's this apple tart.



6. Bonus: Apple Cake (Yes, I just recently posted a photo re-do, but in case you need another reminder, make this because it will change your life.

Apple Cake--Photo Redo

This is the best apple cake in the world with the best butter sauce in the world. Because of that, it's hard to get a good picture since swarms of hungry savages descend upon it and eat it before you get the chance (or maybe it's just me, hiding in a closet and scooping it out with my hands). Either way, it goes quick, so my last picture just didn't do it justice.

You can eat it plain and it's fabulous.

Or with this pure evil butter sauce up on top. 

You can find the recipe (and original not-great picture) HERE.

Classic Apple Pie

Making a pie is an act of love. Making a pie on Pi Day is an act of love and math. Making a pie on Pi Day 2015 is an act of love, math, and geekiness. This is because on 3/14/15 at 9:26:53, the number will actually be 3.141592653. I mean, are you freaking/geeking out or what? Of course you are. Or maybe you're not, but you should still make a pie. Because it's fun. And an act of love. And also fun. Nerdiness just gets bonus points (but it also justifies any mid-morning pie eating that you wish to partake in).

A couple months ago, I set out to find the perfect apple pie. Not Dutch apple pie, or apple pie with caramel filling/drizzle/sauce. Just a plain old classic apple pie. (This was weirdly difficult to find on Pinterst.) I looked up the recipe in my America's Test Kitchen cookbook and also asked my friends for their favorite apple pie recipes. What surprised me about this was little experiment was that the four recipes I ended up getting were really quite shockingly similar. As a cook, it's kind of awesome when they happens--it means you're on the trail to a recipe that is probably pretty spectacular. And it was.

The two main (and in my opinion, weird) differences were the amount of apples used (this varied from 2 1/4 pounds to 3 1/2 pounds); and the baking temps, which varied from 350 degrees to 425/dropping to 375 degrees). But my friends' pies basically agreed on sugar, spice, lemon juice, and that we needed a decent combination of tart and sweet apples. Granny Smith were recommended across the board for the tart apple with things like Golden Delicious, Braeburn, or McIntosh filling out the sweet side.

The pie I turned out was perfectly classic and delicious. And I decided to get my crazy on by using the leftover dough to make cut-outs for the crust. My kids helped and it was kind of fun

If you wanted to get your super super really over-the-top slightly mentally ill geek-star crazy on, you could cut out numbers for the number Pi.

Apple Pie
Makes 1 large pie
Prep time: an pleasant afternoon
Cook time: about an hour
Cost: $6.85 (more expensive than many recipes on here, but still less than $1/serving)
crust: 1.35, apples: 5.00, sugar: .20, egg: .10, other stuff: .20

1 recipe Butter Pie crust (or your favorite)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 1/2 lb apples; this is about 7 large apples (I used a combo of Granny Smith--about 1 1/2 pounds, then filled in the rest with Golden delicious and a fun and sweet variety called Pinata, but any sweet variety will do. I do NOT recommend red delicious or Jonathan. If that's what you've got, I suggest upping the sugar by 1/4-1/2 C)
1 Tbsp lemon juice and about 1/2 tsp zest (the zest is optional; the lemon juice is absolutely not)
1 C granulated sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
i egg white, lightly beaten, if you wish to brush your crust with it

Prepare your pie crust (or cheat and buy one if that's your thing). Roll it out as you normally do. Note: If you normally do no such thing, have a look here or here. Put your bottom crust into a lightly greased pie pan. Put the other ball of crust dough into the fridge while you do your filling.

Peel and slice your apples. It's going to seem like a ridiculous amount of apple. Trust, friends, trust. They will shrink down so much.

Now take your obscene amount of apples and mix in the flour, lemon juice, zest, sugar, spices, and salt.

Put these into your pie crust. You're going to think I'm nuts because these apples are going to just pile up in that pie pan. I piled mine this high and wound up with a pie like at the top of this post.

Now roll out your other pie crust and put it on top. It's going to look like a breast augmentation gone terrible wrong. Trust.

Trim the edges off. And if you'd like seal the two pie crusts together by putting a little water on your fingers and using that between the two pie crust edges. Just a little water will seal them up if you're worried.

You can now crimp the edges using your amazing artistic skills as you see I've done below. I know, people, sometimes it's just hard to compete with my artistic genius.

 Cut several slits in the top of your crust. This lets steam out and is essential.

Now you can decorate it with those obsessive compulsive pie numbers you cut out (31415926). Or whatever. Or not decorate it at all. Again, use a little bit of water on the dough to get your numbers/hearts/stars to stick. 

At this point you can brush the pie with egg white and sprinkle it with sugar if you want to. I did. Or you can throw that thing in the oven. It's up to you. 

Bake it at 425 for 25 minutes on the center rack. Then--without opening the oven--lower the temperature to 375 and bake for another 35-40 minutes. It's done when it's deep golden and bubbling at the edges and through the slits. You can also stick a fork in it to make sure all apples are tender. 

Note: You will absolutely want to put a cookie sheet or a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack beneath the rack your pie is on. This is because your pie as will ooze and bubble and get all over your oven floor if you do not. Trust. And thank me later. 

Now look how that shrunk down. 

 Allow to cool for several hours until it is just warm or completely cool. If you cut into it while hot, it will still taste good, but it will ooze all over itself and end up looking like cobbler not pie.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Crock Pot Apple Cider

Today is our Secret Recipe reveal day. I'm pretty excited about it because this month I got to make a recipe I've always wanted to learn to make and that has always seemed too esoteric for normal people. Apple cider. I mean, traditionally it's made from a press. And then spiced. In fact, I have heard (possibly from a children's picture book, though I can't remember my source) that cider was spiced differently by different apple farmers, so each orchard had its own variety of apple cider. Some of the recipes were kept secret and carefully guarded so others couldn't replicate them and therefore there'd be a monopoly on the tastiest ciders. Come on, it's kind of interesting.

Lucky for you, this month--thanks to Jennifer at Peanut Butter and Peppers--I now have a cheater way to make a cider that is really delicious. No press required, thank you very much. I thought it tasted so much better than cider from a store. And just like cider makers of bygone eras, you can try different spices until you get it just how you like it.

You know what else I love about apple cider? It's a cheapskate thing at heart. Originally, it was a way to use the fallen, bruised apples--the ones the couldn't be sold for their beauty and grace. Those ones got made into sauces and ciders. That's right up my ally. Even for those of us without apple orchards, this is pretty cheap if you make it in season. My generous gallon ran me under $4.00. At the store, it's usually at least that much.

You know what else is right up my ally? Laziness. Is there any peeling or deseeding in this recipes? Nope nope and nope. You cut things into a couple big chunks and throw them into the pot. Love it. Then at the end you strain/press them out and you've got your cider.

You know what else is right up my ally. Drinking hot cider on cold, cozy nights. Even though it has some added sugar, I still feel better about it than a cup of hot chocolate or eggnog. I mean, it's not gazpacho or anything, but as far as hot festive drinks go, it's pretty virtuous.

Jennifer made this on the stove top. It takes about 3 hours (mostly in simmering time, not in active cooking time). I thought it'd be interesting to give it a try in the crock. It was delicious and super easy. I loved that I could put it in at night and have hot cider in the morning (who needs coffee--blech). And it sure smelled good.

Crock Pot Apple Cider
adapted from Peanut Butter and Peppers
makes approximately 1 gallon
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 8-12 hours in crock; 3 hours in pot
Squeeze/strain time: 10 minutes
Cost: $3.35-3.75
(apples: 2.00, orange: .50, sugar: .35, spices--these are much pricier since they're whole, but I'm guessing on cost here--.50)

Note: If you don't have all these spices whole, you can make a little packet of spices. Use some coffee filters or a bit of linen cloth and wrap your ground spices into it. Then tie it with a twist tie and put it in your pot. I did this with nutmeg and a bit of cinnamon (I only had 2 whole cinnamon sticks on hand). You might have to guess the measurements a bit (I did), but I used 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp cinnamon and all was well with the world.

12 small or medium apples (Jennifer recommended assorted types, but I only had honey crisp since my kids ate all my golden delicious)
1 orange
1/2-1 C brown sugar (I actually used 1 1/4 C and did about 1/2 C of that granulated sugar)
4 cinnamon sticks
1 whole nutmeg
1 Tbsp whole cloves
1 tsp whole allspice
water to cover

Cut the apples and orange into quarters (or halves if you're extra lazy). Throw them in the crock pot (no peeling, no coring). Add the spices and 1/2 C sugar (you can add more later if you'd like). Cover it with water. (This filled to the brim my 4-6 quart crock pot--that's right; I'm not sure which size it is.) Put the lid on and set it to low. I left mine overnight (probably for about 14 hours total, though it would have been ready before then). If you wanted it quicker, you could set it to high.

When everything is mushy and fragrant, mash the fruit up. It'll look a little apple-saucy. Then pour it through a cheesecloth or tea towel into a large container. Squeeze out all the deliciousness (though you may have to let it cool a bit before you do this). Taste it for sugar and add more if you need to, and stir until dissolved.

Serve warm or cold. I love it warm (love love love), but most of my family prefers their cider cold (weidos).


PRINTABLE RECIPE

Diana's Apple Cake of Awesomeness (with Sauce of Beyond Awesomeness)

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

(This might not look like much here, but you should know that this is a picture of the cake after having been served up at a church party, then brought home in a cup, and rearranged the next day and photographed by me with all my non-skills. Frankly, I think it's doing pretty well for itself.)

Several weeks ago I attended a baby shower. Say what you will about baby showers and the cake that inhabits them, this shower had me laughing most of the time and over-the-baby-moon about the apple cake my friend Diana made. I mean, people, it was like true religion. Only less righteous. It was one of those things where you think you have a pretty darn good recipe (and I do), but then you have this and it's like discovering art or love. Oh love. Apples, sugar, spice, and everything nice sitting in a puddle of more sugar, spice, and BUTTER.

The shower was at 3:00 in the afternoon, but that didn't stop me from having--oh maybe an extra piece or two--even when my dinner and any shred of non-pig dignity I might still have was at stake. What can I say? The hosts are lucky they didn't find me after everyone had left, hiding under the table and consuming the rest. They're also lucky I didn't walk off with the leftover pan of the stuff (if only I'd brought a larger purse). It was just incredible--beyond incredible.

It was, in fact, so incredible that I was a little depressed. All these years, I'd been perfectly happy with my own humble apple cake, but now, now, I was ready to toss that aside. Seriously, it kind of bummed me out. The good news is that when I compared Diana's recipe to mine, they were surprisingly similar. Hers was a bit spicier and used butter in place of oil, which totally worked. And it was draped in the sauce of, well, frankly, the sauce of evil, but I love it too much to call it that--so let's go with 'sauce of awe,' which also--handily--contains assonance. I ask you, can assonance be evil, even if it does contain butter, sugar, nutmeg, and make you lick it off your plate, then spoon more on, and lick that off, and then repeat this process until you are veritably at death's door? I think not. Assonance is righteous. Ask your English teacher.

Diana's Apple Cake of Awesomeness (with Sauce of Beyond Awesomeness)
Makes 9x13 in pan (though for all that is righteous about your hips, you should make this for a party of halve it)
Cost: Who really cares? Make it.

For Cake:

4 C apples, peeled and diced
2 C sugar
1/2 C butter (1 stick), softened or even a bit melted for easier mixing
2 eggs
2 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cloves

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix sugar and butter. Add eggs. Add apples.

Combine dry ingredients. Add them to your wet ingredients. Mix until incorporated.

Bake in lightly greased 9x13 inch pan for 35-40 minutes or until a fork comes out clean or with a few tender crumbs clinging on.

For Sauce of Evil Awe/Assonance (both righteous things):

1/2 C butter (1 stick)
1 C sugar
1/2 C evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
dash nutmeg

Melt butter and sugar in a sauce pan. Add milk. Stir until boiling. Take off heat. Add vanilla and a dash of nutmeg.

To serve: Cut cake into slices. Pour sauce over each slice and serve delicately to guests. After everyone leaves, be sure to check under the table and make sure I'm not there pretending to look for an earring in an empty pan of cake. Oh, gee, there it is; I'll just be leaving now with my very large purse.

Note: This can be served warm (Diana says this is best and I believe her) or at room temperature (still amazing). She even made this again the next week (I think she's secretly trying to kill me; that's okay. Note to Diana: I'm still alive; you'd better bring more apple cake over) for a church function and I took several pieces home for my "family." These pieces had already been dished up and draped in sauce and my "family" ate them the next day and my "family" said that it was just as good as ever. I forgot to ask them how they knew, but that's okay.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Linked to Sweets for a Saturday and Fusion Fridays

No Sugar Added Applesauce (with Crock Pot Option)

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

Yes, and double yes.

Until now, my applesauces had demanded a bit of sugar. Sometimes more than a bit. And until now they'd demanded a bit of my attention.

No more friends, no more. An easy recipe just got easier. And a healthy recipe just got healthier.

Sugar-Free Applesauce (with Crock Pot Option)
Makes 2-3 C or about 20 oz.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cost: $1.05 (You'll note that this is not as cheap as you'll get generic applesauce from the store. It does taste better and it is a great--really great--way to save apples that are bland or bruised and might otherwise be thrown out, but to compete with store (Walmart brand, 46 oz for $1.69) applesauce, you'll have to get your apples for .50/lb. This may be possible at some pick your own farms or at a really cheap sale, but I haven't seen any in Evansville that cheap.
(apples: 1.00--3 lb for $2 from Aldi, apple juice: .05)

Note: I made a small batch because I wasn't sure how well it would work. Feel free to double, triple or beyond.

Another note, somewhat sassier: Do you feel like you're cheating by adding the apple juice? Don't. I'm guessing that this is similar to how applesauce manufacturers manage to get their All Natural varieties sweet enough while still labeling the ingredients as merely apples, water, and ascorbic acid.

1 1/2-2 lb apples (I used golden delicious from Aldi), peeled and cut into chunks
a few grates lemon peel (approximately 1/4-1/2 tsp)
a generous sprinkle cinnamon (approximately 1/4 tsp)
1/4 C apple juice (You can use any apple juice, but I used 1 Tbsp frozen apple juice concentrate with 3 Tbsp water. I like this method because if you have really awful apples that will need a little extra sweetness, you can use 2 or 3 Tbsp apple juice concentrate with just 1-2 Tbsp water to get the applesauce decently sweet. And then you can throw the rest of the concentrate back in the freezer and use it in smoothies as needed.)

Throw your apple chunks in the crock pot. Grate some lemon rind over top. Sprinkle some cinnamon over top (or throw in a cinnamon stick if you're feeling fancy). Add apple juice (it won't seem like enough liquid, but it is). Cover crock. Set crock pot to low. Cook for 2 hours or until you feel like checking on it. (You'll likely have to cook longer if you've doubled, tripled, etc. this recipe.) Mash the apples with a potato masher. I find that a masher like this gives a smoother mash: OXO Good Grips Smooth Potato Masher.

Remove from crock pot and put in a sealed container. Eat when cooled.

If you don't have or wish to break out your crock pot, you can prepare this on the stove by throwing all ingredients into a pot, covering it with a lid, and bringing it to a simmer, then cooking on medium low for 15-20 minutes. Stir it occasionally. Mash it when it's all mashable.

If you want directions for canning your fresh applesauce, have a look here.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Linked to Fusion Friday

Kale Apple Smoothie

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family eats on less than $10/day.

Kale and apple goodness: check. Spiderlike tentacles of sad aloe vera plant: check. Pumpkins painted in exact same manner as aloe vera pot: check.

Well, I don't know why I'd need to say more here, but of course I will.

I really enjoy a good green (or purple or orange or pink or even sludge colored) smoothie. But this time of year--the very time of year when sneezy pukey children start touching your otherwise perfect specimens of children--blueberries, strawberries, and peaches aren't exactly at their peak. Sure, you can freeze a bunch when they are at their peak, but what if you didn't. Or didn't freeze enough. Of just have 7,000 apples sitting on your counter. Don't worry; I've got your back.

This smoothie is tasty, seasonal, cheap, and very virtuously green (even in the sad night-time lighting that fall has brought my kitchen). And while we're talking about what I love about this smoothie, let's talk about this: this is a great solution for that half apple that didn't get eaten (come on; surely my kids aren't the only ones who do this) or for that bunch of apples that just wasn't as good as you thought they'd be. Chop them up, freeze 'em, and buy a bag of kale.

And kale--yeah, yeah, it's such a supery super food. But also it is a supery super easy to grow food. I'll talk more about it in the spring, but for now, know that at this time of year, when everything else is starting to wane, it just gets growing and does beautifully. And it grows incredibly easily from seed, which means that a bunch can be grown for pennies. However, even if you don't grow it yourself, it tends to run significantly cheaper than spinach.

But heck, if you're just too afraid of it or can't find it at your store, raw baby spinach will work great in this too.

Kale Apple Smoothie
adapted from Real Simple
Serves 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cost: $.53
kale: .10, apple juice: .10 (from concentrate), apple: .25, banana: .08)

Note: I recommend having your apple and your banana frozen. However, if you only have one or the other of those frozen, you'll be fine. Just make sure something's frozen, because there's no ice in this recipe, so if all your fruits are at room temperature, you'll get a slightly lukewarm smoothie that will be edible, but not as appealing. Moral of story: next time your kid eats only half an apple or you get a mushy one, peel it, cut it into chunks and throw it in a freezer bag. Or the next time your bananas have more brown than green, peel them and into the freezer bag with them too.

3/4 C kale (about 3-4 four-inch leaves), large ribs removed
1/2 C apple juice
1 frozen apple, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 frozen ripe banana (also peeled, but I didn't find it so essential to say so here)

Put all ingredients in blender and have at it. If it's incredibly thick, add several more tablespoons of apple juice (or even water). If you didn't get any of those fruits frozen, add a few cubes of ice (providing your blender can handle it; mine can't). Blend it well because this smoothie can get a wee bit of an applesauce-y feel to it if you don't blend it up really well. This isn't necessarily a problem, but it's a texture that would bug some people.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Looking for another cheap seasonal smoothie, check this one out: Pumpkin Smoothie

Linked to Sweets for a Saturday

Apple Tart with Whole Wheat Crust

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

Apples are cheap right now and I have big plans for them. For starters, we've been eating several of them a day. For seconders, I've got a plan for sugar-free crock pot applesauce. For thirders, I've got tarts and pies and apple cakes calling my sweet sweet name.

This tart calls it particularly sweetly because it weighs in with only 5 Tbsp sugar for the whole thing and you can sub out nearly half of the flour with whole wheat and not even notice.

Still, I must warn you, it is not an apple pie. It shares many qualities with apple pie, such as apples, sweetness, and crust. But it is missing some key factors as well, such as at least 11 Tbsp sugar and a top. Go into it pretending you're perfectly French and then add a dollop of some homemade whipped cream or, heck, some creme fraiche over the top, and you'll be fine.

Approach it as an American ordering an "apple pie" from McDonald's and you'll keep wondering "Where's the beef?" Or something like that.

Not that I mean to downplay this little beauty in any way by pointing out that it isn't super sweet. One of the things I love about it is that it gives the apples a chance to come through. It's got no cinnamon, nutmeg or other spices (though you could certainly add them if you wished), so you end up with a lovely lightly sweet, very apple-y treat. That you can eat for breakfast. Uh-huh.

Apple Tart with Whole Wheat Crust
adapted from smittenkitchen
Makes 1 pie
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Cost: $2.45
(flours: .20, butter: .70, apples: 1.50 if you get sale apples, sugar: .05)

For crust:

1/2 C white whole wheat flour (regular whole wheat will give it a stronger wheat taste, but I bet it'd work just fine)
3/4 C all purpose flour
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, cold
1 tsp sugar
2-4 Tbsp cold water

For filling:

2 lb apples or about 3 rather large apples (I used a granny smith and several golden delicious)
2 Tbsp butter, melted
5 Tbsp sugar, divided

Prepare your crust. I did mine (and always do) by throwing the dry ingredients into a food processor and then adding the butter and giving it a whirl until it's in pea sized chunks. Then I add the cold water, starting with 2 Tbsp and adding more if it won't come together. You want to stop the food processor just as the dough begins to come together.

Take it out and roll it out. (It helps to throw it in the fridge for 10-30 minutes, but I usually skip that because I lack dedication.) So I just flour my surface and do my best not to roll it into a parallelogram. I'm a terrible terrible roller. Thus, all my crusts end up looking sloppy rustic. It's a curse. But things taste good anyway. Roll out your crust. Patch the edges if necessary and flop it into a pie pan. Smittenkitchen says you can do a rustic little gallette too and I did a mini one this week with some dough leftover from my chicken pot pie.

It was excellent, but truly I liked the way the pie pan forced everything to stay put a little better.

Now peel and slice your apples. Try to get them nice and thin. Toss them with 2 Tbsp of the sugar. Then layer them into the pie pan by overlapping the slices around in a circle until you get to the center. (Then throw your extras on top in a haphazard fashion like I did. I tried to accordion mine into the pie pan, I did, but they didn't look so accordion-like.) Just overlap them and life will go on.

Fold any remaining crust over onto the apples and crimp it at inch intervals or wherever your very rustic design looks to need crimping. Brush the crimped edge with the melted butter. [Note: I've made this twice and forgot to do this the second time; it was still great, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the butter. It added something by way of flavor and texture to both apples and crust. So I highly recommend not skipping or forgetting the butter. Continuance of excessively long note: Don't you love that I mess all these recipes up so I can give you the skinny on how bad the mess ups make the final product.)

Then sprinkle the rest of your sugar on the apples and the crimped crust. It will look like a lot, and you can reduce it by a tablespoon or two if you wish, but that was too tart for Kip (not a problem; he just got some ice cream to go with, but still). The sugar will combine with the juices of the apples and butter to make a syrupy yum, so don't worry about it.

Bake at 400 in center of oven until apples are soft and a bit brown at the edges, or for about 45 minutes. I turned the pan at 15 minute intervals because the back of my oven cooks hotter than the front. Let cool at least 10 minutes.

Note (and it's another long one): Smittenkitchen used a simple syrup made from the apple peelings, cores, 1/2 C sugar, and enough water to cover. This stuff is simmered for (smittenkitchen said 25 minutes, but at that point, I still just had slightly sweet water) until it's thickened and reduced a bit. She then strained it out (yeah, I thought it seemed fussy too). Then, when the tart is done, she poured this over the tart. I did this and it was fine, but I found it unnecessary. My friend, however, who recommended this recipe also recommended watering down a bit of plum or berry jam to make a glaze and putting that on the tart. I thought that sounded yummy and pretty, but haven't tried it yet. Let me know if you do.

This tart is great warm (of course), but I actually love it best cold.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

How to Can Applesauce

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

I made my first applesauce this summer. For it I only used the few extra apples I had that were heading south--a pound or so of apples. And I gobbled the applesauce up that day or the next. Now it's fall and I'm drowning in apples. The time has come to learn to can applesauce.

So if you could please bestow the domestic goddess award, I'd appreciate it.

'Whatever,' you say, 'canning applesauce  is, like, shockingly easy. We're saving our domestic goddess award for someone with real skills. Like cheese making.'

And it's true. Applesauce is easy to can. Who knew? You make the applesauce. You put it in clean jars with clean sealing lids. You submerge these in a big old pot of water and boil for 20 minutes.

Applesauce, Canned
makes about 6 pints
Cost: $8.00 for the batch
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

7-8 lb apples (this translates to 16-20 C of apples), peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces (or so--I'm not a very careful chopper, but I can peel an apple in no time and keep the skin all in one piece. See, I do have goddess-like qualities, come on...)
2-2 1/2 C water
1-2 C sugar
several slivers of lemon rind
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon

To Make Applesauce:

Peel and chop apples. Put them in a big old pot with the water and lemon rinds. It won't look like enough water, but it is; the apples will release their juices. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 10-20 minutes (yeah, I didn't keep very good track). You're going to simmer them until they are super soft. Pull out the rinds and mash the apples right in the pot with a potato masher. I get mine pretty mashed because my family has issues with chunkies. If you want yours super duper smooth, put it in the blender and give it a spin.

While it's still plenty hot, add sugar. I like to add it at the end just so I know how much I really want to put in. Start with a cup, taste it (blow it off first; it's hot, remember), and then add more sugar according to your needs. Ditto the cinnamon.

At this point you can throw it into the fridge and just eat it. Or you can be a domestic goddess like myself and can it, which is surprisingly satisfying.

To Can:

1. Clean your jars. Clean your lids and seals. People generally pour hot hot water on the lids and clean them that way.

2. Pour the hot applesauce into the hot jars (You want hot in hot so your jars don't crack or burst). Leave 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jars (Head space they call this in domestic goddess land).

3. Put the seals and lids on.

4. Submerge jars in a pot of hot water (again, hot in hot so the jars don't burst). You need enough water so you have a good two inches above the top of the jars (stick your finger in and touch the top of a jar; if at least 2 finger joints are submerged, you're okay). Note: You don't need a fancy pot. You just need a large (tall) pot. Also, I lay several butter knives on the bottom of my pot to create a sort of rack so that the bottoms of the jars aren't touching the bottom of the pot (i.e. the most direct source of heat). Is it necessary to keep your jars from cracking? Probably not, but I do it anyway. There's a rack you can buy, but I don't can enough to justify it.

5. Bring water to a boil. When water has reached boiling, let jars boil in the water for 20 minutes.

6. Remove jars from water with special jar removing device. If you don't have one, I once used a set of BBQ tongs to get mine out. It's a little trickier, but it can get the job done.

(This thing is pretty ancient. My mom gave it to me. It reminds me of my early childhood.)

7. Sometimes the lids don't seal right away, but as they cool, they will, so don't despair. If one really doesn't seal, still don't despair: put it in your refrigerator and eat it up in a couple of weeks.

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A Week on Waste: Easy Homemade Applesauce

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on $10/day.

Oh sure, I could post this in the fall when apples are cheap and abundant and just falling off the trees. But the thing is, in the fall, apples tend to be really yummy--crisp, fresh, and perfect. They beg to be eaten as they are or to be baked into sweet oven-dependent confections like pie and crisp. In the summer, apples are usually coming to us from cold storage. They're a little pricier and generally just not as tasty. And yet we buy them anyway. Maybe we have a hankering for one, maybe we're making a salad that requires a few, maybe our CSA throws some in to fill in the gaps before the summer vegetables have come on crazy strong. At any rate we wind up with some apples. And those apples are mushy or bland or mealy. We could throw them away or feed them to our compost or make something sinfully sweet out of them. Or, I have discovered, we can make applesauce.

Why have I never made applesauce before? Because I remember it as a big fall project. My mother used an enormous metal appliance for making applesauce, which looked to be right out of a torture chamber. I can't even remember what it did, but its memory and the thought of trying to clean such a thing has intimidated me all these years. Not only that, but we would can our applesauce. Canning is not my idea of a pleasant afternoon activity in mid-July.

Yet when I found myself with several almost rotting apples from my CSA, I remembered a recipe I'd seen from a site about making baby food. She had just softened them in a pan. I figured that if it didn't work out, I had a toddler and could pawn the applesauce off on her.

I made it and, oh, oh it was so so easy and so so good. Tart and sweet and interesting. It could be made chunky or perfectly smooth. You could make just a little if you had a mere 4 apples left. Or you could make a whole lot more if you wished. With my mushy apples it took only about 10-15 minutes on the stove. Do you know what else? I bet you could make it in a crock pot if you had a bunch of apples. I plan to give it a whirl next time.

And if you do end up with a booty load, just throw some in the freezer.

Easy Homemade Applesauce
adapted from smittenkitchen
serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes (possibly less if your toddler isn't helping you)
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Cost: that of a pound or two of apples

4 C largely diced apples (I bet pears would work too, or a combination of pears and mushy apples)
1/2 C water
a few grates lemon rind (1/8-1/4 tsp) or perhaps a small splash of juice--you want it to help keep the color of your sauce
a good dash cinnamon (1/8-1/4 tsp)
2-4 Tbsp sugar (optional)

Note: If your apples are actually crispy, the cook time will likely be longer.

Put all ingredients in a pot and allow to simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes. Give it a stir every few minutes. The apples will begin to break apart. When they're completely soft, you can leave the sauce chunky or use a potato masher to mash the fruit (which is what I did).

Taste a bite (make sure it's not too hot) and add sugar if you like. My apples were quite tart to begin with so I added 2 Tbsp sugar. This gave my son reason to accuse me of making our applesauce less healthy than that from the store. I believe that he is officially at the age of reason when and only when reason involves challenging your mother.

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Rebecca's Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Cheap Eat Challenge Count Down: 5 days

These were really good. Would that I had pictures to match their perfection. But we've been busy. And there are many small children about.

Apparently, San Antonio is the land of the 3 pound cinnamon roll. At least this is something you'd know if you watched "Man Versus Food." Ours weren't 3 pounds (thank our post Christmas stars), and according to my sister, ours tasted a heck of a lot better than the three pound block they bought when my brother came to visit.

Bec's Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 48

3 Tbsp yeast
1 C lukewarm water (110 degrees or so)
2 C milk
10 Tbsp butter (for dough)
1 tsp salt
2/3 C sugar
4 eggs, beaten

8-9 C flour
1/2-3/4 C butter (for spreading on dough)
1 1/2 C brown sugar (for spreading on dough)
4 Tbsp cinnamon (for spreading on dough)
2 large apples, peeled and chopped very small (for putting on dough)

Put yeast in water and dissolve.

Warm milk with butter in it until butter melts. Add salt and sugar until dissolved.

Pour liquid in a bowl and add 2 C flour. When it's cool enough (120 degrees or so), add beaten eggs and yeast mixture. Add remaining flour 2 C at a time until you can't mix it any more. Then dump it out and knead it adding more flour as needed. If you've got a Kitchenaid use the dough hook. My sister does and that's what we used. But you can knead the dough for 6-8 minutes instead. (I'll get some tips up for cinnamon rolls tomorrow or the next day.)

Let it raise until doubled (ours was fast, but it usually takes about an hour).

Separate into two balls (or blobs as it were). Roll each out into rectangle (ours were bigger than 12 inches by 18 inches). Spread with melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and apples. Roll up, cut in slices (ours were about 1/2 inch). Put on cookie sheet and let rise again.

Bake in oven at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Frost if desired, though a good cinnamon roll doesn't need it.

We did frost and I'll get that to you later, but my sister wants me to hang out right now, so it must wait.

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Apple Breakfast Pie

Alright, alright...I took this photo several weeks ago. Before I realized that someone of my photography skills (negetive 20) needs to take at least 7,000 pictures of something to come up with a good 1 or 2. This, this is the doctored (though my doctoring skills are also at the remedial level) photo and it's the best I had.

Bad photography aside (I'm insecure about it, okay), this breakfast pie is simple, nutritious, tasty, and (naturally) cheap. It can be made in a pie pan, in ramekins, or in muffin cups. And if you add a dollop of whipped cream just for fun, your secret is safe with me.

Apple Breakfast Pie
Serves 6

First a note on apples. The best kind to use for pie are crispy, firm, and slightly tart--like Granny Smith. However, you can use whatever old apples you've got lying around and this recipe will be just fine. Also, apples will settle in baking, so even if your pan looks very full, it'll be smaller when all is said and done.

Second a note on flour. If you'd like to add a teaspoon or so to your sugar/cinnamon mixture, knock yourself out. I didn't and my pie turned out just fine (my pie was, however, in ramekins and perhaps that reduced the flow of juices you'd get in a larger pie). If your apples are juicy or if you just want to, darn it, add some flour to thicken the syrup as the pie cooks.

Third a note on simplicity. This recipe is very basic. If you are feeling funky, don't hesitate to add a bit of nutmeg, cloves (probably 1/4-1/2 tsp), cardamom, pecans, Elmo sprinkles, or whatever floats your boat. Next time, I plan to try it with a decent dose of nutmeg as I personally believe nutmeg is the body scrub of the angels.

1 whole wheat pie crust (2 if you want to top your pie with another)
6-9 medium apples, peeled and chopped--(how many you use depends on how full you want your pie)
1/4-1/3 C sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 tsp flour (optional)

Prepare pie crust. Mix sugar, cinnamon, and flour if using. Add chopped apples and coat with sugar mixture. Pour it all in pie crust. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until apples are tender.

This recipe concludes our jaunt with apples (for now). It also (for now) concludes our jaunt with things you can eat for breakfast or dessert or both. Coming soon we'll have some recipes that (gasp) can be eaten at different times of the day. I know, you were beginning to wonder if our family ever ate meals besides breakfast. On occasion, my friends, on occasion.

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Apple Crisp

A few days ago, my 3-year-old asked for a peeled apple. When she was done, I had this.

She told me she would put it in a bag and save it for later. Alas, peeled apple kind of fits into the breakfast-cereal-with-milk-on-it category as far as saving for later. So we made something for which I only got lousy pictures. Sigh.

But it tastes really good anyway--definitely better than peeled-apple-in-a-bag.

The great thing about this apple crisp recipe is that you can use it all on a full apple crisp recipe, or you can store the oat/flour part in the fridge (or freezer) and sprinkle it on a few chopped apples whenever you, say, have a leftover half-eaten apple. Or when you're husband's working and you want a dessert you can tell yourself is healthy (what brown sugar???). Or you can put apples into little muffin cups, sprinkle them lightly with the crisp part and--you guessed it--eat it for breakfast.

Apple Crisp
Serves 6-ish

4 C chopped apples (feel free use less or more depending on how thick you like your apple layer. Remember they'll settle a bit in baking)
2/3 C brown sugar (You can totally get away with half if you want a healthier option; I usually don't)
1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C oats
1/3 C butter, softened or melted (do just 1/4 C if you're trying to healthify them)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 C chopped pecans (optional, but I love them)
1/4 C shredded coconut (optional, but I love this too)

Lay apples in bottom of greased 8x8 inch pan (or about 6 4-ounce ramekins or 12 muffin cups). Combine other ingredients (and, yes, I do this in a very cavelier manner--I just toss it all together and mix it up) and plop the flour/oat mixture on top of the apples.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until apples are tender.

If you're in the mood for just a small treat, save the remainder of the crisp part in an air tight container and store in the fridge or freezer.

PRINTABLE RECIPEhttps://sites.google.com/site/tastycheapskateprintablerecipe/apple-crisp

Apple Cake--The Wholesome Sister

There's something to be said about wholesome sisters. Oh sure, maybe they're not as voluptuous, as flirtatious, as sticky sweet. But if there's one thing I've learned from obsessively making apple cake, it's that the wholesome sister can have an unexpected depth, a flavor that is surprising, rich, texturous (that's not a word, is it?), and a certain firmness about it that some find attractive Also, you can eat her for breakfast. (Sorry, sausage lovers; I clearly have a baked goods problem.)

I didn't expect this cake to be this good, but there's something about the whole wheat. It's awesome. In fact, I think I might have to add it to the full-sugar variety next time I try it to see what happens. It gives the cake a sort of nutty-ness that is a really nice complement to the baked sugar and the apples. Also, it's just a bit more toothsome, and I like that in a baked good.

Apple Cake--The Wholesome Sister
Serves 16

One final note: You can probably substitute apple sauce for some of the oil (I'd recommend 1/4 C oil and 1/4 C apple sauce). However, it's going to change the texture of the cake. You're going to end up with something a little bit spongier, which isn't my thing in a cake. If it doesn't bother you and fat does, then go for it. If, however, you'd like less fat and to still have that almost crispy-edged cake that only oil and sugar can give you, I'd recommend you try reducing the oil to 1/3 C. And if you do, tell me what happens. (Pretty please.)

1/2 C oil
1 egg
6 T sugar (truly, I think you could get away with 4, but I haven't tried it)
1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
pinch salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 C apples (about 2 medium), peeled and chopped

Mix oil, eggs, and sugar. Sift dry ingredients. Add dry to wet. Add apples and mix well. Pour into greased 8x8 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

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Apple Cake

Apples apples up on top...

We got some really awful ones from Aldi this week. Actually we've gotten really awful ones from Aldi all fall. (Aldi, you know I love you, but seriously, have all your apples been in cold storage for, like, 3 years or what?) Anyway, these were particularly bad--all bruised on the outside and a bit mushy on the inside. But like my pappy always says: When life hands you bruised apples, make apple cake. Okay, so I don't acually have a pappy, but I'm quite confident that if I did, that's what he would have said.

So, out of respect for the pappy that wasn't, I made apple cake. And also because our dear friends were coming over and I love love love apple cake. (My son says this sentence needs an exclamation mark. Perhaps he is correct.) I love love love apple cake!

The batter comes out a bit stiff, almost cookie-dough-ish. Also, if you taste it you might not end up with apple cake because a mysterious goblin might come into your house and eat all the batter before anyone else even knew it existed. So try not to taste it, okay?

Our cake suffered an unfortunate puncture wound when I tested it for doneness. That's because it has this lovely cracky crust, which is the beauty that happens when oil and sugar get together at high heat (I only encourage such behavior in my baked goods). Oh, and about that cracky crust, the goblin loves it too. He'll (what do you mean you don't think it's a 'he;' of course it's a 'he') pick off little pieces bit by bit until the cake is nothing but exposed middle. It's embarrassing, really.

Fortunately, you can always cover it up with some whipped cream. But I didn't get a picture of that. Do you suppose we could blame the goblin for that as well?

Apple Cake
aka When Life Hands You Bruised Apples Cake
aka Goblin Cake
Serves 16

1/2 C oil
1 egg
1 C sugar
1 1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 C chopped apples (about 2 medium apples)

Mix oil, eggs, and sugar. Sift dry ingredients. Add dry to wet and stir. Add apples and mix to incorporate. Pour into 8x8in (or 9x9in or a cake pan--we're not picky here). Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Oh--and the greatest thing... This cake has a sister. A more wholesome sister. You know, the kind you could eat for breakfast. Why? Because I am obsessive compulsive and clearly cannot stop. I'll post it later tonight. At present, our dinner is calling.

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