apples

Baked Apple Chips

October 31, 2012 By sharib 2 Comments

We’re going on our third day hunkered down inside our apartment due to the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. Luckily we’re now on the other side of the storm, unscathed. Schools are closed again tomorrow.

With all of this unexpected togetherness, besides getting on esch others’ nerves and watchin the round the clock storm coverage on the news, we’ve been baking and eating up our own storm. We made 36 gorgeous Black Bottom Cupcakes for the school Halloween Bakesale that too has been pre empted by the hurricane. We baked an additional two dozen Duncan Hines Double Chocolate Fudge and Marshmallow cupcakes, just for the fun of it. As you might have suspected, most of them have already been eaten.

So, in a desperate attempt to get something reasonably healthy eaten, I decided to bake some apple chips. We love apples, we love the crunch of chips, so why not merge the two together?

This recipe is super easy and really only requires one ingredient: apples. We used a Red Delicious apple and a Gala apple but, really, any will do. They key is to slice the apples as thin as possible. We used our handy OXO Mandolin to get perfectly even slices.

Next, just lay your slices on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. We chose to sprinkle our slices with some cinamon and sugar too before we let them bake in the oven for approximately one hour.

While baking, the sweetest smells of fall will waft throughout your kitchen.

After an hour, just loosen the apples from the paper and cook them for another 2-3 minutes and you’re resdy to enjoy the most delicious apple-based snack.

unfortunately, we only had 2 apples that yielded only a small handful of slices. and, they were gobbled up in under 2 minutes.

But, we now have a new (healthy) snack that we can make on a moment’s notice.

Enjoy!

Baked Apple Chips

Ingredients:

apples
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Slice apples very thin using a mandolin or a peeler.
Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.
Lay slices on parchment paper and bake for approximately one hour.
After one hour, un stick apples from parchment and bake for another 1-2 minutes.
Let cool and ENJOY!

Filed Under: Desserts, Sides, Uncategorized Tagged With: apple recipe, apple slices, apples, bakes apple recipe, baking, Cooking, hurricane Sandy 2 Comments

October in Pink

October 17, 2011 By sharib Leave a Comment

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to continue celebrating the many fruitful bounties of the fall harvest (APPLES), I’m delighted to offer a guest post today by another heralded breast cancer ambassador, Jennie.

Through My Judy the Foodie, Jennie and I learned that we have a bond that will last forever. We both are daughters of mothers with breast cancer. Although, Jennie is luckier than me. Her mother is a survivor.

Today Jennie reveals to us her mother’s celebrated version of the Apple Crisp. In addition to breaking bread together and sharing recipes, Jennie and her mom are forever committed to fighting for a cure for breast cancer as well as supporting their friends who have lost their mothers, wives, sisters and loved ones.

October is my favorite month. Letting go of summer is a distant memory. School supplies and new shoes have been purchased, and the kids are settled in to a comfortable routine. The weather is usually beautiful, crisp and clean and there’s lots of fresh food still coming up at farmer’s markets, where I do most of my shopping.

Just this weekend at our farmer’s market, here in Annapolis, MD, we still had plenty of eggplants, green beans, tomatoes and potatoes – but now, there is also the colored bounty of fall: winter squashes, leafy vegetables like kale, chard and mustard greens, and of course…APPLES! There are heaping mountains of them, in all different colors, sizes and varieties.

In the tradition of “My Judy The Foodie,” I’d like to share one of MY mother’s time tested apple recipes with you. My mom, Christy, is a GREAT COOK. We rarely went out to eat when we were kids – my mom was such a good cook that we preferred it that way! Mom was (and still is) a minimalist and a traditionalist. She didn’t experiment with trendy new foods or fads. “Fat-free” was never served at our house, and we really didn’t eat anything canned or pre-prepared. My parents had us sit down as a family every night, well into our high school years. Our meals consisted of very fresh, simple food. Dinner was usually a protein (meat, chicken or fish) and a veggie or two, also simply prepared. Occasionally we would have a dessert, and Mom often made this Apple Crisp recipe that I’m proud to share. Like my mom, this dish is uncomplicated, humble, and classic in every way…and everyone loves it!

I suggest that you purchase your apples locally, and ask your farmer which apples he has in stock that are good for cooking. He’ll direct you to ones that are harder (so that they won’t get mushy) and tart. For today’s apple crisp we are using “Stayman” and “Winesap.” You can also get good old “Granny Smiths” at the grocery, but for goodness sake, forego the mealy standby “Red Delicious” – they may be red, but they are usually NOT delicious!

Thanks to My Judy The Foodie for letting me share today – in life, EVERYTHING is better when shared.

Crumble waiting to get crispy

Crisp ready for some oven time

CHRISTY’S APPLE CRISP

Ingredients:

6 cups of peeled, sliced apples
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 stick of butter, melted
cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350.
Butter a 9 x 13 glass or ceramic baking dish
Place the sliced apples across the bottom of the dish
In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flour, soda and salt. Mix in the beaten egg and combine using a fork. Combine until mixture is just crumbly. Don’t over mix.
Scatter crumb topping over apples
Drizzle melted butter over topping
Generously sprinkle cinnamon over buttered topping
Bake for 45-60 minutes or until crust is crispy and browned, and apples are bubbling
Allow to cool slightly. Serve warm, or cold.
Enjoy. This dish also makes for a great breakfast!

Have any fall favorites from your mom? Share them with us.

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: apple crisp, apple crisp recipe, apples, Breast Cancer, breast cancer awareness month, moms with breast cancer Leave a Comment

Reaping the Benefits of the Fall Apple Harvest

October 5, 2011 By sharib 8 Comments

It finally feels like fall. There’s a subtle chill in the air, shorts and t-shirts have been traded in for pants and long-sleeves, and U-PICK signs are dotted alongside many of the farms throughout the small towns of Long Island. This year, apple picking took on a different meaning for me. In addition to creating a wonderful family activity and an effortless science lesson, I was also searching for those perfect ripe apples to help recreate some of Mom’s recipes from her collection. I’ve definitely got food on the brain. Like any city folk escaping their concrete jungle, we drove out to the beach last weekend with a desperate mission: to celebrate as many fall harvest activities as we could cram in the mere 36 hours we had at our disposal. We accomplished everything on our list!

We love supporting the local Mecox area farmers and enjoy talking to them as we venture out into their orchards. This year’s experience was a bit disappointing as many of the apples fell to the ground during Hurricane Irene. It seems the farmers lost about 25% of their apple yield. But, that didn’t stop us. We grabbed our bags and set out in different directions down the orchard rows, everyone seeking their own favorite. I’m a Gala girl, my son claims he’s Golden Delicious (and he is by the way), my daughter likes Honey Crisp and my husband’s just along for the ride and prime photo opps too.

Gorgeous apples ready to be picked

I love the random teachable moments that can spawn from these activities. This year, our apple picking adventure surprisingly turned into a freckle adventure. Prior to venturing down the rows, my freckle-faced daughter happened to discover a Mecox Freckles sign. The sign alerts pickers that although the Mutsu apples are covered in brown spots, the apples aren’t tarnished, they’re yummy and delicious. How appropriate for us. We’ve had this discussion numerous times at home, encouraging our daughter to love the skin she’s in. Luckily at 9, she happens to adore the freckles that completely cover her face. However, I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll be referencing this particular sign and its metaphorical message when she (gulp) reaches adolescence and starts getting really critical.

freckles unite!

After the apple picking came Hank’s Pumpkintown. Imagine every type of activity you can possibly eek out of the fall harvest, organize these activities in one place, advertise to lots of people looking for something to do, and you’ve got our annual stop at Hank’s. After the corn mazes, roasted-corn-on-a-stick, hay rides, pumpkin picking, we managed to leave with our car only full with over-sized pumpkins and liters of fresh apple cider- we passed on the baked candy apples and made-to-order hand cut french fries .

picturesque pumpkin-flled landscape

So, what do you do when you get back to the city, open the doors to your apartment and realize that between the pounds of apples picked and sheer girth of the pumpkins, you’ve got no counter space left in your kitchen? Sure, you get a rush when you’re actually selecting and picking the apples in the orchard. However, when you’ve got the filled bags sitting in your kitchen, it’s a little overwhelming. I immediately went searching for a recipe, the MyJudytheFoodie binder. Hoping to put a serious dent in my apple quantity, I needed to find a recipe that’s quick and easy to make AND requires more than just a handful of apples – Mom’s Apple Crisp. Feeling motivated, I went out on a limb and decided to make another childhood favorite: Apple Butter. This recipe even required a trip to the store to purchase my very

my new gadget

The mixture of smells wafting from the oven as the fresh apple slices baked underneath the oat and brown sugar topping was mouth-watering. Combine those with the incense-like aroma from the slow cooking apples/sugar/cloves/cinnamon (yes folks that’s all apple butter contains) and you’ve got one heavenly smelling apartment/house. Can you imagine my sheer pleasure as I programmed the cooker to slow cook for 10 more hours? There’s nothing more exciting than knowing that while you’re sleeping, something is still cooking, stewing, forming. I felt like a kid at Christmas time (or I imagined what it must feel like since I’m Jewish) when I entered the kitchen early morning to find the final apple butter product in the cooker. Within minutes my son was requesting some “butter” on his challah at breakfast. I love that he felt so invested in this project. To think that he picked these apples with his bare hands from the trees just the day before must have been so cool for him.

I must admit that spending over three hours peeling, cutting and coring apples has left me not wanting to look at another apple for a long time. Now, what to do with the entire bag full of apples still sitting on my kitchen floor?

Apple-slice eye masks anyone?

Judy’s Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

4 cups cored, peeled, sliced tart apples
3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease 8x8x2 square baking pan.
Line bottom of pan with sliced apples.
In medium bowl mix remaining ingredients thoroughly.
Sprinkle mixture over apples to completely cover.
Bake for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Best served warm, in a bowl, with a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream.

a chorus of apples awaiting its crisp

A sea of baked apple crisp

All Day Apple Butter (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

4-5 pounds of apples – peeled, cored and finely chopped
2-3 cups of white sugar (depending on amount of apples used)
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Instructions:

Place apples in a slow cooker.
In a medium bowl, mix the sugar*, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
Pour mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.
Cover and cook on high 1 hour.
Reduce the heat to low and cook an additional 10-11 hours. Stir occasionally until the mixture is thickened and brown.
Uncover and continue cooking an extra 1.5 hours (or until consistency is much thicker).
Spoon the mixture into jars or containers, cover, refrigerate or freeze.
Enjoy!

* I would recommend cutting the sugar quantity in half. The apples alone have a lot of sugar and you don’t want to make the butter so sweet you can’t enjoy it!