Mom's Apple Crisp

  When Bob and I were kids, Mom used to make Apple Crisp fairly often. It was sweet and cinnamony and that's about all a kid needs to know. Of course it contained apples so it was also probably a  sly way to get us to eat fruit. But we never thought of that. We just liked it.

 Yesterday I noticed that Tom's bag of apples in  the refrigerator were getting a few dark spots. I had several apples there, too. All told: eight.

 I have never made Apple Crisp and didn't, in fact, even know where Mom kept the recipe. So I started a search and I think I found it. She almost certainly used an old Mennonite recipe, the source of many of her favorite desserts.

 It's simple enough:

Apple Crisp

8 apples
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (heaping)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup margarine (one stick)
1/2 cup water

 I cored the apples and cut them into bite-sized chunks and layered them in the bottom of an (size) glass baking dish. I greased the pan first to prevent sticking. I added the water to them.

 The remaining ingredients were  mixed in a bowl. The margarine is "cut in" with a  fork, making a crumbly mixture that is them spread over the layer of apples. I smoothed it out with the back of a tablespoon.

 The pan is baked for 40 minutes at 375° (uncovered).

 I like how the top becomes uneven as it bakes. This is due to the pockets of margarine melting and  dripping down through the base of apples. After the baking time was up I gave the dish perhaps a little less than a minute with  the broiler on high so that the cinnamon topping would darken a bit at its highest spots.

 The completed dish takes hours to cool but I suppose one might jump the gun and  serve it while still warm. I preferred waiting a day for any liquids to be  absorbed by the apples.

I Am More Exalted By ... [quote]

 

Simple White Bread

  I haven't bought a loaf of bread at a grocery for some time now. Every week, when my last two loaves are about to run out, I bake a couple more. I've found, though, that none of the recent bread I've baked gets quite as high as I'd like ... nor does it have the yeasty aroma my mother's bread had when I was a kid.

 I also wanted a bread that used eggs. None of the recipes I use make use of eggs. Why is that? I'd think they'd add an appealing yellow color to the bread and also add a layer of richness.

 I found a recipe called Simple White Bread at JennyCanCook.com. Click here to see it.

I also wanted to use up a couple of ingredients that I was storing in the refrigerator: Half & Half and RapidRise yeast. Why couldn't I use the Half & Half instead of regular whole milk? And I had just a single pack of RapidRise yeast but I wanted to make two loaves. I just used a pack of regular active yeast, too.


Because I was partly using regular yeast, I figured two rises would be needed (about an hour and fifteen minutes each). I'd say that was too long. The dough rose too well and the center of each loaf collapsed slightly as it was baking. It wasn't a major defect.

I doubled everything so I could make the second loaf.

Bottom Line: I love the light, airy texture of this bread but I still don't notice a strong yeast taste. I suppose it's me. Our taste buds aren't as sharp as they were when we were kids. I also don't see that the eggs have yellowed the bread. I'm surprised at that.

But overall this is a better bread than I've been making. I like the larger slices. This is the one I'll be making again.

Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

  I'm a sucker for sweets and with Thanksgiving just two days off I decided to make a coconut cream pie. But which recipe? I decided on one at allrecipes.com. Click here for details.

 It's easy as can be and the filling it produces has a subtle coconut taste, not overpowering.

 Having never made it before I was a bit concerned about how liquid the pudding was when I began to cook it. It thickens beautifully, though, just as it begins to boil and then sets firmly in the refrigerator.

 Unlike come recipes I've used in the past, this one actually makes enough filling for a single deep-dish pie crust. When I add whipped topping just before serving, it'll be a real mound.

 I used a frozen commercial pie crust because I've found I can't do better. The frozen crust requires baking prior to use. I can make a nice crust just fine but I've not found it to be worth the trouble. If you prefer homemade from top to bottom, have at it. For me it's more trouble than it's worth.

 Did I say the coconut filling really really fills a pie crust?

 So here it is, ready for the whipped cream and a sprinkling of the reserved toasted coconut. Tom's going to make a veggie lasagna this year but at least the dessert is all ready to go.

The Heavens Attract Us ... [quote]

 

Third Time Raking

  When I came back from doing laps in the neighbor's lane, Tom was raking leaves on the north side of the house. It's a big project so I grabbed a rake and began to help. We've been at it for hours (we broke for lunch) and decided that that was enough for today.

 There's still plenty of leaves in the trees - though mostly the lower limbs - so our work is not done. In fact we'll  also be making more work on Thursday when we clean out the gutters. Why Thursday? It's supposed to be sunny and 80°. That'll be hard to beat. I'm usually fishing soggy leaves out of the gutter that are half frozen.

 The past two days have given us over two inches of rain and we didn't want to leave the thick mat of leaves on the lawn any longer than necessary. We've raked twice before this season but there always seem to be more in a day or two.

 After finishing the north lawn, Tom wanted to keep going so we moved to the south lawn nearest the house. The other south lawn, nearest the neighbor's lane, only has a hackberry dropping leaves and those seem to blow away on their own.

 Atop the kitchen roof are plenty more leaves. And the lower branches of the maple are surely not bare. But a leaf picked up is a leaf that doesn't need to be picked up again. These were wet leaves, heavy to move, but we carried them to the garden where we'll turn  them into the soil before winter arrives if the weather permits. They're great, free mulch.

 Here's a view of the garden. It's probably buried under a foot of leaves in places. In  the foreground is Tom's tree nursery. We have them growing in the garden until they're large enough to move to a final spot. We have them in wire cages as some protection from the deer.

 So our fall work continues and I suppose it won't be quite finished until the first snow flakes fly.

Bill's Cornbread

  I love cornbread and I often buy a box of my favorite commercial mix: Krusteaz Honey Cornbread. It couldn't be easier, needs very little added and I think the taste and texture are the best of any I've tried.

 But sometimes I want to make my own. If for no other reason, it's cheaper.

 I usually follow the directions on the box of corn meal. I buy Kroger's brand. I'm happy with their cornmeal but I've never been satisfied with the recipe. I wanted something cornier and something sweeter.

 So today I made a pan that I modified.

Bill's Cornbread

• 1-1/4 cups cornmeal
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

 I baked this in a greased 8" square glass pan at 400° for 25 minutes. During the final two minutes or so, I turned my boiler on high and rotated the pan half-way through. This browns the top better.

There's plenty of disagreement about what makes great cornbread. I've always preferred what's considered a "northern" version: sweeter and perhaps a little more cake-like. Here's an interesting discussion. Cracker Barrel's, in my opinion, is more of the "southern" variety.

This recipe is much closer to my ideal cornbread. I wanted more of a corn taste, a texture that is more yellow, and I certainly wanted it sweeter. This answers to all those desires.