Caramel Apple Cider Floats

Apple cider is so "fall," isn't it? I love to pour some in the crockpot with some spices and let it simmer all day. But this refreshing, sweet float is a fantastic way to enjoy cider, too.

Here's what you need:

1 cup of cider per person
1 scoop of vanilla icecream per person
2 TBSP whipped cream per person
1 TBSP caramel ice cream topping per person
cinnamon

Gently heat the cider in a saucepan. You don't want it boiling, just warm.

Scoop the ice cream into a glass. Pour the warm cider over the ice cream and sprinkle with a little cinnamon.

Spoon the whipped cream over the ice cream, then drizzle with the caramel topping. Enjoy!

Cheddar Apple Salad

I love eating salads. They are so versatile. You can throw just about any ingredient in and make it work. This salad is sweet with some yummy cheese and crunchy pecans. Perfect for fall.

Here's what you need:

8 cups torn salad greens of your choice (I use romaine and iceberg)
1 cup chopped apple - tart is best, but any kind will work
1/2 cup chopped pecans
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
6 slices bacon, cooked and diced

For the dressing:
1/2 cup poppy seed dressing
1/4 cup balsamic viniagrette

In a large bowl, toss the salad ingredients together. Whisk the poppy seed and balsamic dressings together. Pour over the salad and toss to coat. You may not need all of the dressing, so just save it in the fridge for future use. I only used about a two-thirds of it so I didn't drown the salad.

Also, if you don't think all of the salad will get eaten, you can leave the dressing off and serve it on the side. Cause lettuce does some funny wilting stuff once it comes in contact with dressing.

Apple Coffee Cake

Coffee cake is one of my husband's favorite sweet treats. So I'm always on the lookout for yummy new recipes to make for him. When I stumbled upon this one, I knew he'd love it. And he did.

And it was so good I wish I hadn't told him I was making it. So I could have eaten it all myself. It was just that delicious. And I'm not even a huge fan of cake.

I would never have gotten away with not telling him, though, because the smell as this piece of heaven was baking would have given me away. The scent of apples and cinnamon filled the whole house. As soon as he walked in the door, he noticed. And I think he even started drooling a little.

Here's what you'll need:
3 medium apples, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups flour (I used half white, half wheat)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas cinnamon
1/4 teas salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
1 teas vanilla
1 egg, beaten
For the topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teas cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a small bowl, combine the butter, milk, egg, and vanilla.


Add the wet ingredients to the dry, but be careful not to overmix. The batter will be thick and lumpy. Stir in the chopped apples. Spread in a greased 8x8 baking pan.


Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. You could add a handful of chopped nuts if you wanted to. Sprinkle over the batter.


Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too much, cover loosely with foil.


This cake is fabulous served warm! And fabulous served cold. It's pretty dense, but the apples keep the cake moist and wonderful! Invite a friend over for coffee and make this yummy treat to share.



For more yummy recipes, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace.

Rustic Apple Tart

Apple pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts. I just love it. But I wanted to make something a little different than a traditional apple pie. So I tried my hand at making an apple tart. Charles promptly asked why I hadn't made one before and could I make one again really soon! I guess it was a hit.

If you want to make this completely from scratch, by all means do so. Use your favorite one-crust pie dough recipe. You can also use your own apple pie filling, too. I've got a recipe here if you want to try it. I'm going to make a big batch this week to have on hand for holiday baking.

But this recipe is quick and easy. It goes together in no time and is perfect when you want something yummy and sweet without a lot of prep work.

Here's what you need:

1 refrigerated pie crust, room temperature
1 can apple pie filling
1 teas cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 TBSP milk

Roll out the pie crust to fit a baking stone or pizza pan. Spread the pie filling over the crust, leaving about 2 inches around the edges. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nuts.


Fold the edges up over the filling, crimping a little as you go. The dough will overlap and form a nice ring around the filling. Isn't that pretty?



Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let cool. Mix together the powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle over the tart. Use a pizza cutter to slice into wedges and serve.


For more yummy recipes, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace.

Caramel Apple Muffins

October 21 is Caramel Apple Day. So I'm going to share a recipe for Caramel Apple Muffins! I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website, but I modified it slightly to reduce the amount of sugar.

Here's what you need:

2 cups flour (I use half unbleached white, half wheat)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teas baking powder
2 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teas vanilla extract
1/2 cup diced apple
12 caramels, coarsely chopped

For the topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cups quick oats
3 TBSP melted butter
1 teas cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.


In another bowl, mix together the egg, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Don't overmix, because that will cause your muffins to not rise.



Gently stir in the apples and caramels.



Fill paper-lined muffin cups with the batter. Combine the topping ingredients and spoon over the muffin.


Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. The topping will get all melty and gooey, as will the caramels. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then move to a wire rack.


We loved these muffins because they had all the flavors of a caramel apple without the sticky mess. Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Fall is in full swing now that the temperatures have cooled. Last week we broke records for high temps in the 90's! Yesterday it rained and there was a dramatic change in the air. Still, nothing says fall to me like apples.

This recipe is my go-to muffin recipe. It's easy and quick. I use it for blueberry muffins, bacon and cheddar muffins, even chocolate chip muffins. This go around I'm using it to showcase my favorite fall treat - apples!

Here's what you need:

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup of mix-ins - in this case, chopped apples

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Since I'm making apple cinnamon muffins, I added 1 teas cinnamon to the flour mixture.

In another small bowl, combine the milk, egg, and oil. Stir this into the flour mixture just until moistened. The trick to great muffins is to not overmix. Just until moistened, okay?

Now stir in your chopped apples. The batter will be thick and lumpy. That's exactly how you want it! Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.


If you want a little more sweetness, combine brown sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the top before baking.

Apple dumplings in no time

If you've ever made homemade apple dumplings, you know it can be time-consuming. So here's an easy recipe that gives you the rich, buttery taste of apple dumplings without all the work.

Start by peeling a tart apple, like a Granny Smith, and slicing it into 8 slices. I used a corer/slicer for this, then trim off any core or seeds with a paring knife. It takes a few seconds.


Unroll and separate one tube of refrigerated crescent roll dough. Wrap one triangle around each apple slice. Arrange in a greased 8x8 pan.

In a small sauce pan, melt one stick of butter. Add 1/2 cup sugar and stir to blend. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of cinnamon into the pan and mix well.


Pour this mixture over the apple dumplings in the pan.


Now for the secret ingredient - Sierra Mist. Or Sprite. Or 7-Up. Any lemon-lime soda will do. You could also use Mountain Dew, but that's not something I keep in the house. If you're trying to watch your sugar intake, you can skip the soda. But seriously, if you're watching your sugar intake, you need to skip this recipe altogether! You only have to use about half a can. The soda will fizz as you pour it. This is good.



Pop the dumplings into a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown on top. The bottom of the pan will still be plenty moist, and that's okay. As it cools, the liquid thickens and makes a nice sauce.


That sauce is very important. It goes over the icecream you put over your dumplings!


So easy and so good! You can easily double this recipe and use a 9x13 pan instead of an 8x8. The smaller size is just right for my family. We each get two dumplings.

For more tasty recipes, stop by Blessed with Grace's Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Apple Spice Cake

If you need an easy dessert, this cake is for you. I had some apple pie filling left over from my Thanksgiving desserts and wanted to use it for something other than pie. I found a couple of recipes that called for a yellow cake mix, but I didn't have one on hand. I did, however, have a spice cake mix. And what goes better together than cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and apples? Ummm, not much! So I thawed the filling and started mixing.

Apple Spice Cake

1 box spice cake mix
3 eggs
1 can apple pie filling (if you're using homemade, use enough for one pie)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP butter, melted

Mix cake mix, eggs and pie filling together until well blended and spread into a greased 9x13 pan. Combine the remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.



This was a moist cake but not too sweet. Next time I make it, I'm going to finish it off with a simple powdered sugar/milk glaze. Or maybe I'll leave the nut topping off and use vanilla frosting instead. Both will be fabulous, I'm sure.

Homemade Apple Pie Filling

Earlier this year we bought a new house. Well, it's not really new. It's 30 years old. But it was new to us, right? We had lived in our previous house for 8 years and had gone from a family of 2 to a family of 4. Not only that, we spent a LOT of time in that house. I homeschooled the children, Charles worked from home. And we were falling all over each other and each other's stuff. Last spring, God opened the doors for us to buy a bigger house. And I do mean bigger. We went from 1200 sq ft of living space to 4000 sq ft! I'll tell you more about the new house in another post.

Because of all the space we have now, we decided to host Thanksgiving with hubby's family and Christmas with my family. Since they all live out of state and will be staying several days, sleeping arrangements had to be taken care of. We finally have enough room to comfortably hold everyone!

I love to cook, so planning meals for a lot of people is fun for me. My father-in-law doesn't care for pumpkin pie, so I'm making apple pie for him. I'm sure he'll share. Here's a recipe for homemade apple pie filling that is delicious and inexpensive. Plus, it makes enough to freeze some for later pies.

Homemade Apple Pie Filling

18 cups sliced apples - I used about 6 lbs of apples, a mix of Gala and Granny Smith
3 TBS lemon juice
Toss the apples with the lemon juice and set aside.

Pour 6 cups of water into a large pot. Add 4 cups of sugar, 1 cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir well and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken up, which is good!

Look at all that cinnamony goodness floating at the top! Don't worry, it will blend in as you stir!

Add apples and stir gently to combine. Return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6-8 minues or until apples are tender.



See how my pot almost wasn't big enough? Oops! Let the apple filling cool, then ladle into freezer bags or jars. A quart size freezer bag will hold about 4 scoops of filling. This recipe will make enough filling for 5 pies. I froze 4 bags and made a pie right then.


Hubby declared the filling to be delicious. And hopefully his father will think so too!

Now if only the Kitchen Clean-up Fairy will pay me a visit...

For more Thanksgiving recipes, visit Life as Mom