Category Archives: baking

From Orchard to Basket: Fun Facts About Apples

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Fun Facts About Apple Picking Season 🍎🌳

Crisp air, golden leaves, and the crunch of fresh apples—it must be apple picking season! Visiting an orchard is more than just a fall tradition; it’s an adventure full of history, flavor, and fun. Whether you’re filling a basket with Honeycrisp, Gala, or Granny Smith, here are some juicy facts to make your apple-picking trip even sweeter.

Apples: Nutrition and Health Benefits

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1. Apples are ancient travelers.
Did you know apples have been cultivated for thousands of years? They originated in Central Asia, near Kazakhstan, and slowly spread across the globe thanks to traders and explorers. Today, they’re grown in more than 100 countries.

2. There are thousands of varieties.
While you might only see a few dozen at the orchard or grocery store, there are over 7,500 different apple varieties worldwide. Each one has its own flavor, texture, and best use—some are perfect for pies, while others are best for snacking.

3. The U.S. loves apples.
Apples are the second most consumed fruit in the United States, right after bananas. Washington state leads the way in production, but orchards across the country bring local charm to the harvest.

4. They float for a reason.
Ever wonder why apple bobbing works? Apples are about 25% air, which makes them buoyant enough to float in water. It’s science and fun all in one!

5. Picking your own is fresher.
When you pick an apple straight from the tree, it can last weeks longer than store-bought ones, since they haven’t traveled through storage and shipping. Plus, nothing beats that first juicy bite in the orchard.

6. Apples symbolize health and wisdom.
You’ve heard the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” While not a magic cure, apples are full of fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants, making them a smart seasonal snack.

Growing Delicious Apples at Home: From Planting to Harvest

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So, grab a basket, head to your local orchard, and celebrate apple picking season with a little extra knowledge. After all, fall is the perfect time to make memories—and maybe even a pie!

My Perfect Apple Pie - RecipeTin Eats

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Easy Apple Pie

Amazing apple pies start with amazing pie crusts. Here’s one tried and true pie crust recipe to get you started

All-Butter Pie Crust

Amy Duska

An easy, all-butter pie crust recipe that gives you a tender, flaky pie crust every time! This recipe makes 2 pie crusts
Prep Time 15minutes 
Chill Time 1hour 
Servings 2 (9″) pie crusts

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Prepare the water/vinegar mixture. Drop an ice-cube into a measuring cup and fill the measuring cup up with water to the ½ cup mark. Add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar and set aside.
  • Mix Flour and Butter. Combine the flour, salt, and sugar together in a medium sized bowl and toss with a fork to mix evenly. Add the cubed butter to the bowl and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs.
  • Add Water. Pour the water mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, into the flour/butter mixture and toss with a fork until the dough is evenly moist. Add water slowly to get the right texture.
  • Gather the dough. Use your hands to quickly bring the dough together in the bowl. Do not over work the dough.
  • Divide and Chill. Divide the dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  • Bake according to what your pie recipe calls for.
All American Apple Pie

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The Pie Recipe

Amy Duska

This is hands down the BEST and easiest apple pie recipe! It has a tender, flaky, homemade pie crust with apple slices drenched in sugar and warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
Prep Time 1hour 
Cook Time 1hour 
Servings 8

Ingredients

Instructions

    • Start by preparing this flaky pie crust recipe which makes 2 (9″) pie crusts, one for the bottom and one for the top of the pie. The pie dough will need to chill for at least 1 hour before rolling out. Or use a store-bought pie crust and follow package directions.
    • Place oven rack in the center position and Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
    • In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice and lemon zest; toss to coat evenly.
  • Remove the pie crust dough from the fridge and let rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc into a 12″ circle that is ⅛” thick. Carefully lay the crust into the bottom of a deep dish pie plate.
  • Spoon the apple filling over the bottom crust and discard juices at the bottom of the bowl. Roll out the second disc of pie crust until it is ⅛” thick and lay it over the apple filling.
  • Use a sharp knife to trim the dough along the outside edge of the pie plate. Lift the edges where the two pie crust meet, gently press to seal and fold them under. Rotate the pie plate and repeat this process until edges are neatly tucked under themselves. Cut 4 slits in the top of the dough to allow steam to vent. Place the pie on a baking sheet.
  • Brush the surface of the pie crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Cover the edges with a pie shield or a strip of foil to keep them from over browning during the first 25 minutes.
  • Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the pie shield, turn the oven down to 375° and continue to bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbly. Cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours.

 

Old-Fashioned Apple Pie

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Eat a Peach Day

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🍑 Eat a Peach Day

Food is always a welcome topic—after all, who doesn’t love to eat? Right now, my local grocery store is bursting with golden displays of fresh peaches, practically glowing under the summer lights. So I thought: why not celebrate this sweet, sun-kissed fruit?

1,401 Supermarket Peaches Stock Photos - Free & Royalty-Free ...

 

😬 Peach Fuzz

Fresh peaches aren’t my favorite—not because they lack flavor (they’re absolutely delicious), but because of the fuzz. Yes, peach fuzz is real, and it makes my teeth squeak. Or at least, I think it does. I just can’t stand the texture. If I’m willing to peel them, I enjoy them just fine. I also like canned peaches, though they’re often swimming in heavy syrup, which isn’t ideal.

🌍 Peach Factoids

Peaches grow in many states, including California and Pennsylvania, but in the U.S., they’re most famously associated with the South. Georgia even features a peach on its license plate—because who hasn’t heard of the iconic Georgia Peach?

🍽️ Peaches in Cooking

Here are a few peachy recipes that bring out the best in this summer fruit:

  1. • Peach Crumble – A cozy blend of cinnamon and brown sugar adds warm, molasses-like depth.
  2.  Peach Margarita – Peach schnapps and puree layer the flavor while keeping the cocktail bold.
  3.  Ginger Peach Jam – Preserve summer in a jar. This jam lasts well into winter, offering spoonfuls of sunshine
  4.  Peach Dump Cake – Just three ingredients. Minimal effort, maximum flavor. Win/win.
  5. • Easy Peach Cobbler – Juicy, sweet, and kissed with a hint of ginger spice.

Fresh Southern Peach Cobbler

High angle, looking at a bowl full of southern peach cobbler.

 

There are countless Cobbler recipes out there; but I chose  Allrecipe’s Southern Peach Cobbler for that authentic Southern touch. . Let me know what you think!

Ingredients

Original recipe yields 4 servings

  • 8 fresh peaches – peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • ¼ cup boiling water
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Step 1

      Gather all ingredients.

Step 2

      Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Step 3

Combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a large bowl; toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2-quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Step 4

Meanwhile, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until just combined.

Step 5 

Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them.

Step 6

Mix 3 tablespoons white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a small bowl; sprinkle over entire cobbler.

Step 7

Bake in the preheated oven until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

Step 8

Let cool for 30 minutes then service with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

🍨 Final Thoughts

Whether you’re peeling peaches or sipping them in a margarita, there’s something undeniably summery about their golden glow and juicy sweetness. So go ahead—eat a peach today. Your taste buds will thank you.

 

3,000+ Free Peach & Nature Images - Pixabay

 

Popovers

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Popovers

The first Popover I ever ate was at Anthony’s Pier  4 restaurant.

Anthony’s Pier 4

Once I had one of these piping hot pastries I was hooked. I’d go to lunch at Anthony’s any time I could get an invitation. Served piping hot from the oven theses tender puffed pastries are heaven. Sadly Anthony’s closed in 2013 so if I want to indulge I have no choice but to learn to make them myself!

What are These Tasty Treats

A popover is a light American pastry made from an egg batter similar to that of Yorkshire pudding, typically baked in muffin tins or dedicated popover pans, which have straight-walled sides rather than angled. Now I suppose you’ll ask me what a Yorkshire Pudding is. I can tell you it is not a pudding.

A Yorkshire Pudding is an English side dish that is made from a simple 4 ingredient batter and cooked in hot beef drippings (or oil) in the oven until puffed and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It’s basically the English equivalent of a dinner roll in North America. Extremely similar to a popover

Where there’s smoke …

The first thing I did was order 2 popover pans from Amazon.

Sponsored Ad - Chicago Metallic Professional 6-Cup Popover Pan with Armor-Glide Coating

The 2nd thing was to research Popover recipes. They are all pretty similar and simple. Basically eggs, milk and flour. 

The thing that gave me issues was that you need to put a pat of butter in the pan and then put the pan in a 400 degree oven. Butter has a low smoking point and I set off the smoke alarms every time. The popovers tasted great but the noise level was unacceptable.  Maybe you can only make popovers in a commercial oven?  Sadly I decided to retire my Popover pans.

A New Recipe

Then one day I stumbled over a new Popover Recipe. It even came with a video. The main difference is that you add the butter to the popover pan after they are hot so the butter melts but doesn’t sit in a hot oven so no smoke.

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 Cup Milk ( room temperature)
  • 3 Tbsps. Oil ( Canola oil recommended)
  • 1 Cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. While preparing batter  spray popover pan with non-stick cooking spray and place in oven to heat.
  3. Whisk eggs, milk and oil together. Sift flour and add to egg mixture. Add Salt and beat mixture until smooth and free of any lumps.
  4. Remove Popover pan from oven and place a small bit of butter in each popover cup. 
  5. Pour batter 3/4 of the way full in to each Popover Cup. 
  6. Place filled pan into the 400 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes
  7. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for additional 5-15 minutes (Keep an eye on your popovers)
  8. Popovers are done when they are a nice, golden brown.
  9. Serve hot with butter or jam or whatever you desire

Success!

I’m happy to report my Popovers were a complete success. I think I’ll be making them often now. 

Popovers- photo by Deb Neumann

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts About Cornbread

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Some Thoughts on Cornbread

 

May be an image of text that says 'The North thinks it knows how to make corn bread, but this is a gross SuPerstition. Perhaps no bread in the world is quite as good as Southern corn bread, and Perhaps no bread in the world is quite as bad as the Northern imitation of it. Mark Twain Sonthern THE Voice'

 

 

 

 

I think Mark Twain got this right. I don’t think I’ve ever had true Southern Cornbread but I’ve had some pretty awful cornbread here in the North. Maybe my sister in law and I should have a cornbread bake off. My sister-in -law is from Charleston, South Carolina and is one of the most fun people I know.  But I digress.

Cornbread is something I don’t eat very often but every once in a while I get a craving for it. When I was working I’d buy the little mix packages that were just add water. Although easy and quick to make the result was  this dry, crumbly stuff that was really pretty bad.  Still bad cornbread is better than no corn bread so I kept doing that until someone gave me a recipe for Boston Market Cornbread. I’m always looking for ways to improve my cooking skills.

Boston Market Cornbread

Boston Market cornbread is a very moist, very sweet, cornbread that is served as a mini loaf.

No photo description available.

Photo credit- Boston Market

I think they are great but is it cornbread? 

When I got the “Imposter” recipe I could see why it’s so cake like. It uses a box of Butter Cake mix as a base. It makes a ton of these little loaves and they also freeze well. I used to make a batch for the office and we’d put them in the freezer so my co-workers and I could have them whenever we wanted.  

Cast Iron Skillet Corn Bread

Boston Market cornbread aside, I still think there is nothing like cornbread that’s baked in a cast iron skillet. You get such a beautiful crust when you bake your cornbread this way. So  I set out to see if I could make a decent cornbread even though I am a Northerner. I think my effort was pretty successful. Here’s the result. 

Photo credit Deb Neumann

 

 

Photo Credit- Deb Neumann

 

Photo credit- Deb Neumann

Cast Iron Skillet Corn Bread Recipe

(Food Network)

 

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teas. kosher salt
  • 2 teas. baking powder
  • 1/2 teas. baking soda
  • 1/3 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
  • 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, Melted

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F, and place a 9 inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while you make the batter.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt baking powder and baking soda. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk, and eggs. Lastly whisk in all of the melted butter, reserving about 1 tablespoon for the skillet later on.
  3. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and reduce the oven temp to 375. Coat bottom and sides of the hot skillet with the remaining butter. Pour the batter into the skillet and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm and tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  (25-30 minutes) Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving. 

Enjoy! 

 

 

 

It’s Baking Season in New England

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It’s Baking Time

Fall is the time for baking in my house. Summer time is for grilling. Outdoor cooking keeps the house cool while the aroma of charcoal and grilling meat drift on the breeze. With cooler days and evenings its time to get the oven going. Homemade breads, muffins and cakes begin to appear. Fresh apples and cranberries lie in wait on the counter.

Apple MuffinsApples

The cranberries haven’t quite hit the store shelves yet. They will be here any day now but apples are beginning to come in season. As I considered my options I thought Apple Muffins might be a good breakfast choice. I’ve never made apple muffins but I didn’t see any reason why they wouldn’t be just as good as blueberry or cranberry. With that in mind I began an internet search for a good day to day recipe. I found a promising one at Allrecipes.com 

Granny smith apples

Time to Refresh the Pantry

I made a quick trip to the store for flour, baking powder and apples. I had everything else on hand but I wanted to be sure the flour and baking powder were fresh. For apples I selected Granny Smith. I wanted Macintosh as that’s just what I always think of for baking but like the cranberries, there weren’t any on the shelves.

Breaking in a new Recipe

I’ve never tries a new recipe that didn’t need a little tweaking but this one looked pretty straight forward.

Easy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Easy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

  • Prep 20 m

  • Cook 25 m

  • Ready In 45 m

Recipe By:Mindy
“A really easy apple cinnamon muffin recipe.”

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 apples – peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease six muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
  2. Stir together 1 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, baking powder and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix in oil, egg and milk. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling to the top of the cup.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix together with fork and sprinkle over unbaked muffins.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2017 Allrecipes.com
Printed From Allrecipes.com 9/4/2017

The Results

Yummy, but next time I will use the jumbo baking tins and only fill 3/4 of the way. I’ll add the strudel topping to top it off. My regular sized tin was overflowing even with 8 muffin cups instead of 6 and I had to trim the strudel topping to get the muffins out. I found it easiest to eat them with a fork. But sooooo good! These are going to be very popular around here.