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An Apple A Day

Posted by Tara Hire on

An apple a day keeps the doctor away because:

·        Vitamin C: a powerful antioxidant
·        Helps maintain even blood sugar
·        Fiber: keeps you full longer
·        Potassium: many people do not get enough of this heart healthy mineral

 

What will you do with all the apples you’ve picked?

Apple picking is fun for the whole family and you can reap the benefits of all the apples you pick with tasty, homemade treats!

Homemade Apple Cider : Great way to use those rippened apples

8 -10 apples (I used gala for a less tart or intense taste)
1/2-1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cinnamon (or 4 cinnamon sticks)
4 tablespoons allspice

 DIRECTIONS:

1. Quarter your apples (no need to remove peel or seeds).
2. In a large stock pot add your apples and fill with water–just enough to cover the apples.
3. Add your sugar.
4. Wrap your cinnamon and allspice in a doubled up cheese cloth and tie, and add this to the apples and water.
5. Boil on high for one hour (uncovered) checking on it frequently.
6. Turn down heat and let simmer for two hours (covered).
7. Take off the heat after two hours of simmering and let cool.
8. Remove spices and mash up the apples to a pulp like consistency (a potato masher works well for this).
9. Once cool pour into a strainer over a large bowl. When most of the juice has drained away, put the remainder of the pulp into a doubled up cheese cloth and squeeze over the bowl until no more juice comes out.
10. (At this point you can either restrain the juice to get out the little bits of pulp that remain with a cheese cloth draped inside the strainer to catch them or just leave it like I do).
11. You can store in an air tight container in your refrigerator for up to a week or you can freeze it for later use if you like.
12. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove and enjoy either plain or you can add caramel syrup or caramels, whipped topping with cinnamon or, like my neighbors did if you like it really sweet, with marshmallows or marshmallow creme.
13. also you could make this a diabetic recipe by omitting the sugar and adding diabetic sweeteners to taste in place of the sugar or none at all.

Golden Raisin-Apple Stuffing Cups
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
6 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (turkey broth if you have it)
About 1 1/2 cups golden raisins (1 box)
6 cups homemade or store bought cube stuffing
1 tsp poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper
2 9″ pie crusts – homemade or store-bought

1. Add oil to large saucepan and saute the red onion and celery. After about 3-4 minutes, add the chopped apples and broth. Let cook another 4-5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, toss the golden raisins and bread cubes. Toss the cooked apples, celery, onions and broth with the raisins and bread cubes, until all the bread cubes have soaked up the liquid.
3. Cut the pie crust into large circles…large enough to fill the better part of a regular size muffin tin. Press them into a greased muffin tin. Scoop the stuffing into the crust and press down firmly.
4. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until stuffing begins to golden on top.

Enjoy! 

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