Honeycrisp Apples (and Strudel)

Apple Strudel One reason to love Autumn is apples, and a favorite variety is now in the store…for a while at least. Honeycrisp Apples have an exceptionally crisp and juicy texture, and are delightfully sweet. They are a great eating apple, fantastic for lunch boxes, and work wonderfullyin pies, cobblers and apple sauce. We love them!

The Honeycrisp was produced form a 1960 cross of Macon and Honeygold apples at the University of Minnesota, and has consistently ranked as one of the highest quality apples.

Try some in another exclusive Piedmont Grocery recipe:

Gam’s Apple Strudel

Overstuffed Nutters

Going Nutty

The inhabitants of my household eat A LOT of peanut butter. PB&J, apples & peanut butter, celery & peanut butter, peanut butter pretzels. If we can put peanut butter on or in it, we will eat it.

This time of year though, that becomes a problem because peanut butter is not allowed at school. For my boys—not an issue. A turkey sandwich is fine. For my daughter, it’s more of a challenge. Either way, it means that we get our peanut butter fix after school and on weekends.

When I saw the recipe below I knew I had to make them. Talk about your peanut butter bomb! Throw in the fact that my husband is a big fan of Nutter Butters and this was a no-brainer.

These Overstuffed Nutters are somewhat easy to make and definitely worth it. But these are not cookies you whip up fast, like a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Your house will smell like peanuts, but don’t worry it will fade. Just beware the altruistic soul who offers to “taste them to check for poison”. You could end up with half a batch… Read more…

Our Favorite Honey Cake

Our Favorite Honey Cake We found this recipe on the wonderful Smitten Kitchen blog. And, with it is a funny story of skitting critters, Hollywood thriller screams, and fallen honey cakes, the post is well worth a bookmark—it is a good read.

Our Favorite Honey Cake
Adapted from Marcy Goldman’s Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee or strong tea
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup rye or whiskey
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)

Directions
Fits in three loaf pans, two 9-inch square or round cake pans, one 9 or 10-inch tube or bundt cake pan, or one 9 by 13-inch sheet cake. You can also use two full-size loaf pans plus two miniature ones.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease the pan(s) with non-stick cooking spray. For tube or angel food pans, line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper that has been cut to fit.

Make the batter
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Make a well in the center, and add oil, honey, white sugar, brown sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee or tea, orange juice, and rye or whiskey, if using. (If you measure your oil before the honey, it will be easier to get all of the honey out.)

Using a strong wire whisk or in an electric mixer on slow speed, stir together well to make a thick, well-blended batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom.

Bake the cake
Spoon batter into the prepared pan(s). Sprinkle top of the cake(s) evenly with almonds. Place the cake pan(s) on two baking sheets, stacked together. (This will ensure the cakes bake evenly,)

Bake until the cake springs back when you gently touch the cake center. For angel and tube cake pans, this will take about 60 to 75 minutes, for loaf cakes, about 45 to 55 minutes. For sheet style cakes, the baking time is about 40 to 45 minutes.

Allow the cake stand for fifteen minutes before removing from pan.

Banana Bread

Going Bananas

Next week my kids will be returning to school. I am both dreading and looking forward to the start of the new school year. I look forward to it because the kids will be occupied with learning new things, and getting back to their regular extra curricular activities. I also dread it because they will be occupied with learning new things, and getting back to their regular extra curricular activities.

The start of the school year is an adjustment. All of a sudden the lazy days of summer, sitting by the pool when questions like ” Yes, you’ve been in the pool but when was the last time soap touched your body?” turn into, “We need to eat by six because you have homework and you have to shower off the grime from soccer practice so that you can get to bed on time because I don’t want to have to tell you fifty times to get out of bed the following morning.” (This quote is one of many that can be found in the Mom’s Time Honored Phrase Library right next to “I am not the maid”, “Because I said so”, “You’ll put an eye out”, “Your Father said WHAT?” and “Don’t run with the scissors”

It is also a time when I try to think ahead so that I have different meals on hand for when it gets crazy. Mornings are usually the worst, so having something easy and available makes a huge difference. One of my favorites is banana bread. Because I always have bananas on hand, and because they don’t always get eaten in time, it’s easy to throw a batch together using the over-ripe ones. A slice of banana bread along with a fried egg and some juice make for a fast and easy breakfast.

Since I make it frequently, I play around with the ingredients. Sometimes I add nuts (usually pecans because I’m not a huge walnut fan). Sometimes I throw a handful of shredded coconut in the batter. If i’m feeling tropical I’ll throw some pineapple chunks in with the coconut. For banana bread with a bit of a praline flavor, I’ll substitute 1/2 of the white sugar for dark brown sugar and definitely add pecans. Blueberries are good too. Streusel topping or granola can make it interesting. So can some Rum, but that’s true of a lot of things. The bread makes pretty tasty french toast as well, or bread pudding…the possibilities are endless.

Below is the basic recipe I use for perfect banana bread. Try it out and give it your own twist. Read more…