When I was a little girl, we had an apple tree in our back yard and every Fall I remember my mom making her yummy homemade apple sauce and apple crisp. The house always smelled so wonderful when these terrific apple treats were cooking! I hope you have gathered up some apples this Fall and can try these 3 great ideas.
6 apples peeled, cored and sliced
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Toss apples with sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and set aside.
In a second mixing bowl combine 1 c. brown sugar, 3/4 c. old fashioned oats, 3/4 c. flour, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 c. cold butter (diced into small pieces). Mix and mash with a fork or pastry blender until a nice crumbly dry mixture is formed. Coat a 9 x 9 glass baking dish with cooking spray and fill with apple mixture. Sprinkle the apples with the crumbly oat mix and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Slow Cooker Applesauce
4 pounds of tart apples peeled, cored and diced.
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp, cinnamon
1 c. water
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Mix apples (about 12 cups) with cinnamon and sugar and place into crockpot. Pour water and lemon juice over the apples. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. Makes about 6 cups of apple sauce.
Apple Stuffed Chicken Breast
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 c. chopped apple
2 Tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. dried bread crumb stuffing
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. sweet white wine
1/4 c. water
1 Tbsp. water
1 - 1/2 tsp. corn starch
Sprig of parsley & diced apple for garnish.
Combine apple, cheese and bread crumbs. Set aside. Flatten chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness between wax paper with a rolling pin. Divide apple mixture between chicken breasts. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Brown stuffed chicken breasts. Add wine and 1/4 c. water to skillet. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer chicken to serving platter and cover to keep warm. Add corn starch and 1 Tbsp. water to skillet juices. Cook and stir until thickened and serve as a sauce over chicken. Garnish with parsley and diced apple. 2-3 servings.
Just looking thru my recipe box for these 3 has unearthed a whole treasure trove of ideas for new Fall menus ... so stay tuned and I will share some other family favorites soon.
Hope the scents of cinnamon and apples fill your kitchen soon!
~Connie
