apple of my eye

I love apple pie.


Love. It.

It's truly my dessert of choice, and all modesty aside, I make a fierce one. And by fierce, I mean wonderfully-crusted, cinnamon-scented, and jam-packed with apple goodness.


I'm not sure why the apples look like sweet potatoes...perhaps they've been stained by the years of contact with cinnamon. Niiiice.
(And yes, that is indeed extra cinnamon sprinkled on top of the apples.)

Mamboree and I had a massive apple pie filling canning session a couple of years ago, so I haven't had to cook one up from scratch for a good while. I also have a go-to crust recipe, but I mixed it up a bit for this particular pie, using a combination of butter and shortening rather than all shortening. I've read that butter contributes to flavor while shortening is key for texture and that blending the two makes for a perfect crust, but that wasn't what I found. I think I'll stick with the old stand-by for a bit longer.


Yes, that is indeed extra, extra cinnamon sprinkled on top of the crust.

With my extra dough, I used cookie cutters to make some stars and cute little men. Gingerbread men? Pshaw. Give me pie-crust men!


As you wish.

Of course, the pie was consumed with a schlop of vanilla ice cream, but since I haven't figured out how to take a picture of ice cream before it melts into oblivion, there is no photographic evidence. You'll have to take my word for it.

Canned Apple Pie Filling (with just a hint of cinnamon)
(yields about 7 quarts)

4 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
10 cups water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
6 pounds apples of choice, peeled, cored, and sliced

In a large pot, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add salt and water and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add lemon juice.
Sterilize canning jars, lids, and rings by boiling them in a large pot of water.
Pack the sliced apples into hot canning jars, leaving about a 1/2-inch headspace. Fill the jars with the hot syrup. Put the lids on the jars and process in a water bath for 20 minutes.

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smells like bean spirit

Most of my most beloved smells originate in the kitchen: hot apple pie (or, let's be serious, anything involving cinnamon), coffee, and Eb and his freshly-baked sourdough bread, to name only a few. One of my less-obvious favorites is the aroma of spicy baked beans as they bubble away in the oven.


I hesitate to say it, but isn't it unfortunate how something can smell so good at first, and then a few hours later be so foul and offensive?

[I'm sorry--is that distasteful blog content? Meh, it's a fact of life. But seriously, if you're repulsed, I apologize. My excuse is that I was raised sandwiched between two brothers.]

This is a recipe that I've tweaked and honed until it suits me perfectly. I'll bet you have your favorite version of baked beans, too, and I hope you'll agree--they're worth the inevitable trouble...

Blissful Baked Beans
1 15-oz can pork & beans
1 15-oz can northern beans, drained
2 cups Fordhook lima beans
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 10-oz can diced tomatoes with chiles, partially drained
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown mustard
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon oregano

Combine all ingredients and stir. Pour into large baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until amount of liquid of choice remains, stirring occasionally. Consume with a side of Bean-o.

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upside down or inside out

For some reason, German chocolate cake doesn't really excite me. I love both coconut and chocolate, so what's my deal? I wish I knew.


One of our Thanksgiving desserts was an upside-down German chocolate cake, expertly-made by my dear grandma. This is not to be confused with the inside-out German chocolate cake, which is different (but no less decadent), with multiple layers of coconut-pecan filling and a chocolate ganache. This upside-down version is simply and magically composed of pecans and coconut on the bottom of a frosting-less chocolate cake, speckled with blobs of cream cheese goodness (see below).


It was a big hit with my family (after all, you saw that behemoth box of chocolates we attacked). You and yours might like it, too.

Me? I'm sticking with apple pie.

Upside-Down German Chocolate Cake
(a la my Grandma Alma)
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup coconut
1 package German chocolate cake mix
1 pound powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup margarine, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan.
Scatter the coconut and pecans around the bottom of the pan. Prepare the cake mix according to directions on box and pour the batter over the nuts and coconut. Mix cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until well-blended and drop by spoonfuls onto the top of the cake. Bake for 45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

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had enough?

Apparently, I haven't. I can peruse Thanksgiving post after Thanksgiving post after after-Thanksgiving post and not get tired of seeing your turkeys, cranberry sauces, and pies. What's more, I can eat our own leftovers for meal after meal after meal and still crave 'em the next day.


So, without further ado, here's (part of) our spread:


turkey--still good four days later


dressing--we don't call it stuffing unless it was actually inside the bird at some point


sauce of the cranberries


eggs of the devil


sweet potater casserole


cole slaw--the version that I've yet to match


the 4-pound box o' chocolates that we worked on all weekend...

Thank you, Thanksgiving!

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you could've fooled me

If I didn't make this cake with my own two hands, two feet, and left elbow, you'd have a hard time convincing me that there was sweet potato involved.


Gigi of gigi cakes and Katie of Apple and Spice have started a group specifically for cake lovers aptly named The Cake Slice. I, being a cake lover, signed on immediately. Each month a different three-layer cake is made by the members, and the chosen cake this month was Sweet Potato Cake with Chocolate Cream Frosting and Orange Filling from the book Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alicia Huntsman and Peter Wynne.

Another sweet potato cake, eh? All righty. Although I stayed true to the book's cake recipe (using sweet potatoes from my grandpa's garden), I changed up the rest. For one thing, I opted to go with my favorite frosting recipe instead of the suggested chocolate version. I'm sure none of you will be shocked to find that my favorite frosting recipe is composed of cinnamon and cream cheese, first introduced in my ode to cinnamon.

The other change was an effort to make it more Thanksgiving-friendly by using cranberry juice instead of orange juice for the filling. It didn't color the frosting as much as I had hoped, but it was a lovely little tart surprise nonetheless.


This cake was pretty darn fabulous. The sweet potato doesn't affect the flavor at all as far as I can tell, for better or for worse. It does, however, keep the crumb extremely moist, which is very important to me. The cranberry flavor is detectable, but only, I suspect, because I knew it was there. Really, the predominant flavor is cinnamon, which explains why I enjoyed the cake so much.

If you're wondering why my cake looks so dang small, it's because I only made one-third of the recipe and baked it in three mega-muffin molds. I cut each little cake in half and got two miniature three-layer cakes out of the deal. All for me.

Check out the other Cake Slice Bakers for more sweet potato goodness.

Happy Turkey Day!

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tag team thanksgiving

A few weeks ago, I was asked if I'd like to join some of my favorite lovely lady bloggers in a Thanksgiving blogging event.


We decided to have each person contribute a different course for Thanksgiving, making something of a complete menu for you readers. MOST unfortunately, I got stuck with dessert. (I sure hope your sarcasm detector went off; if not, get that sucker checked!)


Prah-leen, pray-leeen, peee-can, pa-cahn--regardless of how you pronounce the words, the combination of brown sugar, butter, and nuts is pretty much irresistible, especially slathered on top of a delightful sweet potater cake.

I've had this particular recipe bookmarked since the second I came across it. Sweet potatoes, bananas, and cinnamon united in cake form and topped with a thick, sweet praline frosting--you'd better believe I'd give it a shot! It was everything I hoped it would be.

I experienced multiple "OOOH ME" moments during the process. First, I chose to bake the cake in a tube pan. I would've gone with a bundt pan, but alas, I don't have one (and the Christmas list grows...). It took a lot longer than the 50-60 minutes indicated in the recipe, but I should've expected that, as that was the time for two loaf pans. Secondly, the cake itself grew into a grotesque and hideous monster rather than a nice, smooth cake. Witness Exhibit A:


Yikes. The third heart trauma occurred in the making of the praline frosting. I desperately wanted to cover the crags and crevices in the cake, so I really needed the frosting to be a good one. I let it cool and let it cool and let it cool, and it was still so runny that I was afraid to top the cake lest I end up with a praline-topped kitchen floor. I finally bit the bullet and spooned it on, and except for a few rather attractive dribbles...


...it hardened right on top. Phew.

Did I mention that it was tasty? Although the cake was good (very bread-like, with both the sweet potato and banana flavors detectable), the frosting was simply stellar. Stellar, I say. And that's coming from a person whose least favorite nut is the pecan.

So, now that your appetites are sufficiently stoked, go check out the rest of the spread:

*A masterfully-prepared turkey from Sue of Feel Good Eats.
*Fennel, Apple & Cranberry Stuffing and Brussels Sprouts with Virginia Ham a la Tiffany of The Garden Apartment.
*Two stunning dishes from Amy of Eggs on Sunday--Squash and Apple Bake and Celery Root, Parsnip and Apple Puree.
*Finally, from Kristin of The Kitchen Sink comes an Apple and Pecan Tart.


Sweet Spud Cake with Pray-leeen Pa-cahns
(based on this recipe)

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 ripe bananas
2 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease up a bundt pan, 2 loaf pans, or whatever dish you desire.
Blend oil, eggs, bananas, and sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and flours; blend well. Beat in the milk and sugar. Pour into pan(s) and bake for 50-75 minutes depending on pan of choice, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Praline Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup pecans, chopped
2 cups powered sugar
1/4 c. water

Cook butter and brown sugar over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until caramelized. Add pecans and remove to a bowl and cool slightly. Measure powdered sugar into a bowl and stir in water. Whisk until smooth. Using a fork, mix glaze into pecans, breaking up praline pieces while stirring. Spoon over cake and allow to harden and cool.


And hey--Happy Thanksgiving!

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the magic words

No, not abra-cadabra. Not pretty please with a cherry on top.

Three little (well, more like medium-sized) words with the power to turn something ordinary into something extraordinary...


Cinnamon. Streusel. Topping.

More specifically, cinnamon streusel topping resting upon a tub o' pulverized butternut squash. (I told you it'd be back.)


Even if you don't particularly like butternut squash, I think chances are good that you'll enjoy this casserole. The puree itself becomes slightly fruity and quite sweet, and the topping just takes it above and beyond. Obviously.


I debated attempting this casserole for awhile. The idea stemmed from my undying love of sweet potato casserole, so the recipes are similar. Although replacing the sweet potaters with butternut squash made for an impressively tasty dish and I'm very proud of my creation, I'd still pick the original in a nanosecond.

Streuseled Squash Casserole
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, cooked, deseeded, destringed, and mashed
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons orange juice

Topping:
1 cup quick oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all the casserole ingredients, mixing well. Pour into a lightly greased 2-quart casserole dish.
Combine the dry topping ingredients. Cut in the butter with two knives or a pastry cutter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Sprinkle on top of the squash and bake for 1 hour or until set.

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