These muffins are so great!  Very hearty and filling and...well....MOIST.  I really hate that word but I can't think of another way to describe them!  I feel like morning glory muffins are undermade - and I have no idea why when they are so good!  This recipe is from the King Arthur Flour website, which has a bunch of really great baking recipes.  The picture, surprise surprise, does not market these muffins well.  Maybe one day I will get some lessons in food photography.  Maybe.  But in the meantime I will keep eating my muffins.

1/2 cup raisins
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1/2 cup  sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup  chopped walnuts
1/3 cup  sunflower seeds or wheat germ, optional
3 large eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup  orange juice

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with papers and spray the insides of the papers.

In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water, and set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe. 

Chop or process your carrots, apple and nuts (chopped or shredded).  I got a food processor for Christmas (thanks big brother!) and have been processing anything I can...it's amazing!

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, nuts, and sunflower seeds or wheat germ, if using. 

In another bowl, beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and oj. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until combined. Drain the raisins and stir them in. Use an ice cream scoop to load the batter into the muffin tins (I piled my batter in to the top and still had extra for another 6 muffins - or 18 total). 

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then dump out onto the rack to finish cooling.


Enjoy!

This apple pie is a real crowd pleaser - it's super caramely and rich and is pretty awesome when made with my favorite pie crust!  

Once again, my pictures are never great - so just trust me on this one - it's DELICIOUS!!

First things first - make your pie crust and chill it for at least 2 hours.

What you will need for the filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 Tbs flour
1 Tbs cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon, you can add anywhere from 1 to 3 teaspoons)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
8 granny smith apples (or other baking apple varieties such as Roma or Cortland)

1 pie crust recipe
1 egg yolk
1 Tbs of cream or 1/2 & 1/2 (for brushing on the crust)

To make the filling:
Peel and cut your apples into 1/2 inch slices.


Melt butter in a medium sauce pan, stir in flour to form a paste.  Add sugars and water and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in cinnamon and remove from heat.

Lightly grease or butter your pie pan.  Roll out your first disc of dough and shape into your pie pan.  Fill the dough with your apples, making a peak.  

Pour the filling liquid over the apples.

Roll out your second disc of dough and place on top.  Before placing on top you can use a cookie cutter to make a shape in the dough for decoration.  If you do not do this you will need to cut slices in the top of the pie before baking for the steam to escape.

Mix the egg yolk with the Tbs of cream and brush over top of the pie (you will have extra).

Bake the pie at 425F for 15 min, then 350 for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.  If your crust begins to darken before the time is up, wrap or cover the pie in foil and continue to bake, so the crust does not burn.

I have made this cake 3 times all ready this season and am making it again this weekend because it is that good!  Try it out before apple-picking season is over and enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups diced apples (peeled and cored, about 3 apples)

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350F.  Grease either a 13x9 inch baking pan, or 2 round cake pans, whichever you prefer.  Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients and then add the apples.  Pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir to combine.  Batter will be rather thick.  

Pour into baking pan or cake pans, whichever you are using, and cook for 50-55 minutes.  

To serve, I like to top with powdered sugar (sprinkled over top through a sifter) and whip cream.  Mmm!!

This is a delicious Fall salad, especially when made with Cranberry Vinaigrette.  I like to use Granny Smith apples, or another tart variety, to cut back on the sweetness.  You can also add grilled chicken, sliced skirt steak or even salmon to bulk it up for a dinner. 

Here's what you need to serve 4-5 people:
2 heads of romaine lettuce, washed and dried (any kind will do, I usually go for romaine since it's crunchy!)
1 large Granny Smith apple
1-2 grilled chicken breasts, or another meat of your choice (optional)
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/4 cup copped red onion
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 recipe for Cranberry Vinaigrette

Directions:

Wash and dry/spin lettuce and set aside.  Toast your walnuts on the stove or in the oven.  To toast on the stove, simply place them in a skillet over medium heat and toss/stir for about 8 minutes or until they get aromatic.  To toast in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 and toast on a baking dish for 8-10 minutes.  

Cut up your apple, red onion, chicken (if using) and toss with lettuce and blue cheese.  Garnish with toasted walnuts and serve with Cranberry Vinaigrette, or another balsamic dressing.

Enjoy!

You know it's Fall when you can go apple picking!  We went this past weekend and got more apples than I know what to do with, so be prepared for lots of apple recipes to come.  We are hosting Thanksgiving this year, and in an effort to have things prepared ahead of time, I decided to make a load of applesauce and can it for later.  I made enough for 9 pint jars, but ended up canning only 7 and saving the last two to eat now. If you are not used to canning, you can make this recipe and simply freeze it until you need it. 

You will need:
12 pounds of apples (weighed prior to peeling and coring)
2 cups of sugar (added gradually to taste)
4 Tbs fresh lemon juice
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground/dried ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Directions:
Recruit some help to peel and core all the apples...unless of course you have one of those handy apple peeler/coring machines.  Put 16 ounces of water in the bottom of a large pot, fill with pot with the apples and heat covered over medium high heat, stirring and breaking up as you go.  Once the apples are soft and breaking apart, work in batches to transfer to your food processor or blender to puree.  Once the full batch is pureed, return to the pot and add your sugar, lemon and spices.  I like to add the sugar a 1/2 cup at a time until it tastes sweet enough - most recipes I found call for 3 or more cups of sugar, and I find you never need that much.  Be sure to stir as you continue cooking so the sugar doesnt burn or stick to the pot.  If you are canning, keep the pot on low/warm while you can.  If you are freezing, cool the applesauce completely before doing so.  You could also cut this recipe in half or quarters for batches small enough to eat right away.