Cran and Apple Goody

This recipe for Cran and Apple Goody comes from one of Grandma’s sisters. As I’ve said many times, Grandma and her sisters were constantly exchanging recipes, and that was usually because they were really, really good ones! This photo is of Grandma and my mom (on the right) with her sister and my godmother (on the left). These sisters had their birthdays on the same day and these cousins grew up being more like sisters. It’s no wonder they shared recipes, and boy, am I glad they did!

This recipe is one that can be used in many ways – as a cranberry sauce with your Thanksgiving turkey, on sandwiches, on cake, on pudding, my husband even had it on his oatmeal! It is very, very good and ridiculously easy to make!

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Cran and Apple Goody

Mix together and bring to a boil until the berries pop:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 cups fresh cranberries

Then add and boil 5 minutes more:

1 cup ground or chopped apples

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Cool if using for your Thanksgiving turkey, but I used it as a topping for chicken breasts for dinner and we used it warm.

I know this could be your usual cranberry sauce, like the delicious and ever popular Abby’s 3 Ingredient Cranberry Relish, but I think it’s more like a jam.

Again – simple ingredients that make an amazingly tasty sauce.

After cooking the cranberries, in go the rest of the ingredients.

Bring it to a boil again.

Look how jammy it is after another 5 minutes of boiling.

I served the sauce on chicken breasts for dinner. Baked Acorn Squash and roasted potatoes rounded out the tasty meal.

The tang of those cranberries – oh, man!

This sauce was great on the chicken, so you know it’ll be great with your Thanksgiving turkey. Like I said, my husband had it on his oatmeal and he loved that, but we need to try it on pound cake or ice cream, too. Seriously – it is that good! It lasted pretty well for about a week (it was gone in a week, so that’s how I know it will last that long), so you could easily make it a day or two ahead of time. Let me know if you try this delicious Cran and Apple Goody and what you put it on!

Stuffed Squash

Today’s recipe for Stuffed Squash is one I absolutely love. It’s a very easy and very tasty one, and elegant enough to serve for Thanksgiving dinner. You all know my Grandma was a great one for a hotdish, but this is really similar. It has squash, ground meat, onion, celery – oh, and apple. If she and Grandpa would have grown squash in their garden, I think she would have loved making this one for the family – it’s made just like a hotdish, but no cream of anything soup added! 🙂 All I know is, MY family loved this squash, and I’ll be making this quite a few times in the next month or so. Squash is so readily available right now, so there’s no excuse – try this one – I know you’ll be glad you did!

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Stuffed Squash

Cut in half and clean out:

1 or 2 squash (I used 1 acorn squash)

Season each half of squash with:

salt and pepper

pat of butter

Bake at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes (this was a hard squash, so I went 1 hour and 20 minutes), or until squash is tender when pierced with a knife.

For filling (you can do this while the squash is baking):

Saute in 1 Tablespoon butter:

1/2 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey (if making more than 1 squash, I’d use 1 pound of meat)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 apples, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Remove squash from oven after baking and fill squash with filling.

Top with:

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Put back in oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and add a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Be careful when cutting these squash – they can be slippery little suckers. Clean out all the “guts” and seeds. Remember – you can roast the seeds just like pumpkin seeds.

I also like to season the squash while baking.

It saves a little time to cook up the filling while the squash is baking.

This filling is so tasty – all the fall flavors!

1 cup of cheese is just a ballpark figure – you can put on as much as you can get to stay on the squash.

This is such a seasonal thing to make with all the squash available right now.

Just look how pretty they are!

I love this dish so much! The squash is delicious in itself, but then you add the equally delicious filling – full of all the fall flavors of apple, thyme, onion, and celery – so good and so good for you! This squash is special enough for your Thanksgiving table, but easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner. You’re going to love this amazingly delicious recipe for Stuffed Squash.

Oatmeal in the Crockpot

I had to figure out how to make Oatmeal in the Crockpot because I just don’t like to take the time to make myself oatmeal. Every time I had a baby, I would have oatmeal for breakfast in the hospital. I didn’t have to make it! It’s like a salad – it always tastes better when someone else makes it! Yes – even hospital oatmeal was better than making it for myself! Ha! Anyway, I still don’t do it often, but once in a while I get a hankerin’ for this and I just thought I’d share. Funny (or not funny, I guess) – I usually get that hankerin’ during the coldest days of winter! I hope you try this ridiculously easy recipe.

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Oatmeal in the Crockpot

Combine in a crockpot (I have made this in a regular large crockpot, but I now have a smaller one which works perfectly, too – it doesn’t say the size on it, but I’d say it’s 1 to 1 1/2 quart size) sprayed with non-stick cooking spray:

2 cups milk (I used 2%)

1 cup regular rolled oats

1 large apple and/or 1/2 cup raisins (I used an apple and cut it into fairly large chunks – you could chop it but it does cook down a lot)

1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Cook on low overnight, and it’s ready whenever you want it in the morning.

Serve with your favorite fixings – mine are: a splash of milk, brown sugar, chopped walnuts, another little sprinkle of cinnamon, and sometimes another 1/2 chopped apple.

This really is the easiest recipe ever. Just spray your crockpot and throw everything in! Mix it up, turn it on, and wake up in the morning to the smell of apple and cinnamon wafting through your house!

I just love that it’s ready to go first thing in the morning! All that’s left is to add a nice cup of coffee.

I added a splash of milk, a bit of brown sugar, and some chopped walnuts here.

This really is an almost ready-made breakfast. It’s so easy to do, it’s economical, it’s delicious, you make it the night before and don’t have to make it in the morning – perfect for a cold, snowy winter day! Add whatever goodies you like – dried fruits, regular fruits, nuts, granola, maple syrup – the possibilities are endless! I hope you try this Oatmeal in the Crockpot – what goodies will you add on top?!!

Apple-Nutmeg Muffins

Today’s recipe for Apple-Nutmeg Muffins comes from Grandma’s old church cookbook, and is one of the variations they have in there for Plain Muffins. This is a basic muffin recipe, and while you can add any goodies you’d like in them (and I have made a few of the variations plus a few of my own ideas like Surprise Muffins, Peach Ginger Muffins, Cranberry Orange Muffins, Date-Nut Muffins, and Cinnamon-Sugar Muffins), the recipe gives several ideas for different variations. This is the variation waaaay down at the bottom part of the recipe shown here. These are not moist and “cakey” muffins – they’re more of a “bready” muffin. They’re delicious with a nice cup of coffee, and that’s how Grandma would have served these (I’m sure) to her friends and family. You can’t go wrong with a nice muffin with your afternoon coffee and obligatory chat/gab session. How else would you find out all the news? 🙂

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Apple-Nutmeg Muffins

Put in mixing bowl:

2 cups flour

5 Tablespoons sugar (the original recipe calls for 3 Tablespoons, but the variation says 2 Tablespoons sugar – it doesn’t say if that’s instead of the 3 Tablespoons called for, so I added an extra 2 Tablespoons here)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg (because this variation calls for nutmeg, I added it here with the dry ingredients)

Mix well with a fork.

Combine:

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I used avocado oil)

Add all at once along with 1/2 cup chopped apple (I had a small apple and added the whole thing, finely chopped) and stir only until moistened.

Pour batter into 12 muffins cups 2/3 full, and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden.

I like to get all the ingredients ready ahead of time.

Wet ingredients mixed together – check. Dry ingredients mixed together – check. Apple chopped – check. I don’t usually peel the apple – I like to leave the skin on. Go ahead and peel it if you’d prefer that.

I added the wet ingredients to the dry all at once, then also put in the apple at the same time.

12 muffin cups – also ready to go ahead of time – and it made exactly that many.

Of course, I had to add my usual coarse sugar to sparkle on the top!

The apple and nutmeg smell pretty awesome while they’re baking!

Oh no! I forgot the coffee! Oh well – maybe next time!

Oh – these were goooood!

I love how you can see the big chunks of apple (even though I thought I had chopped it pretty finely) and the specks of the delicious nutmeg. This was just one of the endless variations you can make with this recipe. Mix it up and change up what fruit, nuts, or other goodies you can think of to put in these muffins. But first you really should try these Apple-Nutmeg Muffins – with a nice cup of afternoon coffee!

Christmas Coffee Cake

Today’s recipe for Christmas Coffee Cake comes from Susan Branch’s cookbook “Christmas From the Heart of the Home”. We’ve made this coffee cake for our Christmas morning breakfast for years, and it wouldn’t seem like Christmas morning without it! It’s so spicy and warm and moist and delicious – it just melts in your mouth! Well, it just wouldn’t be Christmas without it!

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Christmas Coffee Cake

Sift together and set aside:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine:

1 1/2 cup chopped apple (I usually get the apple and cranberries ready before I start)

1 cup fresh cranberries (I usually cut them in half)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Powdered sugar for dusting

Mix well.

Stir in flour mixture.

Spread batter in 8″ x 8″ square baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Let sit 10 minutes, cut into squares, sift over powdered sugar, and serve.

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl – full of Christmas spice!

This cake is full of all kinds of goodies – that are good for you!

All the fruit and wet ingredients go into another bowl.

Mix the two together – it makes a thick batter.

Spread the batter into a square pan. You can see all the goodies in there.

After it’s baked, it gets a dusting of powdered sugar – like a light Christmas snowfall!

Oh wow. This just smells like Christmas.

My kids always say that we can’t have Christmas without having this coffee cake on Christmas morning. It has become such an important part of our traditions, and we just love it! The smell of it baking, the taste of the spices and fruit, and how it melts in your mouth – heaven! Start a new tradition and make this Christmas Coffee Cake on Christmas morning!

Mincemeat Sweet Rolls with Brandy Icing

Today’s recipe for Mincemeat Sweet Rolls with Brandy Icing is another adaptation I made with a half batch of my mom’s Buns. I’ve enjoyed trying some different versions of these rolls – Caramel Rolls #2, Lingonberry Rolls, Pumpkin Rolls with Maple Icing, and Christmas Tree Rolls. All of those rolls are perfect for this time of year, but I happened to have some mincemeat leftover after making another recipe, so I decided why not? I think my mom first started making her Buns and Caramel Rolls about the time this photo was taken. I think I was 3 years old here, and I look like I’m not too sure about this Christmas thing. I mean, look at all those presents under the tree! Are those for me??? That was scary (for some reason)!

There really was no reason for me to be scared, but that’s sure what it looks like! Ha! I still have a few of those ornaments on my tree this year! Seriously – what was the deal with the bangs? I guess that was the style back then. They look like that on almost every picture of me at that age!

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Mincemeat Sweet Rolls with Brandy Icing

Make a half batch of Buns.

Roll out enough dough to make the amount of rolls you want (if you want a 9″ x 9″ pan, use half of the half batch. If you want a 9″ x 13″ pan, use the whole half batch of dough). I used half of a half batch for these rolls and made the other half of a half batch into buns.

For filling:

Mix together:

1 cup mincemeat

1 apple, shredded

Zest of 1 lemon

Spread filling over rolled out dough.

Roll up dough into a log and pinch the edge to hold in the filling.

Cut log into 9 slices (this is for the 9″ x 9″ pan).

Put slices into the well-greased pan, cut side up, fitting all slices into pan.

Cover and let rise another hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes (mine took about 40 minutes), until rolls are golden and not doughy.

Cool

Spread Brandy Icing over top of rolls and use holiday sprinkles, if desired (I desired).

For Brandy Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons brandy

1/2 tablespoon softened butter

2-4 Tablespoons milk, or enough to make it the consistency you like for spreading

Top with sprinkles.

Just 1 cup of mincemeat, 1 shredded apple, and the zest of a lemon. That’s all that I needed to make a delicious filling.

It doesn’t look like a lot of filling, but it covered all of the dough.

Roll out the dough – into a rectangle, if possible.

Spread the filling over the top leaving a couple of inches on each edge. If the filling’s too close to the edge, it can squeeze out and that gets pretty messy.

Roll it up, pinch the edge closed, and cut your rolls. I used a sharp knife to cut the rolls, but you can also use unflavored dental floss or even thread. You put it under the roll, bring the two ends up over the top, cross them, and pull it through, cutting the roll.

I got 11 rolls, but the two ends were small so I just tucked them into the corners. They rise again and then into the oven.

After baking you can hardly tell where the two smaller end rolls are! Just put the icing over top and it will seem like 9 large rolls.

This Brandy Icing is really, really tasty! Don’t forget to top with some festive sprinkles! 🙂

I know I always say this, but aren’t they pretty?!!

My husband said, and I quote, “This is a keeper!” He didn’t even know I made it up!

I love these recipes that you can make your own without much trouble. How fun is that? I’m sure this won’t be the last version of these rolls, but this one was particularly delicious. The whole family loved these. If you want to try a recipe for making a special Christmas morning breakfast, make these Mincemeat Sweet Rolls with Bandy Icing and prepare yourself for the “ooohs” and “aaahs”!

 

Thanksgiving Dressing

Here’s another one of our traditional family thanksgiving dishes – Thanksgiving Dressing – and yes, I call it dressing because as far as I’m concerned, it’s only stuffing if you stuff it – in the bird – and I don’t do it that way. There really isn’t a recipe for this, so I’m just going to share how my grandma made it and my mom made it. I was shown how to make this when I was pretty little – probably when I was about 10-12 years old, and I’ve been making it ever since. There has never been an actual recipe, and as my kids like to keep telling me, “I HAVE to write this stuff down”. So I kept track and this is what I came up with. As usual, the amounts aren’t written in stone. If you don’t like apples or raisins in your dressing – leave them out! Put in what YOU like. The basics stay the same. This goes great with the obligatory Thanksgiving Turkey and Turkey Gravy, but also with Abby’s 3 Ingredient Cranberry Relish, Green Bean Casserole, Grape-Blueberry Salad, or Orange-Apricot Salad. This is one of the most important dishes in the whole Thanksgiving dinner, as far as I’m concerned. I save bread crusts all year to have enough to make a big batch of this. The amounts of each ingredient remain the same, but if I have more bread crusts, I just add more Homemade Chicken Stock or more apple or onions – it just depends on how I feel. Some people like a dressing that’s more moist and some people like it more crisp on top. Sorry – that’s just the way I do it. There is no right or wrong way.

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Thanksgiving Dressing

Set out for a couple of days to dry(or at least overnight):

Dried bread crusts or heels, torn into chunks (1-2 gallon zip top bags full)

Once they’re dried, put bread chunks into a large bowl.

Saute until soft in a large pan:

1 stick butter

1 cup raisins

1-2 apples, chopped (I used 3 small ones – see how this works?)

1 cup chopped celery

1 chopped onion (about 1 cup)

Add:

1-2 Tablespoons each dried and chopped sage and thyme (I used herbs from the Herb Pots I grew on my deck last summer)

Add to breadcrumbs.

Mix with Homemade Chicken Stock (or store-bought) until of desired moisture.

Cover with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour covered, then 1/2 hour uncovered, or until crisp on top.

I break up the bread and let it sit out overnight (at least) on a baking sheet. Then it goes into a big bowl to await the flavorful goodies to come.

Here are those flavorful goodies! Apple, onion, raisins, celery, and butter – how good does that sound?!

I saute them until they’re all soft and the butter is melty – oh wow, this smells so good!

Into the bowl and mix it all together. At this point, add more stock if it seems dry. Into a pan to bake in the oven until it’s absolutely perfect.

This. Is. So. Good.

This dressing is divine with a flood of Turkey Gravy on top!

I love this dressing. It just screams Thanksgiving to me. The smell of it baking with all those flavorful goodies inside – HEAVEN! You just HAVE TO have it with the Turkey Gravy – and lots of it! I also highly recommend tasting it with a bite of Abby’s 3 Ingredient Cranberry Relish! Whoa – so good! It takes a bit of time to get everything pulled together and chopped, but it’s so worth it. Try this one – your family will love it and devour the Thanksgiving Dressing!

 

Apple Cider Sangria

We came up with this recipe for Apple Cider Sangria as a family a few years ago. We had been enamored with sangrias, and we wanted to make up a recipe for fall. I’d say this one is great anytime from September through December. It’s so easy to make, as long as you remember to set it up the night before. You want those apple and citrus and cinnamon flavors to be able to meld and mix together overnight. This is a nice way to either start your weekend, or end a day of holiday indulging! I hope you like it as much as we do! Enjoy!

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Apple Cider Sangria

Mix together in a tall pitcher:

1 bottle pinot grigio

2 1/2 cups of your favorite fresh apple cider

1/2 cup brandy

Add one or more of the following:

1 apple, cut up

1 lemon, sliced

1 orange, sliced

1/2 cup cranberries

Last, but not least add:

1 cinnamon stick

Let sit overnight.

Fill glasses with ice.

Pour glass 2/3 full of wine mixture.

Top with ginger beer.

Garnish with a slice of apple, pear, or orange.

I used sliced apple, lemon, and orange for this batch. As long as you remember to put everything together the night before, this is a lovely way to celebrate – um – anything.

It’s so easy – just put everything into a pitcher and give it a stir.

Luckily I remembered the cinnamon stick. It adds a nice bit of spice.

I put a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the pitcher so other refrigerator smells (from all your other holiday goodies) doesn’t get into the wine.

I think this is a great addition to any holiday celebration. If you’re using it for Halloween, use more orange. If you’re using it for Thanksgiving, use more apple. If you’re using it for Christmas, use more cranberries. Or go ahead and throw it ALL in! It all works!

It is Friday. Maybe it’s time to make another batch! We’re close enough to Halloween, right?!!

This sangria is so pretty and so refreshing, you’re gonna love it! We sure do! It was made up of things we had in the house during Thanksgiving a few years ago, and it’s become one of our favorites! As long as you’re home for the night and not driving anywhere (remember the thing about sangria – it’s sneaks up on ya), make a batch of this Apple Cider Sangria, relax and make it part of your holiday celebration – no matter which holiday that happens to be!

Can’t Wait Apple Cake

Today’s recipe for Can’t Wait Apple Cake comes from one of Grandma’s sisters. It’s from the older sister in this photo from 1925, in fact. Of course, that means Grandma was the younger sister here with their mother and one of their brothers. These sisters had the same birthday two years apart, and were close their whole lives. They shared a lot of love AND recipes.

I love their dresses (and their brother’s clothes) in this photo! Grandma used to tell me that their mother sewed ALL of their clothes back then. Just think of the hand-me-downs they all enjoyed! I’m sure they had apple trees back then, too (or someone they knew did), and that must be why they collected a lot of delicious apple recipes. They had to do something with all those (what are basically free) apples.

Since it’s apple time, it’s time to bring out some of those apple recipes, and this one is so easy and so good – you’re going to want to make it. I’m tellin’ ya. I bet you can’t WAIT to make it. Or eat it. Ha!

This cake is SO good!

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Can’t Wait Apple Cake

Combine:

4 cups apples, diced (I used small apples so I just sliced them)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

Sift together:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Add dry ingredients to the batter.

Stir in:

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Pour batter into greased 9″ x 13″ pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

All you have to do is mix up the wet and dry ingredients, and there you go.

Going into the oven, the batter is a light color.

Coming out of the oven, the batter has turned a caramel color, and you know what that means – flavor.

Instead of a frosting, I used powdered sugar as a topping for this cake. The cake is so delicious, it really doesn’t need anything more (although I won’t deny that some people in this family have an obsession/need to cover everything in that canned whipped topping and/or ice cream, and both were amazing on this cake).

So easy. So good. So pretty. This simple cake is one of my new favorites ( yes – another one). It is absolutely delicious and ridiculously easy to do. Call some people over – people you would like to share recipes with – and serve them this delicious cake. Call me – I’ll come over! I love to share recipes with people! Yay! I just can’t wait – can you? You’ll just love this Can’t Wait Apple Cake!

 

 

Morning Glory Muffins

This recipe was another one that I wrote down 30 years ago when we were first married and living in Alexandria, Minnesota. I was an at home mom with our first daughter, our rental home was on a lake a few miles out of town, and we had no cable and a black and white TV, so I listened to WCCO radio a lot. I loved it when Joyce Lamont was on and I could listen to someone I had something in common with – baking, cooking, and food. She talked a lot about food and recipes and occasionally I would try to scratch down the recipes as she gave them. This was one of them, and it’s a good one. There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, but it is so worth the time it takes. These Morning Glory Muffins are healthy and hearty and perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Morning Glory Muffins

Soak 1/2 cup raisins in hot water for 15 minutes.

Drain well.

Prepare:

2 cups grated carrots

1/2 cup peeled, diced apple

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

1/2 cup grated coconut

the raisins

Set aside.

Beat in a large bowl:

3 eggs, beaten until thick

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup melted margarine (I used butter)

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

Mix well and set aside.

Combine:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup All Bran cereal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix with the carrots, apple, raisins, nuts, and coconut.

Combine this mixture with the egg-sugar mixture, stirring lightly, just until flour is moistened.

Spoon into greased muffin tins or use papers (the recipe says it makes 12 muffins, but I got 16 out of this recipe).

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until done.

There are a lot of ingredients, but if you just gather them together first, it goes pretty fast.

You would think that mixing the goodies into the dry ingredients would help them not sink to the bottom of the batter –

but there are so many goodies in this batter, there’s no chance of anything sinking – these are absolutely loaded with good things.

I really should double this recipe every time I make it – these muffins go way too fast.

You can see how full of good things these are!

Make a batch of these delicious muffins today! They’re so good and good for you! Maybe try a double batch – or at least 2 batches – they go very fast!! Sneak some into the freezer if you can! Your family will search the house for them!