Apple Crisp Revisited!

This is our first apple crisp of the season! Oh my stars, I could feast on this all night, it's that amazing.

First, it comes straight from my Betty Crocker cookbook. The recipe is a simple topping of oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter and the apples are just the most gorgeous mix of Cortlands and Honey Crisps I could find!

And if  you haven't tried a "Honey Crisp" Apple yet, then you must.  Go ahead, run to the apple farm, I'll wait.....

(Moseys around... makes coffee.... drinks it.... comes back.....)

AREN'T THEY MARVELOUS?????? YES, YES, YES!!!!!

But I'm happy with good ol' Cortlands for baking and cooking because they're:

1. Cheaper
2. Wonderful!
3. Did I mention cheaper????
4. Trustworthy

Cortlands and Crispins always turn out good baked goods. They're indestructible. I love them! And if I've shared this recipe before, trust me: It's good enough to share twice! And you can add raisins/nuts if you want, but my crew likes it standard issue. Lots of apples (I use 6 cups instead of the 4 cups recommended by the recipe) and I double the topping.

Because I can.

:)

So:

6 cups nice, firm apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 13" x 9" pan

Topping:

1 cup flour
1 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup butter, cold

Mix all dry ingredients. Slice cold butter into dry ingredients, then cut it into the dry mix with either a pastry blender or two knives, criss-crossing each other. When mixture looks "mealy", spread it over apples. Bake at 350° for about 35-40 minutes or until top is golden and apples are tender...

Serve on its own or with ice cream and or whipped cream.

Now while this was baking, we had a kitten hunt going on. Two kittens escaped from the short-sided box I had them in... and then they squeezed through (Their eyes weren't even open yet!!!) the spaces in the giant dog kennel and Mama took them to the wood pile and HID THEM.

The brat.

So today we tricked her.... Christina and Casey (two after school helpers) brought out one of the three remaining kittens and set him on the ground. Mama heard him, grabbed him up and carried him across the yard, to the big wood piles and dived UNDER a woodpile through a tiny hole you'd never think a cat could fit through.

Well, she did. So then Dave and the girls started removing the wood carefully, until they got to the kitten nest.... and Christina and Casey then brought all three kittens back to the tall box I now have in the ginormous dog crate.

And that was totally Dave's idea. And it worked. Good job, ol' Dave!!!!

This is Casey with the black and white kitten Mama had nabbed and the all black kitten they used to trick her into leading them to the nest....

And this is Christina:

Isn't she wonderful? She's got the little tiny creamsicle baby... and that blur behind her is her younger sister Lizzie who NEVER HOLDS STILL!!!!

This is a picture Christina and Lizzie's mother posted.... Fall is arriving! Isn't that gorgeous???? We took some pics on our fun research trip to the Naples Grape festival this past weekend, but they weren't on my phone.... We won't be at peak here for about two weeks, I think. Stunning to travel through the hills of the Southern Tier/Northern Appalachia in the fall.

And here is my side garden.... the little wall I built keeps MOST children out, but I find kittens sleeping in between the bushes and the flowers all the time. So sweet!!!

And then there's this!!!!!

And this weekend will be our annual Hilton Apple Festival, where thousands of people come visit our little town and all crowd onto a square of land that is way too small for a festival....  But it's a wonderful time, amazing food, so many nice people and my mother in law and sisters-in-law have booths full of gorgeous stuff!!!! It's worth going just to buy their gorgeous stuff! They knit and crochet and they turn out lovely things that make me smile!

Virginia, you're in a big apple area out there, too. It's really amazing how well apples do here. The longer, milder falls and the crisp/cold nights finish them off perfectly.

We are apple blessed!!!

Another Favorite Fallish Dessert

I grew up in Michigan, so come September, I always think of apples. There was an apple orchard and cider mill just outside of the little town I grew up in. They had the best cider. And paired with one of their fresh cider doughnuts... It was a match made in heaven.

So there's no better way for this former Michigander to celebrate fall--which won't officially arrive until 9/23, but it's fall in my heart--than by putting a twist on a fall favorite, apple crisp, by making it an apple-cherry crisp.

I love fruit desserts, though they vary from season to season. Spring and summer I think of cakes and cobblers, winter is usually pies, but I always associate crisps with autumn. And because there's no crust to worry about, they're so easy.

Here's what you'll need for the filling:

• 2 1/2 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and cut into cubes (I used Honeycrisp)
• 1 1/2 cups pitted cherries (frozen works best, but you can also use canned)
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

For the topping:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans (or nut of your choice)
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Okay, let's start with our filling. Mix together the apples and cherries.

Now add the dark brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.

And stir to combine.

Look at those glorious fall colors.

Pour into greased baking dish.

Now for the topping. Combine the flour, brown sugar, pecans, oats, cinnamon and salt.

Add melted butter

And stir until clumps form.

If you're like me, this is where restraint comes in. I could eat this mixture by itself. But then there would be no crisp to my apple crisp.

So go ahead and sprinkle the clumps over the apple/cherry mixture.

Bake 45-55 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Yes, the heathens got to it before I could take a pic. But then it is oh-so-good while it's piping hot, especially with a melting scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Now that's what I'm talking about. I love the crunch of the topping, the sweetness of the apples and the tart cherries. A perfect combination. Mmm... Can it stay fall forever? Of course, it doesn't feel like fall here in Texas. It's still hot, it's still steamy...yes, summer is lingering. Just like it does every other year. So why not make the most of it by enjoying a fave fall dessert.

Now it's your turn. What's your favorite fall dessert?

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more a mindyobenhaus.com.

Celebrating Fall with Apple-Cherry Crisp

Tex here, and yes, fall has finally arrived in North Texas. That means high temps have fallen below 90 and it's time to bake again. And let's face it, fall and apples go hand-in-hand, so what better way to welcome fall than by putting a twist on a fall favorite, apple crisp.

I love fruit desserts, though they seem to vary from season to season. Summers I think of cobbler, winter is usually pies, but I always associate crisps with autumn. And because there's no crust to worry about, they're so easy.

So here's what you'll need for the filling:

2 1/2 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and cut into cubes (I used Honeycrisp, but Rome is another good variety. Something with a bit of tart)

1 1/2 cups pitted cherries (frozen works best, but you can also use canned)

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

For the topping:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans (or nut of your choice)

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Okay, let's start with our filling. Mix together the apples and cherries.

Now add the dark brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.

And stir to combine.

Look at those glorious fall colors.

Pour into greased baking dish.

Now for the topping. Combine the flour, brown sugar, pecans, oats, cinnamon and salt.

Add melted butter

And stir until clumps form.

If you're like me, this is where restraint comes in. I could eat this mixture by itself. But then there would be no crisp to my apple crisp.

So go ahead and sprinkle the clumps over the apple/cherry mixture.

Bake 45-55 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Yes, the heathens got to it before I could take a pic.

But then it's oh-so-good while it's piping hot, especially with a melting scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Now that's what I'm talking about. I love the crunch of the topping with the tenderness of the fruit.

Mmm...

Can it just stay fall forever?

Now it's your turn. What's your favorite fall dessert?

Mindy Obenhaus lives in Texas with her husband and kids. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com.

Applefest Weekend in Hilton New York

Apple Country.

That's what they call our segment of Western New York, nestled along the shores of Lake Ontario. We get cool, damp springs and warm, gorgeous autumns (most of the time) and that allows the apples just the right amount of time to grow... ripen... sweeten... and then the frost brings them to the bags and baskets of pickers.


Our town is famous for its Apple Fest.

The Applefest is put together each year by a dedicated committee of people who oversee the scheduling, the positioning and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering to engineer a festival that draws tens of thousands of people to our little town of Hilton... 

Over a two-day festival on a plot of land that's centered around the Community Center, an old high school building ripe with memories and nostalgia.

Here's a glimpse of this year's brochure. 

Vendors come from all over. Farmer Dave's mother and sisters showcase beautiful tables of crocheted and knitted items. For babies, for kitchens, for wearing, blankets, afghans, washcloths... Over a hundred vendors bring their wares and goods to the festival site and pray for good weather... which can be an iffy proposition here in Western New York in October!

A few area farms take part in the ring of farm wagons along the blacktop... Food of all kinds, from licensed vendors and food trucks to local agencies and non-profits selling everything from hot dogs to cannolis.... and anything you can make with apples! Apple sundaes... apple cider... hot apple cider.... apple pie.... apple cake.... apple fried cakes... cider donuts... apple crisp.... apple dumplings.... I'm beginning to feel like Forrest Gump and Bubba and the SHRIMP routine in Forrest Gump.

It's a crazy fun, busy, turn-the-town-over-to-others time because you can't get near the pharmacies or grocery stores, or the gas stations, or the restaurants until early evening. Every parking space is full and folks who can't find one, park at the high school and take the shuttle bus in.

It's a wonderful way to celebrate the amazing bounty of our land... our town, famous for its apple farms... our climate... and our willingness to work together. The committee holds a "logo" contest each year, and chooses a new logo for that particular year... I love this one from 2002...

Local men and women sell goods and wares, families sell things along the sidewalks, and there's a joy that pervades the whole affair... but why not?

It's all about APPLES!!!! 

#mustloveapples

And once we realized we were meant to be a pumpkin farm in the midst of fall, the Apple Fest brings us lots of business. We're already firing up the ovens to get baked goods ready for Saturday. Whoopie pies, cookies, and breads... And jams. The Very Berry Cherry is the crowd-pleasing favorite, so I'll make and bottle two batches of that today.... that way they're ready for the weekend sales!

It's fun to live in a small town. It's a glimpse into the world of today through the looking glass of yesterdays.... old buildings, new customs, old men bearing flags, young women pushing strollers. 

It's part of the fabric, part of the tradition, and when we talk apple pie around here, well... it's a serious conversation!

So that's what's happening this week and this weekend. Thousands of pumpkins for sale... Indian corn, so varied and pretty! Gourds, squash, butternut, buttercup, acorn, spaghetti.... 

And a festival celebrating the humble fruit that began it's heyday as a VERY TEMPTING orb in the Garden of Eden... But a welcome fruit here, at our table, any time!

And in three weeks, this beautiful story hits the shelves across America... and I'm delighted to see it happen. My 20th book with Love Inspired, and it's been a wonderful partnership from the beginning... Keep watch for it, I love to hear when people first spot it... and where!


Multi-published author Ruthy Logan Herne has over 40 published novels and novellas... she's living her dream of being a published author and can be found knee-deep in pumpkins this time of year on their pumpkin farm in Western New York... you can find Ruthy on Facebook, on Twitter or visit her website ruthloganherne.com  She loves to hear from readers!