Apple Dumplings

I am very thankful right now that my dad doesn't read my blog. He doesn't even own a computer, or a cell phone, or a DVD player. I am not even sure he really even comprehends what a blog is. He calls it my website "thing". New fangled technology is just not his thing....or any technology for that matter.

The reason I'm glad, is if he did read my blog, he would then know that I made Apple Dumplings with out having him over or even saving him one. If he knew, I would be in deep doo-doo. Apple Dumplings are one of my dads favorites! So if you run into my father in the grocery store please keep the fact that I made Apple Dumplings quiet. Thank you.

Apple Dumplings are easy, and a fun treat to make with your kiddos. If you are not fond of making your own pie crust, feel free to purchase pie crust from the refrigerator section of your grocery store. Voila!

Another fact that is raising my guilt-o-meter is the fact that my Dad went out of his way to hunt down the cookbook from the local parish, so I would have this recipe and would make it for him. Oh Good Golly, I'm gonna need to make these when he comes over next time....to ease my dumplin' guilt.

Easy steps to make melt in your mouth Apple Dumplings~ from the Wright Way to Cook cookbook.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Bring 2 cups water, 2 cups brown sugar, 1 stick butter, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to a boil in a sauce pan.

Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Peel and core 6 apples. Jonathans are my favorite for this recipe.

3. Prepare Pie Crust, you can find my recipe here. (Or if you prefer to buy it you will need 3 Pillsbury crusts.) Separate into 6 sections.

4. Place apple in center of pie crust,

place 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in hole,

sprinkle with cinnamon, use as much as you like

top the hole off with a 1/2 tablespoon of butter.

5. Lightly dampen edges of dough with egg white or water, pull dough up around apple...

crimping dough at the top and forming it around apple with the palm of your hand.

6. Brush with egg white. You can leave it as is or if you are feeling fancy....

you can use some of the extra dough to make leaves and a stem. The egg white will act as glue to hold them on for you.

Place Apple Dumplings in a baking dish, where they will have space, you don't want them touching.

7. Now take the Brown Sugar Syrup and pour it all over the Dumplings. Lucky Dumplins' I would love to take a bath in this stuff!

Pop in 375 degree preheated oven for 35-40 minutes!

Apple Dumplings

Printable recipe Makes 6.

2 cups Brown Sugar

2 cups Water

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 stick Butter

1 recipe Pie Crust

6 medium baking Apples, peeled and cored. Jonathans are what I prefer.

3 tablespoons Butter

6 tablespoons Brown Sugar

Cinnamon for sprinkling

1 egg white

These also freeze well. You can freeze them together or individually in mini deep dish pie pans, from freezer to oven add 15-20 minutes baking time for frozen dumplings. I should probably make my dad some for his freezer. That would be a what a good daughter would do. A daughter with a guilty conscience.

Do you call these Apple Dumplings? Or do you have another name for them in your neck of the woods?

What ever you call them, in the words of my father they are.....

ScrumpDILLYicious!

saturday morning tradition-BAKED APPLE pancake

Good Mornin'! You are looking bright eyed and bushy tailed today! Need some bacon? We have a few "traditions" around our home. One being, Saturday mornings are bacon mornings, and then of course some other delicious breakfast accompaniment. Cereal and toast and that sort of thing are reserved for school days. You can read more about our favorite bacon accompaniments and get the recipes here. This morning we are having our bacon with a Baked Apple Pancake. It's super easy, and soooo good you might want to take it to your next brunch potluck.

Baked Apple Pancake

2 large tart apples (Granny Smith or Spy) core, peel, and slice

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons of butter

2 cups of pancake batter (any kind will do here's my Buttermilk Pancakes recipe if you are need)

preheat oven to 400 degrees

Butter pie plate with 1 tablespoon of butter.

Fill with sliced apples.

Cover with Saran Wrap, put in microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Remove plastic wrap. CAUTION: the steam can be hot when removing plastic wrap don't want you to burn your purdy knuckles.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon over hot apples.

Take the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter dot them around on the apples.

Prepare your pancake batter. Pour 2 cups of batter over apples. Put pie plate in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Make sure your pancake is set up, if it appears gooey in the center let it bake 5 minutes longer.

After removing from oven, let rest for 5 or 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve with breakfast syrup.

Have a wonderful day!

Luv ya,

Pie WEEK

Same old story different week. I am always missin out on something and then scrambling to catch up. I did not know about pie week.....it wasn't on my radar. Maybe it was because I was too busy taking orders for pies, for a fundraiser, and planning out the strategy of baking fifty some pies in my home next Tuesday and Wednesday. Or maybe it was the skads of laundry, the shower caulking, and oh yeh and I've been makin' all those homemade gifts...phew it's been a crazy week. I started baking today. I had a few people that were in desperate need of some pies this weekend. But I did not want pie week to pass me by...so true to form I am cramming it in. I am a crammer. Crammed in High School, College, and now I just cram pie.... in my pie hole.

This is my kitchen in full pie baking mode this morning. Pumpkin, Pecan, Dutch Apple and Traditional Apple Pie.... I'm not veering from the traditional Thanksgiving Pies.

Lots of eggs...I'm going to need about 60, them chickens out in the barn won't be able to keep up. Looks like I'm going to have to buy eggs this week.

I come from a history of pie bakers. It's in my blood. It's soothing for me to bake pies. I could do it all day long. Need a good pie crust recipe, and tutorial? Here you go....Easy Pie Crust.

Whippin' up some Pee-CAN pie...it's my favorite.

Crumble topping for the Dutch Apple.

And pecans for the pecan pie. I had a few things going on all at once, I could have used a few more hands, which I will have next week when we bake the mother lode of pies.

Do you hear the angels singing? I think Heaven is gonna smell like Pecan Pie.

Now on to the apples. I add the sugar, flour and spices in my largest bowl......

then with both hands on either side of the bowl I just give it all a toss, to get it mixed around real good. Toss, toss ,toss....whoo-hoo, up-sa-daisy with the apples.

Butter is the key to distinguishing a really good Apple Pie from a mediocre Apple Pie. A slab or two of butter make everything better. Agreed?

Add your top crust. I give my pies a light milk wash then I sprinkle them with raw sugar.

This baby is ready for it's new home. It's new mama is going to bake it. Bu-bye sweet thang.

Apparently Dutch Apple Pie is the favorite in these parts. Everyone wanted Dutch Apple.

These are for Big D. She's heading off to Chicago this weekend to have an early Thanksgiving with her sister Harmony and family. Hope you all enjoy! (and I hope you don't find a hair in them or nothin gross like that.....)

There was a little bit of Pecan Pie filling that wouldn't fit in the pies. Don't think this pie eatin freak was going to wash that down the drain do ya? I chopped up a few more pecans laid them in the bottom of a ramekin poured the filling over it, baked it for 35 minutes and had glorious little mid morning treat. These pies aren't anything too unusual, pretty standard. But like my grandma always says "don't mess with tradition". These are the same pies I've been eating since I was just a little pot-licker.

I just added my pie recipes in my recipe box at Tasty Kitchen....like I said always cramming it in at the end. So you may have to wait a day or so until they show up. When they do I will link them here too. In the mean time there are many other pies to be had over at TK so take a look around.

What's your pie tradition on Thanksgiving Day? I'd love to hear......

Luv Ya more than my Pecan Pie!