I'm a southern gal with a passion for cooking and baking from scratch, the old fashioned way!
I’ve made this nice cozy breakfast bread several times this season. A slice of this bread is absolutely perfect with a cup of coffee or tea on a chilly morning. It is packed full of tart apples, juicy cranberries, and toasty walnuts – with barely enough spiced batter to hold it all together!
This recipe captures some of my favorite fall flavors – absolutely delicious! The pork is tender and juicy, sweet with the flavors of the apple juice and cinnamon. The sweet potatoes melt in your mouth. And the apples? Let’s just say it’s like having dessert built-in to your meal!
These perfect little guys are the best for popping into your mouth as you run out the door in the morning. Hot out of the oven, they fill the house with an unbelievably comforting scent of apples, spices, and homey goodness. Their edges are ever so slightly crispy, their centers are as moist and light as a cloud. You are going to
Applesauce Spice Muffins
from my Auntie Heather
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups applesauce
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large electric mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar at medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, then add the applesauce, mixing to combine.
In a separate blow, conbine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Add to the creamed mixture, stirring unti lcombined. Stir in nuts, if desired.
Fill well-greased mini-muffin tins 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 14-15 minutes.
This batter will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge. The muffins also freeze very well. Pop them straight into the freezer when they come out of the oven, then package them in freezer-safe packaging. Store for up to 3 months.
Here is another of our favorite turkey burgers that hubby and i love to grill up on a mild spring evening. The idea for the grilled granny smiths was inspired by a Bobby Flay recipe that I came across – but we changed the cheese and added some extra flavor to the burger patties. The ingredients may sound like an odd combination but trust me, dear readers – they come together beautifully!
Apple-Cheddar Turkey Burgers
1 lb. ground turkey breast meat
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup onion, minced and lightly browned in a pan with a bit of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
A pinch of dried thyme or sage or poultry seasoning
1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced cross-wise
4 large slices extra sharp cheddar cheeses
4 buns, toasted
Grilled sliced onions for topping, if desired
In a medium bowl, use a fork to lightly combine the turkey meat, the olive oil, the Worcestershire, the egg, the browned onion, the salt and pepper, the garlic powder, and the poultry seasoning. Divide the meat into 4 equal parts and gently form into patties.
Heat your grill to medium heat. Lightly spray the patties with cooking spray, and put them on the grill. Cook on both sides until the meat is done all the way through – it will take about 4-6 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, spray the apple slices with cooking spray – grill on both sides until slightly caramelized – about 2-3 minutes per side.
Broil the buns with the cheddar cheese for about 2-3 minutes, if desired.
Assemble your burgers, placing the grilled apples on top of the cheese. Top your burger with more onions, if desired. Serve with your favorite sides – enjoy!
So: Ebelskiver. Say it with me: “able-skeever” – yes!
These delightful little pastries are actually spherical Danish pancakes that have a filling in the middle. Ebelskiver means “apple slices” in Danish, and you will sometimes see it spelled “aebelskiver.” As you might have guessed, apples are one of the traditional fillings that you will find inside an ebelskiver.
How do you make these little puffs of joy? With an Ebelskiver Pan, which can be found at most cooking stores. I received mine as a gift last year from my sweet sister-in-law, who is also an excellent chef! Here is what it looks like:
Sweet Fillings
This sweet-or-savory combination made them perfect for dinner on fat tuesday. We always have a traditional meal of pancakes for dinner on Mardi Gras, and what could be better than savory filled pancakes for dinner with sweet filled pancakes for dessert???
Danish Ebelskiver
Adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling of your choice
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt.
In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and buttermilk. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy.
In another bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.
Put 1/2 of a teaspoon butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan.
Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour one tablespoon of batter into each well and cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Gently add your desired filling on top of each puff.
Next, top each filling with one more tablespoon batter. Using 2 wooden skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more.
Serve your savory ebelskivers with whatever side you like – we had extra bacon on the side and some homemade stewed applesauce.
Dust your sweet ebelskivers with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm with maple syrup.
Makes about 40 filled pancakes.
