Apple Hill to Apple Pie

Just last year was I introduced to the fall phenomenon known as Apple Hill.  Now, I'll back up a few years.  I was born and grew up for a good portion of my life in Indiana.  I remember Fall as crispy cool weather where you are just about seeing your breath when you walk outside.  Having to wear coats alongside your Halloween costume which so ruined the purpose of the costume. ;-)  Where raking leaves (and your neighbors leaves) just to get the largest pile known to man was a FUN idea and then stuffing them into those cool pumpkin trash bags in the end.  But ultimately, to be able to travel up to Michigan to pick apples was one of my favorite Fall memories.  I remember getting barrels and barrels of apples and running up and down the aisles of the apple trees.  I even think we took our beloved red wagon like the one above in my logo to gather our barrels.  This was always what defined Fall for me and why I love it so much.  It's being with family, the colors, the foods, the activities, the weather, the holidays.  I love it all!!!

So back to Apple Hill...this place represents for me everything I love about Fall in Indiana.  Apple Hill is basically a ton of orchards all in one place.  Some have U-pick fruit besides apples like berries and pears, and others have U-pick pumpkins, cider presses, crafts, baked goods, picnic areas, etc.

Mike and I took our annual trip to Apple Hill this past weekend.  A couple things on my list when we go:

1) Must get an apple fritter from High Hill Ranch...although I've been told those at Rainbow Orchards put up a good fight.  (I'll have to try them next year!)
2) Barsotti Apple Cider - it's literally like drinking a liquid apple.
3) A couple caramel apples for Mike
4) Picking out the perfect pumpkin to carve for Halloween
5) Checking out all the country crafty goodness.




This year we actually went and picked some apples from Pine O' Mine knowing I was going to make some version of an apple pie.

I saw this wonderfully easy Mini Apple Pie recipe on Cookin' Up North, but I took some creative liberties as I always do :-)

Now, Laurie used one whole package of pie crust in her recipe.  I only used half since I didn't want to be eating 16 mini pies between the BF and I.  But sadly, I didn't notice this until my two apples were peeled and sliced.  Soo...that's where my creative liberties come in.

The Recipe:

1/4 Cup of white sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 package of refrigerated pie crust
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 medium tart apple (I chose Granny Smith's) cut into 8 wedges

First, in a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside, 1 tbsp of the mixture for topping.

Then, peel and cut the apple.  

On lightly floured cookie sheet, roll out half a package of pie crust.  Brush 1 tbsp. melted butter onto the surface.

With a pizza cutter, cut pie crust into 8 even slices.  

Sprinkle the large mixture of cinnamon/sugar onto the pie crust and use the brush to spread evenly over the surface.  

Roll one wedge of apple per pie slice.  

Brush the remaining 1 tbsp of melted butter on the tops of pies and sprinkle the saved 1 tbsp of cinnamon/sugar over the top of each slice.  

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  (More like 12)

Apple Topping: What is that you say? There's no apple topping in the original recipe?  Nope, there's not...but again, since I only wanted 8 mini pies I had some extra wedges to use.

My Apple Topping Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
6 tbsp. butter
3 large spoon fulls of brown sugar
1 tart apple peeled and cut into small chunks.

An apple topping for the apple pie....a little guttenous?  Maybe, but I didn't want to be wasteful with my remains and to be honest, it PERFECTED the dish and took it to a-whole-nother level!

So take the butter, cinnamon, and sugars and heat on medium in a small saucepan until it boils and add the apple chucks.  Turn heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes, the liquid will start to get a little sticky.  And pour over apple pies as desired.  I used a little drizzle technique.

 Enjoy and maybe add some vanilla ice cream! That would've really been the cherry on top :-)

More Painting and Toffee

I've been wanting to decorate our master bedroom for awhile now and I've put up little things here and there, but I've been waiting to really decorate with wall art since I've wanted to find some bed side tables first. Well, the bedside tables still haven't been purchased and I've gotten a little impatient about the wall art.

I wanted to paint something myself since I had a few blank canvases waiting to be covered.  I found this simple artwork on Veetje and figured...I could do that!

I made sure the colors of the blossoms went with the decor we already have in the room: browns, golds, burnt oranges.  

I'm thinking it needs more blossoms...it's a little too simplistic for my taste.  The art needs to pop from far away as it's only an 11x14 canvas.  And of course, I want to recreate it so the sides of the bed are balanced.

My next project of the day was making Saltine Cracker Toffee.  One, I love toffee or almond roca (whatever you'd like to call it) and two, it's wonderful when you have everything in your cabinet to make it.  Well, almost everything ;-)  Luckily, I was making a trip to the store today so I just picked up Saltine crackers for this wonderfully easy recipe I found on The Girl Who Ate Everything.

And it goes like this...

What you'll need:
40 Saltine crackers
1 Cup of butter
1 Cup of brown sugar
2 Cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chopped Pecans (optional)

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Lay aluminum foil over a cookie sheet, set a layer of saltine crackers to cover the entire sheet.
3) Then, boil the butter and brown sugar in a pan for 3 minutes and until it is a deep caramel color.
4) Pour the  mixture over the crackers and bake for 5-6 minutes (the sugar will be bubbling).
5) I microwaved the 2 cups of chocolate chips for 1 minute and then spread the melted chocolate over the crackers.  Sprinkle the pecans on top if desired and let cool before breaking apart.

The amount of brown sugar/butter may have been too much as it never truly solidified but became more of a caramely consistency.  The final product was fantastic though with a cup of black coffee!

Perfect for dessert or....breakfast! ;-) 

The Macaroon Squabble

I'm not really sure I can call myself a baker, although I think my boyfriend would beg to differ. I think he seems to enjoy anything that comes out of the oven that is made by me. But I must tell you, I don't cook...I bake.

Baking to me is instant gratification and involves a much more fun outcome...always something sweet and the baker always gets to lick the bowl ;-)

I wouldn't call myself a baker as I'm no expert on the terminology or such things as Dacquoise, Foam Cakes, a Charlotte dessert, or Boiled Icing.

And...I've always been a bit perplexed with what the heck a macaroon is! I've eaten (or rather, devoured) my fair share of coconut macaroons and I've seen the cutest whoopie pie/Oreo cookie looking French macaroons. But really, what's behind the "macaroon" because a coconut and french macaroon look nothing alike?

Well, according to Dictionary.com, a macaroon is, "a drop cookie made of egg whites, sugar, usually almond paste or coconut, and sometimes a little flour."

And according to wikipedia, "A macaroon (/mækəˈruːn/ mak-ə-ROON }}) is a type of light, baked confection, described as either small cakes or meringue-like cookies depending on their consistency. The original macaroon was a "small sweet cake consisting largely of ground almonds"^[1] similar to Italian or Moroccan amaretti."

Here (so we all have a visual) is an actual Lemon Meringue Tart courtesy of H Cakes.

By searching Google Images, I noticed Lauduree has to be THE expert when it comes to French Macaroons. As you can see below is the Laduree storefront captured by Moodboard

And their macaroons are absolutely adorable...

Courtesy of: Miss Francy Pants' Blog

Because the coconut macaroon is one of my favorite treats, I was intrigued to try my hand at making them. How hard could it be, right?

This is definitely something I will have to perfect because although the taste was fantastic...it's really all about the presentation, and that is where I came up lacking.

So with some practice, I'm sure to perfect the coconut macaroon. Until then, here is what I imagined mine to look something like...

Courtesy Of: About-recipes.com

In the process of making coconut macaroons, I've learned what exactly they are, and I can now say I know what Dacquoise, Foam Cakes, Charlotte style desserts, and Boiled Icing are!

And all in all, my biggest fan seemed to like what came out of the oven, and that's pretty much all that mattered.