Suppers

Apple Blueberry Muffins

My favorite meal is breakfast, and I can eat muffins and pancakes any time of day.

1¾ cup flour

1 tablespoon wheat germ

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup apple juice

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon oil

1/3 cup applesauce

1/3 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease muffin pan cups.

Combine flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine egg, juice, milk, oil and applesauce, and stir mixture into flour mixture. Fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into muffin pans, filling each muffin cup 2/3 full.

Yield: 12 muffins

― cb 1990

Apple Pancakes

I like to use my nonstick omelet pan for these large pancakes.

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup unbleached flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

dash allspice

1 tablespoon chopped pecans

1/2 cup pared and diced apple

1/4 cup yogurt

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons oil

1 egg, slightly beaten

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir the pecans and apple into the flour mixture. Combine yogurt, milk, oil, and egg in a separate bowl, then stir the mixture into the flour.

Pour 1/2 cup batter into a hot, 10-inch nonstick skillet (or a lightly greased skillet) over low to moderately low heat. Gently tip the pan to each side to allow batter to spread, if necessary. Cook about two minutes or until the top of the pancake becomes bubbly and the bottom has browned. Then turn the pancake and cook about two more minutes, or until the bottom is brown.

Yield: 4 5-6-inch pancakes

― cb 1990

Appleroni

Chilled pasta salads always hit the spot when the weather is warm. This apple version is easy to make and adapts to individual taste or what happens to be available in your refrigerator. For example, try cottage cheese instead of cheddar or pecans instead of almonds. Choose Stayman, Empire, or your favorite apple for Appleroni.

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

2 cups coarsely chopped apple

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup grated carrot

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup yogurt

1 cup grated mild cheddar cheese

Prepare macaroni according to package directions. Rinse the cooked noodles in cold water to cool the macaroni quickly. Drain well.

In a large, chilled bowl, sprinkle lemon juice over the chopped apples, tossing gently to coat. Add the celery, carrots, almonds, and macaroni to the apples, tossing lightly. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, and salt. Then stir in the cheese. Fold this dressing into the macaroni mixture. Chill at least two hours before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

― cb 1990

Apple Fried Pork Chops

Symbiotic ingredients, apples and pork are a winning culinary combination. Rome or Granny Smith apples are good choices for this delicious dish.

1½ pounds pork sirloin chops

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup apple juice

2 tablespoons chopped onion

3 medium apples peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Season the flour with the salt, thyme, and pepper. Dredge the chops in the seasoned flour.

Preheat a 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil, tilting pan to distribute the oil over the pan's cooking surface. Add the chops to the hot pan, and brown both sides of the meat. Remove chops to a plate covered in paper towels to absorb excess fat, and drain fat from pan, if necessary.

Add the juice and onion to the hot pan, and return the chops to the pan. Reduce the heat to low, and cover the pan. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chops are done. Using a slotted spoon to reserve juices to the pan, remove the chops to a warm platter.

Add the apples to the pan. Cover pan and cook the apples about 5 minutes, or until tender. Dissolve cornstarch in the 1/4 cup water and stir the mixture to the apples. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens. Spoon the apples and the sauce over the pork chops.

Yield: 4 servings

― cb 1990

Where do you
store your apples? Or...

Stirring Solutions

...How can you
overcome the bad apple syndrome?

by Chef Betty Cooker

The old saying about one bad apple is a time-honored axiom when it comes to apple storage. Carefully inspect apples for bruises before storing, and set any blemished apples aside for immediate use.

According to the Delaware Department of Agriculture, apples stored at room temperature become soft in three to 15 days depending on the variety of the apple. Storing the fruit in the refrigerator is the best bet for home storage.

Refrigerated, firm, unblemished apples tolerate long-term storage best. When you have more apples than you can use up in a few days, place the apples in a heavy-duty food storage bag. Squeeze excess air from the bag before sealing, then refrigerate.

If you are storing bushels of apples from your garden or a self-pick orchard, you will need a cool area for storage, such as a root cellar.

Inspect stored apples periodically to avoid the bad apple syndrome.

Don't forget, you can always store extra apples by preparing apple pies and popping them in the freezer. Then when you are ready for pie, you just pop it in the oven to bake. And if you bake apple cake or muffins and freeze, you just need to defrost. Wow, what a time saver on a busy day.

Apple Cranberry Casserole

This versatile recipe makes a good side dish for eggs at breakfast, game birds and wild rice at dinner, or as dessert with a dollop of whipped cream. Olivia recommends Stayman apples in this recipe.

1 16-ounce can whole cranberry sauce

1½ cups chopped cooking apples

1 cup regular oats, uncooked

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350º F. Butter a 10x6x1¾-inch baking dish.

Combine cranberry sauce and apples. Spoon into the baking pan. Combine oats, sugar, flour, butter, and salt. Spread over cranberry mixture. Sprinkle pecans over top. Bake for 50 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

― Olivia Frederickson Whitehurst,1990

Applesauce Meatballs

3/4 pound ground beef

1/4 pound ground pork

1/2 cup fine bread crumbs

1 egg

1 cup applesauce

2 tablespoon chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Combine beef, pork, crumbs, egg, applesauce, onion, salt, and pepper. Form mixture into 2-inch meatballs. Place meatballs in a casserole. Combine ketchup and water, and pour mixture over the meatballs. Cover and bake for about 1½ hours or microwave at medium high for approximately 8 minutes. Let stand for 3 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 servings.

― Western New York Apple Growers, 1990

Chicken with Apples and Seasoned Sauce

Attractive and delicious dish for a dinner party buffet, according to these New Yorkers.

6 whole chicken breasts, boned, skinned, and split

5 tablespoons olive oil

flour for dredging

2 tablespoons onion, minced

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

2 cups apple juice

4 medium apples, sliced

1/3 cup Dijon-style mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Between sheets of waxed paper, pound chicken breasts thin. Heat oil in a large skillet. Dredge chicken breasts in flour shaking off excess. Brown chicken. Add onion, garlic, rosemary, and thyme to the skillet. Add apple juice. Simmer until chicken is tender, about three to five minutes. Remove chicken from skillet to a warm platter and keep warm. Add apple slices to the skillet, bring to a boil, and continue boiling until sauce is slightly thickened and apples are tender. Stir in mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken.

Yield: 12 servings

―Western New York Apple Growers.1990

Delaware Fried Apples

6 medium cooking apples

1/3 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

dash salt

Core apples and slice into 1/2- inch rings. Melt butter in a heavy skillet over low heat, and arrange apples rings to cover the bottom of the skillet without breaking the slices. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt, and sprinkle half the mixture over the apples. Cook five minutes, then turn with a pancake turner to avoid breaking apples. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture over the apples, and continue to cook until apples are almost transparent. (Do not overcook apples rings, or they break easily.) Serve hot.

Yield: 6 servings

― Delaware Fruit Growers Association and the Delaware Department of Agriculture, 1990

Apple Stuffing

8 slices of toast, cubed

1½ teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons sage

1/2 cup margarine

4 tablespoon finely chopped onion

2 large red delicious apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

2 large yellow delicious apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

2 eggs, beaten

Combine toast cubes, salt, pepper, and sage. Melt margarine in a large frying pan, add onion and apples, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes. Pour apple mixture over toast mixture, then add eggs. Mix thoroughly.

This recipe will fill a 4 to 5 pound roasting chicken, or it can be baked in an uncovered, quart baking dish at 350º F for 1¼ hours or until the top is toasty brown.

―Gennie Robinson, 1990

Cider Apple Bread

2/3 cup oil

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 cups whole grain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cider

1 tablespoon orange rind

1 cup raisins

4 cups nut meats

3 cups chopped apples

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Combine oil, sugar and eggs. Add flour, baking powder, salt and cider. Stir in orange rind, raisins, nuts and apples. Pour into a greased 9x13x2-inch baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes.

―Brookfield Orchards,1990