You’ve probably heard the adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” The original quote from about 1866 was “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” You can find out more about their health benefits here.
But that’s not why you should eat one today, eat one because they are juicy and delicious and this really is an international holiday!
Some apple snack ideas:
- Dip granny smith apple slices in caramel.
- Slice fuji or gala apples thinly to layer with cheddar cheese on crackers.
- Add bite-size apple chunks to your tuna salad for sandwiches.
- Bake a whole apple (with its core removed but not peeled) drizzled with a little pure maple syrup (don’t even think of trying fake syrup) at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. You can add chopped nuts and more maple syrup and even ice cream afterward if you like, but all alone it is still delicious. Your own personal apple pie without the crust, YUM!
- If you’re making a fruit pizza with sugar cookie crust and lemon curd/cream cheese ‘sauce’, sliced granny smith apples add a nice crunch and not too much sweet.
- You can even add grated apple to your meatloaf mix to cut down on the amount of meat needed and add extra flavor and nutrition, and if you don’t tell no one will know;)
- TIP: to keep apple slices from turning brown too quickly give them a quick dip in a water/lemon juice mixture
Menu
- Meridene’s Mandarin Chicken Salad on a bed of lettuce
- Cherry tomatoes & carrot sticks
- Corn on the cob
- My favorite Apple Pie
Meridene’s Mandarin Chicken Salad – Serves 6
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
Combine chicken, onion, salt, lemon juice, and celery
Refrigerate several hours.
1 cup seedless grapes cut in half if desired
2 Fuji or Gala apples peeled & cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Before serving, toss chicken mixture lightly with grapes, mayonnaise, apples, and all but a few orange sections and almonds.
Line salad bowl with lettuce leaves; fill with chicken mixture.
Garnish with reserved orange sections, almonds, and olives if desired.
My Favorite Apple Pie…
if you want hard core healthy keep searching elsewhere, but if you’re looking for super delicious- this is it!
**My own comments about pie crust – I was very intimidated by pies because I could never get the crust to roll out well and when I added flour to try and get it to not stick it would be tough. Forget about making it look good, roll it out ONCE – that’s it, lift it up as smoothly as you can and lay it in the pie plate, then get the pieces that fell off and add them to the pie plate. Pat the cracks together with as little touching as possible, and put it in the fridge while you’re working on the filling and top crust. After your filling is ready, roll out the top crust – ONCE, pour the filling in the pie plate with the dough on the bottom, and lay the new crust, piecemeal on top. Don’t worry about gaps or beauty, we’re going for de-lish. Seal the edge by squeezing the top and bottom crust edges together, making sure they don’t hang over the edge too far so they won’t break off during baking. Brush with a mixed raw egg or canned milk and enjoy!
Kelly’s Pie Crust
makes a bottom & a top crust
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
Blend with pastry tool, forks, or knives; try to use your hands as little as possible
1/4 cup ice water
Add to the mixture as quickly and with as little mixing as possible.
Form into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge until you are ready to use.
Busksa Farms Fuji Pie Filling
enough for 1 pie
6 medium apples
Wash, peel, core, and slice apples thinly.
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. Flour
2 tbsp. Butter
1 tsp Cinnamon
Mix cinnamon, sugar, butter, and flour together with a dough mixer.
Combine sugar mixture with apple slices
Add to pie plate on top of the bottom crust, top with pie dough
Seal edges and leave a few holes on top to vent
Brush pie dough top with either canned milk or mixed up raw egg.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then 300 degrees for 45 minutes.
