Thursdays are for cooking….

Looks like I’m still on an apple kick. I guess it’s just that time of year, isn’t it? Apple cider should be available now. If you’re out working in the yard and come indoors to the scent of cider heating in a pan or a coffee pot, your house should smell like springtime. Those Granny Smiths are at least 3.25 inches across.

The snow picture is from April this year, just to remind you that Mother Nature has her own way of doing things and we are mere pawns in her chess game.

There used to be an apple-happy pig belonging to a farmer in Provence, in southern France. This particular porker was also quite a toper. His hobby was to find the apple trees with the ripest fruit – almost pure alcohol – and bang his porker head on the tree trunk until the apples fell. He would then indulge himself until he was stinking drunk and maudlin, and the farmer not only did not discourage him, but valued him as a prime truffle-hunting pig. One can only hope that his porker progeny were as successful!

In view of apples a-plenty, some of them the size of softballs, I am herewith providing you, my esteemed audience, with my Grandma Wiley’s recipe for Chopped Apple Cake. She also had an omigod!! pineapple upside down cake recipe. I will find that.

Chopped Apple Cake – Grandma Z. Wiley

2 cups brown sugar (light or dark)

2 cups water

1 cup shortening (butter is best)

1 cup seedless raisins (that’s the minimum; I usually use more)

2 cups chopped apples

2 tsp cinnamon

1 ½ tsp nutmeg

Cook above ingredients together about 20 minutes

Cool apple mixture and add the dry ingredients (below):

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

¾ cup chopped English walnuts or pecans (use more than 3/4 cup if you like)

Sift dry ingredients together, add nuts and mix thoroughly until the nuts are coated with the flour.

When the apple-raisin mix has cooled, add all the dry ingredients a bit at a time, mix thoroughly and bake in greased loaf pans which have been lined with waxed paper.  Batter will stick without the waxed paper lining the pan, even if greased and floured.

Oven temperature: 350° F for about an hour, or until a toothpick or spaghetti strand inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and put on a cooling rack or stovetop burner trivet.  Leave in loaf pan until it cools.  Does not need frosting. Will keep nicely in fridge or in the freezer. If you want to freeze it, slice it into portions and wrap them, then store in a freezer-friendly box.

Note: This can also be baked in an angel cake pan or a Bundt cake pan, but use waxed paper to line the greased pan.

Serve this delightful concoction with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or just eat it plain. And load up on the nuts and raisins. You can, if you like, mix it up a bit by using both dark and golden raisins. And if your kids/grandkids don’t like it, that just leaves more for you.

Punkin says ‘Hi!’ and Happy Hallowe’en!

Category: Economy