FABULOUS FALL FOODS--apple orchards--delicious recipes! 

by Virginia Campbell  

I love the Fall of the year. I am fortunate to live in the beautiful state of Virginia, where the mountains are painted by a magic hand when Summer blends into Autumn. About a half-hour from where I live is a section of VA where there are numerous generational orchards. They mostly grow apples, but they also grow peaches and many other fruits and vegetables. The orchard stores are wonderful, offering many varieties of apples, pumpkins large and small, gorgeous mums and other seasonal specialties. There are also shelves full of jams, jellies, preserves, syrups, old-fashioned candies and cookbooks. It is truly a pleasure to travel to the orchards on a beautiful Fall day and then reap a harvest of treats and sweets!

For me, cooking and reading are two of my favorite pastimes. I believe that you can prepare delicious meals in a streamlined manner so that you can have extra time for yourself. The more complicated your life, the more demands made on your time, the more you need to take the time to care for yourself. I hope you will enjoy these simple and tasty recipes which celebrate the savory, sweet, and spicy flavors of Fall. Enjoy a glass of wine or a cup of cider along with your favorite read!

Apple-Raisin Relish

2 tart green apples, such as Granny Smith ( 3/4 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks; 1/4 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons raisins, or dried currants; 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, or white-wine vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

In a medium saucepan, combine the apples, sugar, raisins, vinegar, ginger, and cayenne over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat; simmer, partially covered, until apples are soft, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Perfect with pork or ham.    

APPLE CAKE WITH RUM SAUCE

Preheat oven to 350 F
Grease with butter a 9 inch glass baking dish or pie pan

CAKE:
In a medium bowl mix together:
1/4 Cup shortening or butter at room temp
1 Cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp Baking soda
1 Cup flour
2 TBS Hot water 1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 Cups pared, cubed apples

Turn mixture into greased baking dish and cook at 350 for 45 minutes. (When cooked, this will look more like a pie than a cake. Not to worry.)

RUM SAUCE: (Quick and easy)
1/2 Cup butter
3/4 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup cream
1/2 tsp rum extract
1-2 TBS of rum (I use 2 :)

Melt butter, add brown sugar and boil 1 minute. Add cream, boil a few seconds. Remove from heat and stir in extract and rum. While warm, spoon over individual apple cake servings.

Easy Apple-Berry Crisp

Ingredients:
1 (21 oz) can apple pie filling
1 (14 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce (or one 21 oz can cherry pie filling)
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups dry oatmeal

Preparation/Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10" x 13" baking pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine canned fruit. In a separate bowl, mix together butter, sugar and oatmeal (mixture will be crumbly). Spread fruit mixture evenly in prepared pan. Sprinkle oatmeal topping evenly over fruit. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly brown and crisp (do not over bake). Serve warm or cold. If desired, top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Sweet-and-Sauerkraut Sausagewiches

 
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. smoked sausage. cut into bite-size pieces
27-oz. can sauerkraut
4 tart apples, cored, peeled and chopped
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 t. caraway seed
4 to 6 hard rolls, split
spicy brown mustard, stone ground mustard

Place smoked sausage into a slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine undrained sauerkraut with apples, onion, brown sugar and caraway seed; spoon over sausage. Cover and cook on low setting for 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally. Heat rolls (if desired) and fill with sausage mixture. Serve with mustard on the side. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Beef and Cabbage Soup

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 head medium cabbage, rough-chopped
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 large onion, rough-chopped
1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (32 ounce) carton beef broth
1/2 tsp garlic powder
several bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef and drain. In a large stock pot, combine remaining ingredients and add ground beef. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and cover, simmering for one hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Apple-Sour Cream Bundt Cake

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix; 1 pkg.  (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding; 4 eggs; 2/3 cup  water; 1/2 cup oil; 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/8 tsp ground cloves; 1/2 cup sour cream; 3 tart green apples (1 lb.), unpeeled, coarsely chopped; 1/2 cup chopped walnuts; 2 Tbsp. sour cream; 3/4 cup powdered sugar; 1 tsp.  water  

Heat oven to 350ºF. Beat first 8 ingredients and 1/2 cup sour cream in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Stir in apples; pour into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup fluted tube pan. Bake 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 min. Loosen cake from side of pan with knife. Invert cake onto wire rack; gently remove pan. Cool cake completely.  Glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, remaining sour cream and 1 tsp. water until well blended. Drizzle over cake. Let stand until glaze is firm.

Pumpkin Dip

2 c. powdered sugar
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 can (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
dash of ground nutmeg
dash of ground cloves

Combine sugar and softened cream cheese until well blended. Beat in remaining ingredients. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve with gingersnaps or graham crackers and sliced apples or pears.

Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 

1 cup light vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups peeled and chopped tart apples (like Granny Smith) 

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, softened

1 lb powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans 

Combine oil and sugar together in a bowl; beat in eggs. Sift all dry ingredients together and then add to egg mixture. Fold in vanilla and apples. Pour into a greased 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 325°F for 45 minutes or until done; set aside to cool. For the frosting, combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl using mixer. Gradually add the powdered sugar; beat until smooth and then add vanilla. Frost the cooled cake and then sprinkle pecans over top.   

Roast Chicken with Apples and Onions

1 Whole chicken
3-4 Apples (mix tart and sweet for best flavor)
2 Yellow onions
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons melted butter
1/4 tsp dried sage & 1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Chop onions and apples into one-inch chunks. Toss together with lemon juice, half of the melted butter, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Rinse chicken thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub the remaining butter into the skin. Stuff as much of the apple mixture into the chicken as possible. Cover and set aside any remaining apple mixture. Place in a roasting pan breast up and put in oven. Roast for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and cook for 45 minutes. Take chicken out. Baste and add remaining apple/onion mixture to the pan. Roast for up to another 30 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160 degrees. Test for doneness. Let chicken stand for about 10 minutes at room temperature before carving.  

Apple Dumplings with Brandy Sauce

Apple Dumplings: 2 cups all-purpose flour ; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup (one stick) chilled butter; 2/3 cup sour cream; 6 medium tart cooking apples, cored, peeled; 1/3 cup sugar; 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/3 cup chopped pecans; 2 tablespoons butter, softened

Brandy Sauce:  1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar; 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream; 3 tablespoons butter; 2 tablespoons brandy

Heat oven to 400°F. Combine flour and salt in medium bowl; cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in sour cream with fork until mixture forms a ball. Roll dough into 19x12-inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. Cut 1-inch strip off 19-inch end; reserve. Cut remaining dough into 6 (6-inch) squares. Place apple in center of each square. Combine sugar, nutmeg, pecans and 2 tablespoons butter in small bowl. Fill center of apple with 1 1/2 tablespoons mixture. Fold dough up around apple; seal seams well. Place onto greased 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan, seam-side down. Brush dough with milk; prick dough with fork. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until apples are fork tender. If crust browns too quickly, cover with aluminum foil. Combine all sauce ingredients in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil (3 to 4 minutes). Allow sauce to cool several minutes. Serve sauce over warm dumplings.

Apple-Cranberry Sausage Stuffing

16 ounces seasoned stuffing mix, cubed kind; 6 tablespoons butter, divided; 1 lb sage sausage; 4 cups chopped tart apples, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3 cups chicken broth; 2 teaspoons dried parsley; 1 cup chopped celery; 1 large yellow onion, chopped; 2 eggs, beaten; 1/2 cup dried cranberries.

 Preheat oven to 425 and butter a 3 qt baking dish. Place stuffing in large bowl; reserve. In large nonstick skillet, melt 2 T. butter over medium high heat. Crumble in sausage; cook, stirring, until well-browned. Stir sausage with drippings into stuffing. In same skillet, melt 2 T. butter over medium heat. Add apples, onion, celery, and salt; cook stirring occasionally, until softened. Add broth and parsley; bring to a boil. Pour over stuffing; stir until moistened. Stir in cranberries and eggs. Spoon into baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Melt remaining butter, uncover stuffing; drizzle with butter. Bake until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes.