“As sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our lives…” Who remembers that?
Today the Parsnip did a clown gig for a nursing home where he met a woman celebrating 101 years young. Wow! That’s all, just wow! She could have been one of the first babies at New Summerfield church of Christ. = )
And now…apples.
Last week I gave the recipe for Apple Custard, today we’ll try Apple Butter. Slow cooker apple butter is super easy and delicious. It makes a great gift and you can’t beat it on a bisquit, or you would be hard pressed to do so.
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
6 1/2 pounds apples – peeled, cored and sliced (I don’t peel, but you should try it peeled first)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1. Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples and mix well.
2. Cook in slow cooker on low for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
3. Uncover, stir in vanilla and continue cooking uncovered on low for about 2 hours.
4. Use an immersion blender to puree the apple butter until smooth.
Paisley Notes: I use a mix of Honey Crisp, Granny Smith and Pink Lady, you pick your favorites. Let the apple butter cook down to your desired consistency. It will end up with a nice scrumptious browned color. You can leave the lid off for the last hour or two to get a thicker consistency. Fill your jars leaving a 1/4 inch head space. Wipe the rims clean, remove any air bubbles and place your lids. Process 10 minutes for pints, 15 minutes for quarts.
I love Weck jars for things like this, but I can rarely afford them. Sigh…maybe next year.
Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Icing
Cake: (Southern Cooks recipe with a paisley twist)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 3 cups chopped apples, such as Rome Beauty(again I use Honey Crisp or Granny Smith, but I like a tart apple)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, I usually omit or sub pecans)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside. Beat eggs; add sugar and oil and beat for 3 minutes. Gradually stir in sifted dry ingredients. Fold in apples, walnuts, and vanilla. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan and bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Brown Sugar Icing