Recipes

Apple Butter

4 cups bottled, unsweetened apple juice or cider*

4 pounds golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, & sliced

1½ cups sugar2 teaspooons ground cinnamon

In a heavy bottomed, 8 quart pan, bring apple juice to a boil over high heat. Add apples; reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft enough to mash easily (about 30 minutes).

Stir in sugar and cinnamon until well blended. Cook, uncovered, mashing apples and stirring often, until mixture is thickened and reduced to five cups (about 1 hour). Ladle into prepared half pint jars, leaving ¼” headspace. Process for five minutes.

Yield: about five half-pints.

*Cider gives the apple butter a deeper, richer (and some say stronger) flavor. My recommendation is to stick with the apple juice unless you really love the flavor of cider.

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Deep-dish Apple Pie

4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, and cored
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon to sprinkle on top
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Perfect Pie Crust, recipe follows
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut each apple quarter in thirds crosswise and combine in a bowl with the zests, juices, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Roll out half the pie dough and drape it over a 9- or 10-inch pie pan to extend about 1/2-inch over the rim. Don't stretch the dough; if it's too small, just put it back on the board and re-roll it.

Fill the pie with the apple mixture. Brush the edge of the bottom pie crust with the egg wash so the top crust will adhere. Top with the second crust and trim the edges to about 1-inch over the rim. Tuck the edge of the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp the 2 together with your fingers or a fork. Brush the entire top crust with the egg wash, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, and cut 4 or 5 slits.

Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the crust is browned and the juices begin to bubble out. Serve warm.

Perfect Pie Crust:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Yield: 2 (10-inch) crusts

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Wholemade Biscuits

3 c. flour

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 c. milk

3 tsp baking powder

1/3 c. shortening

Heat oven to 400. Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal; quickly stir in milk. Knead dough lightly. Roll to 1/2 inch thick. On lightly floured board, cut in 2-inch rounds. Place on greased baking sheet, Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

Makes 12 to 16 biscuits.

French Bread

1 generous T shortening

1 c. boiling water

1/4 c. lukewarm water

1 pkg. yeast

1 T sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

3 c. flour

Combine shortening, 1 cup water, 1 T sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Combine 1/4 cup water, yeast and 1/2 tsp sugar and let stand 10 minutes. Combine shortening-sugar mixture with yeast mixture and add flour. Knead to soft dough. Place in greased bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Knead down every 10 minutes four times. Pat out on flat surface. Roll like jelly roll. Twist once. Place on cookoie sheet. Let rise til double. Bake at 400 degrees 25 to 30 minutes.

Hush Puppies

3 c. yellow cornmeal

3 tsp baking powder

1 sm can evap. milk

1 T salt

1 c. boiling water

3 eggs

1/2 of a onion (minced) optional

Beat together 1 small can evap milk. with 3 eggs. Mix boiling water with dry ingredients. Add milk-egg mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls in hot oil.

Gowan House Rolls

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. boiling water

1 cake yeast disolved in 1/4 c. lukewarm water

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg beaten

3 c. flour

1 tsp salt

Mix shortening and sugar in 1 cup boiling water. Add egg and yeast when shortening mixture cools. Add flour and salt. Mix but do not knead. Place in refrigerator til ready to use. Shape into rolls on greased pan. Let rise 2 hours. Bake at 400 degrees til done.

Pumpkin Bread

3 c. sugar

4 eggs

3/4 c. water

1 c. olive oil

1 tsp cinnamom

2 tsp soda

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 c. flour

2 c. pumpkin

1 c. nuts (vary)

raisins (optional)

1/3 c. cream cheese (optional)

Mix all ingredients in one bowl. Grease and flour your loaf pans and fill half full of batter. Bake one hour at 35o degrees. Remove from pans when cooled.

Rolls

1 pkg yeast

1/4 c. powdered milk

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1/4 c. water

1 c. water

1/4 c. soft margarine

3 1/2 c. flour

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water. Set aside. In blender combine powdered milk, 1 cup water, sugar, margarine, salt, egg and 1 cup flour. Blend just until mixed. Pour into mixing bowl and add yeast. Add remaining flour. You will have an easier time maneuvering your dough if you don't make it to stiff. You can always add flour later as you are kneading it. Cover and let rise til double (2-2 1/2 hours). Punch down and shape as desired. Let rise again. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Cinnamon Rolls

Make dough as for rolls. Roll dough on floured surface to very thin (1/8" or less). Spread 1/2 cup melted, cool margarine evenly over clear to edges. Combine 2 1/4 cup sugar and 1 T cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over buttered surface. Roll dough up and then slice crosswise in 1 1/2" pieces. Place in well greased baking pan (with sides). Cover and let rise about 2 hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or til golden brown. Take from oven and immediately turn them over onto a foil-lined tray. Serve hot.

Buttermilk Rolls

4 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 c. scalded buttermilk

2 cakes yeast

1/2 tsp soda

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. shortening

Sift flour, soda, salt, sugar together; add buttermilk and shortening. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water; stir into flour mixture. Let stand for 10 minutes. Knead on floured surface; shape into desired rolls. Place on greased baking sheet; let rise until double in bulk. Bake in 400 degree oven until lightly browned.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

2 c. sugar

2 c. zucchini, unpeeled & grated

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 c. olive oil

3 tsp vanilla

1 tsp soda

3 c. flour

2/3 c. nuts chopped

Beat eggs; add oil, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well and add zucchini. Sift dry ingredients and add nuts, and fold into egg mixture. Bake in 2 greased pans 1 hour at 325 degrees.

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Peanut Butter Oatmeal Colassals

1 1/2 C. sugar

1 1/2 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. marg/butter

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla2

C. chunky peanut butter

6 C. oats (quick or old fashioned)

2 C. chocolate chips

2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Mix first 6 ingredients thoroughly.

Add remiaing ingredients and mix well.

Drop on greased baking sheets.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Enjoy - they are SO yummy.