Easy Apple Crisp

I offered to make Apple Crisp for our Halloween party at work today.  I found this recipe a few weeks back from Feathers In Our Nest and love it!  I've made it 5 times since finding the recipe. 

I am down to the last 10-12 apples from the 52 lbs that we got 3 weeks ago. I am a little sad about that. I didnt make nearly enough applesauce that I wanted to, nor did I make enough pie filling to last the winter.  I am half tempted to drive an hour and a half this weekend to get another case of apples; but that's not very practical for a $4 case of apples, is it?  No...

So...it may have to wait until next year. *sigh*

Oh well.
It's been fun.  However, I think I need a new peeler now.  The blades are dull. :-)

Recipe: Apple Pie Filling

I still have a good 25-30 lbs of apples left from the large box we bought a couple of weeks ago.  I need to use them up before they go bad.  There is nothing I hate more than wasting food.  BUT...we dont really "waste" food.  It goes to Squiggy as a treat.  And he LOVES apples.

I found this recipe and tried it out.  Oh my goodness!  Never again will I pay $2 for a can of apples.  This recipe is AMAZING!!!

http://www.ehow.com/how_5361141_make-canned-fruit-pie-filling.html

6 Granny Smith Apples (I used the assorted apples that came in the box - so yummy!) 

1 tsp fresh squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Cup White Sugar

3 tbsp Cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground Nutmeg

1 1/2 Cups Water

The only problem with this filling is that it may not last until I get it into a pie crust!!!  I keep saying, "Oh, I'll just take ONE MORE."  If I dont stop, there wont be enough to fill the pie shell.  My next quest one of these days is trying to make my own pie crust. 

…Shrimp Gumbo, Fried Shrimp, Shrimp Stew, Shrimp Butter…

While coming home from our trip this past weekend, we stopped off at a farmer’s market that had a lot of produce.  I was outside petting an adorable little kitty when I saw that the place was selling a large box of apples for $4.  I wanted it!  They were an assorted variety of apples.  Todd gave me the go-ahead to buy them against his better judgement.  Again, I mention, I have OCD tendencies, and I am a sucker for a good deal.  So, we got the box.  When he went to pick it up, he mentioned he thought that there were about 40 lbs of apples in it.  I was tickled pink because I had just run out of the $0.59/lb McIntosh apples I purchased from the store the week before.  And we all know $0.10/lb is a lot better than $0.59/lb!

                       

When I got home, my curiosity got the best of me, so I had to get the bathroom scale.  This box of apples weighed 52 lbs!!!  Yes…you read correctly. FIFTY-TWO LBS!! That is just $0.08/lb!

This is what 52 lbs of apples look like:

What am I going to do with all of these apples?

I have recipes for apple chips, apple cake, apple cobbler, apple pie filling.

I have given a bag of apples to each of my two girlfriends at work, and I plan on giving a bag to my neighbor friend who fed the animals while we were away.  Oh, and my mother when I give her the concord grapes we bought for her (her favorite.)

Of course, I ran out of sugar last week, so I have to go and buy another bag.  I was hoping that there would be a sale on sugar this week, but if not, I am still going to go buy a bag.  I cant wait to start cooking.  There are several crockpot recipes as well that I will be experimenting with. 

Do you have any recipes that you could share to help get rid of some of these apples?

Recipe: Apple Cake (Healthy!)

Apple Cake

4 C chopped apples
3/4 C apple sauce (or oil)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs (I use egg substitute)
2 C flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 C chopped walnuts (optional - I dont use them : never have them!)

Mix everything together with a wooden spoon.
Bake at 325 for 50 minutes in a 13 x 9 pan.

So moist and delicious!