All About Apples

We’re fully into Fall now. The leaves are changing colours and the weather is getting crisper and rainier. One of the things that you think about when you think of Fall, when it comes to food at least, is apples! Apples come in so many varieties; there’s more now than ever. I remember before that you’d only really see a few types like Red Delicious, McIntosh, and Granny Smith. For the next few weeks we are going to look at creating things with apples whether it be crafts or food treats. This week though, we are going to take a look at the many different varieties of apples and see what you can do with them and how to find them at the grocery store. 

Apples:

McIntosh: Deep red with green - Juicy, tangy, and tart - Best used for snacking and applesauce -Best months...September through May.

Red Delicious: Stripy red to solid midnight red - Sweet and soft -This is the apple that is most recognized; it’s got the feet at the bottom and tall body and is best used in salads or as a snack but eat it fast as it turns brown fast - Found all year round.

Golden Delicious: Yellow with a pink “blush” sometimes - Mild sweet flavour that’s buttery and honey tasting - Best as a snack, beverages, in pies and crisps but mixed with more tart apples - Found all year round.

Granny Smith: My absolute favourite! Green sometimes with a red blush - Very tart and tangy - Best used for baking but also a good snack if you don’t mind sour - Found all year round.

Gala: Creamy yellow to red and yellow striped and reddish orange - Very sweet, crispy, and juicy - Great for snacking, beverages, baking, and making applesauce. Found all year round.

Fuji: Striped yellow and red - Sweet and firm - Good for snacking, beverages, baking, freezing, and applesauce- Found all year round starting in September. 

Jazz - Orangish red with yellow patches - Sweet, firm, and juicy - Best for snacking and baking - Found all year round.

Pink Lady: Pinkish red with yellow - Sweet, crunchy, and tangy at the same time - Best for snacking and baking - Best months... November to August.

Ambrosia: Yellow pink - Floral aroma, honey flavour, and sweet - Good for snacking, salads, and baking. Best months... September through March.

Honeycrisp: Red over yellow - Crisp, coarse, juicy, and sweet - Good for snacking, beverages, salads, applesauce - Limited supplies starting in September.

Braeburn: Orangey or red over yellow or green - Rich, spicy, juicy, and sweet - Good for snacking, applesauce, salads, and baking. Best months...October through July.

Spartan: Crimson red with green near the top - Soft with bright white flesh, crisp, juicy, tangy. Good for beverages, snacking, baking, and applesauce. Found all year round.

Envy: Reddish with yellow shining through - Sweet and crisp - Good for snacking, salads, and baking - Best months...October to March.

Jonagold: Red with green poking through - Crunchy and sweet with tartness - Best used for snacking, salads, baking, and beverages. Best months...October to July.

Crispin: Green - Sweet, refreshing, and crisp - Best for snacking, baking, sauce, and freezing - Found all year round.

So there you have a list of different apples and what they look and taste like and when they can be found. Coming up next week...we pick some to bake with! 

Comfort Foods Part 2 - Hot Chocolate & Cookies

It’s rainy and windy, it’s my time of the year! I love cuddling up under the blankets and being comfy cozy while watching a good movie or reading a book. In keeping with the comfort food theme, we are going to share a decadent hot chocolate recipe and a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. Both are perfect for the cold rainy days that we have ahead of us this Fall/Winter.

This is my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I make this all of the time. I could probably make it blindfolded. We have made the plain recipe for a Back to School post in the past, but today we are going to make it with some yummy oats in it. 

You will need...

1 cup of brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup of margarine

2 eggs

2 tsp. of vanilla

2 ¼ cups of flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups of chocolate chips

2 ½ cups of oats

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. I usually do about two.

Cream the softened  margarine and the sugar. Then add the vanilla and the eggs.  

Mix the flour and the baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet gradually. Once it’s all mixed, then add the oats and then stir in the chocolate chips. 

Using two teaspoons, scoop the dough onto the cookie sheets. You want average sized dough scoops, not too big, not too small. 

Cook one sheet at a time for about 7-8 minutes each. 

This hot chocolate recipe was good, but it was very rich and super sweet, so you can dilute it a bit with extra milk or hot water. This makes enough for two.

Gather your ingredients...

2 cups of milk  

2/3 cups of cream

2/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips/shavings

¼ cups milk chocolate chips/shavings

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Warm 2/3 cup of the milk in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the chocolate. Stir the chocolate in until it is completely melted and then whisk in the rest of the milk and the cream. If you don’t want the cream, you can use more milk if you want to; that’s what we did. 

Continue to heat until the mixture is hot but be careful not to boil it. Add the cinnamon and the salt and then pour into cups.  Top with whipped cream or with marshmallows if you want a real sugar rush!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/jan/12/how-to-make-perfect-hot-chocolate

So there you have some perfect hibernating day treats! 

Comfort Food - Chowder

We are starting to experience full on Fall weather now and there is nothing more enjoyable than eating warm yummy comfort food on rainy cloudy days. I’m a Fall person; rainy and cloudy weather give me energy and happiness and I love to use all of that energy to make “hibernating” food. We are going to focus on comfort food recipes for the next few weeks. We’ll share with you some of our favourite comfort foods and how to make them.

First up...chowder. This is not your typical clam/seafood chowder which is not everyone’s cup of tea, this is a potato chicken chowder with cheese! It’s almost like that comforting bowl of chicken soup, but thicker and heartier. I love eating this soup. You can have it as a standalone meal with some crackers sprinkled on top or some warm buttered bread, or you can have it in addition to a nice heartier Fall meal. It’s super easy to make. So here we go... 

In order to make this chowder, you will need the following:

¼ cup of butter, I use margarine

1 red onion

3 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 tsp. of dried thyme

¼ cup of flour

3 cups of chicken broth

2 cups of milk

3 Russett potatoes, peeled and cubed

2-3 chicken breasts chopped up in bite sized pieces (I cook mine in the oven on a tin foiled lined cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 30minutes. I rub them with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper them for seasoning)

1 ½ cups of grated cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

I tend to make a big pot of this soup so I usually do a doubled recipe and then you can freeze some as well and pull it out for a quick meal. I also grate a little extra cheese to sprinkle on the top.

You will need to put a large pot or stock pot on medium heat. Melt the butter and then add the carrots, celery, and onion and stir while cooking. Once they are softer, stir in the thyme.

Next whisk in the flour until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and the milk. Whisk constantly until thickened. Depending on the milk fat in your milk, it may take a bit longer to thicken up. Stir in the potatoes. 

Once the potatoes have been added, bring the chowder to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft. This can take about 15 minutes or more. 

When your potatoes are soft, then you can stir in the chicken and the cheese. Stir until smooth. Add the salt and pepper. If the chowder seems way too thick, you can add some more milk, but not too much because you still want it to be thick like a traditional chowder.

Serve immediately.