An Apple a Day...

You know what they say..."An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Well, I should be covered for at least a year with all of the apples I have consumed since August. I seriously believe that I have eaten an apple in one fashion or another every day since the first trip to the orchards. That said, I have several random snipits of info I'd like to provide in this post; each one has something to do with apples but only one actually relates to the recipe you'll find at the end.

First of all, I want to comment on the picture of the apples above. They look very similar to the variety I purchased yesterday at Publix. As advertised, Honeycrisp apples were on sale for $2.99 per pound. Have you ever seen a Honeycrisp? Eaten one? They are beautiful apples! Weird I know but I found myself staring at bin where they were stored in awe of their beauty. I gave in and purchased two. All I have to say is I hope they taste as delicious as their apparence because when I got home and looked over my receipt, those two darn apples were $4.25! I am a horrible judged at guessing weight, I suppose. Hence, the reason there are scales throughout the produce section; I never take the time to use them.

Secondly, I must recap a trip we and some friends took to the North GA mountains in mid-September. One word to sum up the trip is FUN. We had a blast. And our Sunday afternoon ended with a trip to Mercier's Orchards in Blue Ridge, Georgia. We had the opportunity to hitch a hay ride to the orchards and pick our own apples. What a treat! It was then I made the decision about my top 3 favorite apples. In case you care, here they are:  Ambrosia, Mutzu, and Cameo. (Hopefully, Honeycrisp will be added to the list if my purchase yesterday does not let me down.) Here are a few pictures from our trip.

The Gang minus me (My handsome hubby is in the green Polo:)

Star showing off her apple-picking skills

I look like I am pulling the entire limb instead of an apple!

Lindsey and Judson--husband & wife teamwork at its finest

Lastly, I need to tell about the recipe for this post. This is a special one, not that it is laborious or tedious, but it ranks #1 on B's list of favorite desserts (last time I asked). If I ever want or need to suck up to the hubs, I whip up his uno numero desserto--"Apple Dumplings". This recipe began with my mom and it quickly became a family favorite. You'll find that there is nothing to it. The most difficult part is probably peeling the apples. But please, don't tell B that! I need him to believe that his beloved Apple Dumplings are treats that only the BEST can make and while they are such a hassle, he is totally worth it.

Apple Dumplings
Serves 8 (Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a large crowd.)

1 Granny Smith apple
1 pkg crescent roll dough
1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Mountain Dew
1/4 cup water
cinnamon sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degress.

Peel apple and cut into 8 wedges. Seperate crescent rolls and sprinkle each with cinnamon sugar (I sprinkle liberally). Place one apple slice at the long end of the roll. Roll dough around apple as you would if you were making crescents without the apple slice. Place each roll (we will now call them "dumplings") into an 8" x 8" baking dish. Sprinkle tops of dumplings with more cinnamon sugar. Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine butter, sugar, Mountain Dew, and water. Bring to boil for 5 minutes. Pour mixutre over dumplings.

Place dish in oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes (my oven cooks fast so mine are done in 20 minutes--it takes approx. 30 minutes when I double the recipe--they are done when the dumplings have browned). Let dumplings set for about 5 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

*For Caramel Nut Apple Dumplings, simply drizzle caramel syrup or topping over ice cream and sprinkle with chopped nuts.


How's that for a fall treat? Makes me feel all warm and cozy inside.
Enjoy,

Marie