Apples and Everything Muffins - Big Batch

Who doesn't love Apples?

Bushels and boxes full of fresh apples are now appearing at farmer's markets and shops. 

Here is a recipe that utilizes this favourite fruit.

These muffins have lots of apples in them plus almost everything else.

They are moist, delicious and freeze well.

The recipe makes approximately 36 medium sized muffins.

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup natural bran (not cereal)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 4 cups shredded peeled apples
• 1 cup shredded peeled carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 1/4 cups raisins or dried cranberries
• 1 cup coconut
• 1/1/2 cups oil
• 1/4 cup fancy molasses
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3 teaspoons vanilla

1. Lightly grease muffin tins and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
4. Add shredded apple, carrots, pecans, raisins, and coconut and toss together with dry ingredients.
5. In another bowl, mix oil, molasses, milk, beaten eggs and vanilla.
6. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix lightly until evenly moistened.  Do not over mix.
7. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in muffins come out clean.
9. Immediately loosen muffins from edge of cups and tilt each muffin in it's cup. This keeps them from getting soggy in the pan.
10. Remove muffins to a rack.  
11. Serve warm or let cool completely and freeze.

Platz

20 years ago our youngest daughter sang in the

Pacific Mennonite Children's Choir.

She brought this recipe home after having it at one of the other choir members homes.

Her note on the hand written recipe said,

VERY GOOD LIGHT CAKE.

She was right.

Here I have used blackberries, but you could also use,

blueberries, plums, apricots or peaches.

Ingredients - for cake

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Crisco shortening
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• fruit to cover cake, fresh or frozen

Ingredients - for topping

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla

Method:

1. Beat together eggs and sugar until creamy. Add Crisco and beat well.
2. Add remaining ingredients and beat just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
3. Dump batter into a small greased cookie sheet. Top generously with fresh or frozen fruit.
4. To make crumble topping, stir together flour and sugar. Cut in butter until it becomes small crumbly pieces. Sprinkle with vanilla and toss with hands, then immediately sprinkle over fruit.
5. Bake in 350º oven for 25-30 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.

Empanadas / Pastelle

My husband was born in Paraguay and it almost seems that every street corner sells Empanadas. Even though the ones made in Canada are tasty, I will be the first to admit that the ones from Paraguay are outta this world! Maybe they taste better there because we are immersed in the culture and flavors of the land. The native Paraguayan people are such friendly people, and we were welcomed with such gracious hospitality. No matter how poor some of them are, what they have is yours and we were made to feel very welcomed. We haven't been there since 1986 but would love to take our family there someday. In the meantime my family gets to enjoy these. They don't get these very often but when I do make them they are devoured in no time at all. I make enough for the family to enjoy one day and a few extra to pack for lunches the next day. Depending on how big you want them will determine how many a recipe makes. I made a double batch yielding in 32 the size of my hand. The following recipe is one recipe. 

Dough:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup hot milk
• 3/4 cup melted lard or shortening.

1. In a bowl combine the flour, salt with the hot milk and lard.
2. Mix until well combined. Knead the dough just until all the flour is absorbed about 8- 10 times and holds together well. You do NOT want to overwork the dough.
3. Divide the dough into 16 balls. 
4. On a lightly floured surface roll into circles. 
5. Fill with the filling and seal.

*If you want to make more than one recipe I have found it is best to make the recipe one batch at time. 

Filling: I make the filling the day before so it has a chance to cool completely.

• 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef
• 2 onions, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 green or red pepper (optional) I didn't have any this time
• 1 teaspoon of cumin 
• salt, pepper, pepper flakes to taste. 
• 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped

1. Brown the ground beef with the onions and garlic in a bit of oil, then add the seasonings to taste. 
2. Cool the mixture before adding the cooked eggs and parsley. 
3. Fill and seal the empanadas. 
4. Heat the 3 inches of oil in a pot or deep skillet on medium high heat. 
5. Add empanadas a few at a time. You do not want to crowd the pan, turning only once until you reach a golden brown color. 
6. Drain on paper towels. 
7. Cool for several minutes before serving as they are very hot. Serve with hot sauce on the side. 

*Tip, If you find you have extra dough, fill the remaining empanadas with grated mozzarella to make cheese empanadas. Very good! 

Old Fashioned Apricot Jam

There is nothing like old fashioned apricot jam on a piece of toast with some cheddar cheese to top it.   Everyone has their favorite way to dip into apricot jam and maybe you can suggest your favorite apricot jam treat for our readers.

This jam has no added pectin but it thickens and is still soft. I was taught by a fantastic Mennonite baker many years ago that if you wanted to bake cookies with jam inside it was best to use jam that had no pectin because it helps the jam to not absorb into the cookie which makes your cookie hollow.   So if you are planning on making jam jams this year for Christmas you may want to put up your apricot jam now.  I store my jam in the freezer where it always tastes as fresh as the day it was made.  If you want to store your jam in the pantry, it is recommended that you use a hot water processing bath.

• 9 cups washed and diced apricots  (about 5 pounds whole apricots)
• 6 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1. You will need  10  - 1 cup / 250 ml jam jars.  Wash the jars and place them in a 225 F for 10 minutes to sterilize them. Sterilize the lids in boiling water. 
2. Combine all the ingredients in a heavy large pot.  Stir together well and then turn the heat to medium high and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil.
3. Continue to boil the mixture.  Set the timer to 30 minutes and stir every few minutes to be sure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.  If your pot is a good quality you should have no problem with it burning on the bottom but if you are at all unsure, it is best to stir often to ensure all your hard work is not ruined by burned jam.
4. At first the jam will foam on top but this will eventually go away and your jam will begin to thicken slightly.   Put a small plate in the freezer and when the jam is near the 30 minute mark.  Take the plate out after a few minutes and spoon a teaspoon of jam on the plate and allow it to cool.  When the jam slowly drips down and has a thickened consistency the jam is finished.  My jam usually takes about 30 - 35 minutes.
5. Ladle the jam into jars leaving 3/4 inch space.  Place lids and screw tops on the jars and cool.  Once cool, store the jam in a refrigerator or freeze it.

Raspberry Red Pepper Jelly

Raspberries are ripe in the Fraser Valley and yesterday I popped into Neufeld Farms and picked up beautiful berries to make some Raspberry Pepper Jelly which pairs beautifully with cream cheese and crackers for a quick appy or a perfect little hostess gift.  If you don't want to make the jelly now. .simply freeze soft packed berries into a small freezer bag and you will have them measured and ready to use in fall or winter.

• 3 cups raspberries (use a one cup measuring cup and pack them lightly, don't press them down flat. .they shouldn't squish)
• 2 large red bell peppers
• 10 jalapeno peppers
• 1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 8 cups white sugar
• 2 boxes of 170 ml liquid certo  (this means 4 pouches)  170 ml is about 5.75 ounces for American measuring

1. Sterilize lids and  jars with boiling water. Amount of jars depends on what size you use. The batch of jelly is about 10 cups.
2. Put the raspberries in a large cooking pot.
3. Roughly dice the red bell peppers and the jalapeno peppers  (use rubber gloves) and put them in a food processor and pulse until they are a fine dice.  Alternately. .finely dice them by hand.
4. Add the peppers into the pot.
5. Add the cider vinegar and the sugar and bring to a light boil.  Simmer for 8 minutes.
6. Add the certo liquid and boil hard one minute.
7. Pour the hot liquid into a large sieve. You might have to do this in batches, dumping out the pepper and raspberry seeds in between. 
8. This should leave you with about 10 cups of jelly.
9. Skim the foam and pour into little jars.
10. Wipe the rims to be sure you haven't dripped and top with lids and screw hand tight.
11. Process the jelly in a canner in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
12. Using a canning jar tong, remove to a draft free area and let them cool.
13. Be sure all the jars have sealed and then store in a dark cool place.

For safe canning instructions. .please have a look at this link here.

Coconut Loaf

This coconut loaf is moist and flavorful. I like it plain but can be drizzled with a glaze while still warm or with a dollop of whipped cream.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons coconut flavoring
• 2 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup coconut flakes

Directions:

1. In a medium size mixing bowl cream butter with sugar.
2. Stir in eggs and flavorings until well combined.
3. In another bowl whisk together dry ingredients.
4. Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream.
5. Fold in coconut.
6. Pour batter into a greased 8" x 4" x 2" loaf pan.
7. Bake in a 350º oven for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan.
9. Serve warm or cold.

Peach Almond Coffee Cake

This coffee cake is delicious plain or take it up a notch by adding whipped cream and more toasted almonds and it is fit for a queen. Serve it as a dessert or for brunch, either way you will please the taste buds.

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cans each 398 ml/ canned peach slices 
• 1/4 cup almonds, sliced and toasted

1. In a medium sized bowl beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar on medium high until light and creamy.
2. Add eggs, sour cream, and extracts and stir until well blended and the batter is smooth.
3. Whisk together dry ingredients except cinnamon and mix just until combined.
4. In a small bowl whisk together remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.
5. Spread 1/2 the batter in a greased 10" round spring form pan. You can use a square pan.
6. Top with half the peaches and sprinkle half the sugar cinnamon mixture over peaches.
7. Spread remaining batter over peaches and arrange the remaining peaches in a uniform pattern and sprinkle with remaining sugar cinnamon mixture.
8. Sprinkle almonds over top.
9. Bake in a 350º oven for 1 and 15 minutes. Check cake if it's done at 55 minutes.
10. Serves: 10 generous slices

Platz

I have very fond memories of my mom baking preparing for guests on a Sunday and weekday lunches. She would often make platz and I loved it, still do.  I got this recipe for platz from my friend Carolyn many years ago and it has been in her family for generations. I know we have lots and lots of good platz recipes on our blog, but why not one more. Each recipe is slightly different and I have my favorite go to's with this one being one of them. The other go to platz recipe I like to make with my homemade frozen apple pie filling is this recipe. I just realized that I have never posted the recipe for homemade pie filling, which I will have to do this fall. This recipe has a softer base unlike the other recipe which has a short crust type base.
Rhubarb is growing like crazy now in our yard and I am sure I have been requested to make this platz about 3 times in the last few weeks. Give it a try, I am sure you will like it too.

Base:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
•  1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cups milk

Streusel:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, softened

1. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan with 2" sides.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. 
3. Add the softened butter (I put my butter into the microwave for 20-30 seconds until it begins to melt).
4. Combine the milk and beaten egg and add it to the flour mixture. Stir with a spatula until well combined. I do the final mixing with my hands. 
5. Press into the pan. 
6. Top with 2 cups of fruit or until the base is covered to make one layer of fruit, depending on what fruit you are using, This picture features two cups of chopped fresh Rhubarb.
7. For the streusel mixture, combine the sugar, flour and baking powder and mix in the softened butter. (Again I microwave mine for a few seconds). Make crumbs by squeezing the mixture in your hands and drop onto fruit.
8.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes and your crumbs begin to get a light brown. Do not over bake because the base gets dry. If you like your crumbs to be darker than this, then put on the broiler for a short while but keep a very close eye on them. 

Raspberry Ripple Pie

Raspberry ripple pie is one of our all-time favorite summer desserts. This recipe was clipped from a farm publication decades ago, at a time when we were growing commercial raspberries.  I make several at a time at the beginning of the summer...a ready dessert in the freezer. The better the ice-cream, the more special the dessert!

• Ice-cream - 2 litres (quarts) premium vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

Crust:

• 1 ¼ cups Oreo cookie crumbs
• ¼ cup butter, melted

1. Combine crumbs with melted butter. 
2. Press firmly into the base of a 9 or 10-inch springform pan.

Filling:

• 1 ½ cups crushed raspberries
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 ½ tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Combine raspberries, sugar and three tablespoons of water.
2. Blend cornstarch with 1 ½ tablespoon water until smooth; stir into berry mixture.
3. Cook until mixture thickens and boils (I do this in the microwave, stirring regularly).
4. Add lemon juice.
5. Allow to cool.

Method:

1. Spoon about 1/3 of the ice-cream over the crumb crust…pressing down somewhat.
2. Then spoon about half the berry sauce over the ice-cream.
3. Repeat…ending with ice-cream on top.
4. Carefully spread ice-cream over the filling with spatula or knife.
5. Cover and freeze until hard.
6. Allow to soften for about 15 minutes before serving.
7. Cut in wedges and serve with whipped cream and berry sauce (below) and garnish with fresh raspberries.

Berry Sauce:

1. Puree about 2 cups of raspberries in blender…add a little sugar.
2. Stir in whole berries just before serving.

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate cake from scratch. A simple recipe that turns out perfect every time. Another recipe from the files of my sister Rhoda. It's similar to a recipe we have from our mom's collection. Mom's had butter in the recipe instead of the oil used in this one.

Tips: When greasing a glass 9x13 pan for a cake only butter the bottom of the pan with butter (not cooking spray). The cake rises more evenly if the sides are not greased. You might think it will stick to the sides, but I don't ever find that it does. Another tip is to dust a little cocoa powder over the buttered pan. If you are baking a white or yellow cake use a thin dusting of flour. This dry dusting also helps cakes to not stick to the pan.
This cake freezes well plain or frosted. 

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup hot coffee OR instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 cup hot water

1. Beat together eggs and oil.
2. Stir together all the dry ingredients and then mix into the eggs and oil. Beat until all dry ingredients are well mixed in.
3. Add milk and mix in.
4. Lastly add in the hot coffee and mix.
5. Pour batter into a grease 9x13 pan and bake in 350ºF oven for approximately 35-45 minutes.

Cream cheese Frosting:

•  1 8ounce block cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar

1. Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and beat.
2. Add in the powdered sugar and beat well until the frosting is fluffy and smooth. 
3. Frost cake. Keep cake in refrigerator once frosted.