Apple Pizza

Oven 425 degrees
Large pizza pan
Double pie crust
About 6 medium to large apples
2/3 stick margarine or butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

This recipe was given to us years ago by June Smith of Rockledge Orchard, and it has been a favorite.

Make pie crust as for double recipe (I use Betty Crocker's recipe. Follow exactly and you can't go wrong.). Roll it out to fit the pan, plus a little bit extra. Turn under along the edges and crimp.

Peel and slice apples. Arrange fan shape, overlapping slightly, all over the pan- starting at the outside edge and working to the center.

For topping: Combine brown sugar, flour and margarine until crumbly using pastry blender. Carefully sprinkle over apples. Bake 25 minutes total. Optional: 5 to 8 minutes before pizza is done, remove from oven, sprinkle cheese over and return to oven, just until cheese is melted.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Grease and flour bottom and sides of a 9 or 10 inch spring pan. Combine flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Cut in butter. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture. To remaining mixture add baking powder, soda, salt, sour cream, 1 egg, and almond extract. Blend well. Spread batter over bottom and 2 inches up sides. Batter should be about 1/4 inch thick.

Combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 egg. Blend well. Pour over batter. Spoon jam over. Combine crumb mixture and almonds, sprinkle on top. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until filling is set and crust is golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Remove sides of pan.

Cooking Pumpkins for Puree (this is not difficult, honest!)

First of all, use a small sugar pumpkin, not a carving pumpkin. Carving pumpkins are not as sweet and are stringier. Most commercial pumpkin puree is actually blue hubbard squash. These are quite large and generally require an ax to break them into smaller, more manageable pieces. You could go for the smaller "baby" blue hubbards, though, and get away with using a knife.

Assuming you've chosen the sugar pumpkin, you now have a few choices: Baking it in the oven, cooking it in a microwave, or steaming it.

I usually steam it. Remove the stem using a sharp knife, preferably a carving knife, and cut the pumpkin into quarters. Scoop out the seeds and slimy pulp. Put pieces in dutch oven with a couple of inches of water. Bring water to a boil, cook for about 20 minutes, until flesh is soft. Drain. On a cutting board, scoop flesh away from the skin.

To bake in oven: Remove stem and cut in quarters. Bake on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes or so then scoop out seeds and stringy stuff. Then scoop out flesh.

To cook in microwave: Remove stem. Poke several holes in sides (if you don't do this, the pumpkin will explode) and bake on high for 30 minutes until it is soft. Cut it open, scoop out the seeds and stringy insides, and separate the flesh from the skin.

To use the flesh in a recipe you will want to mash the flesh well, or puree it in a blender or food processor.

A pumpkin that is 7 to 8 inches in diameter will yield approximately 2 cups of pumpkin.

For 9" crust, combine 2 c. flour and 1 tsp. salt. Cut in 2/3 c. and 2 T. shortening. Add 4-5 T. ice cold water (I usually add a splash of vinegar to the water before I measure it), one tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together + cleans the side of the bowl. Divide in half. Using a cloth on the board + a "sock" for the rolling pin works well. Flour both well. Roll out dough to overlap pie pan edges slightly. Prick bottom and sides with a fork. Add filling. Place top crust on, crimp edges and prick more holes on top. Cover just the edges with aluminum foil until the last 15 minutes.

For filling peel, core, and slice 4 medium apples. Add 2 c. blueberries, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut up butter and evenly distribute around the top of the fruit.

  Apple Blueberry Pie

  Oven 425 degrees
  2 cups flour
  1 t. salt
  2 T. shortening
  4-5 T. ice cold water
  vinegar (optional)
  4 medium apples
  2 cups blueberries
  2/3 cup sugar
  1 t. cinnamon
  1/2 t. nutmeg
  2 T. butter

4 chicken breasts
flour to coat
1 1/2 T. butter
1 T. oil

6 T. raspberry vinegar
3/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. cream
1/2 c. raspberries

Mom's Applesauce Cake

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, beat until fluffy. Sift dry ingredients. Add alternately with applesauce and butter/sugar mixture. Put into well-greased tube pan. Bake one hour.