Can't get enough apple goodies

It’s the end of apple recipes in this column for awhile. Apples have incredible health benefits. One medium-sized unpeeled apple is considered to be fat, sodium, and cholesterol free. They contain vitamin C, calcium, potassium, phosphorous and boron, which is good in keeping bones strong. They have a lot of pectin, a soluble fiber that can help prevent buildup of cholesterol in blood vessels, as well as insoluble fiber, which helps to keep our intestines healthy. A biggy is the fiber they contain. A medium-sized apple contains about 5 grams of fiber: the equivalent of a bowl of bran cereal.

The fiber in apples is good for weight loss, with just 80 calories in a medium-sized apple, providing bulk without lots of calories. Because of all the fiber, the sugar (mostly fructose) is released slowly into the blood stream, preventing spikes in blood-sugar levels. Just think about all the good things that apples can do to help keep out bodies healthy. John Chapman, later nicknamed Johnny Appleseed, surely had a good thing going when he planted apple seeds on the huge amount of land he owned across Illinois, Ohio and Indiana and selling seeds and saplings to settlers moving west. Hooray for you, Johnny! Gosh, after all that I better get to recipes. This is a good make-ahead dish to serve for brunch.

OVEN APPLE FRENCH TOAST
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 t. cinnamon, divided
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced about 1/2” thick
1/2 c. raisins
12 - 1” thick slices French bread
6 large eggs, beaten
1-1/2 c. 2% or whole milk
1 t. vanilla Combine sugar, butter and 1 t. cinnamon in a small bowl; sprinkle into a 9x13” baking pan. Place apples and raisins on top of sugar mixture. Arrange slices of bread over apple-raisin layer. In a bowl; combine rest of ingredients, plus remaining 1 t. cinnamon; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours. Remove from fridge; cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

CARAMEL - TOPPED APPLE CAKE
1 - regular size pkg. moist yellow cake mix, divided
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. ground cloves
1/3 c. water
2 T. canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 t. vanilla
3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/2” thick
1/2 c. purchased caramel topping (as in topping for ice cream)
Combine 1 c. cake mix and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl until crumbly; set aside. Stir rest of cake mix, water, oil, eggs and vanilla in another bowl until just blended; pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13” baking pan. Place apple slices over batter. Sprinkle with half of the crumbly mixture. Drizzle with caramel topping. Sprinkle with rest of crumble mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan and is golden brown. Cool slightly in pan before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 12 servings.

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This recipe comes from one of the gals in the Press office. There are good cooks everywhere! Thanks Beth, the cookies are great.

OATMEAL APPLE COOKIES
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. packed brown sugar 2 eggs, well beaten
1-3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. quick oatmeal
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. each, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon
1 c. chopped walnuts 1-1/2 c. chopped raisins
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped In a medium bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs, beat well. In a bowl, whisk together next 6 ingredients; stir into egg mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls (about the size of a walnut), drop ontop greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

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This is a refreshing, colorful salad to bring to a potluck party.
FOUR FRUIT SALAD
1-20 oz. can pineapple chunks, (in its own juice)
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/3 c. orange juice
1 T. lemon juice
1-11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
3 medium unpeeled apples, chopped 2 bananas, sliced, about 1/2” slices Drain pineapple, saving 3/4 c. juice; set pineapple aside. In a saucepan, combing sugar and cornstarch. Combine orange, lemon and pineapple juices. Slowly add juices to sugar mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat till thickened and bubbly; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Remove from heat; let cool a bit. In a medium bowl, combine fruit, except bananas. Pour warm sauce over fruit, stir gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, stir in sliced bananas. Makes 14 to 16 servings.

Thought for the Day:
Old recipes, like old friends, are usually the most dependable.