Fall Is In The Air

Welcome to my first blog entry.  Why do you ask have I all of a sudden chosen now to start “blogging”?  Well first of all summer is coming to a close and we’re entering what I see as the best time of year, Fall.  There is nothing like the feeling of the weather getting a little cooler, the leaves turning, and pulling out all of my sweaters and boots to bundle up in. So what better time to start writing then the time of year that makes me the happiest.

When I think of fall I think of apples.  Coming from upstate New York I grew up surrounded by apple orchards, predominately Macintosh.  I remember taking many field trips there for school, which involved tours of the orchard and factory, learning the steps of picking and packing their apples to sell as well as the process of making apple cider.  Since my birthday is in October I always loved bringing in freshly made donuts and cider to share with my class to celebrate.  There is nothing like warm cinnamon sugar donuts and a cool glass of apple cider.

I have many favorite apple recipes but one that stands out the most is my mom’s Apple Cake recipe.   I love it so much my mom shipped me one during the first few months of my freshman year of college.  It certainly made me feel like I was back at home.  Now I don’t usually like to play around with this recipe but I wanted to make it a little healthier so I cut back on the oil and substituted some of the AP flour for whole wheat flour.  If this doesn’t get you excited for fall I don’t know what will!  I had this for breakfast (Yes, cake for breakfast!) with a large cup of coffee but I can bet it would be great with a glass of apple cider and maybe even some fresh whipped cream.  Enjoy!

Apple Cake
From the kitchen of Carole Millea

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2  C. Canola Oil (I substituted 1/2 C. of the oil with applesauce)
• 2 C. Granulated Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 2 Tsp Vanilla
• 3 C. AP Flour (I replaced 1 C. with whole wheat flour)
• 1 Tsp Baking Soda
• 3 Tsp Cinnamon
• Dash of Salt
• 3 C. Peeled Chopped Apples (I used NC Stayman Winesap apples I purchased from my local Farmer's Market)
• 1 C. Chopped Walnuts

Directions:

1. Prepare your bundt pan or 2 loaf pans with butter or Pam spray.
2. Whisk together the oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs until smooth.
3. Using a spoon, Stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until just combined.  Add the apples and walnuts.  Be sure not to over mix.
4. Pour into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes.  Let cool in pan for 30 minutes before removing.  Serve warm.