Much Ado about Apples...

Our apple saga left off last time with a return trip home from the orchard. The story picks up today with a classic lunch menu: peanut butter sandwiches, enhanced with the honey apple butter, a side of garden salad tossed in creamy cucumber onion dressing and a handful of fresh raspberries. As we ate, we perused the cook book for apple recipes.

Garden Helper became Kitchen Helper for the afternoon. His first recipe to make was yet another childhood classic: candied apple rings. (Although we made apple slices.) The recipe calls for a cup of water, a half cup of cinnamon candies (red hots, we used to call them) and a quarter cup of sugar.

Kitchen helper stirred while the candy melted and as the apples simmered, taking periodic breaks to warm his hands "over the fire." The apples should simmer until transparent but not to the point of growing mushy.

We considered other recipes. Kitchen Helper discovered apples are quite the versatile food! But for now, he was ready to change hats once again and become artist in residence.

The apples cooled in the juice, and as they were cooling, the artist took apple rings with the cores intact and used them for apple prints.

Although the exposure leaves something to be desired, I thought I'd include a shot of the "finished work" when the apple prints were complete. Between this one and the large, red apple painting he made, a new season begins on the refrigerator art gallery.

In the end, a tasty jar of cinnamon candied apples is ready to go into cold storage, and we have enough red hots and candy corn left for a dish on the side board. A place of honor, considering the sideboard is usually reserved for homemade bread; but candy trumps bread this time of year anyway!

Next up, we'll use more of the apples...probably in jelly and muffins. Happy peeling!