The kids always come home from school starving but they would never consider eating a whole apple..... that would be insane. So I try and find ways to incorporate this fruit into something that they would eat. Most of the time I cut them up and let them dip them in peanut butter and or honey but yesterday I decided to turn my apples into fritters. The kids didn't complain. How could they.... it was fried in oil and covered with sugar.

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup finely chopped apple
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add milk and egg; beat until batter is smooth. Fold in chopped apple. Drop by teaspoonfuls into deep hot oil and fry for about 2 to 3 minutes, until nicely browned.
Mix confectioners' sugar and cinnamon. Drain well on paper towels then sprinkle cinnamon and confectioners' sugar on top.

My baking skills in general are lacking. I love to do a lot of improvising when it comes to cooking and I've found improvising is a huge drawback in baking. This is why I normally use cake mixes. They are so simple and even I can't screw it up. One night though I was really craving some chocolate cake but I had no cake mix and I wasn't in the mood to go to the store. I decided to try and make a cake from scratch and this time I would be careful to follow the instructions to the letter. I did a search for chocolate cakes and found the Hershey's web site. I knew that if Hershey's has a cake recipe it had to be good and it was. Now I make this recipe all the time. Sometimes chocolate cake makes everything all better.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

It's pumpkin time!!! The pumpkin is an amazing vegetable. It's been around for 7000 years and originated in central America but now is grown all over the world. When the early settlers were introduced to the pumpkin they used to hollow it out and fill it with milk, honey, and spices, and bake it. This was how the pumpkin pie was born. I like everything pumpkin but I really love pumpkin pancakes. I bought the halloween molds at Williams Sonoma and even though they are a pain to use they make these pancakes taste even better.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
dash of salt
2 tsps baking soda
1 cup milk
2 Tbsps vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream

Combine all ingredients. Batter will be lumpy. Spray grill with cooking spray. Bake pancakes on grill using medium heat until bubbles rise to the surface and edges are brown. Turn and bake until golden brown. Serve with Honey-Pecan butter. Serves two.

Honey-Pecan Butter:
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup honey

Spread pecans on baking sheet and toast in 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Chop nuts in food processor or blender. Beat butter and honey together until smooth. Add pecans. Serve with Pumpkin Pancakes. Makes one cup.

I've found what could be one of the best blogs ever...... The Pioneer Woman. This girl does everything. She cooks, gardens, takes fabulous pictures, and homeschool her kids, all while living on a ranch. I absolutely love her cooking section. She takes pictures of the step by step process of every recipe which make the posts not only stunningly beautiful but very helpful as well. I'll be bookmarking this site because I'm sure I'll be coming back to it often to get some good ideas and great entertainment.
This recipe is my first taste of TPW cooking and it quickly became a big hit with the family.

1 quart of whole milk
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
9 cups of all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 "scant" (less than a full) teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon of salt
4 cups butter
1 cup of sugar
generous sprinkling of cinnamon

Frosting
1 bag powdered sugar
2 teas maple flavoring
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brewed coffee
1/8 teas salt


Mix 1 quart of whole milk, 1 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of sugar in a pan.
"Scald" the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point.) Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in 2 packages Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute so the yeast gets all warm and moist and happy. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let sit for at least an hour. Now add 1 more cup of flour…
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder…1 "scant" (less than a full) teaspoon baking soda and 1 heaping tablespoon of salt. Stir mixture together. At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it—overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to splurge out of the pan, just punch it down.
Sprinkle surface generously with flour.
Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle.
Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Rectangle should increase in both width and length as you roll it out.
Now drizzle 1 1/2 to 2 cups melted butter over the dough.
Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter…followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon
Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Some of the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture may ooze out toward the end, but that’s no big deal.
Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in seven round, foil cake or pie pans. Then begin cutting rolls approximately 3/4 to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. This recipe makes approximately seven pans of rolls.
Let the rolls sit for 20 to 30 minutes to rise, then bake at 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
While the rolls are in the oven, make the deliciously sinful maple frosting.


To a mixing bowl, add 1 bag of powdered sugar.
To this, add about 2 teaspoons maple flavoring…
1/2 cup milk...
1/4 cup melted butter……and 1/4 cup of brewed coffee.
Also add 1/8 teaspoon (a generous pinch) salt.
The mixture should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed.

One of the only shows my husband will watch with me is Good Eats with Alton Brown. I like watching his show because I enjoy learning the how and why details of cooking, and that's what Good Eats is all about, but I don't try many of Alton's recipes. We were watching it earlier this month though and Alton made a Tres Leche cake. My guy turned to me after the show and said, "I would love to try that cake some time". Since my husband was nice enough to watch the show with me I couldn't refuse his requested. I love cake and milk and to be able to combine them in this beautiful creation is well worth the effort.

Vegetable oil
6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces sugar
5 whole eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the glaze:
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half-and-half
For the topping:
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cake:
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and set aside.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. This will appear to be a very small amount of batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.

Remove the cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:
Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and the half-and-half in a 1-quart measuring cup. Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.

Topping:
Place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk together on low until stiff peaks are formed. Change to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping over the cake and allow to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.