Explore the Orchard
All it takes is some apples and a few pantry ingredients and you can whip up this bit of tastiness in no time. Recipe courtesy P. Allen Smith.
We can’t decide whether it makes a better dessert or a sweet breakfast item. So, we’ve just decided to go with both! Start your day with this crumble and if there is any left you can enjoy some as your last course in the evening.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Look at this fried scrumptiousness! Another recipe from The Pioneer Woman. Yes, a theme here, but we are finding that she puts together recipes that no only taste great but are easy. Simple + Yummy = Awesome!
You don’t need special equipment but I used a cookie scoop/ice cream scoop like she suggested and agree that is totally the way to go. My scoop was a bit too large but I only filled it halfway and the results make me think of footballs. A plate of delicious fried football fritters. What’s not to love?
How did this bit of silliness come about?
The inspiration: Simple. P Allen Smith’s Pumpkin House It’s awesome. We tried to find the frame he used but it had been discontinued 🙁
No worries, we are Nebraska Strong! In the midst of the coldest winter in quite some time (last February) Barb suggested: “Why don’t we use the gazebo out front?” That’s the one we built back when we grew strawberries? Booyah! Lightning in a bottle, etc, etc
The build: So, September 17th Jen and Christy (Martin kids/adults) got together to do a bit of decorating. Armed with a power drill, 70 flower pot rings, lots of straw bales, and a boatload of heirloom pumpkins, they got to work. Not exactly following a blueprint, but that was half the fun.
Photo Ops: We had a family approach us halfway through our build asking if they could take a pic. We cleared out the supplies and stepped aside. We figured we must be onto something good. We hope you enjoy!
Straight from our favorite food personality, The Pioneer Woman herself, comes another tasty apple offering – candied apples.
These things are simply stunning. Tasty as well as evidenced by Alex making multiple references to them: “Boy, those candy apples you made last week were really good.”
Guess we might have to prep another batch for his late September birthday. Shhh! Don’t tell. Don’t want to ruin the surprise.
Tip: We found that if you store the candy apples in the refrigerator they will retain their glorious shine. Leave them out on the kitchen counter that shine will dim. But, they’ll still taste good.
With premade biscuit dough as a timesaver, this recipe couldn’t be easier. You have the rest – apples from the orchard and a few kitchen staples. Yummy, buttery vanilla-ey!
One important tip: Continue baking the dumplings until the apples are soft, i.e., you are able to insert a toothpick and don’t meet resistance. If the dumplings are browning but the apples are still hard, cover the pan with foil and keep baking until the apples get tender. The foil keeps the dough from burning. Just wanted to mention this as we had to bake ours for at least another 15-20 mins beyond what was referenced in the recipe.
And a key utensil for coring the apples, an apple corer — here’s what the one we use looks like. We’ve found them pretty much everywhere – at your local grocery store, Walmart, Amazon, etc.