6/21/2017
It’s official, summer is here and my lazy has kicked in. It’s too hot to do anything outside unless it’s before 8Am or after 8PM. I have been slacking on my cooking due to the fact the hubs has been out of town a lot and cooking for one is not near as exciting.

Also want to thank Judy for her contributions in my absence. If anyone else has a recipe they’d care to share please do.  Comments always appreciated and follow the recipes on my Pinterest page. https://www.pinterest.com/shakapuddn/the-roosevelt-review/

I did however see a recipe this past weekend I wanted to try and have made it twice so far in 5 days.  The first time I halved the recipe the second time I almost doubled it.  This is a recipe that most any fruit could be substituted.  From start to finish it was done in less than an hour.  When you get positive feedback, you know it’s a keeper.

My biggest complaint about this recipe that I chose to do was peel the apples, I never peel apples and I did this time and lost about 5 minutes of my life.  With age and arthritis in my thumb, that is HUGE.  In retrospect, the time it took to peel the apples was equivalent to time lost at a stoplight in Albuquerque.  It could be worse.  I will try it with unpeeled fruit!

The recipe also suggests serving with ice cream, well in my life that’s a given but I decided to use whipping cream. Any excuse to use heavy cream is a bonus.  If I’m going ingest the calories it might as well be the ones I want.
There are several things I am going to cover with this recipe…


HOMEMADE VANILLA
I started making my own vanilla a few years ago.  We started getting vanilla beans in our now defunct Bountiful Baskets.  I am still holding out hope that one day they will find a distributor that will service this area.
I ordered some 4 & 8 ounce bottles from Amazon.  You can pretty much use one that you have get fancy ones or just the any glass kind with a lid then add tags for Christmas gifts.  Bear in mind if you choose to make these for gifts the vanilla needs to rest for 6 weeks prior to using.
There are several kinds of liquor you can use when making vanilla.  I opted for vodka, first reason was I had it on hand, other liquors are rum, brandy or bourbon.  Second reason…bad experience with rum, youth and stupidity, enough said.  The other two, not a fan, plus I didn’t have them on hand.  The one thing I have read about using the darker liquor is that it will have a deeper flavor, I will try it eventually.  I also use the cheap liquor, nothing expensive.
Vanilla is another variable.  I have used the Madagascar and Tahitian.  Between the two, I prefer Madagascar and the price point is not horrible.  Whichever vanilla you choose it can also be ordered from Amazon.  Vanilla is also graded. I have used the A and B.  The A bean seems to be moister, plumper and larger, 6-7”.  The B beans are not nearly as big average size is 4-6” and dryer.  When making vanilla you want to score it to release the caviar but not totally necessary.  If you are using a vanilla bean that had dried out, throw it in there and in a few days you can go back and score the bean and place it back in the bottle.  The caviar will then release. The price on vanilla does fluctuate, and you can shop for the best buy.

A four ounce bottle I will put 3-4 beans, eight ounces 6-8 beans with the caviar. I also use a small funnel to then fill to the top with the liquor. Close, rinse and set in a cabinet/cupboard for six weeks. When I am at the bottom of a bottle and fixing to start a new I don’t throw the beans and all the caviar floating around away I add them to the next bottle of vanilla.   I was going to order either blue or amber bottles but the clear was cheaper then I realized it would be easier to view the vanilla and watch the progress.  https://www.amazon.com/Vestil-BTL-GN-8-CS-Threaded-Diameter-Capacity/dp/B0052P2EUW/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1498077167&sr=1-1&keywords=Vestil+BTL-GN-8-S+Narrow+Mouth+Round+Glass+Bottle+with+Green+Threaded+Cap%2C+2-3%2F8%22+Diameter+x+5-7%2F16%22+Height%2C+8+oz+Capacity%2C+Clear+%28Pack+of+6%29

Whipped Cream Maker/Compound Butter
It’s been awhile since I’ve mentioned a favorite gadget. I ordered the whipped cream maker thinking I could make smaller amounts and not have to mess up the Kitchen Aid mixer. I was skeptical about how well this would work, and much to my surprise it has been great. Thank you, Pampered Chef, $25 well spent. You fill to the half way line which is 1 cup of heavy cream then just use the motion like hand mashing potatoes and inside 2-3 minutes depending on how vigorously you move the paddle as to how quickly the cream sets up. If you want to sweeten the whipped cream add about 1tsp-1 tbl per cup of liquid. The rubber base also serves as a top when you have left over whipped cream. I’m not sure who has left over whipped cream, but just in case. https://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/carlieharrison/shop/Bakeware/Pastry+%26+Baking+Tools/Whipped+Cream+Maker/1461

Apple Dumplings

Ingredients:

2 whole Granny Smith Apples …. I used 3 due to the smaller size,

2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls… Lo cal so I can eat more!

2 sticks Butter

1-½ cup Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Cinnamon, To Taste…I used apple pie, prefer it with the extra spices

1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda Friends have used 7Up or Ginger Ale with the same results. I used about 10 oz. I will try the full can to see if I end up with more syrup and not gummy.

 

Variations. I melted the butter in the oven while it was heating (one less pan to wash and one less step) then added the sugar and vanilla, placed the crescent rolls on top of the liquid, sprinkled with apple pie spice then poured the Mountain Dew around the pan.

Directions:

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. (I made the slices smaller and put 2-3 in each crescent roll) Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13
butter, then add sugar and barely stir (I did this part different, first time I did on the stovetop)
Don’t let it dissolve you want it grainy.
Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan.
Sprinkle with cinnamon (apple pie spice) and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Or til golden brown.
Serve with ice cream (whipped cream), and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

Enjoy!