gourmet apples and a shout out

I did something fun with the kids last night.  Monkey and I had been talking about this for a while and finally I got a round tuit.  Ok, I didn't really get a "round tuit" but you know what I'm talking about.

 

As some of you may know/remember, I used to sell Pampered Chef.  One of the theme shows we had a couple of years ago was making gourmet apples.  I have to say this was the most fun and most messy show I had ever done.   

 

So, last night we made gourmet candy apples.  This is more than just dipping an apple in melted caramel.  This is a production.  Oh sure, we did start with dipping an apple in caramel, but there were two kinds of cookies to crumble and two kinds of chocolate to melt.  This was no "simple" thing.

 

First things first.  We coated the apples in caramel and put them in the refrigerator for about an hour or so.  Wait, I missed something.  Monkey helped melt the caramel.  She had a very important job: stirring the caramel constantly.  But I couldn't leave Little Man out!  I put peanut butter fudge crackers in one ziplock bag and oreo cookies in another bag.  Little Man's job was to crush the cookies inside the bag with his fist.  He beat those cookies into submission, I tell you!  Actually, I had to help him a little.  His small fist could only do so much damage.  We set the bags aside for later.

 

Fast forward to after the apples sit for a while.  I melted two different kinds of chocolate - light and dark.  I had intended to use white chocolate, but the bag I bought I had used to make chocolate covered pretzels and when I tried to buy more, Wally World was out.

 

We coated the apples, first one half, then the other, with the different kinds of chocolate.  Monkey then took her apple and sprinkled cookie crumbs all around.  I did the apples for Little Man, Trey and me.  We let them sit for a while so the chocolate could harden, then cut them up for dessert.

 

Just so you know, if you try this yourself, use a tart apple like Granny Smith.  We used Red Delicious which made it too sweet.  Even Monkey said it was too sweet for her.  You read me right.  My daughter, who has a bigger sweet tooth than I (as if that was even possible) said her apple was too sweet and that she wanted to save the rest for another day.

 

Did you know that people will pay upwards of $20 for a gourmet apple like we made?  Crazy, isn't it?  Well, ours aren't pretty, but with a little time and effort, these could make great gifts and you can make several for less than $20 total.  

 

If you're interested in more detailed instruction, just leave a comment.  If you're like me and just want to wing it - go for it!  

 

 

 

On a different note, I want to give a shout out to my dear friends, Runner Girl and Mom of 4.  They are running in their first marathon this weekend:  The Marine marathon in DC.  They've been diligently training and supporting each other all summer long and I am so proud of them!  I've done a marathon - the first Rock N Roll marathon in San Diego, 1998 - and if I can do it, I know they can!  Prayers for them for safe travels to DC and a good run on Sunday.  I'll be with you in spirit, friends!

 

trifle

Rumor has it that I like to cook.  Trey would like to refute that, and so would I actually, but secretly, I do.  Sometimes.  When it's unhealthy.  Or when I don't have to clean up.  Actually, I have a fantasy kitchen in my head and it's big and open with a great prep-island with either stone or marble surface.  Marble is good for pastries and I have a great homemade apple pie recipe complete with homemade crust.  I'm also considering baking my own bread some this winter.  I hear it's cheaper and I bet it's healthier since I don't have any high fructose corn syrup in my pantry.  Can you believe they put that in bread?  but I digress....

 

Some of the blogs that I read have cooking sections.  One of my favorites is over on The Pioneer Woman's website.  You should check it out.  She also takes great pictures.  Anyway, in honor of her, I'm posting a recipe that people have started requesting from me.  Tomorrow morning is our first PTA Board of Managers' meeting and I'm among those bringing food.  Imagine that!   So here's my recipe for fruit trifle.  It's a great light summer recipe.

  The cast of characters.  Fresh blueberries and strawberries, store baked angel food cake (I've used pound cake, too), 2 cups milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla pudding and whipped topping.  Oh, I used to sell Pampered Chef, so you'll see I use almost all their stuff.  I have a well-stocked kitchen.

 

Cut the angel food cake into smaller squares.  The easiest way is to start by cutting it in half this way...

 

Then slice it this way... 

 

 

Then start slicing the sections into cubes.

  

Start layering your trifle with the cake squares.

  

This is me mixing the pudding too early.  That's what happens when you get caught up in taking cool pictures of pouring milk into a bowl.

   

 

I added 1 cup of the condensed milk in replace of 1 cup of milk (still total of 3 cups with the instant pudding).  There are two different ways you can do this.  Let it set and layer it with the fruit or wait until the very end and pour it over all the layers letting it set around the fruit and cake.  That's what I wanted to do, but instead, I'm making individual layers because I mixed it too soon.

mix well...

   

  

start adding your fruit.  Frozen blueberries will work, too, if you can't find fresh. 

I have this really neat tool to slice my strawberries.  

it's fast and easy...

  

and it makes perfect slices.  But you can use a paring knife, too. 

   

So, we've started with cake, added blueberries and strawberries. 

   

add some of the custard and spread it around on top of the fruit.  If you're waiting until the end like I suggested before, then skip this and start layering cake again. 

 

more layering...

Final layers.  This is when you would pour the mixed, but not set, pudding if you were doing it that way.  

Top it off with whipped topping and viola!  Trifle!  Stick it in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight and you're all done!! 

Let me know if you like this idea of me adding cooking recipes.  I can't promise great pictures or delicious recipes, but it could be fun.