Crisscross Applesauce

I made applesauce today. PE's coworker was so kind to share a box full of apples from his apple tree. I made one batch of Crock Pot Applesauce, three batches of unsweetened applesauce, and one batch of cinnamon sugar applesauce (mainly because the kids let all the water boil out and some of the apples were a bit brown).For lunch Moo made Corn Dog Muffins and then for dinner we had another freezer swap meal. We ate the Hash Brown Quiche and it is basic enough I can share my best guess at the recipe.

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Corn Dog Muffins
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
5 hot dogs

Preheat oven to 400. Place muffin papers in muffin pan(s) makes 15 or so. Combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, oil, and egg in small bowl; mix well. Ad milk mixture to flour mixture, stir just until blended. Add hot dogs and stir until combined. Scoop mixture into muffin papers; filling 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

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Crock Pot Applesauce
from A Year of Slow Cooking
Print Recipe

12 large apples, skinned ,cored, and cut in quarters
juice from 3 lemons or 3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup water

Skin, core, and cut your apples into quarters. Plop the pieces into your slow cooker. Add the juice from the lemon (or lemon juice), and the water. Pour in the vanilla, and add the cinnamon and brown sugar. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. When the apples are super tender, mash with a potato masher or large fork.

++I put mine in the blender and made it very smooth. It is tasty; however, I prefer plain unsweetened applesauce.

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Unsweetened Applesauce
from Sparky
Print Recipe

2 cups water
6 lb apples quartered, unpeeled, uncored
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

Pour the water in a large heavy pot that has a lid. Add the apples. Add the lemon juice. Cook covered apples on a high until the apples are soft. Remove lid and let some water cook away. Using a food mill, or a colander, press the cooked apples through to separate the puree from the skins and seeds. (I used an old school cone sieve to make the applesauce. If you would like to see what one looks like click here.)

++The peels and cores supply pectin to give the cold sauce a good consistency.

++As I said, I made one batch of cinnamon sugar applesauce. After putting the apples through the sieve I put it in a sauce pan, added about 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and heated it for about five minutes.

++I froze two batches of applesauce for later.

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Hash Brown Quiche
from Freezer Meal Swap
Print Recipe

3 cups shredded hash brown potatoes
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup diced cooked ham
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp seasoned salt

Preheat oven to 425. Press hash browns onto the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie dish. Drizzle or brush with melted butter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Remove from oven and layer ham and cheese into the crust. Whisk together eggs, milk, and seasoned salt. Pour egg mixture over ham and cheese. Reduce oven temperature to 350. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until filling is puffed and golden brown.

To freeze: Once hash browns are pressed into pie plate and brushed with butter, place in a plastic bag and freeze with ham and cheese measured into separate freezer bags. Defrost overnight then bake as directed above.

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There you have it. . . a day of applesauce and some yummy meals AND I was able to work on the recipe cards for awhile. Boy we sure know how to live it up in our house.