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The best apples for eating fresh

The best apples for eating fresh

It’s fall and apples are everywhere. If you’re tempted to stock up while they’re in season, think first about how you’ll use them. Will you be baking? Making applesauce? Or do you prefer to eat them fresh, right out of your hand? If it’s the latter, here’s a list of delicious apple varieties you should try. Tart Apples These apples are best if you’re not looking to satisfy a sweet tooth. Braeburn Available: Mid-to-late October Braeburn are a great all-purpose apple, but their sweet and tart taste and crispy bite make them perfect for eating fresh. Cortland Available: Late September Cortlands originated in 1898, and they’re still as popular as ever. Their white flesh is juicy and tart, while still offering some sweetness. Goldrush Available: Late October Goldfish doesn’t easily brown, making it a great pick for snacking or salads. They also store well for up to seven months. Granny…

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Pumpkin pie with a pecan sandy crust

pumpkin pie with pecan sandy crust

How do you make a Thanksgiving classic pumpkin pie even better? Replace your basic pie crust with this delicious pecan sandy cookie crust instead! Pecan candies bring a delicious buttery, nutty goodness to everyone’s all-time favorite holiday pie. The unexpected twist adds some mild fun without upsetting the pumpkin pie purists. Note: Process cookies in a food processor or place cookies in a  zip-top bag and crush with a heavy rolling pin.  Pumpkin pie with a pecan sandy crust For the crust:  2 cups pecan shortbread cookie crumbs (about 1 package of Keeblers Pecan Sandies or 20 cookies) 5 tbsp melted butter 1/4 tsp salt For the pie: 3/4 cup sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground cloves 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground ginger 2 large eggs 1 can (15 ounce) pure pumpkin puree (Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin is my favorite) 1 can (12 fl. ounce) Evaporated Milk…

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Homemade pumpkin pie spice blend

Homemade pumpkin pie spice blend mix

Do you know what’s in that pumpkin pie spice blend you purchased? Chances are, if you’re a fan of pumpkin spice, you might have some idea. But I’m here to convince you that making your own is the way to go. Here’s why: You’ll save money Spices don’t come cheap. Buy the good stuff, and you’ll be plunking down $5-15 for just a few tablespoons of various spices, and more if the spice is labor intensive to grow or harvest. But you’re buying pre-mixed spice blends, you’re choosing to spend more on spices than you even need to. You’ll get much less product, for way more money, and that mix is so highly specialized, it’s way more limited in use. You’ll save space Most spice blends are made from your basics. You’re probably already equipped to make pumpkin spice (and many other spice mixes) simply by having a reasonably well-stocked…

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Crave-Worthy Recipes

Old-fashioned caramel apples

Crisp fall apples, bathed in delicious, gooey caramel — it’s a Halloween delight you simply must make this year! The good news is that they’re super easy to make and tons of fun to personalize. Dip them in crushed nuts, candy or Oreos then decorate with drizzles of white or milk chocolate.  The combos are endless. These goodies will rival those fabulous gourmet caramel apples you see in candy store windows — but you can enjoy them for a fraction of the cost. Make them as favors for your Halloween party or as a sweet treat on Oct. 31 for the whole office. Classic Caramel Apples Recipe Ingredients 8 large tart apples (I like Granny Smith) 1 cup butter 2 cups packed brown sugar 1 cup light corn syrup 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 2 tsp vanilla extract What you will need 8 wooden chopsticks Candy thermometer 8 fun straws…

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Seasonal

These states are the most obsessed with pumpkin spice

These states are the most obsessed with pumpkin spice

Pumpkin spice products have been available for several weeks now, but according to new data from Grubhub, it looks like most Americans prefer to wait until fall actually starts to enjoy these festive fall treats. The new data shows which states order the most pumpkin foods and when the popularity of these products spike. To conduct this analysis, the popular food delivery service looked at orders each fall month, then compared them to the rest of the calendar year. The analysis found that October is peak month for pumpkin and pumpkin-spice-flavored goods, with 118% more orders than usual levels. November comes in second most popular month for these products, with 92% more orders, and September is the third most popular month. These findings vindicate all those who argue that pumpkin spice offerings should be kept out of August — it turns out, we’re not really buying the stuff in the…

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Seasonal

Which apples are best to use in apple pie?

choose the best apples for pie

Who doesn’t love homemade apple pie? Come fall, it’s a must-make dessert for just about any baker in America. But if you’ve never made one, or if you think yours could improve, perhaps you should play around with your choice of apples. But wait! With more than 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the United States alone, how do you know which ones will make the best pie? Well, it all comes down to just two characteristics: firmness and flavor. First, you’re going to want firm apples that can hold their shape through the long, slow cooking process — no one wants applesauce pie! Second, you’re going to want to make a mix between two varieties of apples: sweet and tart. Buy half of your apples from the tart column and half from the sweet. A good balance between the two is what makes the best pies. So when we…

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Seasonal

How Americans became so obsessed with pumpkins

How Americans became so obsessed with pumpkins.jpg

Halloween and Thanksgiving are quickly approaching, but the spirit of the season has already been here for weeks. By early August, retailers were stocking shelves with pumpkin-flavored foods. Starbucks began selling it’s famous Pumpkin Spice Latte back on Aug. 27, and pumpkin beer has been available in bars for just as long. People associate pumpkins with fall, and as they look forward to the season, the demand for pumpkin everything increases. According to Nielsen data, sales of pumpkin and pumpkin spice-flavored items skyrocketed in 2017 $488.7 million – up from $286 million in 2013. But this hasn’t always been the case. There was a time when pumpkins weren’t celebrated as they are today — with products bearing their beloved image and contests cheering on their gigantic size. “American colonists were less than enthusiastic about pumpkins,” said Cindy Ott, author of Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon. The colonists were accustomed to eating a diet of domesticated meats and…

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Seasonal

Does pumpkin pie have to be refrigerated?

Does pumpkin pie have to be refrigerated?

If you only eat pumpkin pie in the fall, it’s easy to forget the rules of safely storing them. You may wonder if pumpkin and other custard-style pies can be left on the counter overnight or if you need to clear space in your fridge. And now that we’re on the topic, can pumpkin pie be frozen? Here are the answers to all your pumpkin pie problems: How to store pumpkin pie from a store This time of year you’re likely to see pumpkin pies at the grocery store sitting out on a table, rather than stacked in the fridge or freezer sections. Store-bought pumpkin pies are loaded with enough shelf-stable preservatives that they can sit out. Rule of thumb: if you purchased a pie that’s been sitting out, it can continue to sit out on your kitchen counter for a few days (or until its expiration date, if it…

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Creamy Fig Almond Smoothie mixes up fall breakfasts

creamy fig almond smoothie

As much as I adore pumpkin flavored foods, autumn has so much more to offer — namely, fresh figs. I don’t think I had a fresh fig until my dad decided to test his luck on a potted fig tree. With the crazy cold Pittsburgh winters, it ended up more like the fig tree testing him. If you’re not lucky enough to live in the Mediterranean or other mild, semiarid climates like California and Oregon, you’ll probably just have to buy them at the store. Fresh figs are super fragile and often bursting with juice to the point they split open. Because of this, some stores stock figs that have been prematurely picked. So beware. You may find a variety of dark and light figs. Black Mission, Adriatic, and Brown Turkey are three common varieties. Each will have a slightly different flavor, but any will work well in this creamy…

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Football whoopie pies are a total touchdown for game day desserts

Meghan_Rodgers_football_gobs_whoopie_pies_2

Football season has officially kicked off, so bring on the food! These football-shaped whoopie pies will score points for being delicious as well as adorable. They’ll be the MVP of your tailgating table. Note: If you’re making these in the off season, or if you’re shorter on time, you can, of course, make this recipe without forming cookie batter into footballs.  Football Whoopie Pies Makes about 48 cookies, or 24 gobs Ingredients For the cookies 2 cups all-purpose flour 2/3 cup cocoa 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup hot water (in a large glass) 2/3 cup milk 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp butter flavoring For the filling 1/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup shortening 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp butter flavoring 3 cups confectioners’ sugar 2 tbsp milk (if necessary) Directions Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a…

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