Meals on Monday - Apple Cherry Dessert

Happy Labor Day one & all!  We've been celebrating since Saturday and it's been a wonderful weekend thus far.  For our family BBQ on Saturday, I brought a side & a dessert.  That's the perfect meal in my mind.... sides and dessert! :)

As a side dish, I made my Grandmother's Calico Beans... they were a tremendous hit.  Chris' family always loves it when I bring them.  They are a great source of protein & fiber (and if bacon was it's own food group, it's a good source of that too! :)  I'll share that recipe with you very soon... but... the star of the show was the dessert.

I made an Apple Cherry Dessert that was AMAZING!  It was so good the 9x13 pan was empty and there were only 10 of us.  It uses a homemade flaky pastry crust and with an apple cherry filling that's perfect for autumn!  So without further adieu here's the recipe - straight from my brain to you!

Apple Cherry Dessert
Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, cold
1/2 cup milk
1 egg separated

In large bowl combine flower and salt; cut in the butter until crumbly.  Stir in milk and egg yolk.  Chill in fridge for 15 minutes.  Divide dough in half and roll out each portion into a 9x13 rectangle.  Place bottom crust in greased 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle with 1 cup cornflakes.

Filling:
5-6 cups granny smith apples, peeled & diced
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling.

Mix apples with cinnamon, sugar and vanilla.  Stir in cherry pie filling.  Pour entire mixture on top of cornflakes.

Top with second rolled out crust.  Cut slits in top.  In small bowl, beat egg white and brush over pastry.  This creates that yummy, golden brown top.  Then sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sugar.

Bake at 350 F for 55 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Let cool on wire rack.

Glaze:
1/2 powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 or 2 tsp milk added slowly

Mix all glaze ingredients starting with less milk and slowly adding more until you get desired consistency.  Drizzle over top of the dessert.  Can be served warm or cool.  Refrigerate the left overs (if there are any!) :)

*Note:  I used Granny Smith apples because of their tartness.  The sweet of the cherry pie filling needs a little tart to balance it out.  It would also be delicious with peaches, rhubarb or pears!

I'll share with you Grandma's Calico Beans on another day.   Promise!
Enjoy your Labor Day!

  ~Dawn

Comfort Food... that's A-peeling...

Yes, pun intended. As we brace ourselves here in SE Wisconsin for yet another snow storm, I seem to find myself reaching toward comfort food. I had heard on the Today show about a month ago that in tough times, two of the the foods people find most comforting are Spaghetti & Ice Cream.

Gee... I'm not surprised, I'm really just a statistic! I have ice cream every single week (often multiple times) and I LOVE spaghetti... it's quick & easy to make... and yes, comforting.

But lately I have a new comfort.

For Christmas, my brother Greg gave me the most incredible vegetable peeler. Now most people won't get excited over a veggie peeler, but this is the creme-de-la-creme of peelers. It's a strong peeler with a great, sharp blade. (Apparently he didn't care for my cheap rendition of a veggie peeler meets 10 lbs. of potatoes last time I hosted a family dinner) :)

Now though, this peeler is smooth like butter. It leaves me trying to come up with any excuse to peel something... mashed potato recipes, apple crisp, apple cinnamon oatmeal, shepherds pie (I get to peel potatoes & carrots there!!!).

So as silly as it sounds, new kitchen gadgets to get us all excited! Here's to you finding the right comfort food!