Guest Post: Good Eats, Friends and Baked Apple Crisp

Meet my good friend and baking muse Anne from the blog Annie Bakes. She's a magnificent cook, busy wife and mom of two teenage boys.  And did I mention that she runs her own business and writes for a food column in her community?  I'm surprised that she even had the time to write a guest post for me.  However, thankfully for all of us, she did!  After all, that's just the kind of warm, wonderful person that she is!



Anne and I have been corresponding through email off and on for months now.  I often write to her for recipe suggestions.  Sometimes I'll just send her a note to let her know about a great dish I made and discovered.  She's become a bit of a culinary cheerleader for me.  My cooking coach if you will!  :-)   She and I also share a love of books and read "To Kill A Mockingbird" together back in April too.


Her site is a great inspiration for me.  For simple, hearty meal ideas that your family will enjoy, please check out Anne's blog.  I'm never disappointed at the recipes she shares!   In fact, here's a great corn dip that she told us about.  I bet it would make a great addition to your fall parties and football gatherings.  Also, she recently raved about this tasty crockpot chili dish too!  Check them out and amaze your taste buds!


Thank you Anne for being a guest writer on my blog this month so that I could take a break to work on my own baking and my family favorites cookbook!  I'll be getting with you soon for some baker's tips. 


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Hi everyone and thank you Mandy for having me over to your place today for a guest post! I just love taking my recipes on a road trip.

Mandy and I have been friends for over a year now and we have had so much fun going back and forth with books and recipes!   I was originally going to show you all how to make Pumpkin Puree and share a pumpkin-flavored recipe, but it has been so hot here (in Northern Wisconsin where I reside), that I couldn't bring myself to keep the oven on for hours on end; sooooooooo instead, I made a wonderful Baked Apple Crisp with a granola topping.

I am all about good and easy and this recipe is just that!  Even though apples are great to eat all year round, there is something special about enjoying them warm in the cooler months.   So for now, let's use up some of those marvelous apples!!  Then I'll come back another time to share my pumpkin recipes with you. 

Baked Apple Crisp



INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups granola

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon sugar, plus 1/4 cup

5 crisp apples -  (I used Fuji-cored, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon/sugar mixture

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice



DIRECTIONS:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a medium non-reactive, oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add the granola, 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon sugar and toss until the sugar is dissolved and the granola is well coated. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.


Using the same skillet; pour in the apples and toss with the cinnamon/sugar mixture, lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Cook, stirring occassionally, until the apples are juicy and slightly softened- 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Scatter the reserved granola mixture evenly over the top and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the crisp is bubbling and the apples are tender, about 35 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.  Enjoy!

*Adapted from a Food network Kitchen Recipe


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Anne, I LOVE that you shared an apple recipe with us.  Actually, it works out even better for me too.  I need to eat more apples to help keep the doctors away!  Sadly, I caught strep throat while taking a trip to New Orleans recently.  I'm sure your recipe is just the prescription I need to feel well again!  Thank you.  And yes, please come back again when your pumpkin recipe has been tested and perfected! 

Cheers to you!  Now everyone go visit Anne's site for more delectable, mouth watering recipes!  

More guest posts will be coming your way.  Thanks to everyone for visiting and sticking around!  I promise to visit you soon.