I’ve just been grocery shopping. It was fun! Although, I think someone ran over a squirrel in the commissary parking lot. It was hard to tell, there was this little gray pancake with a long, curved, slightly furry line coming out of it. Perhaps someone just dropped a pipe-cleaner in some gum. I doubt it, but who can say?
Anyway, they’ve put up all of the Thanksgiving ingredients and many of the Christmas ones, which (although I wasn’t buying any) put me in the holiday mood. I spent the whole shopping trip singing – albiet a bit under my breath – that song from that Rudolph movie they show every year. You know the one – “It’s the most…wonderful tiiiime…of the yeeeear.” I couldn’t find a link to just the music, or to a Christmassy video with the song but you can put this up in another window and listen while you do something else (Please excuse the giant robots.) so you can get your Christmas on!
Now, Mom, I know that the rule is ‘no Christmas carols before Thanksgiving,’ and I know that many people (myself included) have strong feelings about the way that stores try to sell you Christmas trees in September, but somehow ingredients for Christmas have slipped through the cracks. It’s the loophole!
Don’t blame me. Blame the nutmeg.
Speaking of baking, I picked up five gorgeous Granny Smith apples while I was shopping. I had meant to get a few for snacking, but they were so big and beautiful that I got five (I can only assume I was under the influence of the nuts and egg nog), and I have an urge to bake something with them. We’re trying to eat healthily, though – anyone have apple ideas that are not swimming in sugar? Please do share, but for now I’m going to listen to the song again.
You could core them, bake them and stuff them full of walnuts and honey…or um, make an apple dumpling out of them. I have this picture of a beautiful baked apple dumpling being smothered with sweet cream (that’s not too sugary right?!) that I think is in my Betty Crocker cookbook. Mind you I’ve never made that recipe, but it sounds good!
And thanks, now I’m going to have that song stuck in my head! You have to really belt it out…like a show tune in order to get the full effect don’t you?!
We;;. you must be missing your aunt, after all it is after Canadian Thanksgiving! Yup Apple Dumplilngs are the way to go. Use Betty Lyburger’s never fail pie crust. You’ll never buy that gunk from pillsbury again! Love Mom
How about this – Apple crumble. A British classic. Granny Smiths are quite sweet so you could hold off some of the sugar in the topping.
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/apple-and-almond-crumble,1385,RC.html
You inspired me to write up my Apple Fillo Turnover Recipe. I’m not sure how healthy it is but maybe it will inspire you.
hope this link goes through:
http://ibrakeforyarnhooksandbooks.blogspot.com/2006/11/apple-fillo-turnover.html
I have apple ideas, but nothing particularly healthy!
I really like cheesecake-type things — this one is pretty good (you have to register I think, but its free): http://recipes.tasteofhome.com/eRMS/recp.aspx?recid=10837
Another way we have apples at my house is to make a dip for them with 8oz. cream cheese, 1/2 c brown sugar, 1/4 granulated sugar, 1 t vanilla, and toffee chips. Maybe you could try honey and delude yourself into thinking its healthy; I haven’t tried it though so I don’t know if that would work.
Well… deluding myself is something I do frequently; being healthy isn’t!