Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lb of cubed squash (peeled delicata, butternut, etc.)
• One green apple, peeled and cubed
• One yellow onion, quartered
• Four cloves garlic
• Two carrots, chopped
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• ¼ tsp ground sage
• 3 springs rosemary (or ½ tsp dried)
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground ginger
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ cup coconut milk

Preparations:

1. Roast vegetables. On a baking tray, drizzle some olive oil. Add the squash, onion, carrot, and garlic. Top with the chunks of apple. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add to an oven at 425F for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. 
2. In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable broth and roasted vegetables. Add the spices and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add ¼ cup of the coconut milk and stir to combine. Remove the sprigs of rosemary. In batches, blend the soup in a blender (using a cloth to cover instead of the lid). Add more coconut milk if needed to blend smooth. Return to the saucepan. 
4. Serve with shredded cheese, feta, roasted pumpkin seeds, etc. 

Strawberry Apple Jam

Ingredients:

• 2 pints of strawberries, tops removed and quartered
• 2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 1/2 cups sugar

Preparations:

1. In a large pot, combine strawberries, apples, and lemon juice. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. 
2. With a potato masher, gently squish the mixture to break down the pieces of fruit until they are small enough to your liking. 
3. Add in the sugar and stir until dissolved. Boil gently until the mix reaches 210 F, roughly 15 to 25 minutes. 
4. Follow the steps in this link on how to can. Directions here. There may be steps you want to do in parallel to the jam making. Makes roughly six half-pint jars. 

Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Steel Cut Oats (dry)
• 1 Green Apple peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp apple sauce

Preparations:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring water, milk, honey and vanilla to a boil.
2. Mix in apple and oatmeal and stir well. Turn down to medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
3. Add in cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt. Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, stir in apple sauce, and let sit five minutes before serving.

Apple Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 finely chopped green apples, peeled
• 1/2 cup pecans

Preparations:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk.
3. In a large bowl, mix the eggs with a hand mixer til light in color and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and beat well.
4. Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon and continue stirring the batter til the flour disappears. Add the apples and pecans and stir to mix them into the batter.
5. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Serve cold with buttercream frosting or warm with ice cream.  

Pierogis with Cabbage and Apples

Ingredients:

• 1 16.9-ounce box frozen potato and cheese pierogis
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, cut into 1 x 0.5 inch piece
• 1.5 crisp Green apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 small head cabbage, shredded (purple or green)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Preparations:

1. Saute the pierogis in 1 Tbsp oil until both sides are just starting to golden.
2. Meanwhile, in another pan, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. 
3. Add the apple and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the cabbage, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the cabbage is slightly wilted but still crunchy, 2 to 3 minutes. 
5. Divide the cabbage mixture among plates. Serve with three pierogis and sour cream (optional) on the side.

Apple Pie

Ingredients:

• 9 inch pie crust (in the frozen food section) 
• 6 large or 7 medium apples
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, roughly
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 2 tbsp flour 
• .5 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg 
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1/2 cup flour 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 3 tbsp butter, cold

Preparations:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Peel and slice apples. Chunk a couple of them. Place sliced apples in a large bowl. As chopping the apples, I sprinkle each apple with lemon juice to keep it from browning.
3. In a small bowl, mix together white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, corn starch, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated. Spoon mixture into pie crust.
4. To make the crumb top, mix together 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar in a small bowl. Cut butter into small pieces. Cut in butter into flour mixture until it's crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over apple filling. Cover top loosely with aluminum foil.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Slow Cooker Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

• 10 medium Granny Smith apples
• 3/4 cups water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp honey 
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar 
• 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

Preparations:

1. Peel the apples by cutting off the tops and bottoms of the apples, peeling each one with a vegetable peeler, and then cutting the apple away from the core.
2. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and give it a quick stir. 
3. Set the slow cooker to 4 hours on high, stirring occasionally. 

Crock Pot Apples

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 5 Green apples, cored
• 1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider

Preparations:

1. Core the apples, leaving the bottom skin intact. Arrange them in crock pot.
2. Divide the walnuts between the apples and spoon into core holes.
3. Divide the brown sugar between the apples and spoon into core holes, pressing down into the walnuts.
4. Divide the cinnamon and spoon on top of brown sugar.
5. Top the core holes with the divided margarine and press in as far as possible.
6. Pour the apple juice into the bottom of the crock pot, set it on high,and cover. If you want a traditional baked apple, check on them after 30-45 minutes, and they are done when they feel like a roll of toilet paper when squeezed. If you want it to be softer or basically apple sauce, let cook for 2 .5 to 3 hours.