Apples

Keep us, oh Lord, as the apple of your eye.

Hide us under the shadow of your wings.

Hop on the tractor for a ride out to the orchard.


We went apple picking a few weeks ago. It was a gorgeous, sunny day.

Josiah only picked one apple, the one he is eating. He touched many apples and studied them, but he did not pick them.

Charlotte needed a rest after all of that work. It was quite warm and both kids were hot and flushed in the cheeks.



Our neighbor Mary went with us.

Mmm mmmm Good!

Even though we picked apples several weeks ago, I used the last one yesterday. We had apple juice, applesauce, apple pie, apple cake, apple pancakes, apples with sausage and apple crumb coffee cake. Here is a taste of some of the autumn baking at our house.

German Raw Apple Cake (from Mindy)

Beat until frothy: 3 eggs, 1 C oil

Add: 2 C sugar, 1 tsp vanilla

Sift in: 2 C flour, 1 tsp soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon

Add: 4 C thinly sliced peeled apples, 1/2 C walnuts

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes in a greased and floured 9x13 pan.

Icing: 6oz cream cheese, 3 T butter, 2 C powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla

Apple Crumb Coffee Cake (created by moi)

2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp course salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
10 T (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp, plus more for pan
1 C sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 C sour cream
3 C peeled chopped apples (3-4 large apples)
Crumb Topping (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Sift flour, soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a bowl; set aside. Butter a 9x13; set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Add vanilla, and beat until combined. Fold in 2 cups of chopped apple, reserving one cup for the topping. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Toss remaining apples with the crumb topping, sprinkle crumb topping over cake. Bake until golden brown 50-60 minutes. (Don't forget to brew some coffee after 45 minutes or so, so you can have a cozy cup with a warm piece of cake!)

CRUMB TOPPING
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp course salt
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 C chopped pecans
12 T (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temp

In medium bowl, combine cinnamon, salt, sugar and flour. Cut in butter using your hands until well combined and crumbly. Add pecans and apples.


My favorite apple recipe this year came from a cookbook called Dining By Fireflies; Unexpected Pleasures of the New South (Junior League of Charlotte, North Carolina)

John bought this when he travelled to the south for an AMiA (Anglican Mission in America) Conference.

1-21-01
To my dear Margie on the occasion of our first married "separated time."
I missed you!
Enjoy this new addition to your collection.
Love,
John

Apple-Puffed Pancake

6 eggs
1 1/2 C milk
1 C flour
3 T sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C butter
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
3 T brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425.

Blend eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in large bowl. Batter may remain lumpy. Add butter to 12-inch quiche pan or 9x13 and melt in oven. Add apple slices to heated pan and return to oven until butter sizzles (do not let butter burn). Remove from oven and immediately pour batter over apples. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake in center of oven 20 minutes or until puffed and brown on top. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Both kids said, "Delicious!"

Christmas Traditions

December of 1997 found me both weeping and indignant over the failed attempt at dating that John and I had experienced that year. At the time, we were both on staff at Church of the Resurrection, thus both in attendance at the annual Staff and Vestry Christmas party. This is a potluck gathering hosted by the Rector, at that time William and Anne Beasley. This party came a few weeks after John so poignantly told me, "I don't want to hurt your feelings, Margie, but I am not in love with you." Considering the way things had been going, I was not surprised, but certainly not without wound either. Here ended what we now refer to as Act I.

Act I was followed by a two-year intermission. After one year, John came to ask my forgiveness for not offering me the level of commitment I needed. To this I simply replied, "I do forgive you, but if you are hoping that we are going to get back together, that is not going to happen. I know what I need now and you are not it." (Ouch.) Another year passed before we began dating again, which was a miracle. I will have to save that story for another time. (Or you can buy a copy of the DVD of John and me telling our story at a Gathering Place event a few years ago.)

So, here we are at the Beasley's home in December '97. Everyone is bringing in their covered dishes and I am trying to avoid John at all costs. (This is how I got the nickname Frosty Margarita.) I was loving Martha Stewart at the time and prepared a fabulous new recipe from her collection called Sweet Potato Spoon Bread. It is a warm and creamy, wonderfully aromatic holiday dish. I went through the buffet line much before John, but was leaving the dining room just as he was coming around to the Sweet Potato Spoon Bread. I "happened" to watch him as he filled the serving spoon and lifted it to his nose for a sniff. I saw him put the spoon down. I was furious. How dare he sniff my food and reject it? The moment was a snapshot of our dating history.
John will you tell you that he sniffed it, loved it and even returned for seconds. This part obviously missed my awareness.

Both because I love the recipe and because it holds such fond relationship memories for us, I make it every Christmas. I am including the recipe for you if you would like to try an alternative to the sliced sweet potatoes with marshmallows this year.

The Fawcett's Sweet Potato Spoon Bread
from Martha Stewart
Serves 8 to 10

3 large sweet potatoes
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup honey
4 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes until soft when pierced with a knife, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool. Peel, and discard skins.

2. Reduce the heat to 350. In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine cornmeal, milk, butter, brown sugar, spices, salt and 1 cup water. Cook, stirring until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

3. Butter a two-quart baking dish. Place cornmeal mixture, sweet potatoes, flour, honey, eggs, and cream in a food processor. Process until smooth; pour into dish. (If you do ahead, freeze at this point and increase baking time when cooked from frozen.) Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Serve.

A few notes from experience:
A double recipe will fit in a 9 x 13, but increase baking time.
You can make this ahead and freeze it before baking it.
I often double the recipe, bake one at Thanksgiving and freeze the other for Christmas.

Hope you enjoy this culinary trip down memory lane.

Progress and Pancakes

John made progress today by going to work for a few hours. While he did make it to work, he also developed a reaction to a blood transfusion and dealt with hives and itching on lots of places on his body for most of the day. He continues to be totally lucid, prayerful and committed to getting in to work whenever he can. Struggling with a difficult illness can bring a miopic view of life, so getting beyond these four walls gives "scope to the imagination (Anne of Green Gables)."



Part of regaining his strength has involved eating healthy and delicious food. As I mentioned in my Breakfast of Champions post, High Protein Pancakes are daily fare here. I promised that recipe in response to numerous requests to add recipes to my blog. I know this may seem odd to those of you who are reading The Fruitful Vine for health updates only. However, the title of the blog, The Fruitful Vine reminds me that my life is about more than my husband's illness. In a desert season, I must abide in the vine and continue to be fruitful. I have other responsibilities, one of which is creating a home. One of the things I love about creating a peaceful and nurturing home is cooking.

These pancakes were discovered by John's sister Katherine in the Mennonite cookbook More-with-Less (Herald Press, 1976, p.76.).

They are very thin, but pack quite a nutritious punch. Hope you enjoy them!


High Protein Pancakes (or Waffles)
Serves 3

Combine in a blender:

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup oil (not olive)
• ½ cup milk
• ½ tsp vanilla

Whirl at high speed 1 minute. Bake on lightly greased griddle or waffle iron.
Option: Beat well with mixer instead of in blender.

Recipe contributed to More-with-Less by Danita Laskowski and Alice Lapp of Goshen, IN.

Thank you for your prayers

A few weeks ago, we were walking through the valley of the SHADOW of death. John's life hung tenderly in the balance. He could barely sit up or move. He was eating less than our two year old son. He was in constant pain. He was incoherent many times throughout the day. We are still in a war, but that battle seems to be behind us. I am absolutely convinced that we were delivered as a result of your prayers. Thank you.

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered ... We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

II Corinthians 1: 8- 11

The war goes on and we covet your continued prayers, but let us all pause and give thanks to the Lord for His victory on John's behalf in that battle.

Since that time John has gained over five pounds. He is totally lucid. He has worked at the computer several times. He is less overwhelmed by the children. The blood clot is dramatically smaller. His blood levels are fairly good. He is receiving a transfusion just now to keep his hemoglobin level up.

And as far as his appetite?

I'll tell you what he ate for breakfast:

The Breakfast of Champions
Three scrambled eggs
Four High Protein Pancakes (Recipe forthcoming)
Bowl of Steel Cut Oats
Papaya and Grapes
Freshly juiced carrot, apple, lime, spinach, broccoli, celery and cabbage.

Having John's Mother with us has boosted all of our spirits and nutrition!
Thank you Mary Fawcett.