My Apple Tree and a Recipe

Hi everyone. Hope you are all doing well and staying cool in this very warm weather.
Today I am going to tell you about this wonderful apple tree. I am not really sure what the name of the apple tree is, the apples are green, they cook up really good and are not too sweet. I planted the tree probably about 15-20 years ago. It took a very long time to grow....now it is so tall, it is hard to reach the apples even with an extender basket. I need a TALL person!!!
In the above picture is a shot of our tree in the spring....oh my, it was just full of blossoms this year....I was so excited. During the winter, either the squirrel or rabbits got a hold of my two apple trees and ate the bark off the trees. My neighbor thought the trees were ruined. So did I for that matter.
Then, one spring morning I looked out the window and "oh my gosh" the tree was just loaded with flowers. We ended up not spraying the tree. Just letting it go natural. I mentioned I had two trees. The other tree is a red apple tree. As far as I can see, there are only 1 or 2 apples up there. Maybe next year will be its' year to show off!!!

Oh my....apples in the tree!!! There have been apples before, but NOT so big and NOT so abundant!!! My goodness every branch was just loaded with apples!!! I've made a few pickings since this picture was taken. Some of the apples are buggy inside. But then, some are just fine. The birds and squirrels get their share. So I think if I can get a good share of cooked apples in the freezer I will be happy.

In this picture are some apples I picked tonight with our new little $25 apple extender from Menards. I am hoping that the basket will pay for itself. Maybe it has and I have not realized it as yet.

In this picture is a shot of the apples still left in the tree that are too high for Louise to reach even with the basket extender.

So here we are, tonight with 20 apples waiting to be cut and sliced in the kitchen sink.

So here is a picture of the apples cooked up in it's sauce. All I do is add about a cup of water with the apples, cook them up a bit, add cinnamon, and maybe 4 packets of stevia. (if you use sugar, maybe about 1/4 cup of sugar, depends how sweet you want the apples), then I add some corn starch with a little bit of water and mix with the apples to thicken the juice. Taste test to see if they are cooked through and sweet enough for your taste.

Okay...here is the recipe. I found it on www.cooks.com  Look for it under "Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake." I found with this recipe, you can use any fruit you desire...that is why I am using my apples. (I've used cherries also) Bake this coffee cake/pie at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Pie filling
Cream together the butter and sugar, add eggs. Add dry ingredients next and beat well. Batter will be heavy. Spread 3/4 of the batter in a 9x13 inch pan. Cover with the pie filling. Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over filling.
 Sprinkle with the following mixture.
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
One last step....I sprinkle the top of the cake with some more cinnamon, of course this is with the apple pie. Using other fruit would be optional.

Another thing about this recipe...I cut all the ingredients in half, so instead of making a 9x13, I make a pie pan...which is enough for JP and I.
I have company coming next weekend, so I may make a 9x13 apple dessert then.

After baking, a slice of heaven. Adding some whip cream or ice cream to this dessert would really top it off.

Taste Testing....mmmmmm....good!!

Well there you have it, a wonderful dessert for any time, any place and any where. I really like making this, as it is really easy and goes fast. JP likes it a lot too, but then he is not a hard person to please when it comes to food, he eats most anything I concoct and always knows that if I follow a recipe, I never quite follow it to the "T"....always changing some ingredient.

Hope you enjoy this recipe...I sure do. Have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise