Cream Cheese Apple Pie

Yes, another twist on a holiday favorite. Taking that standard apple pie and giving it a kick in the pants with some added flavors and a higher level of decadence.

1 9-inch Pie Crust (Frozen or Homemade)

3/4 Cup of Shredded Fuji Apples

3/4 Cup of Shredded Granny Smith Apples

3/4 Cup of Shredded Pink Lady Apples

3/4 Cup of diced fresh Strawberries

1/2 Cup of Cream Cheese

2 TBSP of Butter

1 TBSP Packed Brown Sugar

1 TBSP Cinnamon

1 TSP Nutmeg

1 TSP Allspice

1/2 TSP of Pure Clover Honey

Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees.

1: Melt butter and combine cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and strawberries, mixing together with the butter until everything is blended into a thick cream, but try to keep this warm to prevent the butter or cheese from solidifying.

2: Combine the apples and honey in a large mixing bowl, stirring together as you add the heated cream from step one. Once the apples and cream mixture are fully blended, carefully scoop into a waiting 9-inch pie crust.

3: Either place into the oven as it is now, or place a layer of crust over the top (make sure to stab holes into the top to allow for venting). Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown, and interior is hot. Carefully watch this pie periodically as to avoid under or over cooking it. Additional time may be needed.

4: Remove the hot pie from the oven and place in a cool location to chill, before transferring it to a fridge to get cold, usually 6 hours or overnight. Serve chilled with a scoop of strawberry ice cream and some caramel sundae syrup. Enjoy.

This is a recipe involving cream cheese, which can be rather tricky to melt and work with. I would not suggest trying to melt the butter and cheese together in a microwave, as this just results in a horrible mess, and you will want to watch it carefully anyway. So take this recipe, try it with different fruits, or even add a few chopped walnuts for a little crunch in the texture. Try this dish next time you are wanting something other than the classic apple pie, it is sure to please even those who swear by grandma's traditional apple pie recipe.

~Bon Appetite~

Viking Flatbread

This is a recipe for a yummy flatbread dating back to the age of Vikings, when men were men and the mead was warm to keep the chill of winter away. A great recipe for sharing with family and friends, or passing along to others so they can enjoy the flavor.

For the ancient Vikings, "breaking bread" with someone was a sign of trust and honor, it was also the display of a good host. To break bread with someone, it meant that you trusted them and wished to gain their trust as well. It was a sign of honor because you were willing to share your food with your guests, regardless of who they might be.

Viking Flatbread

3 1/2 Cups of Flour (I use a thick wheat flour, or a blend of rye, barley, and oat flours).
1 1/2 Cups of Buttermilk
1 Egg
pinch of salt
1 TBSP of Clover Honey
1/4 Cup of Chopped Walnuts

1: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and blend thoroughly. Use either an electric mixer with a dough hook, or use your hands and knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes. The dough should be moist, thick, and slightly sticky.

2: Cover your hands in flour and form the dough into balls about 2-3 inches in diameter. At this point, the dough can be frozen or cooled in a refrigerator until it is needed.

3: Press each ball flat until it is roughly 1/2 inch thick and bake on a flat pan greased with butter. Cook over a fire pit or on a hot burner. Like pancakes, flip these once to cook on both sides. The bread is done when it is light brown, and sounds hollow when tapped. It shouldn't take more than 2-4 minutes to cook each side of the bread.

Once the bread is done cooking, serve it immediately with honey and butter, or something else to use as a topping. You may have to add more flour or less liquid to get the consistancy correct, but in the end you will have a delicious bread that you can cook quickly for visiting friends and relatives, or anyone else you feel the need to break bread with.

~Bon Appétit~

Druid's Cobbler Cake

This is my version of a Fruit Cobbler recipe I found on the Food.com website. Instead of having a thin crust over the top of the fruit, I make mine to be a lightly sweetened cake with little pieces of fruit that seemed to be floating around in the pillow-like softness of the cake. This can be made with almost any fruit you desire, but I will use peaches for the recipe here.

Peach Cobbler Cake:

Cake Batter:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 TSP Baking Powder
1 Egg
2/3 Cup Milk
1 TSP Honey
1/2 Cup Brown Cane Sugar
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
Pinch of Salt

1: Use a paper towel to spread a thin layer of butter or shortening into the bottom of a deep 9x9 square baking dish (or a 9-inch round dish), and spread it out evenly. Personally, I melt the butter in the microwave and then just pour it into the dish. But you can use whatever technique works the best for you. You can also add a very light layer of flour if you discover the cakes are sticking badly.

2: Combine all the batter ingredients into a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer or a whisk, whip the batter for 10-15 minutes, or until it is smooth. Pour the mixed batter directly over the melted butter, spreading it out as evenly as possible.

Fruit:

4-5 Peaches, with pits removed (You can peel them if you wish, but I don't mind the peach skins)
1/3 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1/4 Cup Brown Cane Sugar
1 TSP Nutmeg
1 TSP Allspice
1 TSP Ground Cloves
1 TBSP Butter

1: Slice up the peaches into roughly 1-inch wide cubes, and set aside.

2: Into a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine the walnuts, butter, and brown sugar. Cook until butter has melted and sugar evenly coats the walnuts. You can use any type of nut for this, as long as you keep the pieces small and the quantity roughly the same.

3: Add in the nutmeg, allspice, and cloves, and continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes, stirring until walnuts are evenly covered with spices.

4: Pour in the peaches (or any fruit in an equivalent amount), and cook for 10-12 minutes, adding just a little water if the pan begins to dry out. You want to cook this until the peaches are heated and coated with the cooked spices and walnuts, but nothing is burned or charred.

5: Carefully spoon the fruit and nut mixture over the batter in the baking dish, covering the batter as evenly as possible.

6: Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the batter has risen to the top, and is golden brown.

Serve this cake, fresh from the oven, with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream on top. You can even give it to a friend or family member as a gift, or use it as a new type of birthday cake. As stated before, you can use any fruit and any type of nuts for this recipe, as long as you keep the proportions roughly the same. This is a very simple cake that you can make and turn into something of your own.

~Bon Appétit~

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Cuisinart SM-70BC 7-Quart Stand Mixer (Google Affiliate Ad)
All-Clad Tri-Ply Stainless-Steel Sauce Pan with Lid - 1.5 quart - All- (Google Affiliate Ad)

Druid's Holiday Dinner Rolls

These are some delicious rolls that are easy to make and prepare. This recipe makes 18-24 rolls that have a pleasant sweet flavor.

Holiday Dinner Rolls:

3-4 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
2 1/4 TSP or 1 Package of Active Dry Yeast
1 TBSP Honey
3 TBSP Brown Sugar
1 Cup + 2 TBSP Hot (not boiling) Water
1/3 Cup Butter
1 TSP Salt
1/3 Cup Cold Water
1 Egg

1: Combine hot water, butter, sugar, honey, and salt, mix together until butter is melted. Add in the cold water and yeast, stirring until most of the yeast is dissolved.

2: Add in the egg and 1 1/2 Cups of the flour, combining them together thoroughly. Add in more flour to make a thick dough, add enough flour to keep the dough from getting sticky. Drop onto a well-floured surface and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes.

3: Place kneaded dough onto a non-stick surface and cover it lightly and allow it to rise until it doubles in size. Punch the dough down and separate into 1.5 inch balls and place into a greased 9x13 cake pan and cover again lightly. Once again, allow the dough to double in size.

4: Butter the tops of the raised rolls. Set the oven to 350 degrees, and bake the rolls for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve these delicious rolls with butter, honey, or your favorite fruit jam.

~Bon Appétit~

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