My Granddaughter Inspired Me….

Well, obviously it has been a long time since my last writing. So here it goes. I have been down a little since my last knee replacement, this was the second one, so I knew what to expect this time so it wasn’t as bad. It was a 8 weeks healing process, but I feel much better. One thing that happens when you are not as active as you should be, you GAIN WEIGHT!!! This in my case was correct. I gained about 30 lbs. That is 60 lbs. too much. I am sure that we all have been through that once in our lives. Well it is hard to accept when it is you. My wife is on a special food plan, so I have the kitchen all too myself pretty much, at least for the food part. Instead of 2 gallons of milk, I by 1, and instead of 2 loaves of bread I buy 1, and so on or if I do buy 2 loaves I freeze one. I need to get back on the wagon and just focus on my health, also my knees; can only take so much weight. So I really have to watch it. Today, my son is coming over to help me with the lawn, it seems to grow faster every week. He is such a good sport; he knows what a problem I have with bending over and standing for any length of time. He is such a perfectionist; the lawn is one you admire when my neighbors drive by. It is late, but I still have to plant my carnation seedlings. I am going to cover them with leaves of something else to protect them, so they won’t be too damaged from the frost and below zero temperatures and of course the dreaded snow word this winter. I hope that protects them. Fall is a great month to bake and I have some great recipes for you to try.

Topsy Turvy Apple Pie

Brown sugar and pecans make the crust special. After baking, the pie gets a twist: it's turned upside down onto the serving plate, transforming the sticky bottom crust into a moist, nutty topping.

Prep Time: 45 Min
Total Time: 1 Hr 30 Min
Makes: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:
Glaze and Crust
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1/2 cup Fisher® Chef's Naturals® pecan halves
1 box (15 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
Filling
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Pillsbury BEST® all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (4 medium)
Topping
Whipped cream, if desired

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 425°F. In 9-inch glass pie plate, mix brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Spread evenly in bottom of pie plate. Arrange pecans over mixture. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie, placing bottom crust over mixture in pan.
2. In small bowl, mix granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon. Arrange half of apple slices in crust-lined pie plate. Sprinkle with half of sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining apple slices and sugar mixture. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.
3. Place pie on sheet of foil on middle oven rack in oven; bake 8 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake 35 to 45 minutes longer or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Immediately run knife around edge of pie to loosen. Place serving plate upside down over pie; turn serving plate and pie plate over. Remove pie plate. Serve warm or cool with whipped cream.



Ooey Gooey Caramel Cake

Love caramels? Make a rich, gooey caramel cake without the fuss of unwrapping candies.


Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 2 hours 5 min
Makes: 15 servings

Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 bag (8 oz) milk chocolate-coated toffee bits
1 can (13.4 oz) dulce de leche (caramelized sweetened condensed milk)
Sweetened whipped cream, if desired
Caramel topping, if desired

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour.
2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, flour, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in 1/2 cup of the toffee bits. Pour into pan.
3. Reserve 1/2 cup dulce de leche. Spoon the remaining dulce de leche by teaspoonfuls onto batter.
4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Drop reserved dulce de leche by spoonfuls over top of cake and spread evenly. Sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Cool about 1 hour before serving. Top each serving with whipped cream and caramel topping.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Increase flour to 1/3 cup.
Make the Most of This Recipe with Tips from The Betty Crocker® Kitchens
Substitution
You can substitute crushed chocolate-covered English toffee candy bars for the toffee bits.
Purchasing
Dulce de leche, a caramelized condensed milk, can be found near the sweetened condensed milk in the grocery store.

Well so much for my diet, I am going to start tomorrow. Shhhhhh, don’t tell my wife.