Skillet Apple Crumble

If you're looking for an easy, sweet bite - look no further! A skillet apple crumble is the perfect piece of deliciousness that you need to satisfy your hankering for dessert without completely blowing out your calories. If you cut it down to a couple of apples, it will be perfect for... you guessed it, one lovely couple!

You'll Need:

3 apples of your choice, peeled and cored and sliced thin

2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup quick oats

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

1/3 cup of water

Using an 8 inch cast iron skillet, grease the bottom and the sides.

After peeling, coring, and slicing the apples, toss them in the lemon juice to prevent browning while you prep the rest of the dish.

Arrange the apple slices along the bottom of the skillet.

Mix the rest of the ingredients with a fork to make the topping.

Spread the topping evenly over the apples.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes 

or until the apples are tender and the top is browned.

You won't need whipped cream or ice cream - but it doesn't hurt if you need something a little special! Even a side of strawberries is lovely - or maybe a little warm maple syrup...

Curl up on the couch and enjoy the crisp of the crumble!

Pom-Cran Orange Loaf

I have a love for citrusy quick and snack breads - from lemon poppy seed to this wonderful recipe for Cranberry Orange Quickbread from Anne Burrell over on the Food Network site. My affinity for shopping at bulk discount stores means that I STILL have a large bag of dried cranberries from last year (I know, I know) that I'm more than happy to throw in wherever possible. Thank goodness for this recipe!

To change things up a little bit, I used a 1/4 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice with 1/2 cup of Pomegranate Cranberry juice - I highly recommend it! I also used whole wheat flour for half of the flour with lovely results.

You'll Need:

 2 cups of all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda (1/4 tsp for high altitude)

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 orange, zested

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup other juice (or just orange)

1 orange - peeled, white removed, skins removed & diced**

1 egg

1 cup dried cranberries

**Pain in the butt? Yes. Worth it? YES!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a food processor (or at least a pastry blender), mix together flour(s), both sugars, salt, baking soda and butter pieces. Pulse or blend until you have a medium-fine coarse mixture.

Add in the zest, juice, and orange chunks. Stir until just combined.

Pour into a mixing bowl and add cranberries.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x5 loaf pan.

Bake for at least 1 hour 15 minutes, rotating at least once while in the oven. The loaf is done when a tester comes out clean.

Golden deliciousness! But hold on there, let it cool.

Perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner and anytime in between! It's sweet enough to not need anything else (like an icing) but not too sugary that you'll feel guilty chowing down on a slice or two before 8 am!