Jolene's Recipe Journal

To wrap up AppleWeek 2018, I'm revisiting a family favorite, Apple Nachos from Taste of Home.  I've made these dozens of times with so many variations.  Sometimes I do it all from scratch, sometimes I cheat and use jarred caramel ice cream topping and warmed up marshmallow creme.  Sometimes I use roasted salted pepitas or sunflower seeds. Mini cinnamon chips are great in place of the chocolate chips. This post is sponsored in conjunction with #AppleWeek. I recieved product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. This post from 2010 has been updated with a new photo, text, and a printable recipe card. Just a little tip: if the variety of apple you are using is prone to browning with air exposure, give them a quick soak in lemon lime soda before assembling the platter.  I give them a quick pat down with a paper towel after I pull them out of the soda.  You can also use lemon juice, but my family wasn't cr

This post is sponsored in conjunction with AppleWeek. I recieved product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. Nothing says fall to me like apple crisp.  We've tried a lot of versions, but we absolutely love it made with maple sugar.   When I heard Flahavan's was sponsoring, I immediately thought about how great their Irish Oatmeal would be mixed into the topping. I like to keep the apples pretty simple, just some spices and a little vanilla.  Depending on the variety of apple you use, you can add a tablespoon of sugar also.   I like to slice the apples, but cubed up works too, just adjust the baking time.  You want the apples to be soft, but still hold their shape. If the topping is browing too quickly, just cover it with some foil. The guys like theirs with vanilla bean ice cream.  Sometimes I'll top mine with a bit of whipped cream. It's great both room temperature, or warmed up.  And since th

When it comes to apples, desserts are pretty easy for me to come up with. We love them all, cakes, crisps, cookies, pies .  It's a little harder to come up with savory or main dishes , but this year, I knew I wanted to recreate a pizza that I get at a local restaurant that I absolutely love. This post is sponsored in conjunction with #AppleWeek. I recieved product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. It's so good, thin crispy dough, bacon, candied nuts, cheese, marinated chicken, and of  course, apples. Theirs is wood-fired, but since I'm not set up for that at home, I needed a different way to get that crispy yet chewy crust.  Swiss Diamond sent me a beautiful double griddle, and it was perfect for cooking up the bacon. After a quick wipe down, it was ready for the dough base, which cooked in just a few minutes.  The best part of all is that it's oven safe, so after I assembled all the ingredien

This post is sponsored in conjunction with AppleWeek. I recieved product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. I was completely blown away when my selection of products arrived from Imperial Sugar for AppleWeek!  They were so incredibly generous with the amount of both brown and regular sugar that they sent, along with a lovely baking mat and apron. We always teased my Gram that she should wear an apron when she baked, because she'd always be covered with as much ingredient as what went into the recipe.  Her base whoopie pie recipe was my jumping off point for my Caramel Apple Whoopie Pies , and I also found this New England Apple Cake in her recipe box. I made the recipe as written, but omitted the nuts due to allergies.  She just dusted the finished cake with confectioner's sugar, but my guys really love a glaze. I combined confectioner's sugar, pure New England maple syrup, and some milk and drizz