Family Foodies

Well we are finally into the season of fall! My favorite season. One of my favorite things to do is to pick apples at the apple orchard. I bet you didn’t realize that there were over 3,000 different kinds of apples. Well if you didn’t know don’t feel bad. I didn’t know that until recently when I was talking with the lady from the apple orchards.

I like to pick the apples to use for baking. I make homemade apple sauce, apple pies, upside apple cake, and apple bread. There is so many different recipes you can try to make with apples.

My personal choice for baking is Gala, Cortlands, and Empire apples.

Here are the best apples to use:

Baking

• Baldwin
• Bramley
• Cortland
• Gala
• Golden Delicious
• Granny Smith
• Gravenstein
• Idared
• Jonagold
• Lady Apple
• Macoun
• Northern Spy
• Rome Beauty

Applesauce

• Arkansas Black
• Braeburn
• Bramley
• Cortland
• Gala
• Golden Delicious
• Gravenstein
• Jonathon
• McIntosh
• Winesap

Pie

• Braeburn
• Jonathon

As you can see there are many different apples that range from mouth-puckering tart to candy-sweet in shades of green, red, gold and pink.

What better to do when the weather is in the upper 40′s and is gloomy out on this fall day then to bake. I love these cool fall days! They are the best for baking.

Here is a mouth watering Upside-Down Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake recipe that I made today. I got the recipe from Pillsbury.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped and peeled apples
• 1 (12.4 oz) can Pillsbury Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls with Icing
• 1/2 cup pecan halves or pieces
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1/3 cup firmly packed  brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch glass pie pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of the apples in the sprayed pan.
2. Separate dough into 8 rolls. Cut each roll into quarters; place in large bowl. Add remain 1/2 cup apples and pecans.
3. In a small bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup; mix well. Add brown sugar mixture to dough mixture; toss gently to combine. Spoon mixture over apples in pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 28 – 38 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Invert onto serving platter.
5. Remove lid from icing. Microwave icing on HIGH for 10 – 15 seconds or until drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm coffee cake. Serve warm.

This is so delicious! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

This week I did a four part series and Autism and Food. I started out with showing real life examples of using different diets as well as the results. I think it’s fantastic that diet did actually show results. It does show you that some of the autistic like symptoms were relieved. Again this was not a cure for autism.

I think that the real life examples agrees with the link that their is possibly a link between food intolerance and autism. Although I am still not 100% sure. I still have some more research to do on my own. After all I will not know unless I try a different diet with my own son.

The study that showed there was no link to autism and food intolerance. First off I think that large scale studies funded by pharmaceutical companies are to big. I also think that the pharmaceutical companies also have some pull into what is said and not said. I think the large scales studies are to broad and they miss things. I think smaller scale studies might be a better source for research. Sure the smaller scale studies could go on for years like large scale but a smaller amount of people with and with out the symptoms.

I feel doing things that way will give a better focus into the study at hand. Taking a look at studying the people that did have success and further research into what they have adjusted. After all the study that did find the link agreed that there is still further research to be studied

Finally I found the last article about autistic kids being picky eaters possible having a risk for poor nutrition. I think any picky eater is at risk for poor nutrition whether they are autistic or not.

I hope you will take the time to read my four part series as I would like to hear your thoughts on what you think. Is there a possible link to autism and food intolerance? Do diets really help autistic kids?

• Autistic Kids and Food – Does Fooed Affect Kids, Really?
• Autistic Kids and Food: A Link To Food Intolerance
• Autistic Kids and Food: No Link Between Autism and Food, Come On!
• Autistic Kids and Food: Lack of Food Variety, Risks for Poor Nutrition

I love my local organic food store. It took many many years for us to get anything like it in our rural area. I have to say the owner of Millie Hill Market has had her hands full with me. She is constantly ordering new GF items for us to try. To her delight most of them end up selling right off of her shelves. This is the type of relationship you want to have with your local store. If they are supportive it can make your life a ton easier.

Find out who is in charge of organic foods at your local grocery store.

They are always looking for feedback on what to carry. They want to know what will sell and if you can give them some items they might be more willing to carry similar items.  If they seem hesitant just keep on building that relationship with them. Have other friends or family come in and request the same items. Usually if they get enough requests they will try out the product and watch the sales of these items.

I had been trying to get our local store to carry the Tinkyada noodles because they were my favorite. My uncle is a manager at this store and I had him ask his supervisor. After about a year of asking I lucked out one day. I was shopping and the store had managers from another store visiting and setting up displays. I asked them if I could talk with them for a minute and they were willing to listen.

I explained that the GF noodles they carried were not selling because they turn to mush when cooked. I also told them I had a much better quality noodle that would sell a ton faster. Let’s just say in a few short weeks my store had 4 different shapes of Tinkyada noodles and they have been selling like crazy. Now all I usually have to do is ask my uncle if they can carry an item. If they are able to order it they usually will. They had the Betty Crocker GF mixes almost imediately after I asked. This whole process makes grocery shopping a lot easier on us and our budgets.

Wow it’s Friday already. This week has surely flew by. I am going to share with you my favorite recipes that were posted this week.

They are mouth watering and sound delicious!!

In all the time I have been cooking and baking I have never come across Cute German Pancakes. These look so delicious. They remind me of a little bowl with fruit in them. Thanks Crystal’s Cozy Kitchen for the delicious looking recipe. This certainly is a different variation to your normal pancakes.

Anne From Our Table To Yours had posted a really cute idea for a sandwich for kids that actually can be a little snack too. It’s called a stick-wich. Definitely a fun and clever idea for a lunch. You can find her idea in her post Kids in the Kitchen Friday.

Sugar Pies has a great recipe for Butter Rum Muffins. I have heard of these before but never thought any thing of them until I actually read through the recipe. These absolutely sound delicious. I am thinking of making them this weekend! We love muffins and breads in this house.

If you are a chocolate lover then you will love this recipe by Behind The Skillet. This is for the chocoholic in all of us: “I Need Chocolate Now” Cake. When I first saw the pictures they were of bread instead of cake. Let me tell you there is a TON of chocolate in here that will settle any craving!

I am a huge fan of Aunt Annie’s pretzels. While I was going through my daily blog rounds I noticed that Yvonne from Chow Chaser had posted a recipe for Almond Crunch Pretzels. She wanted to make these pretzels that were a replicate of Aunt Annie’s. I can’t wait try these pretzels for myself to see if they are anything similar to Aunt Annie’s.

With fall currently here it’s my time to be in the kitchen doing a lot of baking. Simpy Lydia has a great recipe that is perfect for fall baking and holidays called Pumpkin Bread. I myself have never made pumpkin bread but this is something that is on my list this year.

This week I am going to try something new and recommend to you some of my favorite tweeps. I love the fact that they respond to questions and just love the good old fashion chit chat!

@euphorialuv – This gal is so funny! She has such personality! If your looking for someone to make your day she is your gal!

My question was what is your favorite fall recipe or comfort food and the replies were:

iPhonedivas – Thanks for answering my question. If you are an iPhone addict then you will love iPhonedivas. She knows what’s in and what’s not for iPhones!

@jennelsonlane I was so thrilled when jennelsonlane shared this recipe with me. It was definitely something new to me. Something I plan on trying in the future. Thanks for sharing a scrumptious recipe with me.

@screaming_mimi – Another twitter friend who answered my question. Who doesn’t love pasta!! I am so in love with pasta. Garlic and Butter on pasta! Thanks for sharing your answer!