My only criteria was that it had to be something I’ve never made before. So, caramel apples, apple pie, baked apples, applesauce,  and apple cupcakes were all out. I finally stumbled across a recipe for apple streusel bars over at Our Best Bites. They looked pretty darn tasty and the recipe was simple, too. Simple is a must because I find myself with so little time to cook and bake now with the internship…

These bars are perfect for breakfast, dessert or even a snack. Mike likes them warmed up a bit in the microwave before he eats them. No microwave? A toaster oven or even a hair dryer might work

Apple Streusel Bars

For the pastry:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg, beaten

For the filling:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups sliced, peeled baking apples

For the glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. For the crust: combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until pea-sized crumbs form. Gently mix in beaten egg. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Gently pat about 2/3 of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the dish.
3. For the filling: combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Toss with apples. Spread apples on to prepared crust. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over apples evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. When cooked, allow to cool completely.
4. For the glaze: whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract and milk. Place glaze into a zip-top bag and cut off a small portion of one of the corners. Drizzle glaze over cooled pastry and allow to harden. Cut into bars and serve.

I love love love this applesauce because it is not overly sweet – it’s a great combination of tart and sweetness. If you’re someone who loves a sweeter applesauce, add a little more sugar into it.

Potato Pancakes
adapted from allrecipes.com

4 egg whites
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in potatoes and onion.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
3. Serve warm with butter and salt or homemade applesauce.

Homemade Applesauce
makes 4 cups

5 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Combine apples, water, sugar and cinnamon in medium-sized saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 15 – 20  minutes, or until apples are soft.
2. Mash with a potato masher and serve warm, or refrigerate until serving.

Apple Crisp

10 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup water

2 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, cubed

1. Preheat oven to 350°F .
2. Mix sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Pour in apples and stir to coat evenly. Pour into a 9×13 inch pan and pour water on top.
3. Combine the oats, 2 cups flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda together. Cut in butter until crumbly and sprinkle over the apple mixture.
4. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes.

Caramel Apple Pie
makes 1 deep dish pie

1 deep dish pie crust (homemade or frozen)
6 granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1/2 cup  sugar
4 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/2 jar caramel topping

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together apples, lemon juice, sugar, flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
3. Prepare the crumb topping by cutting the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter and mix in brown sugar, oats, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4. Pour apples into pie crust and top with crumb topping. Wrap pie crust edges with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil from crust and sprinkle pecans onto pie and bake for 10 more minutes.
5. Remove pie from oven and pour the caramel topping over the pie. Cool slightly before serving alone or with some ice cream. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut

2 pounds kielbasa
2 small onions, sliced
1 small apple, chopped
2 14-ounce cans sauerkraut, drained
1 12 fluid ounces can or bottle of beer (I used Sam Adams)
1/4 cup  honey Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1. Brown the kielbasa in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Transfer browned kielbasa into slow cooker.
2. Saute onions in the skillet until browned and transfer into the slow cooker.
3. Add the apple, sauerkraut, beer, mustard, and caraway seeds into the slow cooker and stir to combine.
4. Cook on low for 6 hours until meat is tender.

Apple Strudel Muffins
yields 12 muffins

–For the muffin
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples

–For the strudel topping
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Thoroughly grease a 12 cup muffin pan or use liners.
2. In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in the vanilla. Stir in the apples and then gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
4. For the strudel topping: mix the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the muffin pans.
5. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to rest for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove muffins from the pan to cooling racks and allow to cool completely.