Homemade Dessert Such Wonderful Stuff

All over the country increasingly severe winter storms are literally deposit tons of snow on continental United States. Places like Florida, Louisiana and Texas are experiencing inches of the seldom seen white stuff. Freezing temperatures and increasing bouts of bad weather are holding us captive in our homes. I started to experience the classic symptoms of "Cabin Fever!" Rather than nag my poor husband about leaving toilet seat up for the umpteenth time, I decided to focus my boredom on something more productive.

I love to bake and over the years I've collected dozens of vintage cookbooks printed between 1940 and 1960. I brought some down from the attic and decided to try a few of the old recipes. It seems back then nobody worried about high cholesterol or daily sodium intake. All of the recipes start out with one cup of butter, one cup of sugar, one cup whole milk, etc. There was no substituting low fat, no fat products for June Cleaver, Harriet Nelson or Aunt Bea. Homemade baked goods are on the come back trail. Ready made baked goods can be expensive and with our nation focused on portion control there are fewer items per package. In these economically challenging times families try to save money by making their own homemade treats. Everybody knows that cookies, cakes, breads and pies taste better straight from the oven. While rummaging through one of the books I found my mother's old recipes for a dessert I hadn't had since I was a kid. It's a rich cake with caramelized brown sugar molasses apple slices. It is so good that Dinah Shore and Ella Fitzgerald sang a song about it called, "Apple Pan Dowdy" and it goes like this:

"Shoo fly pie and apple pan dowdy
Makes your eyes light up,
And your tummy say howdy.
Shoo fly pie and apple pan dowdy
I never get enough of that wonderful stuff.
Shoo fly pie and apple pan dowdy makes the sun come out
When heavens are cloudy,
Shoo fly pie and apple pan dowdy,
I never get enough of that wonderful stuff!"

Wonderful stuff, indeed! It's an easy recipe to follow and fun for the entire family to prepare:

Ingredients:

4-5 cups apples peeled and sliced - I use Fuji or Golden Delicious
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecan [optional]
1/2 cup dried cranberries [optional]
1/2 cup molasses
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1/4 lb. butter
1/2 cup whole milk or butter milk*

* If you use buttermilk use 1 full cup

Preparation:
Place peeled, sliced apples in a large baking dish or small roaster pan, sprinkle with nutmeg, pecans, dried cranberries, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and pour molasses over the apples. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, until apples are soft.

Place all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Beat egg in another bowl and then add to the flour mixture. Add melted butter and milk; mix and pour over hot apple mixture, spreading it as evenly as you can -- showing a few apples on the outside edges. Drizzle a 1/4 cup of molasses over batter. Return to oven and bake another 30 minutes or so, until browned. Eat hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or cool with a dollop of homemade whipped cream. If you feel really adventuresome try making the whipped cream yourself.

Homemade Whipped Cream:
Pour 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowel
add ¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla [optional]

Using an electric hand mixer mix cream and sugar until it starts to thicken. This usually takes 10-12 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to serve. It keeps well for about 3-4 days. However it doen't usually last that long, it's that good!

I guarantee Apple Pan Dowdy will make your tummy say howdy and help you to forget about the slush and snow shoveling for a while. It's simply wonderful stuff.