Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving from Red Couch Recipes!

I hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends.

Hodgson Mill $25 Gift Code Giveaway

Sure glad you dropped by Red Couch Recipes today.  I am pleased to offer one of my readers a $25 gift certificate to Hodgson Mill's online store.  Hodgson Mill is a family-owned business that has been in operation  for over 125 years providing all-natural, high quality, freshly ground grains and mixes.   At their online store they offer many varieties of flours, such as buckwheat, pancake mixes, and other mixes and much more.  The flours and mixes are reasonably priced and would be perfect for the holiday baking season. Click here to see what is available at their online store.  I have some Hodgson Mill's Rye Flour on my shelf right now that I mix into pancakes and waffles that adds a wonderful taste.

 To qualify to win the gift code to their Hodgson Mill's online store, just leave a comment telling me what your favorite thing to bake for the holidays or what is your favorite grain to use in baking or cooking.  Leave a comment by Wednesday November 30, 2011 to enter to win.  Make sure, you leave an e-mail so that I can contact you.

Disclosure Note:  I have not been compensated to offer this giveaway on my blog.  I was given some flour to use in a recipe that I am developing for a Hodgson Mill Holiday Baking Contest.

Apple Scrap

Welcome to Red Couch Recipes!



Growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, when a new restaurant would open, my Aunt Ionia would often say, "There's a new restaurant I would like to take you to."  Those words were magical to me!  Someone wanted to take me out to dinner!  She still wanted to take me even after I fell off my chair at a fashion show luncheon at an upscale restaurant.  She still wanted to take me even after I spilled my water and it flew onto another's customer's suit, who of course was upset.  Everyone should be so blessed to have an Aunt like Ionia.  So at this time of Thanksgiving, I thank my Heavenly Father for blessing our family with such a wonderful Aunt!

One of the restaurants she took us to was the "The Ovens of Brittany."  At the time, this restaurant took Madison by storm.  In later years, my sister Jacqueline, Purple Chocolat Home, gave me a cookbook from their restaurant.  This recipe for Apple Scrap was included in their recipe book and I have made it over the years.  Today, I would like to share this recipe with you.

Note:  This tastes best when served the second day.

 Apple Scrap

Crust Ingredients

1-1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons orange juice or apple cider

Filling Ingredients

1 egg, lightly beaten

1-1/2 cups half and half

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups, peeled, chopped apples OR pitted sour cherries

Topping Ingredients

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Recipe Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.  To make crust, mix dry ingredients together.  Cut in butter until mixture is of very fine texture.  Mix in liquid until just combined.   Pat into pan.

2.  To make filling, combine all ingredients, except the fruit.  Fold in fruit and spread over crust.  Bake 30 minutes. 

3.  To make topping, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Cut in butter until size of peas.   Stir in nuts.  Refrigerate topping until bars have baked the first 30 minutes. 

4.  Sprinkle topping over partially-baked filling.  Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Cool and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

I hope you enjoy!  Thanks for dropping by Red Couch Recipes.

There's a warning that comes with this recipe -- do not eat the Apple Scrap warm -- wait until the next day to eat it.  Some things just taste better the second day.