Welcome to our series featuring Food Holidays. I told David this morning it was National Apple Pie Day and that I needed one. He just laughed at me. That wasn’t very nice was it?
In the meantime take a look at all the Holidays being celebrated today and let me know which one you most would like to celebrate and why? Charlie says he wants to celebrate Hummus Day with his grandmother.
National Apple Pie Day
Apple Pie is one of only two Pies I will eat. How about you? As a child my dad would make a Apple Pie at night for us to have for Breakfast which is one of my favorite memories. Have you had Apple Pie for breakfast? If not why not?
If you ask people, most of them will jump at any chance they get to sink their teeth into a piece of Apple Pie. Especially if itsfresh out of the oven. Apple Pie Day is kind of like a blank check for eating Apple Pie, everyone should be sure to make the most of it!
Of course, Apple Pie Day is much more than that too. Apple Pie Day has the ability to get families together, baking in the kitchen or enjoying delicious desserts together. For many people, this day is an act of patriotism. Apple Pie is as American as, well, as they say, Apple Pie.
Apple Iie might not be originally American, but it is now certainly associated with many American cultures and traditions. There is certainly no reason why people around the world can’t celebrate Apple Pie Day, though.
So head to the apple orchard or farmers’ market, get Apples and get started with the honoring of Apple Pie Day! If you will excuse me Charlie and I are off to bake a Apple Pie in our #HomeschoolCookingClass. Would you like to join us?
History of Apple Pie Day #Homeschool History Lesson
History reveals that Apple Pie seems to have been very popular in centuries past in countries like England and The Netherlands. These countries have recipes going back many centuries. In fact, the history of Apple Pie dates back more than 600 years, to the 14th century with an English recipe. However, it was not cemented as an American classic until around the turn of the 20th century.
At that time, in the 1900s, Apple Pie was seen by many people as a healthier option to other pies. Since then, presidents, American troops and memorable marketing campaigns have all latched on to the idea of Apple Pie as something that is distinctly and symbolically American.
Apple Pie Day can bring together all of these various culinary traditions and allow people all over the world to enjoy the humble yet delicious Apple joy in all its glory.
This day is all about trying recipes and getting active in the kitchen. Even for people who don’t necessarily bake desserts very often, Apple Pie Day offers up a chance to chance that.
But, hey, just because a person may not feel like baking a Pie, doesn’t exclude them from enjoying the day. Options exist for having fun with Apple Pie by eating it and sharing it with loved ones.
How to Celebrate Apple Pie Day
Celebrating and enjoying Apple Pie Day will obviously need to revolve all around Apple Pie. According to many people, there are two very simple and even more enjoyable things you have to do if you want to enjoy Apple Pie Day to the fullest. The first is to make an Apple Pie and the second is to eat it.
Try these ideas for getting in on the fun:
Make an Apple Pie at Home
The great thing about Apple Pies is they don’t have to be super complicated to make,a person doesn’t need to be a master in the kitchen in order to rustle up a fantastic-tasting Apple Pie at home!
The dough only really requires flour, salt and water. And the filling? Well, that’s basically Apple slices, Sugar, and some Cinnamon and Butter.
When making Apple Pie, here are some tips from the experts that might make the process go a bit more smoothly:
- Instead of using all the same type of Apples, mix the Apples up by combining Apples that are sweet and some that are tart. The result will be more flavorful and delicious!
- Many recipes call for brushing the outside of the crust with an Egg wash after it is put together, but one expert tip is to brush the inside of the crust with an Egg wash before adding the filling. This creates a barrier that keeps the Apple Juices from making the bottom crust soggy.
- Once the inside has its Egg wash, take a few extra minutes to layer the Apples into the crust, rather than simply dumping them in. The Apples will like more evenly and be less lumpy.
For people who want to go with something super easy, try using a Premade refrigerator crust and apple pie filling from a can. Who will know?!
Buy an Apple Pie
For those people who know someone who can make a pie for them (such as a local bakery!) then get one from them. No matter where the Pie comes from, enjoying delicious Apple Pies with the people closest to you is what it’s all about!
Even for people who decide to head to a local restaurant that has a reputation for making good Apple Pie, that is still better than not taking part in the day at all. Get recommendations and read reviews and then get out there and sample the best of them.
Host an Apple Pie Party
The best way to do this is to get a few friends together and make a variety of Apple Pies using different recipes and baking methods. Then its possible to enjoy Apple Pies that originate from many different places and gives you the chance to try different types of Apple Pie.
There are many ways to make Apple Pies, making this the perfect time to try a recipe that puts a new spin on an old classic. Or simply enjoy the classic Apple Pie Recipe you’ve always used.
Try a New Recipe for Apple Pie
Take a look at these fun ideas and try out a new recipe that adds an extra twist on top of the basic apple pie:
- Caramel Apple Pear Granola Cream Pie
- Savannah High Apple Pie (piled super high and topped with Streusel)
- Individual Fried Apple Pies (more like hand pies, which can be served on a stick)
- Spiced Bourbon and Cinnamon Apple Pie
National Fruit Cocktail Day
May 13th is National fruit Cocktail Day. When we think of Fruit Cocktail most of think of a Canned mixture of Pears, Pineapple, Grapes and Peaches with something they call Cherries, but don’t really resemble real Cherries and drenched in a Sugary syrup.
Fruit Cocktail is ofter packed in kids lunches, because its thought of as healthy. That was before people read food labels or understood how much added Sugar was in there.
According to Wikipedia, Fruit Cocktail is often sold canned, especially by Del Monte but doesn’t have to be. The word Cocktail refers to it being an appetizer made by combining pieces of food. It was often served as an appetizer for luncheon or dinner to precede the Soup course.
Canned Fruit Cocktail according to the USDA must contain certain percentage distribution of the Fruits mentioned above in order to be called and marketed as Fruit Cocktail and the Cherries can be artificial. Canned Fruit Cocktail contains diced Fruit as opposed to canned Fruit Salad which would have larger chunks.
Taking that in consideration we can’t consider any of the recipes here for Fruit Salad and instead will create a classic Fruit Cocktail using Fresh Fruit that will knock your cans off. I would just wait until June or July when the Fruits are at their best.
The trick to this Fruit Cocktail is peeling the Peaches. To do this all you have to do is score a thin line at the top of the Peach and place it in boiling water for 1 minute. Then put it into cold water and the peel will come right off. Did you know this because I sure didn’t.
Dice the peeled Peach and add to it a diced peeled Pear, diced Pineapple (make sure to remover the core) and add some diced Green Grapes and diced Bing Cherries. The Cherries will be bright dark red and look gorgeous or you can use the lighter rainier Cherries if you want it to look more like the classic.
If you are up for going outside your comfort zone then you can also try dicing some Citrus Fruits like Grapefruits and Oranges and combining them with a bit of chopped Mint for a new brand of Fruit Cocktail.
National Hummus Day
Hummus Day
On May 13th, join millions of people around the world in celebrating their love for Hummus. Consume, share, celebrate and profess your love for this special food. 2021 marks the 9th official International Hummus Day.
Get ready! Eat Hummus on May 13th for breakfast, lunch or dinner
How to Participate
- Eat hummus on May 13th for breakfast, lunch or dinner
- Organize or join an event during Hummus Day
- Tweet/Instagram using the hashtag #hummusday
- Follow our Facebook page
- Join our Facebook Group
Fruit Cocktail
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 sprig fresh basil
- 4 nectarines, peeled, cut into chunks
- 4 peaches, peeled, cut into chunks
- 1 cup dark sweet cherries, pitted, halved
- 1 cup canned or fresh pineapple chunks
- 1 In heavy saucepan, heat sugar, water, lime juice and basil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; discard basil sprig.
- 2 In large glass bowl, mix nectarines, peaches, cherries and pineapple. Pour sugar syrup over fruit; stir to coat. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour
Hummus
- 1/2 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus more for garnishing)
- 2 garlic cloves, mashed and roughly chopped
- 2 (15 ounce) cans of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- Garnishes: A sprinkling of paprika, a swirl of olive oil, toasted pine nuts, and/or chopped parsley
Process Tahini and olive oil:
- In a food processor, combine the Tahini and olive oil and pulse until smooth.
2. Add remaining ingredients, process until smooth: Then add the garlic, garbanzo beans, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Process until smooth. The longer you process in the food processor, the smoother the hummus will be. Add more salt or lemon juice to taste.
3. Serve:
Spoon into serving dish, swirl a little olive oil over the top and sprinkle with garnishes—a little paprika, toasted pine nuts, or chopped fresh parsley.
Serve with Pretzel Crackers or your favorite Crackers., raw dip vegetables like carrots or celery, or with toasted pita bread.
To toast pita bread, cut the pita bread into triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 375°F oven, turning them over half-way through the cooking.
Apple Pie
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 to 7 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Dough for double-crust pie
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large egg white
- Additional sugar
- Preheat oven to 375°. In a small bowl, combine sugars, flour and spices; set aside. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim even with rim. Add filling; dot with butter. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Beat egg white until foamy; brush over crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover edge loosely with foil.
- Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil; bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 20-25 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
