Snow, Snow, Go Away!

It's supposed to be spring vacation where I live in Salt Lake. It's snowing. We're wayyyy past that six week mark that the groundhog was teasing us with. Me and my daughter even went to the Holi Festival of Colors over the weekend to bring in spring. It was 60 degrees and sunny! And yet...outside looks like a blizzard. At least where I'm sitting it does. UGH. I'm going to close the blinds and pretend this is all an April Fool's Day joke along with the current forecast for the week ahead. :(

Today seems like a good day for something cozy from the oven. I'm posting the recipe for my Mom's Apple Crisp, full of lovely cinnamony apples and covered in a crumbly, crispy, oaty topping.

Apple Crisp

12 peeled, sliced apples
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
~ Put all ingredients in a large bowl, toss together to coat the apples, and pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.

Topping:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
about 1 cup of apple juice

~ Put the butter, oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and vanilla in a bowl, and cut ingredients together with a fork or pastry cutter.
~ Spread the mixture over the apples.
~ Put the tablespoon of lemon juice in a 1 cup measuring cup, add apple juice to make 1 full cup.
~ Sprinkle the juice mixture evenly over the top of the crisp.
~ Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until crisp is golden brown.

Oaty Cakes

I was going to make a treat for the husband to take to work, seeing as he didn't get today off and neither did his co-workers, so I decided to Google "Pioneer Day Days of '47". Up came the most hilariously awful, poorly researched article on e-how about how to celebrate Pioneer Day. Aside from the fact that the person who wrote it said we celebrate Pioneer Day because Brigham Young proclaimed "This is the Spot!" the ideas were "read the Book of Mormon" and "Buy plane tickets to Salt Lake City".

I suggest, instead of buying plane tickets to SLC (although you could come visit me, eh?) you could do something real pioneers would have done. Like cook over a campfire, sew your own clothes, walk really, really far, pick bugs out of your flour, or make something from a cherished, well-loved family recipe. I think I choose the latter this 24th of July.

Aunt Pheby's Oatmeal Cake

1 and 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pour boiling water over oats, add butter and let stand until melted. Add remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Broiled Icing:

6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cream
1 cup coconut
1/3 cup pecans or almonds, chopped

Stir together and spread over baked cake. Put under broiler (watch it closely!) until it turns bubbly and just starts to turn golden.