Apples that will Change Your Life

I’m sure you’ve heard that an apple a day will keep the doctor away so it’s not too far fetched to believe that apples can change your life.  Although I have to confess that these apples won’t change your life in a now you’re healthier kind of way, but they will change your life in a your life is better kind of way 😉

One of my favorite recipe bloggers is Pioneer Woman where Ree is, “Plowing through life in the country…one calf nut at a time.”  So this summer when I was up in NYC for a book signing I snagged a copy of Ree’s cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier.  The step-by-step pictures make it easy to follow the recipes and the results are always tasty.

The apple dumplings were downright amazing and the magic ingredient…Mountain Dew!  Who would have thought that Mountain Dew would make apples taste so good, but trust me, it works!

Apple Dumplings: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then peel, core and slice the apples into 8 wedges.  Wrap each apple in a piece of crescent roll dough (I used two packages) and place them in a 8×10 buttered dish.  Melt 1 cup of butter and and stir in 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and pour the mixture of the rolls.  And then the magic ingredient!  Pour 12 ounces of Mountain Dew over the top, sprinkle with cinnamon and then bake for 40 minutes.

The apple dumplings are amazing on their own, but serving them with vanilla ice cream takes them to a whole other level of awesomeness!

And if you are looking for an entertaining read, check out Ree’s autobiography Black Heels to Tractor Wheels filled with tales of her journey of life in the big city to life in the country!