Desperation Apple Pilets

Imagine if you will: It's 11:00 p.m. and you just remembered that you have to bring a snack to share to the ladies Bible study in the morning. You are dead tired. You have nothing that is instant. What do you do? Here's what I did.



Desperation Apple Pilets
1 can apple pie filling
3 flour tortillas
cinnamon & sugar mixture
2-3 Tbsp. melted butter
granola
graham crackers (largish crumbs)
raisins

Cut tortillas into quarters. Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mix. Press into a sprayed 12-cup muffin pan so that the corners stick out above the cups.

Add a few pieces of crushed graham crackers into the bottom of the tortilla "cup." Spoon filling in evenly between each serving. Sprinkle with granola and raisins, then sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top.

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. You can remove these from the pan easily by grabbing two of the now-crunchy tortilla points and lifting out.



These were so easy to make and quick, quick, quick. I tried one, and it was crunchy, sweet, and perfectly sized. I don't anticipate any leftovers tomorrow morning.

Mrs. Brantley's Spice Tea Mix

My friend MamaMentor graciously emailed me this alternate recipe for Russian Tea that she uses. Her recipe and comments follow.

Mrs. Brantley's Spice Tea Mix

1 C. Tang
1 C. sugar
1 C. instant tea powder
1 tsp. cinnamon (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. ground cloves (or to taste)
1 small package lemonade mix (the kind that makes 2 quarts)

Mix together and keep in an airtight container. Add a couple of heaping spoonfuls to a cup of hot water and stir.

I often give this as a gift at Christmas time. Mrs. Brantley was my "dorm mother" in college.

Russian Tea

A few Christmases ago, my sister-in-law Kate, maker of those amazing Toasted Raviolis, gave jars of Russian Tea as a part of her goody-laden Christmas baskets.

I had never heard of Russian Tea (though apparently I was in the minority with the rest of the world), but once I tried it, I was hooked. It is particularly great for sore throats or uneasy tummies. This recipe makes a good-sized batch, so it will last for many cups of orange-spicey goodness. This is a modified version from various recipes I found on the internet.

Russian Tea

2 C. instant tea (green tea with lemon flavoring is great)
2 C. Tang
1 C. white sugar
1-2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp. cloves
Lemondrops (roughly smashed in a plastic bag with a heavy glass)

You will likely need to buy two containers of Tang, unless you can find really big ones. But two cups of a drink mix is a lot. Mix all ingredients thoroughly with a fork in a large bowl.

To serve, heat a mug of water for 2 minutes in the microwave or start with hot water. Add 2-3 Tbsp. Russian Tea mix and stir til dissolved.

If you know why this standard holiday beverage is called Russian Tea, please comment and let us know! Of course, I may be embarrassed to find out that it simply resembles a traditional Russian tea. :oP

The Versatile Pancake

My kids love a hot breakfast, and I love being able to make it for them on the fly. We used to spend $8-10 on frozen waffles every two weeks, but I soon realized that a $3 box of baking mix will make enough pancakes to last almost an entire month.

So I make a huge batch, adding to the dry mix such goodies as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, brown sugar, pancake syrup, jam, etc. (Not all at once, mind you!)

No need to measure the water or milk either. Just add enough so the consistency is wetter than you probably think it should be. You want it to be able to pour easily, not plop it. (Rather like good, wet mud.) If you add too much water, just add in a little more baking mix. Use a small ladle to make measuring easy.



Keep the heat at medium since you're going to be cooking for awhile. Remove the pan from the heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray between pan-fulls.

I flip dozens of flapjacks in one session, cooling them on racks. The cooled pancakes can be layered with paper towels in a plastic bag and frozen.


(No, that isn't mold, for this batch, I shook sprinkles on the cakes after ladling them into the pan. They melted when I flipped them. But hey, they still taste the same!)

Lay the bags flat in the freezer at first, but once they reach Frisbee rigidity, they can be stacked like cards (or Frisbees for that matter) or however you'd like so you can reserve space in your freezer.

To warm them up, wrap loosely in a paper towel and microwave for 30-45 seconds or, better yet, to keep them crispy on the outside, place them in a toaster oven at just above medium high heat and press the button for toast.

Impromptu Caramel Apple Topping
Bite-sized apple chunks, peeled
Caramel sauce
Butter

Melt a pat of butter in a pan. Add apples and cook til tender. Add enough caramel sauce to coat the apples and then some. Serve over pancakes or waffles or...ice cream!

PERSONAL NOTE: My kids love the fruit cups from Chick-fil-A, but they aren't crazy about the apple chunks. I save these and use them the next day for pancake topping. A couple extra containers of caramel sauce from McDonald's apple dippers work great for this recipe. (I know, we probably eat out WAY too much!)