Mama's way or your way...Apple dumplings

Three words..

Southern Living Magazine

Ahhhh...Southern Living does not disappoint.  I have NEVER been unhappy with a Southern Living recipe.

NEVER

From my Thanksgiving recipes like mashed potatoes en croute and cranberry sauce* to my spring and summer recipes like  Cha Cha Chicken salad that is always a hit at large gatherings.

The magazine has this regular feature called, "Mama's way or your way".  They present one classic recipe in two different ways.  One way is the old fashioned, or "Mama's way".   And the other, is a newer, sometimes easier or or more contemporary way to do it.

This week, I had a hankering to use some old apples that I bought at Sharp Shopper.  I didn't listen to my instincts and bought the apples anyway.  I generally don't like to buy produce from Sharp Shopper since it is a discount grocery store, which means the food is pretty old.  However, they looked fine at first.  In the light of day, it was a different story.

Sooooo...a perfect opportunity arose.

It was time to try "Mama's way" apple dumplings.  I have been wanting to make homemade apple dumplings for years (yes, these are the kinds of goals and aspirations I have for myself).  I decided to enlist the help of my teen aged foster daughter and get to work.

Let me just say that homemade crust is not my friend.  However, I didn't get intimidated and I just went for it.  As I explained to my foster daughter, Pilar, working with homemade crust is ALL in how you handle the dough.  Make sure you HARDLY handle it at all!  Make sure it is chilled and that you work with it fast because the heat from your hands also affects the temperature of the dough therefore making it less flakey and delectable.

We peeled and sliced the apples for this recipe rather than baking them whole.  I won't do that next time.  It really affected the shape and presentation of the dumplings.  Basically, my finished product looked like a pan of baked, glazed, chicken leg quarters in gravy.

However, I am grateful that I am a nice person and brought a sample to my friend, Karla, because she took this amazing picture and suggested I use it for my blog.  :)  Thank you, Karla!  

And by the way, Karla is as crafty and industrious as I am obsessed with baking.  Check out her blog at Paint Splattered Overalls.  When I dropped off the apple dumpling, I saw her fireplace mantle project and kitchen cabinet remodel live and in person.  Impressive!

Now, if I could just bake for her in exchange for offering MY kitchen cabinets as a subject for one of her posts, then I think we would be in business!

In the end, it was "Mama's way" to go for me.  Homemade crust beats store bought crust any day.  And it is NOT that much more work.

Just as many recipes need a pinch of salt, some recipes also need a little pinch of love, too.  (ok, stop gagging and check out the recipe!)

Without further ado, click HERE for the Mama's way apple dumpling recipe.

*Here is a picture of the cranberry sauce recipe from my magazine as I searched high and low on the internet and couldn't find it!

Happy baking and homemaking!  Thanks for stopping by.