KIM COOK
Associated Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The smells of warm apple pie or fresh baked bread are two of the pleasures of fall. Especially in today\u2019s anxiety-provoking world, there\u2019s a welcoming spot at home for cozy comfort foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider some flavorful twists for making the most of two seasonal staples \u2014 in meals, with friends or just because.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(The two even come together in some yummy Thanksgiving stuffing recipes.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond traditional apple pies, crisps and cakes, there are lots of apple-forward recipes, including dumplings, salads, cider-glazed chicken and apple butter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starbucks, which gave us the pumpkin spice trend, has debuted an iced apple crisp oat milk shaken espresso this fall. Trader Joe\u2019s has a popular, seasonal Honeycrisp Apple scented candle. And there are lots of home and body products that promise fresh, apple-y goodness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Editors at shelter magazines suggest apple-themed parties as a way to reconnect with nature and celebrate the changing seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ideas include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apple Tastings<\/strong>. According to the USDA, there are about 2,000 apple varieties grown in North America. Jenna Helwig, Real Simple\u2019s food director, suggests picking about half a dozen and printing out tasting notes for each. \u201cSlice them into wedges, and invite guests to decide which they like best,\u201d she says. Varieties like Cosmic Crisp, Ginger Gold, SweeTango, Opal and Lady Alice don\u2019t brown as quickly as others, which makes them good choices not only for a tasting, but for a cheese and apple board, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cider Bars<\/strong>, spiced or spiced-and-spiked. Helwig suggests heating cider on the stove till it\u2019s hot, and then adding cinnamon sticks, star anise, sliced ginger and whole cloves for fragrance and flavor. Let it all steep for 10 minutes, remove the spices, and set the burner to \u201cwarm,\u201d or pour it into a slow cooker for the party. Guests can serve themselves with a ladle; place a tray of brandy, rum and bourbon next to the pot for those indulging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Caramel Apples.<\/strong> A classic that makes a fun party activity, says Southern Living\u2019s senior lifestyle producer Ivy Odom. Use full apples or chunky slices, and dip your knife or the apples in lemon juice to prevent browning. \u201cAll you\u2019ll need are tart apples, soft caramels and heavy cream,\u201d Odom says. She suggests setting up a bar with a crockpot of melted caramel and a variety of toppings, including chopped nuts, melted chocolate in a piping bag, shredded toasted coconut and pretzels. For a more grownup affair, consider a caramel apple sangria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the pandemic, kitchens got a workout.Even people who knew little about baking weretackling bread. Those new skills have now morphed into hobby cookery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you\u2019re watching your own dough rise into an aromatic pillow or sourcing a lovely loaf from your favorite market, bread is something to savor and share in various ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Artisanal<\/strong>: Bread has benefited from a general\u00a0move toward traditional and handcrafted\u00a0lifestyle products. A crusty loaf made of minimal ingredients is a thing of beauty and flavor. There\u2019s a growing awareness of\u00a0non-traditional grains, alternative flours and natural ingredients. \u201cPeople want to know where their bread comes from, and that someone crafted it,\u201d says Craig Norton, operations director for the Prince George Hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It\u2019s gotten easier for those with dietary restrictions like gluten sensitivity to find alternatives that meet their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Community and Creativity: <\/strong>Norton notes the popularity and availability of bread forms used around the world. \u201cPeople are more open to naan, pita, tortillas, brioche, boules, baguettes and pretzel buns,\u201d he says. Or scroll through social media for breadmaking creatives. Coloring the dough for a rainbow-hued loaf. Etching a pattern into the top before baking. Forming dough into flowers and bow ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chandra Ram, Food & Wine magazine\u2019s associate editorial director, likes to make pull-apart breads when people come over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey stand out, but it isn\u2019t a three-day time commitment,\u201d she says. \u201cPull-apart breads give you lots of flavor flexibility. You can use herbs, sprinkle in chopped greens or cheese, and you can make sweet versions for brunch or dessert. They\u2019re fun and interactive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She suggests making a tasty compound butter to accompany your pull-apart bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust mix some grated lemon zest and chopped herbs into softened butter, freeze, and take it out when you\u2019re ready to serve,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Norton also sees bread fusions: loaves stuffed with creamy cooked chicken, or roasted vegetables. Plump fluffy loaves brimming with melty gruyere. Soft French bread full of an oniony spinach-feta mixture. And for game day, maybe chili-stuffed bread balls, or a pan of spicy Buffalo chicken flavored bread bites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And he notes a revival of bread bowls. Restaurants and home cooks are filling hollowed-out, crusty round vessels with hot stews and chowders. The pairing of bread and soup is eternal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Got a bread baker on your gift list? Etsy.com has sellers of personalized loaf pans; proofing and baking kits; patterned linen bread bags; and handmade baskets and crockery. Or have your fave bread recipe etched into the bottom of a glass baking pan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One book that captures the various allures of bread is Malin Elmlid\u2019s \u201cThe Bread Exchange\u201d (Chronicle, 2014), which traces her experiences traveling the globe baking and trading bread for recipes, stories and meaningful objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New York-based writer Kim Cook covers design and decor topics regularly for The Associated Press. Follow her on Instagram at @kimcookhome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KIM COOKAssociated Press The smells of warm apple pie or fresh baked bread are two of the pleasures of fall. Especially in today\u2019s anxiety-provoking world, there\u2019s a welcoming spot at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,4],"tags":[2083,420,2084,2082,2085,421,1977,2079],"class_list":["post-3785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyles","category-seasonal","tag-chandra-ram","tag-craig-norton","tag-food-wine","tag-jenna-helwig","tag-malin-elmlid","tag-prince-george-hotel","tag-real-simple","tag-starbucks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kimcookhome.com\/kchblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kimcookhome.com\/kchblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kimcookhome.com\/kchblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kimcookhome.com\/kchblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kimcookhome.com\/kchblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3785"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kimcookhome.com\/kchblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3811,"href":"https:\/\/kimcookhome.com\/kchblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3785\/revisions\/3811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kimcookhome.com\/kchblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kimcookhome.com\/kchblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kimcookhome.com\/kchblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}BREAD<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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