Flashback and Foodie Friday ~October

This week I'm flashing back to last October. Its hard to believe it's only two weeks until Halloween! I really love this time of year. Its a nice mix of kind of warm but almost cool days. It's the time of year that the sunflowers really start blooming their little hearts out because they know their days are numbered.


And the dahlias finally open their buds... giving us a burst of color before the frosts set in


The hardy asters put on their little show


I love Halloween decorations too..especially the not too scary ones


Its just a silly goofy holiday..kind of like me


And is there anything cuter than mini pumpkins?


Another main reason I love this time of the year and maybe the most important is the food that I start to crave. Its what we call in Louisiana "Gumbo weather".


Hot steamy pot pies hit the spot too


And big apple pies really hit the spot



And before you know it we are gearing up for the BIG eating holiday.....


Hope everyone is having a great Fall! I don't have a picture of these although I made them last year and plan on doing the same in the coming days with an apple from my tree. They are awesome and hit the spot on a breezy autumn day.

Dorie Greenspan’s Applesauce Spice Bars
Pages 117-118, Baking: From my home to yours

For the Bars
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon applejack, brandy or dark rum (optional)
1 baking apple, such as Rome or Cortland, peeled, cored and finely diced or chopped
1/2 cup plump, moist raisins (dark or golden)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

For the Glaze
2-1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

GETTING READY: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-x-13 inch baking pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper and dust the inside of the pan with flour. Tap out the excess flour and put the pan on a baking sheet.

THE BARS: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir with a whisk until it is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.

Still working in the saucepan, whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing until they are well blended. Add the applesauce, vanilla and applejack, if you’re using it, and whisk until the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is once again smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear, then mix in the apple, raisins and nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the cake just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and let the cake cool while you make the glaze.

THE GLAZE: In a small saucepan, whisk together the cream, sugar, butter and corn syrup. Put the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to the boil, whisking frequently. Adjust the heat so that the glaze simmers, and cook, whisking frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Turn the bars out onto a rack, remove the paper and invert the bars onto another rack, so they are right side up. Slide the parchment paper under the rack to serve as a drip catcher, grab a long metal icing spatula and pour the hot glaze over the bars, using the spatula to spread it evenly over the cake. Let cool to room temperature before cutting.
Cut into 32 rectangles, each about 2-1/4 x 1-1/2 inches.

Storing: In a covered container, the bars will keep for about 3 days at room temperature. Because of the glaze, they cannot be frozen.

If any of you have a Flashback post you'd like to share please add your link below. It can be anything you want to flashback too..an old post, a family recipe, older pictures too good to not share or a memory you'd like to relive.


I'm also joining in on Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum. Go check out all of the cool foodie posts!