As a little girl, I remember attending the West Fallowfield Christian School fundraiser auction every October in our small town in PA.
My parents always volunteered to help. Beautiful items were donated and sold to raise funds for the small private grade-school. Lancaster County is very hustling and bustling this time of year. And there couldn't have ever been a better time for a fundraiser.
Huge quilts were pulled taught on wooden racks and stretched across the gym, hand quilted by the old Mennonite ladies. A box of fuzzy white rabbits with pink ears always had the small children excitedly pulling on their parent's pant-legs, begging them to bid. Yellow chubby farm Labrador pups were paraded across the stage for sale. Each grade put together baskets full of edible goodies, games and themed family items. Tables of baked goods were displayed for purchase and steaming crocks of chicken corn soup were heartily ladled and sold to excited customers watching the auction.
As a grade-school girl, I counted down the days until the auction. All of my grade-school friends and I would snuggle the rabbits, point at the quilts, and visit the concession stands quite frequently. But the highlight of the day was at 2 o' clock when the Mennonite ladies brought forth the hot apple dumplings.
The dumplings were huge Pennsylvania apples, cored and wrapped with the thickest dough you've ever seen. They used only the best local ingredients including pig lard to keep the dough extra flaky. They were dusted in cinnamon and covered in gooey brown sugar sauce. To finish the tasty confection, was a huge dollop of home-made vanilla ice cream on top. And at 7 years young I wanted an entire dumpling all to myself.
I can still smell that gymnasium. Smell is the strongest sense tied to memory. I can smell the aroma of the sweet silage in the animal boxes, the savory smell of the chicken corn soup bubbling. But most of all, I smell those hot apple dumplings.
Well that was years ago, and since then my own Mama has concocted her own version of those dumplings that is quite delectable when we travel back to PA. But what about now. What about this weekend? I don't have any fresh Lancaster pig lard. But I want some apple dumplings to welcome in this fresh cold weekend.
Behold, my loves. My handsome husband has re-created a pretty easy version that is completely delicious and ready for the tasting.
Apple Dumplings
6Macintosh New York Apples peeled and cored
For dough:
3 cups flour
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup milk
1 stick butter
Combine and mash with a handheld 5 blade pastry blender until dusty flaky dough forms. The dough should look quite rustic and by no means be "well mixed". Roll out the dough with a wooden rolling pin. Cut into 6 squares with a pizza cutter or blade. Wrap dough squares around apples but don't cover the top "core hole". Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place in greased glass dish. Put 1 scoop of brown sugar into each top apple core hole. Then sprinkle each apple with cinnamon.
In a separate bowl mix 1.5 cups water with 1 cup brown sugar. Pour this liquid over the entire contents of theglass baking dish.
Bake for 30-45 minutes or until apples are fork tender
Serve with Haagan Dazs Vanilla slow-churned ice cream.
If you so desire, pull up ebay.com to complete the auction at home experience.
Love Y'all!
