Tuesday, October 03, 2006
APPLE HEAVEN.....
I just took an apple cake from the oven…..a wonderful recipe acquired years ago from a favorite local restaurant in Kansas City. Stevenson’s Apple Farm…..anyone who has had a meal there is spoiled for any other fare. It used to be an orchard and bushels of apples and juice were sold at the roadside. The grandfather of the family began growing apple trees in Jackson County in 1890 and at the time there were more apple orchards in Missouri than presently in the State of Washington.
The family business was known for their tree ripened apples that were pressed into barrels for the best tasting apple cider known anywhere. They supplied the whole area with that Wonderful Old Missouri Beverage, Sweet Pure Apple Cider. A barrel stands in their waiting room as you enter the restaurant and you are invited to have a cup while you wait for your table.
The business is in the large barn building that used to house the necessary equipment for their operation and has been turned into a delightful dining experience with rooms in every direction from the cellar to the loft. Each room is tastefully done in a different décor, but all complimenting the early time it was built.
They offer many different canned items in jars from applesauce to corn relish, apple butter to cider…..all of which are beautiful to look at and wonderful to eat. A gift shop offers cook books with their family recipes served inside as well as crystal, and other serving needs for the astute homemaker. It is heaven for folks that like good eating.
Their baked chicken in cream is always a favorite of mine and their small muffins, individual casseroles, honey butter, apple butter and hot rolls are served continually while you dine. I guarantee you will not leave the restaurant hungry or disappointed. Other favorites of course, are apple dumplings and fresh peach or blackberry cobbler. The service is impeccable…..attentive but not bothersome.
My recipe box is filled with such dining delights and family shared recipes down through the years. The cards are spattered with melted butter, cinnamon smears, liquids of different kinds…….some things are not discernable……but each one I pull out to bake, cook or toss together has a story all it’s own. I know each family members favorites and when I leaf through them to make something….memories flood back of children leaning over the table watching as I added the last touches before going into the oven.
I can tell you with certainty when John reads this he will immediately be able to smell and taste the apple cake. It was one of his favorite favorites. After he and Barbara married it was the first recipe he wanted me to send her so they could make one. Cooking and baking are so rewarding to me. A good meal and happy sighs around a table of plenty has always been a joy and a joy to share.
What’s in YOUR recipe box?
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
The family business was known for their tree ripened apples that were pressed into barrels for the best tasting apple cider known anywhere. They supplied the whole area with that Wonderful Old Missouri Beverage, Sweet Pure Apple Cider. A barrel stands in their waiting room as you enter the restaurant and you are invited to have a cup while you wait for your table.
The business is in the large barn building that used to house the necessary equipment for their operation and has been turned into a delightful dining experience with rooms in every direction from the cellar to the loft. Each room is tastefully done in a different décor, but all complimenting the early time it was built.
They offer many different canned items in jars from applesauce to corn relish, apple butter to cider…..all of which are beautiful to look at and wonderful to eat. A gift shop offers cook books with their family recipes served inside as well as crystal, and other serving needs for the astute homemaker. It is heaven for folks that like good eating.
Their baked chicken in cream is always a favorite of mine and their small muffins, individual casseroles, honey butter, apple butter and hot rolls are served continually while you dine. I guarantee you will not leave the restaurant hungry or disappointed. Other favorites of course, are apple dumplings and fresh peach or blackberry cobbler. The service is impeccable…..attentive but not bothersome.
My recipe box is filled with such dining delights and family shared recipes down through the years. The cards are spattered with melted butter, cinnamon smears, liquids of different kinds…….some things are not discernable……but each one I pull out to bake, cook or toss together has a story all it’s own. I know each family members favorites and when I leaf through them to make something….memories flood back of children leaning over the table watching as I added the last touches before going into the oven.
I can tell you with certainty when John reads this he will immediately be able to smell and taste the apple cake. It was one of his favorite favorites. After he and Barbara married it was the first recipe he wanted me to send her so they could make one. Cooking and baking are so rewarding to me. A good meal and happy sighs around a table of plenty has always been a joy and a joy to share.
What’s in YOUR recipe box?
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
