Picnic Amenities

Beautiful surroundings, good food and each others company make for the perfect eating occasion.  A perfect autumn day, even in late October, gave us reason to keep our Sunday picnic streak alive.  Today's menu featured Chili con Carne, Apple Cinnamon Muffins and Cheddar Cheese.  The Chili recipe is our pick for next Saturday's Farmers Market Culinary Demo after which I'll share the recipe.  The muffin recipe is from Made to Be Momma.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

(12 Muffins)

In mixer bowl with dough hook in place, mix 1 cup flour with sugar and dry yeast.
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoon sugar
1 pkg yeast

Heat water and milk to 125 F.  Stir in buttery spread.
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup skim milk
2 1/2 tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Spread
Slowly add to dry ingredients in bowl.  Mix at medium speed 2 minutes.  Scrape down sides of bowl.

Add egg and salt.  Mix at medium speed 2 minutes.
1 egg (sit in warm water for 15 minutes)
1/4 teaspoon salt

On low speed with mixer running, slowly add remaining flours, kneading for about 8 minutes and occasionally scraping down sides. 
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Place dough ball in bowl greased with olive oil spray.  Turn to coat.  Cover and let rise 30 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll dough into a 12 inch rectangle.  

Melt buttery spread.  Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon.  Mix with apples. 
2 tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Spread
3 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced 
Spread filling over dough rectangle to within 3/4 inch from edges.  Roll dough from long end.  Cut into 12 pieces.  Place each piece (with filling showing) into muffin tin greased with olive spray.  Cover and let rise 20 minutes.

Bake at 375 F. for 20 minutes.  Cool in pan 10 minutes, then cool on wire rack.

 I was so happy to find these gorgeous plates at FNCE 2016.  I purchased them from Livliga. They have elegant portion control serviceware.  For picnic purposes, I purchased the side dishes.  I was also please that they donated a beautiful basket of these plates for the Foundation Fund raiser. 

 Our picnic today was at Fort Necessity in Farmington, Pa.  The parks picnic area was developed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) project under Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration.