Mabon is the second of the three harvests, and usually represented by apples. This is the time of year for gathering in the fruits and vegetables that are becoming ripe. It is the time to celebrate the abundance of the harvest, and to preserve what we can, and use what can’t be preserved. It is the time of year where the nights are cooling off, giving us cooler weather in the early morning and late evenings, to contrast the heat of the day. The best way to celebrate this time of year is with a community festival or barbecue/potluck with friends and family.
Menu Plan Suggestions
Breakfast
Crockpot Apple Oatmeal
or
Carmel Apple Pancakes
Lunch
Cheesy Potato Soup
Chicken and Apple Salad Sandwiches
Impossible French Apple Pie
Dinner
Option #1
Apple Salad with Apple Cider Dressing
Early Autumn Stew
Sparkling Apple Cider Pound Cake
Option #2
Sheppard’s Pie
Quick Mabon Apple Cake
Recipes
Crockpot Apple Oatmeal
2 apples, sliced
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups oatmeal
4 cups water
Dice apples into small bits. Put the apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the bottom of the crockpot. Pour in oatmeal, and then water. DO NOT STIR. Cover and cook overnight (8 to 9 hours) on low. When you get up in the morning, everything will be ready, and your house will smell amazing.
Caramel Apple Pancakes
For pancakes:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup buttermilk (or ¾ cup milk plus 2 tbs vinegar - let sit for 5 mins)
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 tbs butter, melted
For Apples:
1 medium tart apple, peeled and diced
2 tbs butter
1 tbs brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
tiny pinch of salt
For toppings:
Caramel ice cream topping, warmed
Directions:
To make pancakes:
Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix together buttermilk, vanilla, egg, and melted butter until well combined. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and whisk together until most of the lumps are gone. Do not overmix. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour ¼ cup of batter into the skillet and cook until bubble form on surface. Flip the pancake and cook until browned on the bottom and the center is done.
To make the apples:
While the pancakes are cooking, set a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the butter to the skillet and melt. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to combine. Add apples and stir to coat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
To serve:
Top the pancakes with the warm apples and drizzle with the warmed caramel sauce on top.
Cheesy Potato Soup
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
6 to 8 potatoes, peeled and diced
3 stalks of celery, cleaned and diced
3 to 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small onion, diced
64 oz of chicken broth, or water with chicken bullion
½ cup of butter (1 stick)
1 cup of milk
⅓ cup of flour
In a large pot, combine carrots, celery, onion, broth and potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste, and bring to boil over medium high heat. Stir occasionally, until potatoes are done. Turn down the heat to very low. In a medium sauce pan on medium low heat, melt butter then stir in flour. Slowly add the milk, and stir continuously until mixture thickens. Add shredded cheese and stir until cheese is melted completely. Pour cheese mixture into soup, turn heat back up to medium high, and stir to combine thoroughly. Let simmer for about ten to fifteen minutes, or until cheese mixture blends and soup becomes creamy. Serve with extra shredded cheese and other fixings such as bacon, green onions, fresh bread or crackers.
Chicken and Apple Salad Sandwiches
2 to 3 roasted chicken breasts, diced and shredded
1 small apple, diced
½ cup dried cranberries (optional)
½ cup walnuts or pecans (optional)
3 to 4 tbs mayo
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients, adding mayo to desired consistency. Serve on bread of choice.
Apple Cider Dressing and Apple Salad
For Dressing:
¼ cup fruity olive oil
1 tbs apple cider
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp dijon-style mustard
1 garlic clove, crushed
⅛ tsp crumbled, dried Thyme
For Apple Salad:
Apple Cider Dressing
1 tart, firm red apple, cored & chopped in ½” pieces
3 cups romaine lettuce
1 cup arugula
3 tbs walnuts, coarsely chopped
For dressing, whisk ingredients until creamy. Toss and serve.
Early Autumn Stew
2 pork tenderloins, cut into 2” cubes
salt & pepper
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup olive oil
1 large spanish onion, cut into 2” dice
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2” dice
4 celery stalks, cut into 2” dice
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs thyme
4 apples, cut into 2” dice
2 pinches of all spice
½ cup dried cranberries
1 ½ cups cloudy apple cider
3 to 4 cups chicken stock
Preheat a large pot over high heat. Add 2 tbs of olive oil. Season pork, then toss with flour until well coated. Add pork to pot and sear on all sides until well browned, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove meat from pot. Add remaining olive oil to pan along with onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Cook vegetables until they begin to tenderize, about 6 to 8 minutes, then add the apples, allspice and cranberries, cook until vegetables are quite tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Deglaze pan with cider, scraping bottom of pan well with wooden spoon. Add in chicken stock, and toss pork back into pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pull out bay leaf and thyme stems, and discard. Serve.
Shepherd’s Pie
4 cups mashed potatoes
garlic salt
1 lb. ground beef
⅓ cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tbs flour
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
2 cups frozen vegetable medley - corn, peas, carrots and greenbeans
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups chicken broth
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ground beef, onions, and garlic in a large skillet on medium-high heat. When the meat is completely cooked, stir in flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and chicken broth. Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Turn heat off and stir in frozen vegetables, salt and pepper to taste. Pour beef mixture into a large, oven-proof, casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes and smooth with spatula. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Place casserole dish in a baking sheet to catch any sauce that may bubble over, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
Quick Mabon Apple Cake
1 cup sugar
2 cups diced apples
1 egg, beaten
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients in order listed. Pour into an 8” pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
Impossible French Apple Pie
3 cups apples, peeled and sliced
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ cup Bisquick Mix
½ cup sugar
½ cup milk
1 tbs butter softened
2 eggs
For Streusel Topping:
½ cup Bisquick mix
¼ cup chopped nuts
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 tbs butter, firm
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9” pan. Stir together apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. Turn into pan. Stir remaining ingredients, except Streusel ingredients, until well blended. Pour into pan. Mix Streusel ingredients together until crumbly, and sprinkle over pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
Sparkling Apple Cider Pound Cake
Cake:
¾ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup sparkling apple cider
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbs sparkling apple cider
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of a greased 9x5-in loaf pan with parchment paper; spray paper with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until combined and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with cider, beating well after each addition.
Transfer to a prepared pan. Bake 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.
For Glaze: In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar and apple cider. Mix until smooth. Spoon over top of cake, allowing it to flow over sides.
Yield: 12 servings
Mabon Cider
2 quarts apple cider
3 cinnamon sticks
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 tsp whole cloves
⅓ tsp salt
3 dashes of nutmeg
Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer and stir for 30 minutes with a wooden spoon, or large cinnamon stick. Strain to remove spices.
To serve hot: pour cider back into pan to keep warm. Serve with cinnamon stick and a dash of cinnamon on top. You can add a pat of butter to the cup before serving to enhance the flavor.
To serve chilled: Pour over ice.
Decorating and Tablescapes
This time of year is fun and easy to decorate for. You can use fall colors such as oranges, reds, yellows, and a few greens to mimic the changing of the leaves. You can use real or fake fall leaves to hang up and scatter about the table. You can make simple and easy center pieces with a clear vase, some dried corn, beans, or acorns and a fall colored candle, and then tie a fall themed or colored ribbon around the outside. You can use fall colored candles of different sizes to create a lovely display. You can even create taper candle holders with apples and/or pears by using an apple corer and a pairing knife to core a hole in the fruit large enough to secure a 6” taper candle.
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