I can’t believe Apple Fest is already over. An annual fundraiser for The Salvation Army, Apple Fest is a fun combination of food, music and apple themed booths. I really enjoyed participating last year, so I was glad to hear MCL Restaurant & Bakery would be donating the dessert again. I spent my morning baking enough homemade, apple crisp to feed 1,000 people. You can’t believe how great the kitchen smelled! It certainly got me in the mood for fall.

If you want a chance to taste what you missed at Apple Fest, here is my Recipe_for_Apple_Crisp. It is an adaptation of the classic MCL dish which has been served in the restaurants for decades.

Check out this clip from Indy Style where I demonstrated how to make this recipe:  Apple Crisp Cooking Demo

We use this piece of equipment every morning in the MCL Restaurant & Bakery kitchens to make our signature Cloverleaf Rolls. The baker mixes and kneads the dough just like you would at home. Then he or she puts the dough on a special plate. It starts out as one large blob of dough and ends up as several golf ball sized pieces. This happens by putting the plate, which has special indentations, into the machine. The machine shakes and individual rounds form in the indentations on the plate.

The baker puts three balls together in each well of a muffin pan. As the dough rises, it clusters together to form the cloverleaf shape. I doubt you’ll want to purchase your own dough baller for home, but you can roll them by hand and use the same technique to create your own homemade cloverleaf rolls.

I’m looking forward to seeing what neat innovations people come up with. As judge, I’ll review all the applications and determine my favorites. Then my fellow judges and I will meet with the finalists face to face. A finalists’ showcase will be held on June 20 in the Bankers Life Fieldhouse which is open to anyone who attends the Chamber’s annual party, Schmooza Palooza. Come check out the winner and be sure to stop and say hello.

As part of MCL’s sponsorship of the I Love to Read Challenge, I attended the winners’ ceremony which was held at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. If you haven’t heard of the I Love to Read Challenge you should click here to learn more. It’s a really great program which encourages kids to exceed their reading goals.

There wasn’t much time for me to explore the world’s largest children’s museum, but I took a moment to snap these shots. I am definitely bringing my daughter back here soon.

Send your opinion of this new item to testkitchen@mclhomemade.com so we know if it should become a regular part of the MCL Restaurant & Bakery menu at all stores.

The Loaded Hash Brown Casserole will stick to your ribs and satisfy even the hungriest of sleep deprived parents. While my recipe for Apple Walnut Coffee Cake will fill the whole house with the smell of warm cinnamon. Which makes having your kids to wake you at 5 a.m. almost worth it.

Recipe for Apple Walnut Coffee Cake

Recipe for Loaded Hash Brown Casserole

Looking for a memorable way to present it?  Douse it with brandy and set it ablaze (carefully, of course). It will wow your guests and be an unforgettable end to any meal. If you want to try some but don’t have the two hours needed to cook this cake you can purchase it at World Market ($4.99-$14.99). I found it to be rather tasty. It’s like fruit cake–without the cake part getting in the way. But be forewarned, if you don’t like marmalade or raisins you won’t like this cake. If you do enjoy those things, then you’re going to love it.