Ten Neat Things to Do With Apples

This is the list I started to work on last week when I got distracted by the history of apples. Now that you know how we came to have such wonderful apples, here's some things you can do with the bounteous harvest.

1. Bacon Apple Pie

You are, no doubt, very familiar with the basic American apple pie. Spice that recipe up with some bacon! Mission Hills Life has a recipe for Bacon Makes Everything Better Apple Pie, shown here, and a bonus recipe for Maple Bourbon Apple Pie with a Bacon Pecan Crust, if you want to really go all out.

2. Apple French Fries

It's just a raw red apple, but carved carefully, it becomes a reasonable facsimile of a serving of McDonalds French fries! Not that any kid will be fooled, but it may put some fun into eating fruit.

3. Bacon Apple Martini

The Bacon Apple Martini is made of bacon-infused vodka, applejack, apple cider, amaretto, and maple syrup, garnished with candied bacon. I believe that gets the message across.

4. Churro Apple Pie Waffles

If you can't decide whether you want a churro, a waffle, or some apple pie, make them all together! Churro waffles combine the cinnamon crispiness of a churro with the ease of waffles. Add apple filling, either canned or baked from your fresh apples, and you have Churro Apple Pie Waffles. Get the complete recipe at Chica Chocolatina.

5. Caramel-Apple Jello Shots

Here's a treat for an autumn party: Caramel-Apple Jello Shots. The jello contains hot cocoa mix, caramel, and vodka. The apple provides not only taste and crunch, but a container for the rest.

6. Ultimate Caramel Apples

The first obvious difference in these caramel apples from Cooking Classy is that they are coated with chocolate (white or dark) as well as caramel -and sprinkles. But it's homemade caramel, which the recipe explains how to make. That preservative-free buttery taste makes all the difference.

7. Apple Roses

Apple Roses are as tasty as apple dumplings, but also artistic enough to impress. This recipe is translated from Greek. When it says slice apples with a mandolin, they mean mandoline, or a food slicer. The short story is that you boil thin slices of apple to make them soft (and sugary, while you're at it), then arrange the roses atop your cinnamon-sprinkled pastry, and finally bake them.

8. Drunken French Toast

Nick at Dude Foods puts apples into his Drunken French Toast recipe. Start with beer bread, mix rum with your eggs, and top it with whiskey-soaked apples!

9. The Apple Puzzle

David Israel made a video to show you how his grandfather used to carve an apple with just four cuts to make an apple puzzle.  The kids will marvel over this, and then eat it!

10. Apple Dolls

Making apple dolls is an American folk art. All you do is peel an apple, carve a face into the fruit, and let it dry thoroughly. The dried apple will resemble an elderly version of the face you carved, so when you add a body and clothing, you'll want to make them age-appropriate. Or not, if you want to go against the traditional grain. Oh, yes, you can also carve hands and feet for your doll, and add them to the body and/or clothing when dried.

Bonus: Demonstrate Gravity

Remember the story about an apple falling on Sir Isaac Newton's head? That incident supposedly led to his discovery of gravity. This video compilation pays tribute to the concept. To celebrate Gravity Day (which was Monday), General Electric invited Vine users to record an apple drop, and then they strung the best of them together. Pay no attention to the fact that the apple changes color often. The whole idea is that it DROPS.