"Tastes from Home" Recipe and Giveaway Heads Up

Frito-Lay's is launching five new flavors of potato chips, marketed as Lay's Regional Flavors, which are inspired by flavors and cuisines from all over the country. As part of their promotion for these new flavors, they are inviting various bloggers to share recipes that remind them of the region they call home.

I'm from an area that has a lot of good home cooking and I grew up with my Mom making nearly everything from scratch. With fresh apples starting to be available around here, it got me thinking of my Mom's homemade apple dumplings. I always loved their yummy, doughy, sweetness and since she didn't make them very often, they were a real treat. Here's her recipe:

Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings

6 medium apples, pealed and cored (leave whole)
2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. shortening
1/2 milk
sugar and cinnamon

Sauce:
2 c. brown sugar*
2 c. water
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. butter

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Add milk, press together lightly, working dough only enough to hold together.

Roll dough out on floured surface into a 12x18 rectangle 1/8 to 1/4 in. thick. Cut into six 6-inch squares. Place whole apple on each square. Fill cavity of each apple with 1 tbsp. sugar then sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Fold edges of square towards the center and pinch edges together, covering completely. Place dumplings 1 inch apart in a greased baking dish.

Make sauce by combining brown sugar, water and spices. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat and add butter. Pour over dumplings.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Baste occasionally during baking. Serve warm with milk or ice cream

Variation: Roll dough into rectangle 1/4 in. thick. Spread with sliced apples. Sprinkle with 1/2 c. brown sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Roll up like a jelly roll and cut into 1 1/4 in. slices. Place in pan, pour syrup over and bake.

*These are plenty sweet. You may find you like a ration of 1 1/2 c. water and 1 1/2. c. sugar better.

Would you like to try the new Lay's Regional Flavors potato chips? (Personally I think the Chipotle Ranch and the Garden Tomato and Basil flavors sound delightful!) Well, as part of writing this "Taste of Home" recipe post, Frito-Lay is going to give me a variety pack of their Lay’s Regional Flavors potato chips to give away to one of my readers. So watch for that giveaway post soon!

Disclosure: For writing this blog post, Frito-Lay is providing me with a variety pack of chips to keep as well as one to give away. This blog post is also a form of entry for the contest.