Beyond food being what powers and nourishes us, food is community. Food is culture. Food is family. When we gather around the table, we share more than a meal together. We cook together, we share conversation, we share inside jokes and rambling stories, we share elbow space, we pass dishes back and forth, and why yes, I *would* like another scoop of mashed potatoes, thank you very much.
Thanksgiving is a holiday that is all about the family meal. From your favorite once-a-year sweet potato and marshmallow casserole to your sister’s newest take on healthy stuffing, it’s a meal many of us look forward to, especially as it kicks off an entire month of festivities surrounding the holiday season. This is also a great holiday for getting your kids to try new dishes and flavors, and to give them a chance to help with cooking and prep leading up to Thanksgiving.
For our Co-founder and Strategic Partner Michelle Obama, Thanksgiving is a time for connecting and taking pause, and her menu is chock full of all-American classics like candied yams, Parker House rolls, and her family’s favorite apple cobbler.
“Whether over casserole or cobbler, turkey or ham, gathering around the dinner table for Thanksgiving is always a much needed reset — a time when we can recharge, rejoice, and savor each other’s company. My favorites are mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and candied yams. But I’m going to be honest — everything tastes better when it’s shared with family, friends, and loved ones. To me, that’s what this holiday is all about.”
Now without further ado, Mrs. Obama’s Apple Cobbler recipe!
Ingredients:
For the filling:
- 8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
- 1 ½ to 2 cups of brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup white flour
For the crust:
- 3 sheets refrigerated pie crust
- ¾ stick of butter and ¼ stick of butter divided
Directions:
- Mix the filling ingredients together in a bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight so the space goes all the way through the apples.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour the bottom of a large baking dish.
- Roll out three pie crusts real thin – as thin as possible. Layer the bottom of the pan with 1 ½ pie crusts and prick a few holes in it. Pour the apples with the liquid into the pie pan. Dot ¾ of a stick of butter around the apples. Use the final 1 ½ pie crusts to cover the apple mixture entirely (let the pie crust overlap the pan).
- Pinch the edges of the dough around the sides of the pan so the mixture is completely covered.
- Melt the final ¼ stick of butter and brush all over the top of the crust.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Bake for up to three hours – that’s what makes the crust flaky. Put the cobbler in the oven and take a load off. Check on the cobbler after two and half hours so it doesn’t burn. Serve anytime. Serves 8-10 slices.
What do you look forward to cooking (or eating) every year at Thanksgiving? Trying anything new this year? Share with us @michelleobama and @plezinutrition. We love hearing from you. And we are so grateful for you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Photo credit: The Obama Foundation