Barbara's Bakin' N bits

Have a very happy Autumn Weekend, and I pray that God blesses you real good in what ever you do.

How many have had cold weather this week? Any frost yet? Here in the swamp it went down to 40° but no frost yet, I am not in a hurry either,. I have much to do before the first frost hits here and not up to doing so.

I made my honey some wonderful Apple Dumplings yesterday, he just loved them, really gobbled them up, and then had a tummy ache, lol, they are very good and just the right amount of everything. I will share my recipe if you like. I was talking with my son yesterday and when we were about to hang up I said talk to you later, God willing and the creek don't rise, we he laughed and I told him about a old saying and what it really meant, nothing like how we use most times. Here is the information I found about it, hope you enjoy as much as I did, I will post my dumpling recipe after this bit of Trivia.

Origin of Saying:
The first time this phrase was known to be in print it was written by a man named Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. Hawkins was a politician in the late 18th century and early 19th century as well as an Indian diplomat. This was back in the day where American Indians and the white settlers were constantly fighting for the land in the United States. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the United States to return to Washington. In his response, he was said to write, “God willing and the Creek don’t rise.”


Benjamin Hawkins capitalized the work “Creek”. Therefore, it is deduced that what he was referring to was not a body of water at all, but instead was the Creek Indian tribe. The Creek Indians were also known as the Muscogee tribe which were located in the southeastern region of the United States (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Oklahoma). Since the Creek Indians were prevalent in the area where he was located, Hawkins knew that there was a great risk of the Creek Indians attacking.


This figure of speech is not only still used today, but the phrase is also in the lyrics of a 2008 song by the country music group Little Big Town. The song is called “Good Lord Willing” and the lyrics in the song say, “Good lord willing and the Creek don’t rise” instead of “God willing and the creek don’t rise”.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Apple Dumplings

Ingredients

Syrup 
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 drops red food coloring
3 tablespoons butter
PASTRY
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
APPLES
6 apples, peeled and cored
6 teaspoons white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon(I used 3 tablespoons of the cinnamon instead of using nutmeg too) 
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons butter


Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, water, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and food coloring. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons butter. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening, using knives or pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in milk, all at once, and stir to form a dough. On a floured surface, roll dough into a 1/4 inch thick, 12x18 rectangle. Cut into 6 - 6 inch squares.
Place a whole, peeled and cored apple in the center of each pastry square. Dust each apple with a mixture of the of sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Dot with a tablespoon of butter. Moisten the edges of the pastry square, bring the corners together at the top of the apple, and press edges together to seal. Place dumplings 1 inch apart on a baking sheet.
Pour the syrup over the dumplings and sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, until apples are tender.