As American as Apple Pie and Mom

Can't believe that Mother's Day falls this year on National Apple Pie Day. How cool is that? So this post is for "Mom and Apple Pie," and this Chocolate Apple Pie is "as American as Mom and Apple Pie." But what's the origin of these catch phrases? What's the meaning of as American as Apple Pie and Mom? 

From Wikipedia: 
Although apple pies have been eaten since long before the European colonization of the Americas, "as American as apple pie" is a saying in the United States, meaning "typically American". In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, apple pie became a symbol of American prosperity and national pride. A newspaper article published in 1902 declared that “No pie-eating people can be permanently vanquished.” The dish was also commemorated in the phrase "for Mom and apple pie" - supposedly the stock answer of American soldiers in World War II, whenever journalists asked why they were going to war.

My grandmother made an awesome apple pie. I've written about it before. It did not contain chocolate, and she made it in a huge rectangular pan. She made it because it was American, and when she came to these shores, she became an American!  My Bubby was born in the Ukraine, married in London, and settled in Philadelphia, the cradle of liberty. She took her new citizenship to heart, and she baked her apple pie for every Friday night dinner. She did it because she saw her self as a true American. So Celebrate Mom (and Grandmom) and Apple Pie with this easy Chocolate Pie Recipe!

CHOCOLATE APPLE PIE

Ingredients
Pastry for a double-crust 9-inch pie, unbaked
8-10 tart apples (peeled, cored and sliced thinly--number of apples depends on their size)--Gravensteins aren't available this time of year, but they're my favorite, especially for pies!
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 cup 70-85% dark chocolate fair-trade organic, chopped into smallish pieces

Directions
1. Apples: peel, core, and slice thinly.
2. Combine cinnamon & sugar = cinnamon sugar. (you may need a tiny bit more). I've also used the chocolate cinnamon sugar from Trader Joe's
2. Place 1 layer apple slices on bottom crust. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar. Repeat twice.
3 Spread chopped chocolate pieces over top.
4. Using remaining apples, make 3 more apple/cinnamon sugar layers.
5. Top with 2nd crust and seal edges. Make cut on the top--or prick with fork in a few places.
6. Bake in preheated 450 F oven for 15 minutes (until golden).
7. Lower heat to 350F and continue baking for another 25-30 minutes, or until apples are tender.

Mixmaster Cake Genius: Retro Devil's Food Cake

So yesterday I posted a Mother's Day Sunbeam Mixmaster Ad and recipe for Chocolate Cake. The Mother in that ad looked more like my grandmother. It got me searching, and I found this Sunbeam Mixmaster Ad from May 28, 1945 (below).  The woman in the advertisement looks more like my Mother. Don't you think?

Of course, I just kept digging for a clearer version of the recipe for Devil's Food Cake, and I found this handy dandy little cake pamphlet from Sunbeam: How to be a Cake Genius with your Sunbeam Mixmaster. Pretty fabulous, huh?

So here's another recipe for Mother's Day Chocolate Cake: Mix Easy Devil's Food. You know you were a little devil, so make Mom this Devil's Food Cake to repent.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! 

May 28, 1945

My Mother c. 1942

Retro Mixmaster Mother's Day Ad: Chocolate Cake Recipe

I adore Retro Advertisements and this one is particularly close to my heart. My mother had a Sunbeam Mixmaster. So many cookies, cakes and brownies were made with that Mixmaster. I don't have my mother's Sunbeam Mixmaster, but I have my mother-in-law's--the same model with all the attachments. I use my Kitchenaid Mixer mostly, but I love the functionality of the old Mixmaster War Horse. It still works, and I'll bet my mother-in-law got it in the 40s or 50s.

So, for Mother's Day, here's a Sunbeam Mixmaster Mother's Day Advertisement from Life Magazine, May 1, 1950, complete with Chocolate Cake recipe. What are you making for Mother's Day?

Happy Mother's Day: Vintage Ads

Mother's Day Cocoa Spiced Salmon

My Mother circa 1942

Confession: My mother is not a chocoholic. So for Mother's Day this precludes giving her Truffles or Chocolates or baking anything chocolate specifically for her. However, my mother would eat salmon every day if she could. So I was thrilled to find this easy recipe adapted from Peggy Trowbridge Filippone on about.com for Cocoa Spiced Salmon.

I love cocoa/chocolate rubs, and this one helps seal in the flavor of the salmon. We do a lot of grilling at our house, so it's perfect for Mother's Day.. or any day! If you don't have a grill, you can broil. Give it 10 minutes tops!

Tomorrow, I plan to serve this Cocoa Spiced Salmon with a green salad made with blueberries, cocoa nibs, blue cheese and spiced walnuts. I use a Strawberry vinaigrette. I'm also making a Flourless Chocolate Cake for dessert... for the other people at the table... and maybe some Chocolate Dipped Strawberries.

Mother's Day Cocoa Spiced Salmon

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Dash of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon DARK cocoa powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1-1/2 pounds salmon filet

Mustard Sauce (optional)
1/4 cup dry mustard
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons hot water

Preparation:

We cook on a Weber, but if you have a gas grill, fire to medium-high heat. Smear 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the bottom of a shallow aluminum pan. (Alternatively, you may form a tray out of a double layer of heavy foil. Be sure to place it on a cookie sheet for stability.)

Whisk together sugar, dry mustard, cinnamon, paprika, cocoa powder, chili powder, cumin, pepper, and salt.

Coat both sides of the salmon filet with remaining olive oil. Place in grill pan skin-side down. Sprinkle generously with the cocoa spice mixture and pat down. (You may have some spice mix left over. Store in a glass jar in a cool, dark place up to 6 months.)

The recipe says to grill salmon about 10 minutes per inch of thickness, until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Do not overcook or it will become dry.  We cook our salmon for a much shorter period of time, but then we don't have the same control on the heat.

Mustard Sauce: Optional
Whisk together dry mustard, sugar, and hot water until smooth. Serve as a condiment with Cocoa Spiced Salmon.