Johnny Appleseed Day

Today we made apple crafts and ate apples for dinner and dessert! It's Johnny Appleseed Day (it's celebrated on 3/11 and 9/26).

Johnny Appleseed Day is celebrated on March 11 (possibly date of death) and on September 26 (birth date of John Chapman). To celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day, make crafts with apple stamps, eat apples or applesauce for snacks, maybe even plant an apple tree! I have a chicken/apple recipe below for dinner. For dessert, make baked apples!

For my stamps, I used 3 apples to get three different shapes. Cut one apple in half, through the middle horizontally, to expose the star shape. For the second stamp, core an apple. Then cut the core in half across the middle to expose the star shape. Serve the cut off pieces for a snack! For another shape, cut an apple down the middle vertically.

Cut an apple in half, dip or brush on craft paint and use as a stamp to create artwork. Some ideas are to use the apples to make tree tops, clouds, a sun, or just see how the apples stamp.

Tree on far left made with a vertically cut apple. Tree on
far right made with horizontally cut apple. Flowers made
from horizontally cut apple core.

For dinner, make Just In Thyme For Apple Chicken! 
by Daily Messes
Serves 4. Time: About 30 minutes

You will need:

• 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, any fat trimmed off
• 1 tsp crushed dried thyme, or 1 tbpn fresh thyme leaves
• 1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 red onion, diced
• Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Arrange chicken breasts in baking dish, making sure they are in a single layer.
3. Place apple slices on top and around chicken.
4. Next, sprinkle on onion and thyme.
5. Pour balsamic vinegar over the chicken.
6. Bake until chicken is cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes.

For dessert try making Baked Apples
These take about 1 1/2 hours.

You will need:

• 1 apple per person
• Apple corer
• Cinnamon/sugar.

Directions:
1. Core the apple and place on a baking sheet.
2. Fill the hole with cinnamon and sugar mix.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F until apple is soft, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. An easy way to check is to stick the apple with a knife. If the knife sticks in easily, the apple is done.
4. Remove and enjoy! (Apples with be HOT!)