Jan Sabin, Mary Davis, Jean Hetrick, Cheryl Anderegg, Esther Macalady, Colleen Walker, Fran Darling, and Iris Katers, Journal columnists. (Courtesy photo)

The smell and taste of apple pie makes the home feel warmer when anyone comes in from the cold.

The cooked apple pie smell swirls around the house and freshens the place. Apples existed 3,000 years ago in Kazakhstan, Central Asia. Later they were carried to Europe and brought to the American colonies. Johnny Appleseed actually did spread the seeds around the east coast. Here are a few easy grandparent- tested apple pie recipes that children can help make in a short time.

English apple pie

You will need 4-5 tart baking apples like Rome, golden delicious, granny smith or Cortland varieties that hold their shape. Peel, quarter, remove the core, thin slice, and place in a deep dish pie pan. Children can use a table knife to help cut the apples into slices. It won’t matter how the slices look. It won’t matter if the slices are slightly brown from oxidation, either. Place apples in a sprayed pie pan.

Sprinkle a little less than one cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon on top of the apples and have children mix them slightly with the apples.

In a bowl place ½ cup melted butter, ½ flour, and ½ cup brown sugar. Children can stir ingredients with a strong wooden spoon. Place this mix on top of the apples, spread them around, and press down.

Bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven. Watch the last five minutes that the topping is the brownish color you and the children desire. Cool and serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or cheddar cheese while the aroma is fresh.

Easy apple bites

The recipes from state apple councils have many good suggestions for cooking with children.

Here is one from the Michigan Apple Council. You will need an eight -ounce package of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls and one large Braeburn or other baking apple. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper to avoid burning.

In a small bowl combine 1/8 cup sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 ½ tablespoons of butter. Coat the apples slices with the mixture. Use the directions on the package to separate the dough into eight triangles on the baking sheet. Top each triangle with a slice of apple peeled or unpeeled. Start at the wide side and wrap the dough around the apple. Brush the wrapped shapes with 1 ½ tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle a mixture of 1/8 cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.

Bake for 12 minutes and cool for 5-10 minutes. Top with whipped cream or ice cream. They pack well in lunches the next day.

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com or wnmufm.org/ Learning Through the Seasons live and pod casts Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Grandparents Teach, Too is a non-profit organization of elementary and preschool teachers from Marquette, Michigan. The writers include: Jan Sabin, Mary Davis, Jean Hetrick, Cheryl Anderegg, Esther Macalady, Colleen Walker, Fran Darling, and Iris Katers. Their mission since 2009 is to help parents, grandparents, and other caregivers of young children provide fun activities to help prepare young children for school and a life long love of learning. They are supported by Great Start, Parent Awareness of Michigan, the U.P. Association for the Education of Young Children, Northern Michigan School of Education, the Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum and the Northern Michigan University Center for Economic Education.