Fall weather brings fall treat

I love the sights, smells and tastes of my favorite season, fall.

A drive through the country to look at the kaleidoscope of fall colors is one of my favorite past times in mid-September and October.

I am one of those people that would buy air freshener that smelled like burning leaves if it were available on the market.

When "old man winter" sends a blast of cold wind into the area to announce his impending arrival, I love putting on one of those oversized warm wooly sweaters or a soft hooded sweatshirt for the first time, making me feel safe and warm inside.

I also love the fact the sweaters hide the sinful side effects of eating one of my favorite fall treats, Fried Carmel Apples.

Clean, core and quarter three or four firm red apples before slicing into very thin slices.

There are two choices for soaking apple slices; sugar water or lemon water. (2 tablespoons of sugar or lemon and 2 cups of cold water)

I recommend trying both because each gives a different taste to the apples.

While you let the apples soak, prepare the coating.

Whip two eggs, a teaspoon of both sugar and cinnamon in a bowl until frothy.

Use a large paper bag to pour one-and-a-half cups of flour, a half-cup of coconut, a quarter-cup of sugar and three Tablespoons of cinnamon inside. Shake and set aside.

Drench apples in the eggs, let drip and then place in the paper bag. When all the apples are in the bag, close it and shake vigorously until all the apples are coated.

Now you can use a fryer set at 375 degrees, but I like to use a cast iron skillet on medium heat.

Pour in about an two inches of canola oil and heat till when you toss a sprinkle of water it the pan it pops just a little.

Fry just enough apples to fill the pan, no more. Turn the apples at least once to brown both sides. You don't want them to burn.

Drain the light brown and crunchy apples on paper towels when done frying. Continue frying until all the apples are cooked.

You will need to transfer the fried apples to a baking dish in layers, alternating a sprinkle of your favorite nuts (We like pecans and walnuts.) while drizzling a layer of Carmel ice cream topping until all the apples are in the pan.

For an added bonus, you can also toast the remaining coconut in a little butter, sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon and add that to the layers if you want.

To keep the apples warm, cover loosely with aluminum foil. (If covered too tight, the apples will get mushy.)

Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream for a great fall treat.