Linda Holm-Peterson’s “Best Ever Apple Crisp” recipe has been a long-standing tradition with her family and her former students at Verona and Lisbon high schools. The recipe originated with her grandmother, but Linda also shared it in her classroom as a family consumer science teacher.
Linda Holm-Peterson often shared her "Best Ever Apple Crisp" recipe with her students when she was teaching family consumer science.
“When I was a teacher, that was a great recipe for my students to make,” she said. “I knew it was a hit when they told me they had made it again at home.”
This month, Linda shares her “Best Ever Apple Crisp” and “Caramel Apple Cake” recipes, which are made with pantry staples, along with autumn’s apple harvest.
While the “Caramel Apple Cake” never made it into Linda’s classrooms, it’s still a family favorite.
“I like the caramel apple combination so well. It’s a little more difficult recipe to make, but it’s very tasty. Served warm, it’s really good,” she said.
Linda can pick her own apples from two honey crisp trees growing on her family’s farm, so she has a ready supply of the family’s favorite apple, which she often freezes in recipe portions.
She and her husband, Chuck, live near Verona in Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative’s territory. Chuck has retired from farming and Linda has retired from a 34-year career in education as a family consumer science teacher at Verona and Lisbon. She also worked part time for the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Service, and has a bachelor of science and a master’s degree from NDSU.
As part of her curriculum, Linda encouraged students to cook and bake, and she still encourages families to get children into the kitchen to learn those skills.
“Get kids started in the kitchen early, because they like to eat what they have helped prepare. Keep it simple,” she said. “Start off small so they can be successful. Developing in the kitchen early can save them money and promote better nutrition throughout their life,” he said.
Linda was taught to bake at an early age by her mother and grandmother.
“I came from a background of people who liked to spend time in the kitchen,” she said. “We baked from scratch just about every single day.”
Linda and Chuck have two grown children, Kyle and Kala. Besides spending time in Arizona, Linda enjoys yardwork, walking, swimming, sewing, crafts and traveling.
Luann Dart is a freelance writer and editor who lives in the Elgin area.
