A huge thanks to guest judge @allasyummyfood for giving us a great theme and then choosing winners from amongst all the wonderful entries. Not an easy task by any means, especially when you're as busy as Alla trying to run a busy restaurant kitchen and keep up with her blog too, but thankfully she managed to squeeze us into her schedule bless her! Thank you to everyone who entered recipes for this round, they were so beautiful and we wanted to reward them all. As always we much appreciate the generous prizes provided by our sponsors @gringalicious and @sirwinchester, so that we can continue rewarding all you very talented foodies! Apologies I wasn't able to comment as usual on your entries, due to all this 'technical fiddling' they're doing with Steemit.

This "Apple" themed round marks the first birthday of the Steemit Culinary Challenge, which we celebrate fairly quietly but with a huge sense of pride in what we've done with this contest, together as a community. It seems to me that the prizes are viewed by participants as more of a bonus, rather than the main attraction. It seems people simply enjoy the chance to be challenged, to try different ingredients and methods, to have their talents and styles appreciated, and to be part of the creative energy. And I can't tell you what a pleasure it is for me to get to know all you lovelies, and learn from you. I am thanked all the time for what I do for the community, but honestly I get just as much back, and I thank you all with a sincere heart.

Now we take a break for a couple weeks whilst @gringalicious journeys to Steemfest, and I treat my boy to some extra Mama time. His granny (my Mum) is coming to visit from England next week too, which will be very exciting! Autumn walks, kicking crunchy leaves, drinking tea and having a proper nice time together... perfect.

Over the next few weeks there will be more about my new upcoming contest "Make It Healthy", which is about creating homemade healthy alternatives to processed products, and winnings recipes will be published in Steemit's first community recipe book. It's getting really exciting, and there's lots of Steemians involved already! For more details click on the blued link.

To enter the Steemit Culinary Challenge...

...it's very easy! We have a different theme and guest judge each week, and all you have to do is prepare a dish appropriate for the theme, and also ensure you follow the general rules of the challenge (always included with the new theme announcement). You don't have to be a master chef - just try to be creative with your recipes and take beautiful photos, since unfortunately we can't taste the entries so you must help us do this with our imaginations! Original recipes are encouraged, but you may use someone else's recipe as long as you credit the original source.

The new theme will be posted in a couple weeks after a little break!

For the step-by-step recipes and photos, please click on the blue links. Enjoy viewing these delicious creations!

"Appelflappen" by @mermaid

"Apple and Custard Cream Brioche" by @creativewoman

"How to make a Normandy Apple pie with lovely apple crumble on top" by @beesteem

"Healthy Apple & Brown Rice Bake" by @family.life

"Apple and Custard Tart" by @family.life

"Apple Ring Of Saturn!" by @progressivechef

"Apple Pie" by @blackberryskunk

"Entry 2: Baked Apples Stuffed With Chestnut Ice Cream" by @blackberryskunk

"Apple Spice Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream (Refined Sugar Free)" by @ikaputri3

"Quick and Vegan Three Layers Cake With Whipped Cream" by @babettxx

"Apple Cake Thousand Sheets" by @corsica

"Panini Goals" by @jaymorebeet

"Apple Double Feature--Vegan Take on Borscht & Radish Slaw" by @plantstoplanks

"Coconut Cake with Apples" by @breadcentric

"Warm Apple Salad" by @marzi

"Apple Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette" by @kirstilynn

4th Prize "Panini Goals" by @jaymorebeet 5 SBD sponsored by @sirwinchester

3rd Prize "Apple and Custard Tart" by @family.life 10 SBD sponsored by @gringalicious

2nd Prize "Apple Spice Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream (Refined Sugar Free)" by @ikaputri3 15 SBD sponsored by @gringalicious

1st Prize "Quick and Vegan Three Layers Cake With Whipped Cream" by @babettxx 20 SBD sponsored by @gringalicious

I'd like to share my sincere THANKS to @gringalicious and @sirwinchester for their continuous sponsorship of this challenge, the Steemians who regularly or occasionally submit entries, and to everyone who upvotes and supports the entries. I'm well aware there would be no challenge without you all!!!

PREVIOUS WINNERS of the Steemit Culinary Challenge:

#46 - Apple

#45 - Vegan Buddha Bowl

#44 - Chocolate Crazy Dessert Divine

#43 - Autumn Feast Special

#42 - Beautiful Bread

#41 - Monochrome

#40 - Mexican Food Showdown

#39 - Baby Food

#38 - Vegan Dishes From Around The World

#37 - Healthy Yet Tempting Food for Children

#36 - Food Fit For A German

#35 - Ice-Cream

#34 - A Smoothie for @smooth

#33 - Brilliant Berries

#32 - Picnic Alfresco

#31 - Vegan Main

#30 - Tempting Tarts

#29 - Take Me To Brunch... In Your Country

#28 - Cupcakes

#27 - Be A Michelin Star Chef For One Night

#26 - Sugar-Free Raw Vegan Desserts

#25 - Your Favourite Dish

#24 - Mouthgasms

#23 - Otsumami

#22 - Mediterranean Night

#21 - Coffee a la Barista's

#20 - Pancake Paradise

#19 - Sweet and Savory Crepes

#18 - Tasty, Wholesome Meals for Weight Loss

#17 - Shepherd's Pie

#16 - Tacos for a Tech Savvy

#15 - Roast It

#14 - DIVINE LEMONed DESSERT

#13 - The Finest Fish Dish

#12 - Purely Paleo

#11 - Cheeseless Burger

#10 - Anglo–Sino Chicken

#9 - New Year on a Platter

#8 - La Pasta Perfetta

#7 - Battle of Noodles

#6 - HOT Off the Grill

#5 - Unorthodox Chillied Dish

#4 - Super Salads

#3 - Smoothie Showdown

#2 - Out of the Box Sandwiches

#1 - Sniffle Remedy Soup

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me, either by posting your queries on the comment thread below, or you can find me on Steemit.chat under the same name. I will respond as soon as I can.

For the announcement of winners and new themes, follow me :-)