Apple Pie

I mentioned that Hannah and I are staying with my parents until we leave for Europe.
We turned their kitchen into a little apple pie bakery.
There was a lot of peeling, slicing and mixing up in here.
And some tasting.  Lots of tasting.
Yummy, sweet and tangy apples, fresh from the orchard. 
Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the process.
But I did capture the finished product.

My favorite apples to use in pies are McIntosh and Jonathan. 
They are a good mix of sweet and tart and don’t get mushy when baked.

Here’s one of my favorite recipes.
You’ll need:

2 pie crusts
8 cups of apples, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 c white sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp butter
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp milk

1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. (I used lime juice because I forgot to buy lemon juice.  It worked just fine.)
2.  Mix sugars, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add apples and toss to coat well.
3.  Line your pie dish with crust.  Full disclosure: I use store bought.  (I’m impressed with folks who make theirs from scratch.  But not impressed enough to do it myself.) 
4.  Fill crust lined pie dish with apples and dot with butter.
5.  Place second pie crust on top and pinch the edges together.  Cut slits in the top to vent.
6.  Mix egg and milk and brush onto crust.  This will make it golden and flaky! 
7.  Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then reduce to 350 for 45 minutes.

Share with your family. 
Surprise a friend. 
But don’t admit your crust is store bought. 

In Which My Husband is Giddy

I’ve been doing a lot of cooking lately. 
I’ve always rated myself as just an average cook.
But recently, I think my stock has risen.

Enter The Pioneer Woman and her cinnamon rolls. 
And her lasagna.

I spent an afternoon making two trays of the yummy goodness that PW calls The Best Lasagna Ever. 
One for us and one for my in-laws. 
My husband’s reaction?
“Wow. Wow.  I feel like we’re in Tuscany.”

Best Lasagna Ever?  Rightfully named.

Next up were the cinnamon rolls. 
The recipe yields seven pans of rolls, but I ended up with five. 
I guess in all that made-from-scratch doughy excitement,
I sliced mine a bit thicker. 
They were delish, nonetheless. 
And washed down with a tall glass of milk?
Heavenly, I tell you.

So thanks, PW, for making me look like a
rock star in the kitchen.

I’m speaking his love language.

Yee Haw! A Cowgirl Birthday!

We celebrated Hannah’s 3rd birthday with family this weekend. 
Our theme? Cowgirls, of course!

 I planned and made the decorations and favors myself by spending very little and using things I already had on hand.

For example:
Tissue paper poms!  I bought a jumbo pack of pink and turquoise tissue paper and used about 9 sheets per pom, which made these pretties less than $1 each.

The cowgirl tree was made with an old Mason jar, some faux peat moss, branches from a Rose of Sharon in my backyard and scrapbook/cardmaking supplies I had in my stash.  Cute!

Each child got to take home a jar of the dry ingredients to make Bakerella’s Cowgirl Cookies!  I bought the jars at Hobby Lobby - $9 for a dozen.  I had many of the ingredients on hand and bought chocolate chips, brown sugar and M&Ms.  The pink bandanas are from Hob Lob also.  I bought 2 for $1 and cut them into small pieces for the tops.  I found the jute rope in my husband’s tool box and thought that it fit perfectly!

Tutorials for all of these lovlies coming soon!

Happy Birthday to my little cowgirl!  Love her so much!

 

An Orchard, a Birthday and Trick or Treat

Last week, Hannah and I headed to a local apple orchard for some apple picking fun.  

When we got back home, we peeled, sliced and baked the apples in a homemade caramel sauce.  I’ve never made homemade caramel before, but it was quite easy.

And quite delicious!  Once the apples and caramel were in the oven, we couldn’t help ourselves from licking the remaining caramel.  Hannah was such a sticky mess that she got a bath immediately after.  The caramel kept getting in her hair, so I put her curls up into a quick up-do.  I thought she looked so cute and grow up!

With the remaining apples, I made a homemade housewarming fragrance.  I found the recipe on a blog, and I cannot remember where…
Anyways, you slice an apple, an orange and put them into a pan with water.  Add some cloves and a few cinnamon sticks.  Boil the mixture and then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer all day.  Your house will be filled with the most delicious fall scent!  You simply add more water throughout the day as it simmers down.  The oranges will fall apart and the apples get soggy, but I assure you the fragrance is incredible!

 

Last week was also Hannah’s 3rd birthday.  We have a party planned for her with family next weekend.  On the actual day of her birthday, Shawn and I took her to Chuck E. Cheese
for the first time.

We played a few games.

But we spent most of our time on the horse. 
Hannah is such a little cowgirl! 
 

And, speaking of cowgirls, here she is trick or treating.  It was no surprise when I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween and she said a cowgirl.

The costume was really easy and inexpensive to put together.  The vest was Shawn’s when he was little.  When Shawn’s mom gave it to me I almost started crying!  His grandmother had made it for him, and it was special that she saved it all these years and that Hannah wore it.  Shawn brought the pink bandana, sheriff badge and pink rope back from a recent trip to Houston.  I found the cowgirl hat for less than $5 at a party supply store.  I tried to attach a pink bow to the hat, but Hannah asked me to take it off.  I guess it took away from the authenticity…
She’s the rootinest, tootinest cowgirl I know!

Stuff It! Easy, Healthy Zucchini

A friend of mine gave me this zucchini from her garden.

It’s huge.  It’s monstrous.  I’ve got big plans for it. 

 

The beauty of this recipe is that you can be creative and flexible with your ingredients.  You really can’t mess it up.  You can even sneak in a few extra veggies…
This morning I told Shawn that tonight’s dinner included zucchini and he said, “Oh! Are you gonna fry it?”  Not exactly, honey.

What I used:
1 zucchini
1 lb. ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Approx. 1 tbsp each of basil and oregano
Approx. 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 can of diced tomatoes (I prefer fresh, but this was all I had)
Approx. 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Combine turkey, onion, garlic, basil and oregano and cook over medium heat until meat is almost browned.

I cut the humungous zucchini in half and set one piece aside.  I cut the other piece in half long ways and scooped the center out with an ice cream scoop.  A melon baller works great for this also.

Next I cut out more of the “meat” of the zucchini and chopped it into small bite sized pieces.

When turkey is almost browned, transfer it to a bowl and add the remaining pieces of zucchini, bread crumbs, parm cheese and tomatoes.  Mix well.  I added some more bread crumbs to make it a bit thicker. 

Place your zucchini into a baking dish and fill it with the mixture.

The most important part of this recipe is to put about 1 inch of water into the bottom of the dish.  This will allow the zucchini to steam and get soft, but not mushy.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. 

Sprinkle with parm cheese, serve and enjoy!

My Husband is a Lumberjack and a Bunch of Randomness

Saturday afternoon, Hannah was taking her nap. I was piddling around in my craft room and my husband said that he was going to go outside and do a few things in the yard.  I thought that maybe he’d pull some weeds or something.  A few hours later, I looked out the window and this is what I saw:

I just never know what he’s going to do.

We had some photos taken by an amazing photographer a few weeks ago and I am super excited about the shots.  I met with her last night and ordered my prints.  I can’t wait to get them framed and displayed in my home.  Here’s a sneak peek.

Speaking of great shots, I captured this pic of Hannah wearing the dress that my sister sent with a note that says, “Dressin’ Twinks like I like to dress – in pink and ruffles!”  Who can’t appreciate that?

This week, I finally made two recipes that I have been wanting to try out.  Surprise, surprise both of them have a Mexican flare to them!  What can I say?  This family loves anything Mexican!  Note that neither of these recipes are necessarily healthy, but oh my yum!

The first one is called a Chicken Enchilada Ring. 

3-4 cooked chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped block olives
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 small can chopped chilies, undrained
1/2 cup sour cream
1 package taco seasoning
2 rolls of crescent rolls
1 small chopped tomato
1 lime (juice)
2/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips

1. Shred chicken and add olives, cheese, chilies, sour cream and taco mix. Seed and chop 1 tomato and add 2 tablespoons lime juice; add to chicken mixture. Reserve 2 Tblsp. crushed chips and add remaining chips to mixture.
2. Unroll crescent dough and separate triangles. Arrange on round baking stone or cookie sheet in a circle with longest length of each triangle ends overlapping in the center and points toward outside. There should be a 5 inch diameter opening in the center.
3. Spread chicken mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangle.
4.  Bring points of triangles up and over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough at the center of the ring.
Sprinkle with 2 Tblsp. crushed chips.
5. Bake @ 375 for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with tomato and serve with salsa and sour cream.

The next dish I made is simply called Mexican Chicken.  Anything with the word “Mexican” in it and I’m sold.

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled and cut into bite size pieces
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel*
1-2 cups cheddar cheese
Package of corn or flour tortillas (small)

Tear the tortillas into small pieces and line the bottom of a pan. Mix together the soups, Rotel and chicken and pour on top. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.  So easy and so yummy!

*I first experienced the wonder that is called Rotel while visiting my sister in Los Angeles.  I have searched high and low for it here in Ohio.  Apparently we don’t have the stuff in this geographic region, so we northern gals are left to make our own.  Sigh.  While it’s not as good, it worked just as well for this recipe.  I mixed a can of diced tomatoes, a small can of chiles, about 1/4 cup of chopped onion and a splash of lime.

Happy Thursday, friends!

 

Nothing Says Summer

Nothing says summer like…

Sidewalk chalk

 

Pedicures and sparkly sandals

Popsicles after dinner

 

Sundresses of seersucker and eyelet

A sheepdog with a buzz cut

Summer makes me want to drink smoothies every morning. 

Here’s my favorite:
A handful of frozen fruit

A freshly sliced pear (peels and all)

A handful of blueberries. 
A few strawberries. 
A splash of orange juice. 
And, the piece de resistance:

Yep, collard greens.  Don’t be scared.  You honestly can’t taste them.  You can use any dark green leafy veggie, but I found these guys to be my favorite.  They’re very mild and packed with Vitamins A, C and K, and contain superstar amounts of antioxidants.  It’s like health in a glass, really. 

Happy summer, friends!