Apple butter

Happy 34th birthday to my wonderful husband today! I am grateful for him. Maybe it's just the season, but I have been feeling extra gratitude for everything in my life lately. I have much to be thankful for.

I have about 20 spare minutes to get this post written, so I will cut to the chase! I hope you enjoy this one. It can be another great gift for the holidays. Don't be confused by the name! Apple Butter has nothing to do with butter. I considered renaming it Apple Spread, but it doesn't have the same ring.

Here is Day #5 of Twelve Days of Christmas Treats!

In a large crock pot, place the following ingredients:

10 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (use a variety of apples - I used Granny Smith and Honeycrisp)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

Juice from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

Cook on High for 4 hours, or Low for 7 to 8 hours.

It will look like a brown chunky soup when it is finished and it will make your home smell delicious. Yum!

Mash the mixture with a potato masher to give it a smoother consistency. If desired, use an immersion blender for an even smoother texture (I did not do this, as I prefer mine on the slightly chunky side).

In a large saucepan, boil six 1/2-pint mason jars, along with their lids. One at a time, remove one jar and matching lid from the boiling water and fill the jar with the hot apple butter. Tightly seal the lid and store in a cool place. Repeat the process with the remaining jars. The jars will seal on their own.

I have one little boy who loves this stuff and one who doesn't care for it. We spread it on toast, but it would be great on any type of bread. If you have other uses for it, please let me know!

Happy Wednesday to you all! I am off to run errands and finish laundry and wrap a few presents!

Printable recipe: Apple butter

Wild rice salad

I'm excited to share another wild rice recipe! I'm making the most of the gift I received from my thoughtful friends from the North.

But first, I have to share my funny story of the week. Our little Sammy is 22 months old and he is our shy little guy. He chats constantly when it's just the four of us, but the second anyone else enters his realm he shuts down. He likes to look down at the ground and then occasionally glance up at the intruder, just with his eyes, to get a quick peek.

The other day the cable guy was here, helping us make some cable changes to our tv. This cable guy was even quieter than Sammy. Sammy must have caught onto this because he walked right up to Quiet Cable Guy and, leaning in super close to his face, he said his silly, "Bluh-luh-bluh-luh-bluh-luh-BOP!" word (that he usually only reserves for us) and started laughing hysterically. I about died! SAMMY?! Approaching a stranger and trying to make him laugh? And do you know what the cable guy did? He acted like he didn't notice.

Back to the recipe, which was totally yummy. Dan and I ate the entire batch in just a couple meals. Thanks to my stepmom for providing inspiration for this salad!

In a large bowl, combine:

Juice from 1/2 of a lemon

2 tablespoons sugar

Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Add:

2 Granny Smith apples, cut up into bite-size pieces

3 large celery stalks, sliced

Toss to coat.

Add to the bowl:

2 cups cooked wild rice

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons capers

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (optional)

Mix well.

Garnish with dried cranberries, if desired.

We ate this salad over lettuce, but it would also be delicious stuffed in a tomato or sandwiched between two slices of bread.

We enjoyed it both with and without the chicken.

Enjoy!

Printable recipe: Wild rice salad

Apple-sausage mac & cheese

Is it terrible to admit that I'm glad the weekend is coming to an end? I know, it's terrible. But I'm glad the weekend is coming to an end. My little Sammy has pneumonia, poor guy, so he has had a fluctuating temperature for the entire weekend. At his worst, he had a temp of 105.2! That is enough to scare the crap out of this mama. I hope to never see that number on our thermometer again.

As our weekend of sickness closes, I am seeking comfort in food. I made this recipe a few weeks ago and I was on the fence about it. I don't post anything that I'm on the fence about. It has to be fabulous! So I changed a few things and made it again, and I loved it! If you are looking for a unique yet delicious mac & cheese recipe, give this one a try! 

(adapted from Food Network Magazine)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 2 1/2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add 3/4 pound of medium pasta shells to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup diced onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.

Add:

6 ounces chicken-apple sausage, sliced 1/2-inch thick

1 tablespoon mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Cook, stirring, until the sausage is golden, about 3 minutes.

Stir in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.

Stir in 3 cups apple juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 8 minutes.  

Slowly stir about 3/4 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (you will need 1 pound total), and 1/4 pound extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (you will need 1/2 pound total), into the sauce until smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. 

Stir in the pasta and 1/2 cup sour cream. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle with 35 crushed butter crackers (1 sleeve Ritz) and the remaining cheese (1/4 pound Monterey Jack and 1/4 pound cheddar cheese).

Bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve!

Here's to a healthy week for everyone!

Click here for a printable recipe!

Apple crisp

I don't ONLY make salads and vegetables in my kitchen. I promise! I do my best to keep versatility at the forefront of my brain when deciding what to make next. And even though my blogger friend Jeff has never technically been in my kitchen, he apparently sees the versatility in my cooking/baking/salad-ing through my blog. I happen to love Jeff's blog, so I was honored that he sent this blogger award my way! Thank you, Jeff!

The first part of receiving this award is that I am supposed to share a few unique facts about myself. Let's see what I can come up with:

1. I have two different-colored eyes.

2. My husband (and a handful of others) thinks I'm completely crazy because of this, but I LOVE SCARY MOVIES. The original Halloween movie is my all-time favorite. It's almost like I get high on fear, which I understand sounds totally insane.

3. I take a relaxing bubble bath almost every night. 

4. In the past year I have become obsessed with photography. I cannot wait to be able to call myself a professional photographer.

5. I cannot WAIT for November 18th! Seriously...antsy...can't wait....

6. I have an enormous sweet tooth. Bring on the sugar!

Now for the part where I pass The Versatile Blogger award onto some other bloggers! 

1. One of my favorite food bloggers Parsley Sage has such versatility on her blog. I love her restaurant reviews and the food she and her husband make and her humor. I also love that she lives in the Cayman Islands. :)

2. Kate at Diethood is another favorite. Her amazing photography makes me swoon and she is so good at creating and sharing many different types food with her readers.

3. I absolutely cannot give these awards out without giving one to Katrina at In Katrina's Kitchen. Every time I open up her blog in my browser, I say, "Whoa! Cool!" She has such amazing creativity, which makes her quite versatile. I adore her blog.

4. Raven from Ravienomnoms is about as versatile as they come. I love her reviews of events and I of course all of the things that come from her own kitchen. 

5. Carina from Kitchen Groovy also must have a spot on here. Her food makes my mouth water!

Go check these blogs out!!

And now for apples! A pretty standard ingredient for a versatility post. :)

I promised another apple post, so here we go. This, friends, is a recipe that has stood the test of time. It is a recipe that is really difficult to mess up. It is a recipe that screams comfort and fall. And it is a recipe that lasts less than a day in our house!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place 10 cups of tart or all-purpose apples (peeled, cored and sliced) in a 9x13 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix together:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the apple slices. Pour 1/2 cup of water over top of that.

In a medium bowl, combine:

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter, melted

Crumble evenly over the apple mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Click here for a printable recipe!

Caramel apple tart

We had a bag, er, peck, of apples sitting in our kitchen, staring me down, for over a week. Every time I walked by them, I felt terrible guilt about the possibility of them going to waste. Our efforts at the orchard would be all for nothing! Well, besides the fun of going to the orchard with two energetic little boys. Thankfully, though, they were still far from being a bag of rotten apples. I found the motivation and the time and energy this weekend to put them to good use!

Here's my cute taste-tester with the killer lashes. 

I had two apple recipes I wanted to bake with. One tried and tested and one new. This caramel apple tart was my new recipe (source: tasteofhome.com), and I love how it turned out. I was even able to make it while watching my boys, which is always my true test of recipe ease.

If you, too, have a bag of apples staring you down, give this one a try! I should mention that it is a teeny little tart. It serves about 4 people. So, make a few tarts if you need to serve more.

In a large bowl, combine:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Cut in 1/4 cup cold butter (cubed) until crumbly.

Gradually add:

6 1/2 teaspoons cold water

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toss with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 10-inch circle. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. 

Combine the following ingredients in a medium bowl:

1 1/2 cups chopped, peeled tart apples

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Spoon the filling over the pastry to within 2 inches of edges. Fold up the edges of the pastry over the filling, leaving the center uncovered. 

Combine in a small bowl:

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Sprinkle over the filling. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly. Using parchment paper, slide tart onto a wire rack.

Drizzle with 2 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping (warmed) and serve warm.

Click here for a printable recipe!