Made From Scratch Tuesday 10/18

I figured I'd stick with the apple theme as long as they were in season and I still had fresh-picked apples around the house.  I was trying to figure something different to do with them, so I decided to make apple chips!

First, I sliced the apples on my mandolin and let them soak in a bowl filled with Sprite. The citric acid keeps them from browning, but doesn't add the strong lemon flavor you get by using lemon juice.

Then on the skillet, I heated up some simple syrup and spiced rum. I used about a cup each of water and rum and 3/4 c sugar. Cook the apples just until they start to become translucent.

Pat the excess water off and place on a foil lined cookie sheet.

I used the convection oven to help cook these faster, so it took about an hour with the oven set at 220. Once you hit the hour mark, you'll need to check them every 5 minutes or so. To see if they're done, remove one from the oven and let it cool for a couple of minutes then try to break it. If it snaps, it's done. If it bends, keep on baking! When they're done, remove from cookie sheet immediately and place on cooling rack until completely cool. Store in an airtight container.

Now, it's time to link up some of those great dishes you make from scratch!
Here are the rules:
1. You can link up as many posts as you'd like.
2. My only content rule is it has to be made from scratch.
3. The post you link up MUST CONTAIN A RECIPE!
4. If you want to put my button somewhere, that'd be cool. You can grab the code for the Made From Scratch Tuesday button on the top right of my sidebar.

Made From Scratch Tuesday 10/11

Apple season is one of our favorites (as if you hadn't already picked that up form my several posts about apples!) so it stands to reason that I'd make a lot of apple dishes. This week, I made apple crisp.

You'll need:
Apples, peeled and sliced (enough to make a good layer in an 8x8 dish, about 4 large apples)
1 c oats
3/4 c brown sugar
3/4 c flour
3/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/3 c butter, cut into chunks

Place apples in the  bottom of dish.

In separate bowl, mix rest of ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture

Sprinkle on top of apples and bake at 325 for 45 minutes, until topping is crisp and apples are soft when pierced.

 For this recipe, I used Winesap apples. I like them because they're slightly tart and stand up really well in baking.

When we picked these apples, I wore my new Carhartt hoodie. Want to win one of your own? Check out Real Farmwives of America to find out how! 

Now, it's time to link up some of those great dishes you make from scratch!
Here are the rules:
1. You can link up as many posts as you'd like.
2. My only content rule is it has to be made from scratch.
3. The post you link up MUST CONTAIN A RECIPE!
4. If you want to put my button somewhere, that'd be cool. You can grab the code for the Made From Scratch Tuesday button on the top right of my sidebar.

Apple Picking '11

Make sure to visit the fantastic blog parties on my sidebar, and of course, link up all your made from scratch recipes on my Tuesday linky-Made From Scratch Tuesday!

Apple Pie Pork Loin?

Ott, A and I had so much fun during Canning Week, we didn't want the fun to stop! Every Tuesday, we'll be showing off recipes using great things we canned. Make sure to stop by Ott,A's blog to see what she's been up to!

Two things you should know about me, and have probably picked up on by now. We love pork...and apples! I started to make a pork loin the other day and cook it in some apples. To the pantry to I go! I grabbed a jar of what I thought was just canned apples and popped it open. That's when I realized my mistake. I had grabbed a jar of apple pie filling!!! Well, it IS apple, and I already had it open, so why not? 

I also added some Mrs. Dash in the red cap. I'm not really sure which variety that is. We go by color. As I normally do with a pork loin, I baked it at 250 for about 7 hours. 

I didn't tell the husband about the mistake. I just let him eat it. And much to my surprise, the cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices married quite well with the pork and Mrs. Dash! Even the husband commented on how much better it was this time than the last time I baked a pork loin in apples. I don't know that I will make it like this every time, but it certainly was good for a mistake!

Check out the great blogs below who also enjoy being creative with food they can!

a Latte' with Ott, A 

From the Hive

Apples in a Blanket

During Canning Week, I canned LOTS of apples....a couple of bushels worth actually. One of the things I canned was Apple Pie Filling. I snagged the recipe from Ott,A. The funny thing is, I don't even like Apple Pie. It's almost un-American. I know. I love the apples, just not a fan of pie crust. So now that I have jars and jars of pie filling, what am I going to do with them?

Back in my mom's Pampered Chef days, I remember her making something called Apple Braid. I can't remember the recipe, but I think it used crescent rolls. Because I'm too lazy to google and I didn't have any crescent rolls, I decided to just wing it.

What you'll need:

A jar of apple pie filling
1 can of biscuits
A couple tablespoons of flour
melted butter

Preheat oven to 375. Open up the can of biscuits and work them into one big dough ball. Work in about 2 tablespoons of flour to make it easier to work with. Roll it out to a circle-ish form.

Dump the jar of pie filling in the middle and pull the edges up to the middle and press them together. It will kind of look like a football.

Bake for 15 minutes. Take out of oven and brush the melted butter on. Put back in oven for 3 minutes, or until golden brown all around.

Take out and let cool, slightly, then cut into slices. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Please visit my canning buddies below. We all "Canned a Whole LOTT, Now We're Baking In Our Bistro"

a Latte' with Ott, A   http://www.alattewithotta.blogspot.com

A Happy Valentine  http://ahappyvalentine.blogspot.com/

Gourmet Meals for Less  http://www.gourmetmealsforless.com/

From the Hive  http://mamabeefromthehive.blogspot.com/

Frog Belly Soup  http://frogbellysoup.blogspot.com/

Each Tuesday, we will be sharing recipes using the items we canned, so be sure to check back often! Did you participate in canning week and have a great recipe to share? Email me and we'll get you on our next list!

Have a recipe to share? Link up here. 

This post was linked up to some of the parties shown here.

Applesauce/Apple Butter

When you're done here, make sure to check out Ott, A and her post!
Don't you just love the smell of apples and cinnamon? Oh, it makes the house smell so good! We love taking the kids out to the apple orchard and picking our own apples.

So what do you do with all those apples you picked? The possibilities are endless! Here's a recipe to use those apples in a couple of different ways.

We start out by making applesauce.

What you'll need:
Apples
Cinnamon
Apple Juice

Start out by cutting the apples into slices and remove the hard, inner cores. In a large pot, put in about an inch of apple juice. Add the apples and cinnamon to taste. I usually do a few shakes of the cinnamon shaker, then add more as it cooks if needed. Cook over medium heat until apples are soft.




A lot of people prefer to take the skins off at this point using a food mill, or sieve/grinder. But while I was on vacation in Nashville, Indiana I went into one of the country stores. The kind where the little old lady who was probably around when Johnny Appleseed came to town is in the back with the big kettle making the apple butter right there. Anyway, their apple butter was so delicious and she told me the secret was NOT to remove the peel. Who'd have thought? Since then, I always leave it on.

Next, I put the apples in the blender, filling it about 3/4 of the way full, and run it on "Chop". At this point, you have applesauce. Now, you can fill your jars and seal.




OR....make apple butter!
To make apple butter, pour your blended apples into the crockpot. Add one cup sugar to every four cups of apples. Then add cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Start out with a little bit of each and taste, adjust accordingly. The applesauce will need to cook for several hours, about 12 hours for a full crockpot. You don't need to worry about stirring it. After about 4-6 hours of cooking, add more sugar, at half the rate as before. So if you originally added two cups of sugar, add just one cup this time. Stir in the sugar and continue to cook. If your slow cooker has "hot spots", you will need to stir occasionally. After 10-12 hours of cooking, you're ready to pour into jars and seal.

To seal applesauce or apple butter, fill jars within 1/4" of top, wipe down rims and apply lids and rings. Place in boiling water for 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts. Let cool overnight and make sure jars have sealed properly.

Grilled Apples

This post was linked to some of the parties shown here

Canning Week is coming! August 23-27 is canning week here and over at my blogger buddy's page here. We'll be having a linky party, recipes, tips, tricks, and GIVEAWAYS!!! See the button on the right? Go ahead and slap that on your blog and let me know so you can get your entries in early. We're also on Facebook! Join up to our group for an additional entry!

If you saw Wednesday's post, then you know we have a ton of apples. Most of them we used to can some yumminess! In just a few days, you'll be able to see it during CANNING WEEK!!! But we did hang on to a few for some other goodies. Last night, since it had finally dropped below 90000000 degrees, we pulled the grill out and had some juicy steaks, baked potatoes, and grilled apples. Think apple pie without the crust.

To begin, wash the apple and cut out a bit of the core at the top. You'll want to cut down about an inch and a half.

Next, put a pat of butter inside the apple.

Then top with some cinnamon and a bit of sugar.

Wrap tightly in foil and grill until tender, but not mushy.

When you take it off the grill, if it's not too mushy, you'll be able to cut it in slices and core it without it falling apart.

Serve hot with your other grilling goodness!

Caramel Apple Cookies

Ok, so it's been a while, but I've finally posted a new recipe!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 Grannie Smith Apple, peeled and diced
• 1/2 Red Delicious Apple, peeled and diced
• 3/4 c Caramel baking pieces (look for the small caramel baking bits that you melt to make caramel apples)
• 3/4 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t cloves
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cream shortening, sugar and egg. Add half of the dry ingredients.
3. Blend in milk and remaining dry ingredients.
4. Stir in apples and caramels
   
5. Drop on greased cookie sheet and bake 13-15 minutes, or until cookies are no longer shiny