I need Depends

Ahhh...holiday baking! Well, I scratched some of the things off my To DO list this weekend, but the one thing that I knew I would get done for sure was getting into the kitchen! As if any of you are surprised :) I know I've said it before, but I will say it again--if I could do any job, I would be a baker. I just love it THAT much!

Anyway my sister and two of my sister in laws came over to help me with my holiday cookie creations on Sunday afternoon. I am so mad at myself for not taking pictures of us in action! It was so much fun, and I wish I could have documented us going to town in our "Santa's workshop," but I guess we were just too busy getting down with our bad sugar cookie selves. At least I remembered to take pictures of the final product!

Ever since I received the December issue, I have been peeing my pants over these sugar cookies from Real Simple Magazine. Easy pee-sy (ha ha), and look how pretty they turned out! Since the whole idea from the mag was 1 batter, 10 ways, I couldn't resist making another batch...
This time with a peppermint twist. Yummers. Are you a thick or thin sugar cookie person? I definitely love the THICK (TWSS)! That's just the way to go for me--plus more surface area for things like sprinkles and chocolate :)

I have also been experiencing an embarrassing display of incontinence over Abby's delightful recipe, so of course I had to hug it out with tray after tray of these babies:
Just a word to the wise--1 bag of Hugs is not enough and a medium sized bag of pretzels is deceivingly large.
You will need to go back to the store multiple times to purchase more candy, and inevitably other items that you need/want/that were on sale and more candy. Sorry babe!

Also, since I had quite the plethora of pretzels, I tried another variation on the theme--Turtle Doves (get it? Turtle Doves for Christmas? Oh never mind). Perhaps you have seen these before, but I have not and I thought they were pretty rad.

Changes--sub Rolos for Hugs
and add pecans. I can't take complete credit for these, though. Remember the church shindig I went to as part of my old-lady in training last week? Some of the ladies there were talking about making these, and since I was already making Abby's little pretzel pieces of goodness and light, I thought these would fit right in.

I actually thought the Rolos melted a little more easily in the oven without getting too runny. And now my mind has been in constant creation mode, thinking of more variations on the theme. Maybe (probably) I will make some more.

And last, but not least, I made what I had actually set out to make all along! My cinnamon apple trail mix, crafted from only the finest apples courtesy of my hugeormous apple tree. When we "suffered" through our apple madness this fall, we ended up dehydrating a BUNCH of apple slices, and it was probably the most efficient use ever. We managed to condense about 10 stuffed grocery sacks of apples into 1 large gallon bag (also stuffed).

I love trail mix, and it's a good thing this is all going to our neighbors (and my mom. Don't panic Mom, I saved some for you!), or I would be in big trouble!
In the mix: cinnamon dried apples, dried cranberries, white and dark chocolate chips, almonds and sunflower seeds.


My sister made fruitcake, too. but alas, no pics. It smelled amazing and came out almost more like a spice cake with dried fruit than a traditional (much maligned) fruitcake. She made it gluten free (for her bf) and used dates, dried apricots, cranberries and mucho nuts. I *think* she is saving some for when we're all home at Christmas, though, so maybe I'll get the chance to put it up later.

Have you ever tried fruitcake? I have once and I don't remember feeling one way or the other about it, really.

Happy humpday to everyone--is your week/month just FLYING by?? Good grief. It will be Christmas and the New Year before we know it! Gotta start thinking of some resolutions...but for now I resolve to stop talking, tell you I love you, and peace out! xoxo

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Oats aka Locked In

So, a funny thing happened to me on the way to breakfast the other morning...No, this is NOT a joke. But my husband sure thought it was humorous.

I got the chance to sleep in a little bit--and by sleep in, I mean, I woke up at 4:45, 5:15 and then made myself get back in bed until 5:52. It was my day OFF, dammit!!!

D had gotten up earlier and closed the door to our bedroom so he wouldn't wake me up showering (I'm very sensitive--so is he. Sweetie pie). All fine and dandy...until I got out of bed, thoughts of the delicious breakfast I had planned drawing me out of my covers and into the cold...I reached to open the door...stuck. Jiggled the handle. Twisted the knob. Turned again. Pulled as hard as I could. I was STUCK!!! Locked in my room! This is not a good thing.

I checked the lock, twisted and turned and pulled again, banging the door against it's hinges. Cripes! Totally peeved. How am I supposed to spend the day locked in my bedroom when i don't even have a computer in there?? Or a hacksaw to get out. Good grief. Luckily Dustin heard the ruckus from his bathroom and came to my rescue. After shoving his little pocketknife under the door so I could attempt to unscrew the doorknob, he threw his coat on over his pj's and came through the patio doors to finish dismantling the door. My knight in shining armor! Only I'm pretty sure most knights don't typically lock their princesses up to begin with.

I would like to point out that yes, I could have escaped through the patio doors as well, but I wouldn't have been able to get back IN the house at any other entry point since everything was locked. We're safe like that.

After Dustin picked himself up off the floor from laughing, and from me body slamming him on the way to the kitchen (kidding, kidding), he suggested that at least now I would have a good story to post on the blog. So there ya go!

Luckily, I have another good thing to post about today, too. The breakfast I was so excited to make before i realized I was trapped...


First of all, I found these in the store the other day and knew exactly what to use them for!

Look how cool! Think of the possibilities!

But there was only one possibility in the forefront of MY mind...

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Oats:

Soooooooo goooooood! This tasted like dessert. Creamy and gooey and warm. Is there a better way to start your day than with candy in your oats? No. Maybe a healthier way, but whatever to that. There is probably less sugar in my candied up bowl of oatmeal than a standard bowl of most cereals--at least I will tell myself that for the day :)

• 1/3 c oats, prepared
• 1 laughing cow cheese wedge
• 1 baby apple, chopped an steamed in the microwave
• cinnamon
• sprinkling of baby caramels

I mixed everything together and then microwaved to get the caramels to melt a little better. You guys, please make this! Your day will instantly become about 800 times better. Just like mine did when I got unlocked from my bedroom. But then again, any food might taste delicious after being released from five complete minutes of angry, door-pulling, temper-tantrum throwing solitude. Be safe out there peeps.

I don't know about you, but I am SOOOOO excited for only another half day of work and then a four day weekend! Yay! We are headed up to the MIL's to spend time with D's family which should be really fun. What are you all doing for the holiday? xoxo

Apples, Continued...

Well, our apple stash certainly is dwindling. And after this weekend's first snowfall of the season, we probably are down for the count...that and the fact that I have been eating them nonstop :)

Thanks to all your apple ideas, I have had tons of tasty recipes to experiment with, and this was one of my favorite suggestions. It was suggested by a sweet gal named Nina, but I don't think she has a blog of her own to link back to, so a big heaping thanks to her for this supremely seasonal Sweet Potato Apple Hash.

Based on Nina's suggestions, here's what I used:

• half a small-ish baked sweet potato
• 1 small apple, chopped
• an embarrassing amount of onion
• ~1/3 c. black beans
• chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and garlic
  

I sauteed up the onion, then added the apple and let it cook until it became a tantalizing golden brown. Mixed in the chunks of sweet potato and then added the spices. When everything started to darken a little on the edges, I stirred in my black beans and then dumped the mix over a bed of mixed greens. Topped of with a creamy cool dollop of Fage.
It was almost like a mock taco salad, and it was very delicious. I loved the crisp, juicy burst of flavor the apples offered to the dish and I thought it mellowed so well with the smoky spices and soft sweet potatoes.

More apple deliciousness, this time in the form of the world's best way to use up a $#@!load of apples. Applesauce. It's amazing. I filled up two HUGE pots to the brim with so many chopped apples that it made my head spin, and...well, you'll see how many jars I got out of all that slicing and dicing...

Because we had so many, I actually decided to try my hand at honest-to-goodness canning. It's an art-form and I'm bringin it back peeps :) Just call me Grandma Emily.

It's important to heat the jars first, and then scoop the applesauce into them while the sauce is still hot, too. That is a true adventure in not giving yourself tragic burns, so watch out.

According to my little canning guide, it's also important to get all the air bubbles out of the jar by pressing against the mush with a spatula. I had no idea if this was working because it still looked kind of bubbly. But I figured if it didn't work out and caused the jars not to seal properly, I would just have to eat it faster. Oh the horror.

the hardest thing is trying to work quickly so everything stays warm before you put it into it's big boiling bath. That way the glass kind of tempers itself and you don't end up with applesauce shrapnel all over your kitchen.
Boil for 20 minutes and voila!
Count em, baby. Seven jars. Seven. Over two hours of work and three huge grocery sacks full of apples equals seven jars. Not that I'm complaining. That is seven jars of sweet autumn bliss that I get to dig into until next year. Okay, well two, because I gave most of them away. Sigh....I am nice like that ;)

I mentioned up there that my apple hash reminded me of a taco salad. Ever since eating it, I don't know what my deal is , but I have been CRAVING taco salad in the worst possible fashion. Weird. Is there anything you have been craving recently?

Also, have any of you ever canned or done any preserving?

My mother-in-law lives in an area that is very bounteous in terms of it's local produce, and I first became interested in it when I was up there last summer and saw her and her neighbors bottling everything from peaches to asian pears to plums, grape juice, and yes, applesauce. I thought it was the coolest thing that they actually had that much of a surplus and were putting it to good use. I think I made a few comments to that effect, and sure enough, I got the whole kit n caboodle of canning supplies for my birthday last year (nevermind that I didn't have anything to actually can at that point). Thanks MIL!! Very useful :)

Speaking of being useful, don't forget to click here to send Holly some "well wishes" and over here to help Katie's cause.

Have a great day everyone! xoxo

Tea and Sandwiches

I have to start by saying I loved your response to my last post. Although a lot of you commended me for trying it, very few would be willing to chance it yourself. Come on you guys, you are more adventurous than that! Just kidding--if not for FFF, I may never have risked that amount of potent fermentation myself. ;)

Anyway, after my international adventure yesterday, I decided it would be quite fitting to continue on today with my own redneck version of a continental tea party!

Thanks in part to my faveee healthy Holly, who sent me the most awesomest (yeah, I know that's not a word) package, which I received in the mail yesterday.


Green roasted loose leaf tea, with a little infuser spoon thingy (yay!!!), some sweet coupons for my penny pinching little behind and the most ingenious chocolate bar ever--nutmeg and cacao nibs. I can't wait to try that one!

But of course, I didn't wait to try the tea! I was so excited to use my new tea spoon and I loved the comforting flavor of this slightly smoky, but light and delicate blend.

Thanks so, so much Holly! Muah! Big kiss to you.

And now on to the sammies! What's a proper English tea party without a dainty little sandwich?

Whole grain bread toasted with laughing cow, pumpkin butter and thinly sliced apples. This idea courtesy of a combo of some of the suggestions listed on my apple ideas post. Seriously, if you guys are overrun with fall fruit, check that post for some super inspiration. I even think pears would work wonderfully in most of the suggestions.

...and then this mouthful of glory and goodness.
Ok--I have to admit--this was NOT a dainty little bite, but rather a huge chunk of the most delicious homemade bread I have ever tasted.

Slathered with peanut butter....

and jelly....

YUM!

The neighbor who brought this over actually taught a bread baking class at our church activity today. I'd been raving about that loaf of love all week, so I HAD to check it out. Now, I too, can make scrumptious hunks of dough seeded with nutty pops of whole grain wheat...that might be dangerous.

*Sigh* still no Philly cheese steak this week, but I have not given up hope yet--I WILL get one, and it better be good when I get it! Grr :p

Hope everyone's weekend is going swell! I may attempt this bread baking business tomorrow, so if I do, I'll let you know how that goes. What was the last thing YOU baked? xoxo

Fall Things

Well, even though it snowed yesterday (grrr!) and I've been sipping my holiday themed gingerbread tea, I am still in the mood to savor the things of fall.

Some good ones I've been enjoying:

Raking leaves. I actually love seasonal chores like this. Plus it is a FANTASTIC upper body workout. I feel ripped after raking both my front and back yard. I had no idea how big they are, or how many leaves would fall! See all those piles??

Football. I have never been to a live football game in my life, but somehow I got talked into going to my first one last weekend. My hubby's college roommate is way into the University of Utah's football and they were playing Airforce, so we couldn't miss it :) It RAINED on us for about an hour, it was freezing and they went into overtime. Ugh. Evidently I am a super fan now, too, because I tolerated and sat through the WHOLE game and I didn't even complain once. What a good wife. (jk babe) Of course, I've been getting some great fall time eats in, too! Still sitting in bazillions of apples, so what's a girl to do?

Get cookin!

Inspired my Susan's homemade applesauce the other day and Lauren's instruction, I whipped up a batch of the sauce myself.

Before

After Easiest thing ever. Apples, water, cinnamon and vanilla. Delicious. My only mistake? Not making enough! Luckily it's so simple, I can do it any time I've got an extra hour or so for the apples to simmer on the stove.

This thing:

In all my leaf raking and yard prep the other day, D and I discovered these watermelon radishes that we planted in some pots this summer. So pretty! Pink and green is one of my favorite color combos, so I was all about this. They tasted just like regular radishes, except perhaps not as spicy. Great with hummus!

More apples. This time in the form of some struessal-topped Dutch Apple bread from Eating Well.
This recipe was suggested by a couple of you readers during my apple giveaway. Thanks guys! I seriously loved those suggestions--so creative! I'm still going back and checking them for more ways to use up my apples.
The streussal was the best part of this bread. It turned out kind of dry which was disappointing, but is definitely better second or third day.

Also, I don't know if you guys can see, but the weirdest thing is happening to my apples when I put them into baked goods with the peel on! There is some sort of strange oxidation or something occurring during the baking process because the RED peels are turning slightly purple and then bright GREEN! It kind of makes the apple chunks look like onions--weird! Anyone know what's up with that?

Oh, and a lot of you were anxious to know where I'd picked up that Gingerbread Chai mentioned in my last post, and above. I understand your excitement for sure! I almost peed my pants when I saw it :) I just got it at my local Smith's store. It's a Kroger brand chain, so hopefully you all can find it in your neck of the woods(s).

Have a great Wednesday everyone! Almost to the weekend again! xoxo

Doughy Delight aka Apple Cheddar Scones

Well, you guys are probably sick of all the apples by now, but I've still gotta eat 'em, so I guess you'll still have to look at 'em :) I am kind of on overload, but it's not so bad--particularly when I get to make things like this: Apple Cheddar Scones!

This creation was inspired by a lovely suggestion on the giveaway post by Ellie of Inside I'm Still Dancing. Great idea sister! She suggested a couple of recipes, but I ended up using a hybrid of this one and another one that has now mysteriously disappeared from Cooking Light. With alterations, of course. Really, recipes are just guidelines, right?

So, modifications included, here is MY scone recipe and a bazillion pictures.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 packet SunCrystals/Stevia
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp herbs de Provence
• 2 tablespoons BUTTER, chilled
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (see substitute below)
  
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 c. shredded reduced fat cheddar
• 1 medium apple, chopped

First of all, chop up your apple because other wise it will be in your way, all rolling around everywhere and set aside.

Spoon flour into measuring cups and mix with sweetener, baking powder, baking soda, salt and herbs de Provence.

Next, dice butter into smaller pieces and cut into the flour mixture using a fork, or your hands. I find that fingers work best for mixing most things. From hours of Food Network knowledge, I have learned that it is very important that the butter be CHILLED. Just ask Ina Garten. I have also learned that after cutting the butter in, the finished product should look like little pea-sized clumps. Comme ca:

Then combine your wet ingredients. Most recipes I saw called for buttermilk. But if you're like me, it's just not the type of dairy you have hanging around the house. I bet you could make an amazing swap with plain yogurt, but I was being cheap (ahem I mean frugal) and hoarding mine. If that's the case, it's super easy to create a sub using regular milk and a couple of drops of vinegar. Make sure to let it sit for about five minutes, and then it's ready to use.

Mix buttermilk/buttermilk backup with egg whites and stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in most of your cheese, reserving some for garnish, and then add diced apples.

The dough will be very sticky, but don't worry, it will work up as you knead it. Turn sticky dough onto a floured surface and knead about 4 times.

Pat dough into a circle and transfer to a cooking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and score into 12 wedges.

Bake at 400 degrees for approx. 18 minutes or until it starts to brown.

I served these along side a deliciously velvety bowl of butternut squash soup for the most delightfully autumnal meal. So good. I am remembering my love for soup-especially when there is some sort of doughy carb-goodness to dunk in it :)

I can picture so many yummy variations on this recipe. If I hadn't had cheddar in the fridge, I would have used feta and combined that with walnuts and the apples. Miss Ellie also suggested roasted red pepper and Parmesan or spinach and feta as well. Fantastic!

What kind of scones would you make?

Have a great day everyone!

Step by Step...and GIVEAWAY WINNER!!

I've talked it up and talked it up....and now finally here it is! My Dad's WORLD FAMOUS UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS AWARD WINNING APPLE PIE!! (Well, if your world is a teeny town in Wyoming, but the rest is all true).

Oh, you thought I was going to announce the winner of my fabulous giveaway? I will. After I tease ya a bit with this loverly step by step!

On Friday, my girl Kristie came over so I could give her a pie tutorial. I mostly remembered to take pictures along the way. We ended up making 4 pies and a couple of baby tarts with the leftover scraps. Quite a nice way to use up approx 15 pounds of apples.

First up, I peeled, cored and sliced them all up, being extra careful not to include any little wormies in the mix. I know they would be extra protein and all, but.... I was kind of sad to see the peels go in the trash bowl. It's the best part! Next time--pie with peels, everyone!! I am happy to report that I followed my papa's recipe to a T by using the evil of all fats: Mmmm...lard I try not to think about it. Since I was being all "authentic," I even decided to actually GREASE the pie tins instead of just using a little spritz of Pam. Daredevil, I am. After mixing up the top-secret crust, I chunked it out into four equal sections (enough for top and bottom crust for two pies), and let it rest for a sec before rolling it out. That's a little tip my daddy told me. If you let the crust sit for a little bit after mixing, it rolls out about a billion times easier, which is nice because then it doesn't tear like a darn wet tissue for pete's sake. After placing beautifully rolled out crust into your GREASED pie tin, layer in apples, sugar, spice and some little dobs of BUTTER (OMG, who AM I???).Cover with your top crust and make cute little designs on the edges to help it stick together. Also, don't forget to poke some little holes in the top so you can see if the filling is all bubbly. That's how you know it's done! Before After Ta-dah! So, I made two, and this one is kind of the ugly duckling of the bunch, but I totally forgot to take a picture of the other one before I gave it away. Oh well. But this is a much better looking picture: And this... The only thing I did differently than my dad is that I added ice cream to the finished product. He prefers cream. Not whipped. Not from a can. Just cream. (Gag--I mean, sounds great!) My family does not believe in including ice cream with other desserts. No ice cream and cake, or brownies, and they don't make an exception for pie, either. They are ice-creamists. I don't know what's wrong with them. I like to be all inclusive, however. Deconstructed. Look at that flaky crust! My dad is a genius.

Well, you made it this far! I guess it's now time to announce the winner of my very first giveaway!
The Skinny Plate was commenter 14, so she is the lucky girl! Congratulations!! Now you can make your very own apple creations at home, just like yours truly. Kindly send me your info, and I will ship everything off asap. Thank you so much to everyone who entered. I really wish all of you could have won! I kind of felt bad picking a singular winner,but I guess that's the meaning of a contest, right?

I was so pleased with the response, and really loved reading all of your suggestions. I also picked up some great new blogs to read, and I hope some new readers of my own, too!

I also wanted to give a shout out to Willey Beers at Creative Clay Works. He is the awesome dude who created the amazing apple baker. I think I met him when I went to pick up the prize for the giveaway, and he was super cool. If you didn't win, and you're dying for a little apple lovin', be sure to check out his site. You can absolutely order online, and it's very reasonably priced. He also makes really beautiful pottery baskets and loads of cute gift items. Love it!

So sad that it's the beginning of the workweek, but so GLAD I got to give away a great prize and chow some yummy pie. Look for LOTS more apple-icious dishes coming up this week, thanks to you guys and your great ideas. Have a wonderful evening! xoxo