Sunday, August 29, 2010

Apple Butter Update

Yesterday I mentioned that I was trying this Apple Butter recipe. A couple weeks back while I was out with a friend of mine, we passed an apple tree in the country that had apples all over, including a bunch all over the ground. We decided to stop and ask if we could pick some. The lady was so nice and even offered us a bag. When it was all said and done, we had two big bags full. If I had to guess, I'd say it was easily 25 pounds worth. Well, I'd baked my way through, eaten and given away so many, but the apples just wouldn't disappear! Finally, I came across the Apple Butter recipe. I've heard of it before, but I've never tried it. Since I'd canned most weekends over the summer, apple butter seemed like a nice fit. Well, after my crazy, insane baking day, I got caught up having a beer with the guys after dinner. Somewhere in the middle of beer number two, I remembered the big bowl of apples that were still sitting on the kitchen counter waiting to be peeled and chopped for the crock pot. Lovely!! The guys decided to help me out. So, there we sat, on a Saturday night. Music, beer, and apple peeling. Do we know how to party, or what?!? When we finished up, the crock pot was full. That was the only thing I didn't follow in the recipe. Everything else I left alone. When I woke up this morning, the house smelled amazing! The apple butter didn't look very appealing, though, and I wasn't sure if it was going to be a keeper. I decided to press on anyway. I ran the apples through the blender and through them back in the cooker for another hour. They thickened up nicely, but still looked scary. Really, the stuff looks like barbecue sauce! I reluctantly jarred it up and set some aside to finally try. It still smelled wonderful, I just had a hard time with the appearance. Now, I'm so mad at myself for not taking pictures! This stuff is so good! I can't wait to try it on biscuits or pancakes! It totally rocked on a blueberry muffin, too! I thought it would have the texture of jam, but was much lighter and sweeter like applesauce/syrup. The recipe couldn't have been much easier, and the end result was addictive. That's what I call a keeper. Now, I want to go pick apples again so I can make up a few more batches for Christmas presents. If you try it, let me know what you think! Until next time, rock on my friends!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Baking Day 8/28/10 Crazy Insane Edition!

Hey rockers! It's great to be back to my blog! As much as I hate to see summer leaving, it feels great to get back into the "normal" routine of life. I won't lie, though, it's been rough getting started. Today I felt like I was making up for several weeks worth of baking and prep work, even though I'd still accomplished smaller baking days throughout the summer.
With the garden still giving like crazy, we had to plug back in our big old standing freezer. It's an awesome feeling to know that it will be full soon with the summer's garden goodness that will last us the coming months.
Here's today's goodies:
3 (yes 3) Zucchini Pies ( to be frozen)
2 batches of blueberry muffins (snacks and breakfasts)
1 big pan of chicken breasts ( for dinners this week)
1 batch Latte Bars (I haven't made these all summer, I swear!)
1 pan of apple snack cake (snacks and lunches)
1 batch of bread pudding (breakfasts)
1 big BBQ pizza (lunches, not pictured because it was still in the oven)
Still on the list:
a big batch of salsa (for the freezer)
a batch of corn bread (for tonight's dinner)
and a batch of Apple Butter. I can't wait to try this! I'm going to toss everything in the slow cooker tonight before bed. Keep your fingers crossed. I'll post the results tomorrow.
I hope you're all having a great weekend! I'm going to finish up in the kitchen and then get back to enjoying this Saturday outside.
Until next time, rock on my friends!