Magical Apple Pie Filling. . .

We made Brin's Magical Apple Pie Filling earlier today. It says it's good for a beginner. I beg to differ. Maybe she meant "Good for a beginner with no children". It also doesn't help that I'm a canning virgin. Well. Not really. I watched Herbalina can some yesterday. Here are some shots of our afternoon. I plan to do another batch tomorrow.

SuperGirl, helping me stir.

Peelings from the first 20 apples. . .

Kitchen table, plus a Toys'R'Us gift mag, confiscated from the mail by the wee people.

Apple yumminess. That's a word, right?

How not to make the sauce. This is my second batch. The first batch, I heated while I finished cutting the apples. By the time I got back to the pot, it was already sticking to the bottom and no fun to stir. So this batch above, I poured everything into the hot water, corn starch included. Yeah. I forgot it helps to stir the cornstarch into some warm water to dissolve it before I cook with it. These were popcorn-size pieces that refused to dissolve.

They look so good before they go into the canning pot. The third batch of sauce worked like a charm.

After I removed them from their 20minute water bath, 4 of the 5 oozed their innards out. Not a delightful sight. Not on my first ever batch. Anywho, at Herbalina's recommendation, I put the ones that didn't seal back in for another round. That ended up being 4 of the 6. After I pulled those out, I had to give the last 2 a third bath. After they were all squeaky clean, only one didn't seal. Good golly, was that a LOT of work for 6 quarts. Let's say a prayer that the last 6 go much more smoothly. . .

More pictures to come. . .

Vintage Apple Festival. . .

We arrived at the Vintage Virgnia Apple Festival just before opening yesterday morning. Although it was chilly, it was perfect weather and crisp as could be.

It was a beautiful day, although it was chilly at first. The tent with the boxes under it was the main place to purchase your different apple varieties. Free samples too!


Just a few of the vendors on the right and a flatbed that had young ladies providing musical entertainment shortly after the picture was taken.


Three pots of applebutter going at once.


This one was still in the applesauce phase. Boy, did it smell yummocious.


The petting zoo that consisted of a precious calf and a skittish goat.


Preparing for the bumpy (read "extreme") hayride.


Another 30-minute hayride returning.


Girls playing their little hearts out. They did a wonderful job!





One of the barns I'd love to have.


A wonderful little pond on thier property.


A view of the festival while returning on the hayride.





A view of the trees on our bumpy excursion. Beautiful!


My boy on a tractor, completing our trip!


Almost home. . .


My $19 stash of apples for Christmas presents. They consist of Albemarle Pippins (delicious!), Ida Red, and Virginia Gold varieties. I plan to make some of Brin's Magical Apple Pie Filling to give as gifts. If any of you receive this, please act surprised, o.k.?

A Recipe and a Read. . .

Neither are mine, but I thought you may enjoy them regardless. The first is a book that caught my eye while perusing the current issue of Country Living magazine. It's The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life. Looks like fun!




And now a recipe! Have you seen Alton Brown on the Food Network? The man is awesome, in my book, and I always learn so much about food, too! On a recent episode (recorded in 2002) I stumbled across, he was chatting it up about tomatoes. Did you realize they're considered a berry? Me neither. Anywho, here's a yummocious looking recipe of his for TBL Panzanella. If you're able, please catch the episode. It's so much more fun to watch him that to look at a plain 'ol recipe, wouldn't you think? It will air again on August 11th at 11p and 2a. Here's a quick synopsis of it from the shows site: "Tomatoes: Learn everything you need to know about making the best use of the biggest berry to ever be called a vegetable. Take a serious look at serrated knives, a strange and delicious sandwich and a tomato sauce that almost isn't."

Finished Product. . .

_____________________ Cobbler
(insert berry of your choice)

Mix:

1 Cup flour
1 Cup milk
1 Cup sugar
1 Tsp. baking powder

Cook 1 quart of berries on stove until hot and bubbly, adding a
little water if necessary. Sugar if you like.

Mix 1 Tbsp. cornstarch into a little water and stir into
berries when finished cooking to thicken them up.

Melt 1 stick of butter in pan before adding berries.

Pour flour mixture over berries and put in the oven.

Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or so.

ENJOY!

Zucchini Bread Recipe!

This recipe is from my good friend Adrienne, the baking goddess.

Zucchini Bread

Beat 3 eggs and 2 c. sugar,
Add 1 c. oil, 1 T. vanilla,
Add 2 c. shredded zucchini

whisk together in another bowl:
3 c. flour, 1/2 t. baking powder,
1 t. baking soda, 1/2 t. salt,
1 T. cinnamon

Add wet ingredients to dry.
Makes 2 loaves.
Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

I threw in some blueberries, too. It's up to you, experiment!

Crunchy Top Apple Pie

Dough and Filling:
Dough for a double crust 9-inch pie (homemade, frozen, or refrigerated)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash salt
3 1/2 cups peeled, chopped cooking apples
1 (16-ounce) jar applesauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, chopped into small pieces
Crunch Topping:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Dash salt
1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a 9-inch pie pan with half of dough.

Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Stir in apples, applesauce, and lemon juice. Spoon apple mixture into pie pan and dot with butter. Cut remaining crust into strips; arrange in a lattice design over top of pie.

For crunch topping, combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Using a fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over top of crust.

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for about 45 minutes, or until crust and topping are golden brown.