Caramel Apple Pie

I hate eating cooked fruit myself, but I do love baking pies . . . for someone else ;)

6 peeled granny smith apples, cubed or sliced

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Combine and place in your crust. Increase everything by 50% if you're using a spring form pan. I baked up mine in individual crusts, so it was about 1 apple per crust.

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup cooking oats

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup melted butter

Combine all ingredients and sprinkle evenly over pie filling.

Foil the pie and bake 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 25 minutes.

Drizzle with caramel:

7 oz of wrapped Kraft caramels

1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt together and pour over apple pie.

Dot with whipped cream and sprinkle a few more pecans on top to serve.

Quiche

I made these ones in 4 individual pie crusts, but usually do bake it in a 9-inch pie pan:

3 eggs

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt (pinch)

1 cup fat-free half and half

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

1 can diced green chilies

3-4 artichoke bottoms, diced

Pie crust for 9-inch pan.

Beat eggs, seasonings and milk. Layer cheeses, chilies and artichokes on bottom of crust and pour egg mixture over top.

Bake 35o degrees for 40-45 minutes.

I have made this with cheddar and pepper jack cheeses and have also put broccoli and mushrooms in it too.

I'm stuck on you

Nah, really just stuck on a mountain! No one likes this predicament:

Ditch on one side, drop off on the other . . .

The ditch IS an easier bind to get out of . . .

Were we prepared? Nope, nope. We only had a saw (as we were going to cut down a Christmas tree).

and the Christmas tree permit paper actually gave us a list of ways to be prepared before going out (note to self: read BEFORE venturing off and not while waiting to get unstuck in current situation) Bring a shovel, blankets, water . . . etc.

Grandpa is shorter AND goofier than the boys ;) haha
Kicking the snow out of the way:
I was in the car waiting to reverse and gun it - but really just taking pictures . . . and staying warm ;)
We did have our towing strap =)
But what really got us out was a prayer because Grandpa & Grandma's car was smaller than ours and we were in very deep snow with little room to maneuver around.

We drove in reverse all the way to the other road -maybe only a mile or so - but still craziness!

Brrrrrr, but not too cold for a hummingbird

It's snowy & 20 degrees outside! The hummingbird nectar was frozen solid, but I replaced 4 feeders off and on yesterday so my little friend (who doesn't know how to migrate) wouldn't starve:

He let me get pretty close for a picture:

Cranberry Sauce Anyone?

Homemade cranberry sauce:

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 whole cinnamon sticks

Bring to a boil and then add:

4 cups fresh cranberries (rinsed)

4 Cuties ( or 1 orange) peeled, remove seeds if applicable

Simmer together until berries begin to pop 5-10 minutes - you will hear the berries popping!

Remove cinnamon sticks and add:

1 can pineapple with its juice
Blend into a puree:

Pour into dishes and chill for 2 hours or more:

So, does anyone want my 2nd dish of cranberry sauce? (I made a whole batch and should have halved this recipe for the amount of people I am having over for Thanksgiving this year - my boys won't touch the stuff - hehe) If you live nearby, leave a comment and I'll draw someone's name =) Maybe I'll only get one comment, then it'd be yours easily!

Spice Cookie Cupcakes

Make a gingersnap cookie dough

Make a Spice cake mix

place a small amount of cake mix in your cupcake liner

then a rolled ball of cookie dough

and a little more cake mix

Bake as directed.

This process steams the cookie dough - yummy! Photo provided by Suze:

With the leftover dough, roll dough into balls and bake as directed into cookies. Let cool and crush into crumbs then sprinkle over maple frosting:

Emilee, I promise that the frosting is yummy ;) Another photo provided by Suze.

Birds

Look who I saw sleeping on my railing:

And who woke up when he heard the camera:

But decided I wasn't a threat, so thought it'd go back to sleepy:

But I kept taking pictures, so I guess I was bothering it:

I was so close to it - I love that! It was sooooo cuteness:

Then later I had TWO Pileated woodpeckers on my deck - they were making out or something ;)

And these pictures are horrible because I was taking them through my window and didn't even have time to adjust the setting on my camera, but it was still very cool!

They flew away when I opened the door to get a better shot =(

Oatmeal Spice Cookies

Here's a yummy oatmeal spicy cookie recipe:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

Cream together, then add:

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup oat flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp salt

3 cups oats

Stir into the butter mixture and drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Makes 36 cookies

Curtain Panels

Here is another before and after:

We painted and decorated, but I also sewed some red panels to hang for separation from the dining room to the living room:

Here is the opposite side - don't know where the before picture is =(

A lot of work, but it's coming together!

Teriyaki Chicken

1/2 cup Yoshida's sauce

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 head chopped garlic (of course I heart garlic so you can use less)

1/2 cup brown sugar

Juice from 1 can pineapple chunks

Marinade chicken for an hour after poking it to let the juices in. Grill chicken breasts while basting marinade each time you turn the chicken over. Cook remaining sauce on the stove top to kill any remaining bacteria and serve over the top of rice & chicken.

Kitchen Backsplash

I highly recommend everyone doing this! It really updated the kitchen =) We got our tile on Craigslist for $40. It's 2 different tiles, but I think it goes together well.

Before:
After (and my cute little curtains I sewed too):
Before:

After:

We need to grout it and put the outlet covers back on and I still need to paint the wall up above the tile - we didn't have enough to go all the way up to the cupboards, but can't beat the price and I think it will look just fine =)

Yummy Cheesecake Recipe

This is a recipe for cheesecake - trust me, don't lick the batter - you won't be able to stop ;)

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter

Mix together and press on the bottom of an ungreased pan - I use a Springform pan.

Beat together:

16 oz cream cheese

8 oz mascarpone cheese

Scrape bowl multiple times and mix until smooth and creamy.

Mix in:

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

Add and mix until smooth:

1 egg

I am making a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, so next I add in a handful of white chocolate chips on the crust:

Spoon batter over the top of that and spread evenly:

I used frozen raspberries - I heated 1 cup on the stovetop with a bit of sugar. Then spooned some on top:

Using a knife, I blended it throughout the batter:Bake 275 degrees for 1 hour. This will still be jiggly, no worries - refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Get Well!

I found this fun quote online and made it into a homemade card - it says 'Ask any child and they'll tell you that a bandage makes everything feel better'.

And I stapled character band-aids all around it - my uncle asked the nurses to use one whenever they drew blood and stuff - he's 62 and loved the 'fun' band-aids.

If you build it, they will come

. . . build a habitat that is ;) A cold and dying Fuchsia plant was finally noticed! Took about 1 month after I hung it up, but a hummingbird found me:And he sits in a tree around the corner from the feeder chirping his happiness:

While I am happy too, any chirping I did would get lost in translation ;)

Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

What is it? Because it looks like a melted butter sauce ;)

It's my own Chicken Noodle Soup recipe (Jonathan & Keaton's fav):

3 grilled chicken breasts basted with olive oil, salt and pepper, juice from 1/2 lemon & thyme

(I used to only put in 2 chicken breasts, but it's not enough for my fam - might be for yours though!)

In a pan, combine:

4 tbsp butter, melted

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

1 med onion, diced

Cook together for 5 minutes or so, add salt & pepper and 2 tsp thyme.

Add in a pot:

10 cups water on high heat

when water is boiling, add 2 cups noodles

Boil noodles for 6-8 minutes (undercook them!) Do not drain.

Add to the water pot and cook together until warmed - 10 minutes or less.:

3 tbsp or so chicken bouillon paste

1 cup cream

1 cup half & half (I use fat free)

Onion, carrot, celery mixture

Chicken breast cubes

This picture just shows the stuff that was hiding under the broth:

Taste it - does it need more water or bouillon? Add it ;)

Takes about 1/2 hour from start to serve =)

Super Saturday

Big Rock Super Saturday, November 20th 9 am to 1 pm.

Sign-up under comments, sign-up sheets on Sunday or by email.

Check back for updates - this is not complete yet - only estimates!

Knitted Furry Scarf:

Supplies to bring: size 11 knitting needles, 1 skein of furry yarn

Cost: 0

Class length: 1 hour

Wood Block Temple Picture:
Supplies to bring: printed 4x6 temple photo or personal picture, 2 different coordinating ribbon

Cost: $3

Class length: 1 hour

Vegan Cooking/Baking:

Supplies to bring:

Cost: $1

Class length: 45 min

Christmas Tree Decoration:

Supplies to bring: berries or other embellishment for draping

Cost: $3.50

Class length: 1 hour

Herbs to the Rescue:

Supplies to bring: Garlic Press (bring 2 if you have them!)

Cost: $2

Class length: 1 hour

Photography:

Supplies to bring: Camera

Cost: 0

Class length: 45 min

Photo Books:

Supplies to bring: laptop with Booksmart application downloaded on it along with all the photos you want to use

Cost: 0

Class length: 1 hour

Book Wreath:

Supplies to bring: Hot Glue Gun, 12 glue sticks, 600 page book (or a couple of books that are only 300)

Cost: $5

Class length: 2 hours

Bows & Clippies:

Supplies to bring: Hot Glue Guns & Glue Sticks

Cost: $4

Class length: 1 hour

Zipper Flowers:

Supplies to bring: Hot Glue Guns & Glue Sticks

Cost: $2.50

Class length: 45 minutes

Cupcake Hot Pads:

Supplies to bring: Sewing Machine, threaded bobbin, thread, Jeans needle, sewing scissors,

1/4 yard (11x22 inch) material for cupcake, fat quarter (9x6 inch) for frosting & 6'' or 1/2 to 3/4 inch ribbon for loop

Iron and ironing board

Cost: $1 per cupcake

Class length: 2 hours