An Apple a Day...

A favorite activity for my family to do during the fall months is apple picking! It's a great way to spend some time outdoors, my kids love that they can pick something that they can eat as well as pull a cute wagon to carry all the apples in.

(my cute family apple picking)

 

We don't usually go so early in the season but that particular Saturday was suppose to be a nice cool day, perfect for apple picking. We tried to go apple picking at the farm we like to visit however, they were not ready for anyone to pick apples yet. Luckily up the street from them there was a farm all ready for us called Strawberry Hill Farm. The owner let my kids feed their chickens and let us know where all the apples were and which were ready for picking, we had a nice time.

Since we picked so many apples I searched Pinterest to see if I could find any good sounding apple recipes, I came across two. The first one was Crock Pot Apple Butter, I wasn't feeling well but still wanted to make something with the apples and I figured something using a crock pot would make things easier! The recipe is simple and the finished product is great.

Ingredients:

12  apples
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Directions:

Core, peel and cut apples into small chunks. (They break down faster the smaller you cut the chunks.) Mix in all the spices, sugar and water. Cook on low in your crock pot, I checked on mine and stirred it a few times throughout the day. Once it's broken down and pretty mushy I broke out my immersion blender and blended it till it was smooth. Place into jars for storage and let cool.

The apple butter was tasty, I could eat it on its own. I did put it on a bagel with cream cheese as well as warm biscuits. My family loves it as well, my daughter wanted to eat it on its own too!

The second recipe I found was Caramel Apple Crisps for Two. My husband and I wanted a nice quick treat after dinner and this was perfect. It was super easy to make and man was it good!

Ingredients: 2 medium apples, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 to 2 heaping tablespoons Caramel Topping
Cream or Ice Cream (optional)

Directions:

Place apple slices in two small, greased ramekins.  Spoon Butterscotch Caramel topping over the apples.  In a bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oats and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over apple slices and caramel.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Serve with cream or ice cream if desired.

I definitely recommend this for a nice treat, it was easy to make, didn't take a lot of dishes, took no time to cook and was delicious. I do want to try this again with vanilla ice cream, I'm sure it will taste fantastic.

Baby Bubble Quilt

I'm very new at sewing, I've done a few projects but I chose easier ones since I just started using and getting to know my sewing machine. I have never quilted but have wanted to because quilts can be so pretty and also can be great gifts.

My brother-in-law just recently had a sweet baby girl and I wanted to make something special for her so I decided to try a quilt, not just any quilt, a bubble quilt. With a bubble quilt not only could they possibly use it as a blanket but they could also use it as a soft cushioned place the baby could lay, play or sit.

I found a pattern from a woman named Skylar's website, http://www.awaitingada.com/2012/06/bubble-quilt.html. The directions are easy to follow and she had some video tutorials to help along the way so I figured it would be easy! It wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be, after you sew a smaller square to a larger one then stuff it and do six of them then you sew the bubbles together. When sewing the bubbles together it can get a little tricky, the bubbles are fluffy and when sewing two together you have to mash them together to get them to sew together properly. After you sew the six squares together and have your row you sew the rows together, they too can be difficult again because of how fluffy the bubbles are.

The fabric I chose and its layout.

 

Some of the rows after being sewn together.

I had to get the quilt done in a week and miraculously I did!  However, I did cut a corner and bought a ruffle instead of making my own. The ruffle was also smaller then the one the pattern called for, mine was two inches, which I think was better because the ruffle seemed to big on the pattern's picture. I bought a soft minky fabric for the back and sewed the ruffle and the minky to the bubbles, wrong side out leaving an opening then inside it out, which was also a workout, and hand sewn the rest.

Here is my final product:

Here's a link where I got my fabric from, they are currently out of stock of this fabric but it is really nice: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0096T5GVO/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was pleased with how it turned out, and if I do ever plan on making something like this again I will give my self more than a week. I ended up breaking 3 needles because I hit pins accidentally so I had to make a run to the store to buy new ones, also like I said I am very new to sewing and had other complications that were frustrating and exhausting. I would recommend giving yourself some time to make it even if you are experienced rushing through a project isn't always the best idea, luckily it turned out ok for me. I think that my next quilt will be a regular one to see if I can do them, hopefully it will be a little easier.

Anyone that is good at sewing and using their machines any tips or trick would be greatly appreciated! Or if you have an easy quilting pattern you would recommend I would love to hear about it.

Crockpot cooking

I'm not a huge fan of crock pot cooking mainly because I haven't found many recipes I like, using the crock pot. I do not like to use cream of anything soup, my husband hates them and I'd rather use fresh ingredients, and a lot of the crock pot recipes use these soups. I still attempt recipes because I like the idea of not having to fuss too much over dinner.

I just recently tried Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken, it didn't use any soups and sounded tasty! It did come out really good, I accidentally over cooked mine due to a last minute errand I had to run, but it still tasted pretty good. It reminded us slightly of barbecue, it has a lot of great flavor and wasn't bland, like most of crockpot recipes I find.

Ingredients

 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons dried minced onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs...I use breasts

Sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley

 

Directions

 Combine the first five dry spices in a small bowl and spread over chicken on both sides. Set aside. Pour olive oil and garlic on the bottom of the crock pot. Place chicken on top. Pour balsamic vinegar over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Sprinkle with fresh parsley on top to serve
http://providenceltddesign.com/home/sunday-supperbalsamic-chicken-in-the-crock-pot

My chicken was frozen, but it still cooked as long as recommended. I also didn't have minced onion I had onion powder which still worked. I do want to attempt this recipe again and try it when its not over cooked(oops).

I have been in search of a new side to my meals, I'm bored with rice and potatoes in one form or another. One of my sides with the chicken was Amish noodles. They were ok, my kids liked them, I  was disappointed with how they came out, I feel they were a little dry, in fact I had to add more chicken broth because some of my noodles did not cook through.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth

12 ounces egg noodles

 

Directions

In a large pan, brown the butter.

Add broth and bouillon cube, bring to a boil. Add noodles, bring to a second boil, cover and turn off heat. (leave pot on the same burner). Let stand 30 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times

http://www.food.com/recipe/amish-noodles-223730

 

I followed the directions completely but like I said my noodles didn't cook so I had to add another cup of broth. I found them bland and dry, the picture on the site makes them look yummy fluffy and moist(the reason I tried them) but it didn't turn out that way. I don't think I'll be attempting them again.

 

If anyone has tried these recipes I would love to hear how they came out for you, or if you had to change anything as well that maybe helped with the flavor let me know, I'd love some feed back!

Deodorize your mattress

I have come to find out that some of the best cleaning products out there are most likely something you already have at home, vinegar and baking soda! The vinegar deodorizes and sanitizes, the baking soda also deodorizes but is an abrasive that really gets things clean.

My son is a bed wetter unfortunately, we do use the overnight diapers but occasionally run out. When he does wet the bed it stinks and can stink up his bed room as well. Another great pin I have come across is how to get the stink out, http://www.howtocleanthings.com/bedandbath/how-to-clean-mattress.htm. What you do is put white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray the mattress until wet then sprinkle the baking soda over it and let it fizz. Allow the baking soda and vinegar sit till it all dries, it will strongly smell of vinegar but don't worry it fades quickly. After its all dried get your vacuum and vacuum the mattress, it's that simple!

It has worked for me every time I've done it, like I said my son is a bed wetter so I use this method often. It is great too because there is no harsh chemicals that can affect my son.

Ready for the Fall

So I have been so over summer and am excited for the fall weather to come. I love the fall the hearty food, the beautiful trees, apple and pumpkin picking, and sweaters! I really can't wait for the hearty food, so recently we had some unseasonably cooler weather here and I figured I would take advantage of it and make something hearty, to hold me over till fall.

I decided to make a Steak and Mushroom Pot Pie, a recipe I found on Pinterest.

Makes 4-6 pot pies
1.5kg (3.31 pounds) stewing beef (I used chuck steak cut into chunks, bone removed)
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
250g (8.82 ounces) mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. each dried thyme, dried rosemary and dried oregano (I like the earthiness of the dried herbs)
2 bay leaves
500ml (16.91 fluid ounces) (2 cups) strong beef stock (alternatively add a heaped tbsp. Bovril to 500ml (16.91 fluid ounces) water)
1 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 50ml (1.69 fluid ounces) milk
salt & pepper to taste
1 roll ready-made puff pastry, rolled out slightly
1 egg, beaten

• For the filling, brown the beef in a large pot. Remove and set aside.
• In the same pot, fry the onion, carrots and celery sticks until soft and fragrant (about 10 minutes).
• Add the mushrooms and garlic and fry for 5 minutes before adding the paprika and herbs.
• Pour in the stock and add the browned beef back into the pot. Stir to combine everything and reduce the heat. Cover the pot and allow the stew to simmer gently for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
• When the meat is really tender (when you press a piece with a spoon it should break apart), turn the heat up and pour in the cornstarch mixture. Allow the sauce to simmer rapidly and thicken for about 10 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 350.
• Divide the beef and mushroom filling between 4-6 oven-proof dishes (depending on size).
• Cut the pastry into squares big enough to cover the dishes, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Brush the rim of the dishes with some of the beaten egg then place the pastry on top and pinch the pastry onto the rim.
• Cut 2 slits into each pie to allow the steam to escape and brush with the rest of the beaten egg.
• Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is cooked through and golden brown.
• Remove and serve with vegetables of your choice.

Here's the link to the actual recipe: http://simply-delicious.co.za/2011/08/01/steak-mushroom-pot-pies/.

It came out pretty good, one thing I did that it didn't say in the directions was salted and peppered the beef before browning. When it was done cooking on the stove I did a taste test and it needed more salt and pepper so I added that before putting into the individual dishes. Also for my crust I used crescent dough, they now make it in sheets, they were a great topping for the pot pies the crescents have a slight sweetness to it that made it even better. My children enjoyed this meal as well especially getting their own little dish to eat out of.  This definitely was hearty and satisfied my craving, I will be making it again come fall.

Welcome!

Welcome to my page! I'm Karyn a stay at home mother of three, ages 7,5 and 2, who loves cooking, crafts, kiddy crafts and easy cleaning ideas. I want to share my own recipes, craft ideas, and cleaning tips, as well as others I've found online, with my spin on things to make things easier or tastier.

I hope to post often, weekly if not more and would love to hear comments and/or feedback on my posts from any of you!

Also you can follow me on Pinterest, where I get inspiration!