It's Apple Time!!

   Apples, Apples, Apples everywhere!! And what better way to fix apples is applesauce. Unless it's apple pie. Or apple butter. Or apple crisp. Or fried apples. Well, okay, applesauce is one of the better ways to fix apples.
      I decided to try making my own applesauce this year and can it. I've canned fruit spread in the past so I have a handle on the basics. Since I don't have a lot of time to spend preparing what I'm going to can I decided to give crockpot applesauce a try. I searched online for good, easy recipes and I found one from The Kitchn.

Ingredients
6 large apples, any variety (approximately 3 pounds)
2 cinnamon sticks or about 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Makes just over 4 cups

Peel and chop the apples: Peel the apples with the vegetable peeler, then cut them into quarters and slice out the cores. Roughly chop apples into 1- to 2-inch pieces, depending on how chunky you prefer your applesauce.
Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of the slow cooker, and close the lid.
Cook the applesauce: Cook on high for 4 hours, stirring twice during cooking.
Puree the applesauce, optional: If you like chunky applesauce, you can skip this step altogether. But it you prefer a more smooth texture, remove the cinnamon stick, then mash the applesauce until it reaches the consistency you like.
Cool and store: Cool the applesauce, then divide between several containers. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

      I made my applesauce a little different. I cooked on low for 8 hours. Instead of using a regular slow cooker I used my Ninji 3-in-1 Cooking System. What is really great about this system is after the time elapses for the slow cooking, the buffet mode kicks in and will keep food warm for up to 12 hours. This feature really works great for making applesauce for canning because I cook my apples overnight then kept them warm through the day while I'm at work. When I get home from work, the applesauce is ready to be canned. I didn't want to get up super early before work to peel and cut apples for cooking so the overnight cooking and day warming solution worked perfect.

     We peeled over three pounds of apples for the first batch we made and expected to have quite a bit of applesauce to can. We were wrong!! The apples cooked down and all we got was two pints and one half pint.

 

 

     The next day we made more applesauce only this time we peeled enough apples to fill the Ninji's pot to the top. This definitely had a much better output as we got five pints out of that batch.

     










 I still have quite a few apples left and my plan is to do more applesauce. And apple butter. And fried apples. And apple pie filling. And . . . Well you get the idea. Let me know what all you've been doing with apples this season. I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for visiting with me at "Down Home at Dee's"

Deana

October has a lot to Celebrate!!

     October is a month of celebrations. Not only does October kick off the Holiday season by being the time of year for all of the Harvest Festivals and, of course, the fun dress up time of Halloween, October is also national Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National Chili Month, National Dessert Month, National Pasta Month, National Roller Skating Month and Adopt-a-Shelter Dog Month. Whew!! That's a whole lot of reasons to celebrate.
      Three years ago this month I celebrated Adopt-a-Shelter Dog Month by bringing home my very beautiful Pit Bull mix Rosie. She has been a wonderful addition to my household. I can't remember what my life was like without her. She brings so much love and fun into my life.

Rosie's favorite thing to do is lay with her head in my lap.

Rosie loves playing Frisbee and ball. I'm not quite sure how she knows where she's going. Lol.

The Rose is not a morning dog. I can't get her out of bed in the mornings.

Lochlan & Rosie catching bubbles.

Rosie & Me

     My plan this month is to celebrate as many of the monthly events as possible but this past week has been very hectic and I've not done anything. My mother was staying with my daughter while she recuperated from surgery but my daughter had a virus hit her household so my mother came to stay with me. To make a long story short this week has been physically and emotionally draining. I'm taking her home tomorrow so I am hoping that I can get back on track with my plans for the Holidays.
      I have begun to decorate the outside of my house for Autumn/Thanksgiving. I'll make a few changes to show my Halloween Spirit next week. I have to get a couple of items and I'll have my outside complete. I have to take the pool down and I'm sad about that. Doing that makes it more real that summer is over. But before I know it, the warm weather will be back again.
      Stayed tuned for the ways that I'll be celebrating all of the great things this month. I have some good plans to carry out. I hope you'll share with me some of the ways you plan on celebrating October. 

Thanks for visiting with me at "Down Home at Dee's"

Deana

White Chocolate . . . Yum!!!

     September 22nd was a very special day. Not only is it the first day of the Fall season it was National White Chocolate Day. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate this day?! I had so much going on that I didn’t get a chance to celebrate on the official day so I’m going to celebrate today. On my birthday. And I’m not one to pass by a reason to celebrate especially if it includes chocolate.

     White Chocolate didn’t officially become part of the chocolate family until 2004 but it’s been around since 1930. Me? I don’t care when it became part of the chocolate family, I’m just glad Nestle created it.
     My two favorite chocolates are White Chocolate (bet you didn’t guess that) and dark chocolate. To celebrate National White Chocolate Day I’m combining these two great flavors into one delicious treat – Dark Chocolate Brownies with White Chocolate Chunks. 

  

Ingredients

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces good-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Baker’s), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Yield - Makes 16 brownies

   
   Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 8-inch square baking pan. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature.

I used Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate

Combine 2/3 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Whisk 1 cup sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in medium bowl until mixture is very thick, about 3 minutes. Whisk in melted chocolate mixture, then flour mixture. Stir in white chocolate. Transfer to prepared pan.

I used Baker's White Chocolate

 Bake brownies until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 28 minutes. Transfer brownies in pan to rack; cool completely then cut.

YUMMY for my tummy!!

Thanks for visiting with me at "Down Home at Dee's"

Deana

Halloween Creation

     A couple of years ago at JoAnn Fabrics I found directions for making a really great Halloween Mesh Wreath. I’ve been planning on making this wreath since then but just never got to it. Mostly because by the time I’m in the Halloween spirit the craft stores are already into the Christmas season and I couldn’t get the material I needed to make it. This year I’m trying to be proactive and get my stuff done early. 

     I didn’t follow the direction exactly as they were written since I always put my own creative spin on what I make.  Here’s a list of what I used and where I got it from along with the link for the directions from JoAnn’s. 

Materials
1 roll of large black mesh with orange, green and purple stripes – Walmart
18” metal wreath frame – Walmart
Halloween picks – Michael’s (I didn’t use the pumpkins)
3 rolls of ribbon – orange, green and purple – Michael’s
Floral Wire – Walmart
Scissors
Wire Cutters
Bowdabra – purchased a long time ago and don’t remember where
Directions – JoAnn’s

     Attach the end of the mesh roll to the back of wire frame at a cross section. Take the mesh to the front side of the frame, skip a cross section then secure using floral wire. Switch the mesh to the back and secure using floral wire, skipping a cross section. Do this twice around the wire frame. The second time around the mesh should attach to a skipped cross section. Basically you are going to attach mesh to every other cross section for two rounds. 

Tie ribbon around wreath where the mesh is attached to the front to hide the floral wire. Then insert Halloween picks into the bows.

Place the rest of the Halloween picks around wreath and add a ribbon bow.

 

  I made my bow with the Bowdabra. You can tell by the box I’ve had the Bowdabra for many years but I really haven’t used it.  I was at a festival, saw a vendor using hers and decided it was time I pulled mine out. You can get the Bowdabra from Amazon, Michael’s, JoAnn Fabrics Fabrics and Hobby Lobby. It is definitely worth getting if you plan on making bows and really easy to use. I watched several YouTube videos on how to use it that were great.

      This wreath is another project I plan on entering into the County Fair next year. I’m working on my list. One project at a time.

Thanks for visiting with me at "Down Home at Dee's"

Deana

Getting Ready for the Holidays!!!

    The first day of Fall just passed and I'm already talking about the Holiday season? Really?! I know you're thinking "Geez! She's rushing the seasons." 
     Well, it’s like this. I am always behind when it comes to getting ready for the Holidays. Every year I tell myself “This year I’m gonna be on top of it.” And I'm not. The season gets underway and I feel rushed and off-balance. I have that constant stress of feeling like I'm always behind and need to catch up. I get overwhelmed. Mainly because I don’t have a plan of action. It’s amazing how much a plan can help. For me anyways. Probably because I’m ADHD and have a hard time keeping my focus. A plan and/or a checklist really helps me keep on track.

     I was doing some web surfing and I came across a website called Organized Home where there are several getting ready for the Holidays plans. Each plan is designed to fit different needs. I am really excited about finding this website. I don’t have to create a my own plan I’m going to use theirs. I’ll tweak  it to fit my needs but this will be a great starting point.
     I’ve signed up for the email and Facebook prompts to help me stay motivated and started printing out my notebook for the year. Of course, I found this plan after it started so it turns out I’m about 3 weeks behind but I think if I work the current week and fit a past week in at the same time I should be able to catch up.
     I am hoping that by following this plan I will not only be ready for the Holidays but have my home organized and ready for the New Year. I’m not a complete mess when it comes to having my house organized but I’m not exactly in tip-top shape either. I really want to make my space more workable because I tend to have anxiety when I feel overwhelmed and crowded. Maybe this plan will get me motivated. We’ll see. One week at a time.
   If you’d like to join me on this Holiday Organization Adventure here’s the link to the website. 

http://christmas.organizedhome.com/

    I chose to do the Holiday & House Plan to see how that works for me. Let me know which plan you choose and how it’s going for you. I’ll be back with my progress as the weeks go by and look forward to hearing how you are doing. Good luck and have fun!!

Thanks for visiting with me at “Down Home at Dee’s”
Deana

Scarecrow Burlap Wreath

     I'm already working on getting projects done for the County Fair next year. With the list I have there's NO WAY I can wait until the last minute! I'm going to enter this into the  Handcrafts – Wreath (Artificial Material) category. 
     In my excitement of making the wreath, I was almost done before realizing that I didn't do pictures showing how I made it. But I am making another wreath similar so I'll give a tutorial then. Just in case you'd like to give making a wreath like this a try. It's super easy. So easy that even someone who thinks they aren't "crafty" can do it. I promise.  It's the first burlap wreath I've made and I'm really quite tickled with it.

     My year round decor is sunflowers, pumpkins and scarecrows and this wreath fits in quite nicely I think. 

Thanks for visiting with me at “Down Home at Dee’s”

Deana

Nuts!! Well . . . Peanuts!!

     Today is National Peanut Day! Did you know that there are over 300 practical uses for peanuts? I didn't either. George Washington Carver discovered that peanuts can be used in shampoo, fuel, dyes and flour. But here's the sad part. Historians believe that George Washington Carver  never tasted a PB & J. Really?! How can anyone go through life without tasting one of the most loved sandwiches? A good peanut butter and jelly is at the top of my list.

     To celebrate National Peanut Day why not make a snack using another favorite combo – peanut butter and chocolate. I whipped up a quick batch of Peanut Butter Squares. Not only are these easy to make they are very tasty. Hope you enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Square

1 cup butter cut in chunks
2 cups flour

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chunks
Chopped peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°

Mix butter, flour and brown sugar until well blended. Press evenly into sprayed 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden. Cool.

Melt peanut butter with chocolate chips (2 to 3 minutes on Medium [50%] in the microwave). Stir well to blend. Spread over cooled base. If desired, sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares or fingers. 

     Take a few minutes, relax, eat some of this delicious treat in celebration of National Peanut Day. 

Thanks for visiting with me at “Down Home at Dee’s”

Deana