Apples&Applesauce

It is October which means that it is Apple season. My mother in law has a huge apple tree that produces so much fruit. Last year I decided to make some homemade applesauce and can it. It was my first time so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. It was so delicious and we went through 21 quarts faster than I ever thought. As soon as the apples started to ripen this year I knew that I would be making more applesauce. Last Wednesday I went up to my mother in laws and we spent the entire afternoon preparing the applesauce. It would have taken me two days to do that all on my own. So thankful for her willingness to help me out.

 

Here are the steps to making amazing homemade applesauce:

 



#1- Grow an apple tree, use your mother in law's tree, visit an orchard or go to the grocery store and Pick your apples. (However, buying them would get pretty expensive!!)

#2- It takes A LOT of apples, so make sure to pick a ton!

#3- Rinse.

#4- Using a apple peeler/corer- Core and peel the apples. You can do it the old fashioned way but it would take you twice as long.

#5- Have the person who is not peeling/coring the apples at the next station. Make one slice through the apple and remove the top & bottom slices and any yucky parts.

#6-  Pile up your sliced apples in a large stock pot. Once it is full pour a small amount of water into the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer placing the lid on the pot.

#7- Cook the apples until they are really soft and broken down.

#8- Place the apples in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add a little bit of sugar and sprinkle some ground cinnamon in there to make it yummy.

 #9- Funnel the applesauce into jars and process in a water bath canner for approximately 20-25 minutes. (Process time depends on where you live and your elevation)

#10- Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

 

We thought for sure we were going to double what we made last year but we only ended up making 26 quarts. Still a good amount, I will enjoy it while it lasts!

 

 

In Two Seconds...

When you have a two year old you find out just what can happen in as little as two seconds. After getting Mia out of the shower and dressing her I went to go get dressed myself. It got quiet really fast so I went to find out where she was. Apparently she was so excited for the Homemade Zucchini bread that she couldn't wait one more minute....

'

Yep. It's that good. Good enough to pull down the dishwasher and climb up onto the counter and bite into half of the loaf. Here is my recipe in case you are like me and have a billion zucchinis growing out of your garden and need to make some Chocolate Chip Zucchini bread. Or as I like to call it...Bikini Bread.

Fresh Garden Salsa

One thing about having a garden is that in one week's time it will completely change on you. We came back from Atlanta to tomatoes and peppers galore and massive zucchini and banana squash---all ripe for the picking. We are literally going to have so much squash this year I won't know what to do with myself. I'm already thinking of all the ways I can use banana squash. {Any creative ideas/recipes...please send them my way!} Since the harvesting has already begun I decided to start out by making some Fresh Garden Salsa. I have never actually made salsa on my own so I was a little nervous but how hard can it be, right? All I had to do was throw in some ingredients into my Food Processor and pulse.

Ingredients:

From my garden:

Onion

Garlic

Tomatoes

Jalapeno Pepper

Pablano Pepper

Not from my garden:

Cilantro

Salt

Pepper

 

 Let's just say the salsa turned out to be a success. When you are working with such fresh ingredients I think it is hard to go wrong

It is even better when you marry the salsa with the most amazing chips.

 

These are my favorite chips by leaps and bounds. While we were in Atlanta we emptied a few bags of these. Yum.

First garden harvest=success.

Xoxo,

Whitney

Soup? Again?

Yep... Soup. It is pretty much a staple at my house during the winter months. I can't help but crave soup when it is cold. Something about soup just warms me up and puts a smile on my face when it is dark and cold outside. Last night was one of those nights when soup sounded amazing. My freezer is full of frozen veggies from our garden. I also had one extra zucchini hanging around that needed to be used up. Last night my home-grown goodness became this delicious Zucchini Tortellini Soup.

What you will need:

Heat oil in a pot. Saute onions and carrots for approximately 8-10 minutes over medium-high heat. Add chopped garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and rosemary.

Add chicken broth and zucchini and bring to a boil. My zucchini chunks are rather large because I was feeling a little lazy.  Ideally chop up your zucchini into bite size pieces.

The next 2 ingredients totally make the soup amazing.  

Homemade Canned Tomatoes

 Buiotoni Three Cheese Tortellini

Add them to your soup. Bring to a boil. Place the lid on your pot, turn down to low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes until tortellini is done cooking.

Serve with fresh parmesan cheese on top:

This soup is so delicious you really don't need anything else to go with it. The tortellini in the soup make it hearty and filling. And the best part about this soup? It tastes good and is GOOD for you! Yes, I do cook other things besides soup and goodies... but 'tis the season so other things just have to wait their turn. I love cooking but I am kind of excited to take a break this week and let family do all the cooking for Thanksgiving! Yay! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

XOXO,

Whitney

Here is the recipe:

Tortellini & Zucchini Soup

Ingredients

· 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

· 2 large carrots, finely chopped

· 1 large onion, diced

· 2 cloves garlic; minced

· 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

·  ½ teaspoon dried thyme

· Salt and pepper to taste

· 2 14-ounce cans chicken broth

· 2 medium zucchini, diced

· 9 ounces (about 2 cups) fresh or frozen tortellini, preferably spinach-&-cheese

· 4 plum tomatoes, diced – with juice. (I used one quart of home made canned tomatoes)

· 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

· 2 tablespoons cold  butter

Preparation

1.     Heat oil in a Dutch oven/stockpot over medium heat. Add carrots and onion; stir, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and just beginning to brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2.     Stir in broth and zucchini; bring to a boil. Add tortellini and tomatoes. Boil for 3 minutes.

3.       Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes or until tortellini is cooked completely.

4.       Top with fresh parmesan cheese. Serve.

How bout them apples?

On Sunday I picked these apples at my mother in laws house with the intent of turning them into some delicious home made apple sauce. Well, it is Thursday and here they still sit so I guess I better get to work! I am about to conquer this large pile of apples.  I love home made applesauce and my little one especially loves it. It is fall and I have been doing alot of harvesting from my garden. (No complaints here! - Just a lot of work!) I found this website that gives you all the tips and tricks you need to preserving all your fruits and veggies. Sorry such a short post but when life gives you apples... make applesauce!!

Oh and tomorrow is Friday! Now isn't that red delicious?

XOXO,

Whitney

Presto Pesto

With my birthday money this year I bought myself one amazing gift. This Cuisinart® PowerPrep Plus®14-cup Food Processor:

I never thought I could love a kitchen electric so much. I mean, it literally does everything and anything! I use it almost everyday to make guacamole, shred vegetables or cheese, make salad dressings and sauces, and anything else you can think of. It definitely gets a good work out in my kitchen. Sometimes I even try to find reasons to use it... like... hmmm what can I make with it today? The other day was one of those days. I was walking up and down my garden and came across this basil bush and then it hit me- PESTO!

 So I trimmed most of the leaves off of the basil bush and took them inside. I soaked them and then rinsed them

I didn't even bother chopping them. That is the beauty of a food processor, it simplifies everything for me and who doesn't love simple? I just threw the basil leaves into my Cuisinart with some pine nuts and garlic cloves.

 Gave it a couple of pulses

Then drizzled in some organic extra virgin olive oil and let it do its thing.

 I had already planned out dinner for that night so I decided I would freeze the pesto. So glad somebody thought of inventing a freezer because that seems to be where my surplus vegetables are ending up. When freezing your pesto you want to wait to add the parmesan cheese until you are going to use it. (Frozen cheese just doesn't taste the same). Add a little drizzle of EVOO on top and VOILA! Oh, and make sure you have a freezer safe/air tight container.

All those basil leaves and this is all you come up with, but a little bit goes a long way. 

I can't wait to get it out and use it on some yummy home made basil pesto chicken paninis with mozzarella cheese and fresh tomatoes.... excuse me while I wipe the drool off of my mouth.

Oh, and I am taking dinner to a cute girl in my neighborhood tomorrow who just had her baby. Any suggestions on what I should take over?

XOXO,

Whitney

Basil Pesto Recipe:
Adapted from this Food Network recipe

2 1/4 cups of packed basil leaves
2-3 Garlic cloves
1/3 C pine nuts
2/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
3/4 C Parmesan cheese

Directions

Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.

If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container and drizzle remaining oil over the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and stir in cheese.