Flavors of Fall: Homemade Apple Butter - In your slow cooker (crockpot)

Since we received the foodie pen pal box and since the day of Rugged Maniac and eating at Cracker Barrel with mom I have been dwelling on apple butter.

Our lovely foodie pen pal was gracious enough to make apple butter and send it our way - sorry honey, I didn't share.

Hers was smooth and creamy. Delicious too. Cracker Barrel tends to have a more grainy texture to it, not much though, still delicious.

I've always enjoyed apple butter but can never really justify the cost to buy a small jar of it. Well no need to try and justify the cost now.

Find apples on sale - like 88 cents a pound from your local grocer (or local apple orchard) and use ingredients you already have in house probably (ground cloves, apple pie spice, cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla) then add to your fabulous crock pot and fo-get about it! (done in my best Brooklyn accent I can muster).

So to google I went to find a recipe. I searched and searched to find one that didn't contain 10 bazillion cups of sugar or required me to buy applesauce, I mean, that's cheating right? I want to make it myself not use Mott's applesauce to help me. Gosh, I will buy the apples - especially during apple season and when they are dirt cheap. Of course I'm that anti-box mix baker usually (not that I don't use boxed mixes on occasion).

So after searching and still modifying I found one over here at My Baking Addiction. A lovely blog if I do say so.

I still ended up modifying her recipe, which you will see here shortly.

First I had to go buy some apples - and by some, I mean about 15.

Then I had to prepare to peel, core, and slice. Of course do I have an apple corer? No, so old fashioned knife and wood shop made cutting board (from high school days) it was.

That's my apple army if you couldn't tell. They were taking over my counter space (what little my kitchen has - I hope to one day have a big kitchen with more room than I know what to do with. One day)

I ended up using 5 different types of apples - I wanted variety and something more than just a monotone flavor. I wanted depth, sweetness, tartness, and appely. Yes, appely - it's a word now.

So after peeling - which seemed to take forever and a day - my father called while I was doing so to congratulate me on my costume win at work.

After peeling for forever I finally was able to slice them up into pieces and add them to the crock pot.

Then it was time to cover in the cinnamon, cloves, spices, and sugars.

At this point it looks like I'm making apple pie filling.

So in all it took about 14 hours to make. You have to stir a few times, no biggie really - this turned out fine without excessive stirring (I slept through the first 10 hours of this cooking).

The recipe is as follows:

Slow Cooker Apple Butter
6 1/2 lbs apples - peeled, cored, and sliced (about 15-16 medium apples)
1 cup granulated sugar (I only used 1/2 cup)
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (I only used 1/2 cup)
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla extract (pure tastes best)

1. Place apples in slow cooker. In a medium bowl combine spices and sugars. Pour mixture over apples and mix well.
2. Cook in slow cooker for 10 hours, stirring occasionally (or like me only stirring AFTER 10 hours because I went to bed), until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
3. Use an immersion blender (if you have it - or use a potato masher like I did) and puree apples until smooth.
4. Spoon mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze.
5. Serve on whatever suits you - breads, muffins, sweet potatoes, pork chops, or even just eat straight up with a spoon (like I do)

NOTES:
---I cut back from 1 cup of each sugar to 1/2 cup of each due to the variety of apples I used. If your apples aren't as sweet you are more than welcome to add more sugar.
---My apples included, 3 gala, 3 braeburn, 2 golden delicious, 4 granny smith, and 3 Fuji. You are welcome to experiment with whatever suits your fancy.

And here is the final product, I used cans that I have collected from foodie pen pals and friends who can. I do not. I don't have the materials to can quite yet, though Mike and I would love to have a garden and do so.

Yum! This is a bit grainier due to not having an immersion blender to use to smooth it out. Oh well, tastes great anyway even when mashed with a potato masher.

That is all my friends. This proves you don't need to buy most things, you can make just about anything you find jarred, canned, or packaged at the store.

Now go out and cook!

Chili Weather - Welcome Fall

Well it's finally here. Autumn has finally arrived and descended upon the midwest.

found these cuties at Whole Foods

Well at least temperature wise. I'm enjoying the fact that it isn't a scorching furnace outside and can actually enjoy my runs without having to take my shirt off. (Don't get all excited now.)

So 'tis the season to start making warmer foods for dinner. Since it has been a bit chilly lately, 50 degrees and lower, Mike and I thought chili sounded good. This all stemmed from the fact that there is a chili cook off at my office on October 17. I'm entering my mom's hearty chili and hope to win that $20 gift card. I could use some free money.

So Mike and I thought about chili and what type to make. We eventually came down to wanting white chili. White chicken chili to be exact. White chili, for those that do not know, is white beans (navy or northern or both), chicken, broth, jalapenos, onion, and herbs and spices.

We used a Paula Deen recipe for reference. It's her white chicken chili recipe. We just used the same basic ingredients. Didn't follow exactly. Mike likes to make things his own. No problem with me, I prefer tweaking recipes myself. (I'll post about that later).

So we used boneless skinless chicken breasts, two jalapenos, 1 poblano pepper, 1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, 3 cans great northern beans, 2 cans navy beans, 1 pkt white chili seasoning, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, bay leaf, cumin, and some other spices added as we went along and tasted.

When trying to figure out the flavor it took a bit to find that right balance. It tasted good, just didn't have the right flavor to it. We were trying hard to figure out what it was missing. Couldn't quite put our finger on it. Mike at one point said "what about poultry seasoning." Tried that. Ok, better but not quite right. We soon came to a point where the light bulb came on. Mike was more or less like "DUH! CUMIN!" Every chili has to have cumin. So once that was added it was just right. Much like the three bears porridge, except chili.

So we started off by sauteing the onions, peppers, and garlic together before adding in the beans, chicken, and spices. Then it sat on the stove on med/low heat for probably 2 hours until chicken was cooked through and finished.

We served with corn bread muffins, which I guess I was supposed to add jalapenos to, but I didn't because there was a little miscommunication between Mike and I. I missed that somehow. Oh well, all is right in the world. Though I do have to say that after a day or two those boxed muffins start tasting a bit off. Maybe it's just me but they get this chemically flavor. Hmmm---probably just my suspicions of boxed anything right? Right...well, yeah - whatever.

After dinner he began to work on his layout since he had the possibility of hunting the next day if they could get the spot. Turned out he wouldn't be going hunting perse but he did get to go scouting and then would come stay at my place till morning so he could go test for a new job possibility.

Preparing his layout for hunting - added "grass" to it.
 Fun to watch this process.

So once the weekend was over I headed to work Monday morning and took some chili with me, I mean, come on - just can't leave ALL of it there. He's gracious enough to let me have some and share. Such a good man. I thoroughly enjoyed that as lunch that Monday morning.

So when Mike and I aren't together, we obviously text and call each other often. Well, things like this happen.

Yes, we are dorks. We belong together - for obvious reasons right?

So Monday morning and afternoon he was off to the sporting goods store in search of a marsh foot and push pole. (I have had to have him explain these things to me since I have never dealt with hunting before.) Basically he's a gondolier when he's in his layout boat hehe. Of course after going out with the boat and push pole he has decided to purchase a small motor to make life a little easier come hunting time. Well while he was out with his buddy and out scouting the hunting grounds and looking for geese, I found the geese on my lunch walk.

Honk Honk!

He didn't get any geese while out, unless you count the decoys he came home with. Eventually he can go goose hunting. I'm all for it, go have fun and kill the birds and bond with the boys. As long as he takes me shooting now and then I'm happy as a clam with guns and hunting.

So this last weekend we didn't see each other because of his job and being super busy and then Roomie's parents coming in town to boot. Better to just not get involved in that and only see him for maybe a few hours after he has recovered from overtime at work. That and we get a long weekend together this weekend for the pig roast. I'm sure we will have pictures.

So as is typical of me, when I get bored at home I tend to bake. So this time I had found a "donut muffin" recipe. Sounded simple enough and sounded good with the cinnamon sugar topping it promised.

Well I made it, and the first time I made it I followed the directions to the letter. Of course while following the directions I was thinking to myself - this is an awful lot of nutmeg. This can't be right. Then thinking I said to myself "well, the recipe says..." So I put the full amount of nutmeg into the muffin. Well, yeah, that was a bad idea. Can we say spice overload? Ugh, it wasn't terrible but it was a truly too strong nutmeg taste. So I ended up tossing those. Then I decided I would try again. I did and had success by cutting the 3/4 tsp nutmeg down to 1/4 tsp and then adding 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the batter. Much much better flavor.

Sugar overload -
yes I did lick up the extra sugar on the pan

So during this week that I knew I wouldn't see Mike he did text me a picture that made me grin ear to ear. I have seen this decal in sporting goods stores and thought it was cute. I mean, the browning buck and then a doe to create a heart. Too cute. Of course Mike makes a face and says "Ewww mushy stuff!" Ha ha! But this made me smile, he saw it on someones vehicle and sent me a pic. Made my day.

RECIPE:

Donut Muffins
Makes 24 Mini muffins or 6 regular sized muffins

For Muffin:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour

For topping:

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C), Grease muffin tin of choice.

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, nutmeg and cinnamon in large bowl. Stir in milk, then mix in baking powder, and flour until just combined. Fill prepared cups 1/2 full.

Bake in oven until tops are lightly golden, 15-20 min.

While muffins are baking, place 1/4 cup melted butter in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.

Remove muffins from their cups, dip each muffin in melted butter and then roll in cinnamon sugar. Let cool and serve.

So this weekend we have a pig roast and a road trip to St. Louis area. Great outdoors here we come!

Now go out and cook!

3-D Pumpkin Cookies Filled with Candy Corn

So here we go into Autumn/Fall. The leaves are changing (and not due to the overwhelming heat) and the temperatures are dropping. It's feeling good outside, my windows are open and the AC/Heat is off. I have no use for it currently. I'm loving the smells and the flavors of the season. Crunchy leaves, cool mornings, cinnamon and spices. Mmmm, making me hungry now.

So pumpkin, let's talk pumpkin. I love pumpkins in general. Great decoration, great food, and just all around fun. You can decorate them, use them as a craft, and cook with them. Or you can emulate them in your cooking/baking. Much as I have done here. I made these for a co-workers birthday. I just thought they were too cute and couldn't pass up the opportunity with an October birthday to boot. (A #1 excuse to bake - it's for someone's birthday).

I found this recipe from Glorious Treats. These were just too cute of an idea to pass up. So here I go. I changed things a little bit and used a few of my own recipes. My mom's "Christmas Cutout Cookies" and a basic "Royal Icing" recipe.

Use any roll out sugar cookie recipe you like. You can use Glorious Treats recipe or one that you like from your own recipe box.

For the royal icing, super simple.

3 egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
3 3/4 cup powdered sugar (give or take - roughly 1 lb/16 oz)

Place egg whites and cream of tartar in mixing bowl with whisk attachment - whisk until frothy.

Add powdered sugar gradually and mix until frosting forms stiff peaks and is glossy (about 5-7 min on medium high speed). Store covered with plastic wrap until ready to use. (can cover and place in fridge)

Easy no?

So for the dough, you need to color it. Take about a baseball size amount after you have made your dough. Maybe a tennis ball size. Set that dough aside. Color the remaining dough orange, you can either purchase orange food coloring or do what I do and add red and yellow together (see the color layers?)

Now take the small tennis ball sized dough and color a nice green color (sorry no pics of that).

Now you need to chill the dough for about 30 min. Then roll out on a lightly floured surface. You will need to cut out, with round or scalloped cookie cutters, 2 medium rounds with a hole cut out of the center and two solid rounds cut with a slightly smaller cookie cutter. Basically have a large, medium and small set of cutters (I obviously used just circles in three descending sizes. I would call them medium, small and tiny.) Once you have all your orange pieces cut out, place on sheet and bake. Make sure to keep an eye on them so they don't brown too much. If you have excess flour on your cookies take a brush and brush it off or dab a little water from a paper towel to get rid of that.

Now you will need that tennis ball you've dyed green. Roll it out and cut out with a small round cutter, smaller than the solid rounds. Then you will need a straw to cut a hole out in the center for the stem. Just blow the dough out of the straw and bake and it works great for the stem.

You can bake the stem right in the top or you can do what I did and just "glue" it on with the royal icing.

Once your cookies are baked and cooled, make your royal icing. You can color it orange or leave as is. I left it white because I was too lazy last night to color it orange, and it didn't bother me to have a little sticking out.

Once your icing is done, pack a bit in a zip top bag, snip off one corner and pipe a little on the top, around the edges, of 1 solid orange circle  Place a orange ring on top, pipe frosting on the orange ring, then place the second orange ring on top of that. Now, take the green tops and put a dab of icing on the bottom of your leaf top and place on last solid circle. Let everything dry. DO NOT CAP OFF YOUR PUMPKINS YET!!! 

Once your icing has hardened, give it 10-30 min, fill your pumpkins with candy of choice. I did candy corn. Glorious Treats did mini M&M's. Be creative, use your favorite candy bits.

NOW pipe a small bit around the edge of the top ring and place your pumpkin caps on. Let set overnight and voila! You have cute as a button pumpkin 3-D cookies.

Easy no? I enjoyed making these, I wish they had turned out a bit cuter but I think part of that was making some of my rings and circles too thin. Try to stay at about 1/4 inch thickness at the thinnest. I need to get rings for my rolling pin so I can keep track of this. I have one of those solid wooden dowel-esque rolling pins. The kind that could seriously injure an intruder.

So go out and cook. Get creative and make something cute today. Enjoy Fall and all it's glory. Windows opened, pumpkin cookies baking, and candy corn in abundance (and all mine I might add since Mike detests the stuff he he. More for me.)