fall // part one

1.  a little girl who ate handfuls of dirt while Luke and I pruned blackberry bushes and shut down our garden

2.  our onion harvest

3.  the beginning of homemade lasagna (recipe: adapted from this book)

4.  wheelbarrow rides from Dad

5.  homemade apple pie (recipe: here) (I however, mix in 1 T. ground cinnamon with the apples, replace 1 T. water with 1 T. vanilla extract, and replace 1 T. flour with 1 T. cornstarch)

6.  homemade pot pie (recipe: here)

7.  sporting sunglasses and waiting for Dad to get home  :)

thank you cookies

Luke's boss (Ryan) and his wife gave us a huge tub of clothes for Kurt.  We finally got around to sorting through it and we found a ton of nice stuff for our little toddler.  I got two loads of laundry washed, dried, and folded.  They've yet to be put away... I just didn't have time for that!  :)  Anyway, we're so thankful for the hand-me-downs that I baked a batch of cookies for Luke's boss.  The cookies aren't one bit healthy, but they are Ryan's favorite so I knew they wouldn't go to waste.  The batch made just enough so that Luke, Kurt, and I could each have one.  They are so yummy!  Here's what you'll need to get started:

1 box of devil's food cake

2 eggs

1/2 c. oil

Mix the above three ingredients together.  The dough will be thick.  Arrange tablespoon size balls of dough on a cookie sheet.  Then, bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  This recipe makes roughly 30 cookies.

While they're baking, make the filling using a mixer:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese (softened)

1/4 c. butter (softened)

1 t. vanilla extract

2 c. powdered sugar

Once the filling is made and the cookies have cooled, you can begin filling the cookies.  Eat 'em or refrigerate (I of course recommend eating)!

easy peasy lemon squeezy // small batch lemonade

I've really been enjoying homemade lemonade lately.  I think the craving is part pregnancy part summer.  Regardless, I have an easy and inexpensive recipe for you to try that is toddler approved!

the juice from 3 lemons
1 cup sugar
water

Add 1 cup sugar and 2 cups water to a small saucepan.  Heat the sugar and water over medium heat (stirring occasionally)  just until the sugar dissolves.  This is called a simple syrup.  While you're waiting for the sugar to dissolve juice your lemons.  Pour the lemon juice to a 2-quart pitcher.  Once the sugar dissolves, add the simple syrup to the pitcher.  Then, fill your pitcher to the top with water.  Chill.  Enjoy!  :)

P.S. I know there is nothing fancy about this recipe... it's the little things!

peaches

Last week Luke bought some peaches from a co-worker's mom who was selling them as a fundraiser for her church.  I had never had a Colorado peach before and let me tell you once you taste a Colorado peach you'll never want anything else.  Four nights in a row of Breyer's vanilla ice cream and peaches - yum.  :)  Because we had so many peaches and we didn't want them to spoil in our warm house, I also made some jam.  I really like the recipe I came up with so I'm going to share it with you!  This recipe makes enough to fill eight half pint jelly jars.

5 1/3 cups peaches, peeled and chopped (approximately 8-10 peaches depending on the size)
5 cups sugar
6 Tbsp pectin
4 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

First, get a pot of water boiling because you'll need it to peel the peaches.  While you have that heating up slice a small x into the bottom of each peach.  Then, get a bowl of ice water ready.  Using a slotted spoon, place the peaches into the boiling water for about 45 seconds and then transfer them to the bowl of ice water for about a minute.  Peel, quarter and chop the peaches.  I used my Pampered Chef Manual Food Processor that my mom gave me for Christmas and it worked amazingly!  Thanks Mom!  All you have left to do now is transfer the chopped peaches to a stockpot and bring them to a boil with the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  You only have to boil them long enough for the juice and ingredients to mingle together, or if your peaches aren't chopped as small as you'd like you may want to boil them for about 15 minutes to help the fruit break down.  Add the pectin last and boil for another 5 minutes.  If you plan on canning the jam, it only takes about 10 minutes to process the half pint jars in your canning pot.  If anyone give this recipe a try let me know!

P.S. don't worry, Kurt will get to enjoy some peaches too once he's a little older because I froze some in a BÉABA multiportion freezer tray.  :)

Sweet and Sticky Caramel-Pecan Rolls

sugar and spice and everything nice
recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' Sweet and Sticky Caramel-Hazelnut Rolls

Goodie Goodie Gumdrop

I made some yummy gumdrops this week; however the first batch was a complete disaster so I thought I’d share a few tips that will help anyone who wants to give this recipe a try!

- four tablespoons is closer to five packets of gelatin – not six

- measure out the gelatin don’t just trust the recipe :)

- use a three-quart (or slightly larger) pan

- to help prevent burning, bring the mixture to a boil and then turn it down to about medium

- line your pans with wax or parchment paper and coat the paper with cooking spray

- pull the chilled cubes out of the pans and place them on a sugared cutting board - don’t cut the gumdrops while they’re in the pan!

Blackberry Jam

My mother-in-law was so generous when she sent Luke home last Tuesday with a huge box stuffed full of onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, basil, blackberries, potatoes, and more!  We knew we weren’t going to be able to eat it all, so we canned cucumbers and blackberries.  We also chopped up the green peppers and froze them.  Since I am just in love with the blackberry jam, I’ve posted my easy recipe for those canners out there!

2 cups smashed blackberries

2 packets True Lemon

2 Tbsp + ¾ tsp Ball RealFruit Classic Pectin (I used slightly less and it worked just fine)

2 cups sugar

First, prepare your waterbath canner, 3 half pint (8 oz) jars, lids, and rings.  Once you’re done with that, place the blackberries, lemon, and pectin in a 2-quart saucepan and bring the contents to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Add the sugar and then boil for another 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and ladle into clean jars leaving ¼ inch headspace.  Put the lids on and tighten the rings.  Place the jars into the waterbath canner for 10 minutes.  Cool on a towel for about 12 hours.  Yum...

Comfort Food

Today I spent some time in the kitchen cooking up some good ol' comfort food.  I started with a beef stew recipe from Luke’s Grandma Marilyn and finished off with a batch of banana bread.  Since both recipes turned out amazing, I thought I would share them here.  Enjoy!

Five-Hour Oven Stew:

3 lbs venison or beef stew meat

2 medium onions

4 stalks of celery

8-12 carrots

4 large potatoes

4 tablespoons small pearl tapioca

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon beef bullion

1 29-ounce can of diced tomatoes

Salt

Pepper

Parsley

Thyme

Tarragon

Slice the meat into 1-inch pieces and place at the bottom of a 5-quart casserole dish or stockpot.  Add the tapioca, sugar, and beef bullion to the meat.   Then sprinkle the meat with a generous amount of salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, and tarragon.  Chop the onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes into hearty, but bite-size pieces and add them to the casserole dish.  Cover and cook at 250 degrees F for 5 hours.  Stir approximately every hour.

Banana Bread:

½ cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter

1 egg

1-½ bananas

1-½ teaspoons milk

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease 2 mini loaf pans (about 5 ½” x 3" x 2").  Cream the sugar and butter until fluffy and then add the egg.  In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and then add the milk, cinnamon, and vanilla.  In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined.   Then add the dry ingredients, mixing just until the flour disappears.  Pour the batter into the pans and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Set the pans on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes prior to slicing.