Mr. Prof designer home

It’s become an annual tradition… truckin’ to the mountains of North Carolina to apple pick with friends.  This year we went back to Justus Orchard- it’s family-run and lots of fun. 


the gang minus the boys

Each year we have a serious and competitive contest for “Best Apple”.  This time, our son Gavin took first place.  Makes a Mama proud.  ;)

So what do you do with bushels of apples and not a whole lot of time or motivation?  Cook up some Lazy Man’s Applesauce!  I call it lazy since there’s no tedious peeling involved.  Which makes it more nutrient rich too (I like to use that excuse):

Cinnamon Applesauce
(Slightly adapted from allrecipes.com)

2 lbs of apples of your choice
1.25 cups of water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 lemon

1. Core and roughly chop apples (I left skin intact for a boost of nutrition)
2. In a medium pot, add apples, water, juice of 1/2 lemon, and cinnamon stick.
3. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. When boiling, turn down to a simmer and partially cover. Let simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until apples are soft and begin to break apart.
5. Remove from heat completely, and allow to cool.
6. Remove cinnamon stick. In a blender or food processor, blend apple mixture.
7. Top with additional cinnamon (optional)

Makes about 4 cups.
Recipe and photo found at Tori Takes a Bite.

I freeze my applesauce in gallon sized Ziplock bags.  Easier than canning.  Just make sure they are Ziplock brand.  I ruined a ton of applesauce last year using cheapo bags… they all opened up and created an applesauce skating rink in my freezer. 

Sorry it’s been more recipes than decorating here lately.  But the décor side of my life is slow going at the moment for obvious reasons.  Rest assured, in a few months there should be lots of material!

image here

There’s a  chill in the air and the evenings are getting shorter.  We’re breaking out the sweaters and socks and having  bonfires over here in Mr. Roger’s neighborhood.  Two in one weekend!   Conversation with friends, hot chocolate and s’mores… marking the change of seasons.  There’s nothing like it! 

I’d like to share my favorite chili recipe… perfect for fall!  Every time I make this, I get rave reviews.  And like every other recipe I post on my blog, it’s easy too.  With almost 1300 five star reviews on Allrecipes.com, you know it’s gotta’ be good!  Using Verde salsa is key to this recipe. 

Our favorite brand of salsa is Pepper Dog Salsa, you can find out where to buy it here.

Debdoozie’s Blue Star Chili

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) jar salsa
• 4 tablespoons chili seasoning mix
• 1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the ground beef and the onion and saute for 10 minutes, or until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain grease, if desired.
2. Add the ground black pepper, garlic salt, tomato sauce, salsa, chili seasoning mix and kidney beans. Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour.

Another weekend treat was seeing the movie Courageous in the theater with our boys.  I know people’s opinions of movies are so subjective, and because of that I don’t usually recommend any.

But this one is different.  If you have a man in your life…whether it be an older son, a father, a brother, a husband, a co-worker, or a friend… please bring them to see this movie.  It’s the type of movie that will affect everyone in one way or another.  It very well could be life-changing.  Go see it!

I’ll never have a cooking blog.  It’s just not my thing.  I’d much rather be decorating.  But one thing I’ve learned in the last 15 years of marriage is that cooking is not only a handy skill to own, but a very necessary part of life.  

I’ve worked around my defect by choosing recipes from this site.  I  look for ones that have hundreds of 5 star reviews because I figure if that many people in the world wide web like it, then it’s bound to please everyone here. 

My children like to experiment in the kitchen, and I fully intend on working myself out of a job in the cooking department.  Until that glorious day arrives, Mom’s in charge which means simple meals most of the time. 

And one of our favorites that we have almost every week is Roast Sticky Chicken.  Recipe and photo found here.



This chicken is mouth watering.  Everyone loves it.  We cook two whole chickens.  The first day we serve it with mashed potatoes.

And the second day, we serve the shredded chicken over this:



Yes, that's a package.  I told you I’ll never have a cooking blog.  But if you could only taste this Trader Joe’s frozen concoction of yumminess, you would see that convenience food sometimes has its place.  And in our case,  every week.  The whole family loves this meal. 

Along with our weekly chicken dishes and almost all our other dinners for that matter, we serve up our side of veggies via a fresh salad.  Usually Romaine with our favorite homemade dressing we got from here.

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 olive oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup, agave or honey
1 tsp. dijon mustard

Simply good.  (and easy)

I’m so thankful for friends who are willing to share their harvest…

and their canning know-how.

To my delightful surprise, I learned how simple pickling can be…

and how much tastier than store bought.  It makes them worth the effort.  Really!

Friend’s Sweet Pickle Recipe:
4 quarts cucumbers, sliced
1.5 cups onions, chopped
1/3 cup salt
3.5 cups pure evaporated cane sugar
1.5 tea. tumeric
1.5 tea. celery seed
2 T mustard seed
3 cups apple cider vinegar

Combine cucumbers and onions (mix well). Pour salt on top plus enough ice cubes to cover the top.  Let stand 3 hours.  Then rinse thoroughly. 
In a large pot, combine sugar, spices, and vinegar.  Add cucumber and onions.  Bring to a boil for 5 minutes.
Place pickle mixture in clean (hot) quart jars and seal with lids.  Place jars in boiling water to cover.  Boil 10 minutes.  Remove with long tongs and let cool.