Apple Pie Filling

Making apple pie filling is one of those jobs I do now to save time later. It is so fast to open up a jar of pie filling, pour into a baking dish, top with a cobbler, crumb or crisp topping and bake along with the evening meal. Most of our apple pie filling is used in Ed's dutch oven. Since the apples are canned it is much faster then using raw apples. Great for those impromptu ideas we can have some days!
Use a good pie baking apple such as Stayman or Grimes Golden. I used York, which seemed to do well. Do not use an apple like Granny Smith that cooks into mush.
If you own, or can borrow, a apple peeler, now is the time to use it! I used my mother-in-law's awesome peeler. It makes peeling fun and greatly shortened the prep time!

You'll need:
8 quart of peeled and sliced apples
9 1/2 cup water
4 cup sugar
1 cup clear gel
4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
3 T lemon juice

Bring water, sugar, clear gel, salt, and spices to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice.

Stir in apple slices.
Place in quart canning jars. DO NOT fill too full. Can for 25 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 quarts

What to do with Eggs? - Custard

A huge shift has taken place in our kitchen in the last few months. Once upon a time, every egg was cherished. I had a good source for farm fresh eggs from my parents and two neighbors who sold eggs. But even though I'd pick up two or three dozen at a time, I always seemed to be low on eggs. Baking day began with an egg inventory and recipes were chosen accordingly. ("If I use two eggs in the cookies, and one in the bread, I'll still have one egg left for waffles tomorrow morning...") My children love hard boiled eggs and deviled eggs but I rarely made them.

Not anymore! Our chickens are giving us about 8 eggs a day. We have had as high as 11 in one day and as low as 6, but 8 is about our average. In a week, that is a LOT of eggs. And I LOVE it! No longer do I start my morning, looking into the egg carton to see if scrambled eggs is an option. At least once a week I hard boil a dozen eggs for my delighted children. I love that their growing bodies can enjoy this high protein food.

But after several weeks of doing very little baking, the egg situation is getting a little out of hand! Now I'm evaluating recipes for how many eggs they can use, instead of how few eggs I can get away with! My sister was here for a day last week and she helped me make noodles and angel food cake. We also discovered a custard recipe that took 6 eggs and was delicious!

Can you give me some other ideas? Or do you have a favorite egg heavy recipe? I'd love to try it!

And here is the custard we made.

Custard

6 eggs, beaten slightly
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
4 cup hot milk
nutmeg

Mix eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add milk very slowly, while stirring rapidly. Pour into baking dish and sprinkle liberally with nutmeg. For best results, place baking dish into a pan of water, as deep as the custard if possible. Place in oven and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. (I baked it at 375 degrees for shorter time.) Custard is finished when knife inserted into center comes out clean.

Giveaway Winner

It was fun to hear from many of you this past week! Thanks to all of you who took the time to write and introduce yourselves! It really made my week!

Now I'm in a quandary. I wish I had a cookbook for all of you! I hate to choose just one! But since that seems to be my only option, we held a random drawing (I let the children have the fun of pulling out a name) and the winner is...

Lydia at The Thrifty, Frugal Mom

I sent you an email, Lydia and hope to get the cookbook to you shortly so you can enjoy adding some new recipes to your bread baking!

Thanks again to all of you who took part! This blog has great readers! Your kind words are what keep me writing here (well, that and my husband's encouragement!)

Fruit Crisp

Crisp and cobblers are such simple easy desserts! Use whatever fresh fruit you have available (pears, peaches, berries, plums, etc) We've been enjoying this with apples. I replace the orange juice with apple cider for deeper apple flavor.
Filling:
5 cups fresh chopped fruit (peeled if needed, in other words, don't peel blueberries, do peel apples!)
3 T brown sugar
1 T flour
1 T orange juice

In 9-inch square pan, gently toss filling ingredients.

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup flour
5 T melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp salt

Combine topping ingredients in bowl. Sprinkle on top of fruit. Bake at 400 degrees until fruit is bubbly and topping lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Thanks and a Giveaway!

Thanks to all of you who have prayed, emailed, called, sent cards, and showed your care for us over my father-in-law's funeral. I have been overwhelmed by all the ways people have blessed us! Some of you stood in the viewing line for an hour, or two, or more! I was inundated with offers of help with everything from babysitting to laundry! I haven't cooked all week as food has appeared in our van, at our doorstep, and in the fridge! Warm apple pies, homemade bread, luscious desserts, and full meals! I don't recall ever taking someone food when there was a death in the family, but I sure will now! I've found first hand how wonderful it is to not worry about what you'll fix for the family to eat, especially when I totally lacked an appetite myself. We have felt so much loving support in practical ways. Like one friend said, "It is a good time to be a Mennonite!" :)

I had no idea that a funeral could be so emotionally and physically draining. I don't think I could have pulled together a proper meal if I had to. Add a painfully close brush with an infection (totally self induced from being away from my baby too long at the viewing) and a two year old that just broke out with the chicken pox, and the strain on my brain cells means there probably won't be anything of substance written here for some time to come!

So, while I find some sort of "normal" again, and just to thank all you wonderful readers, I'm holding a giveaway! This week will also mark the one year anniversary of the Home Joys blog! Where does time go? I can't believe a whole year has passed since that afternoon that I decided to sit down and see how hard it would be to start a blog. I was shocked to find it dummy proof enough for even computer illiterates like me! Maybe I've been even more surprised how I've enjoyed blogging!

The Giveaway? What else but a cookbook! I found a new copy of one of my favorite bread cookbooks at a local library book sale the other week. I couldn't let it there, not for the asking price of 50 cents! I figured I'd find a friend to give it to, but I can't decide who, so if you would like to add a new cookbook to your collection, just leave a comment or email (walkingbymyside (at) gmail (dot) com) me this week. Give me some way to contact you and I'll draw a name on Oct 28. (I'd rather not pay international postage so I apologize for asking only US addresses only.)



Oops. I guess I still haven't told you what book. (One more evidence of lost brain cells.) Recipes from the Old Mill by Sarah E. Myers and Mary Beth Lind is where many of my favorite bread recipes are found. Many of the recipes use whole grains and there is even sections for grains other then wheat such as rye and corn. I love all the extra tips that the sisters share. If you think you'd enjoy it as well, please drop me a line this week!

And thanks again for visiting here at Home Joys!

A Homegoing - and Blog Break

Just stopping in for a few minutes to let you know that I'll be taking a break from blogging this week. Yesterday my husband's dad passed away. We are still in shock as he was in perfect health, until Saturday when he had a massive brain aneurysm.

I have been blessed with the best father-in-law that one could ever wish for. When I wonder how I ever came to have such a wonderful husband, I only need to look at his generous hard-working dad, remember how tenderly he cared for his wife and the beautiful marriage and friendship they have shared for 50 years. He made me feel like a daughter and not just an in-law and I'm so glad that I've had eight years in their family. He truly cared about people, whether it was the neighbors in his small farming community, the handicapped children he helped, or his friends from the year he spent in Ethiopia. I grieve that my children will probably not remember their big-hearted granddad.
"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

"To be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Cor 5:6

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Rev 21:4

(I know all this in my head. Getting it to my heart is more difficult. "For we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Cor 5:7)

Make your own Pesto

Pesto is one of those things that I've wanted to make for years. I can not tell you how many times I've planted basil in the spring, thinking that THIS year I would get around to making pesto, only to have the first fall frost come, my basil wither to the ground, and no pesto made! Finally, this year I got to it!

Pesto is simple to make - and even more yummy then I imagined. Tossed with some hot pasta, spread on a cracker or baked potato, pesto brings the summer basil flavor to the kitchen! Maybe, if you do not like garlic, you should not try it! Pesto is not for the faint of heart!

Pesto is best fresh. It quickly starts to turn brown. If you do not eat it all immediately, store it in the fridge with a little olive oil over the top. I froze the leftover pesto in an ice cube tray. One small cube should be enough to enjoy on our pasta this winter.

I used a food processor. If you do not have one, use a blender or even a knife.

1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
2 cup packed basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil

In food processor, place nuts and pulse until chopped fine.

Add garlic and continue to chop.

Add remaining ingredients except oil.

When pureed, slowly add oil.

Serve immediately!

This Month in My Garden - October

I just went back and read what I wrote about in September and found a few things that still haven't been accomplished. We haven't had our first frost yet so some things are not yet finished. But you can see in the above photo that it is looking a little barren!
My broccoli is doing well. After the spring failure, we are glad to have some fresh picked broccoli. (Bug free, thanks to row cover.)
The peppers are still beautiful but our first frost will bring them to a halt. Thankfully the weeds have slowed some as well. It is nice to pull weeds knowing that they won't regrow for a few more months! Earlier last month, I was pulling weeds in one of the shaggy areas of the garden and revealed a large watermelon! I had no idea of it's existence, which probably tells you something about the state of my garden!

So besides some general upkeep, here is the plans for this month. (As usual, probably a little too optimistic!

1.Plant some pansies and spring bulbs. (A carry-over from last month's list!)

2. Continue to make compost with the withered garden plants and falling leaves.

3. Plant garlic.

4. Perhaps start a new strawberry bed with the strawberry plants that have grown into the middle of the bed.

5. Trim off the asparagus and manure the bed.

6. Plant some more greens in the hoop house.

What are you doing in your garden this month?

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

Ed loves anything chocolate. Cheesecake is his all time favorite. Pumpkin desserts of any sort are welcome. When I saw this recipe (clipped from a magazine, maybe Southern Living?) which combined all three, I knew it had to be a winner!

My sister was here helping me with applesauce yesterday and she made this for us. With a cheesecake bottom, this is certainly a pleasant twist to the usual pumpkin pie! Just make sure you have a deep dish pie pan or it will never fit all the good stuff!

1 deep dish unbaked pie shell
12 oz cream cheese (1 1/2 packages)
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate
2 cups pumpkin puree
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk

In bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and 1 egg. Beat until smooth. Spread in unbaked pastry shell. Sprinkle with chopped chocolate.
In bowl, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices. Stir in beaten eggs and milk. Slowly pour pumpkin mixture on chocolate layer.
Bake at 375 degrees for 65 minutes or until center is set. Cool. Refrigerate. Garnish with chopped chocolate if desired. Serve.
For more great pumpkin ideas, go to Tammy's Recipes In-Season Recipe Swap.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

A simple bar that met my family's approval. This recipe makes two 9x13 pans, one for now and one for the freezer. I like to bake more then one pan of bars or cakes at a time to save time and electricity. But these hardly made it to the freezer.

1 cup oil
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
2 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cup flour
2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix oil and sugar. Add eggs, water, and pumpkin and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients. Pour into two 9x13 pans. Bake 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until done.

Making Applesauce

We eat a LOT of applesauce. Ed takes applesauce to work in his lunch nearly every day. The children can polish off almost a quart jar of applesauce in a meal. Thankfully, making applesauce is one of my favorite fall tasks. While some people make applesauce with early apples in the summer, I love to wait until a brisk fall day and fill the house with the wonderful aroma of cooking apples.

Ed offered to help me get started today. We decided to only do two bushels of apples since there were other things we wanted to get done today as well. (Like the local library's annual book sale. Can't miss that!)

We usually mix two or more different varieties of apples. I think it makes a better flavored sauce. I found that by using a half to two-thirds Golden Delicious apples, which are a sweet variety, I do not need to add any additional sugar. But using only Golden Delicious apples tends to make a bland flavored sauce. Today we used Jonagold apples along with the Golden Delicious. I had found a great deal on seconds at a local orchard. They had spots from hail damage but at the price, I could throw out a few and still have a bargain.

First we washed the apples, cut out any bad spots, and quartered the apples. We do not peel or core the apples. In the past we've cored the apples but we didn't bother today.

Add a tiny bit of water to the pan and place on medium low heat. As the apples begin to cook and get juicer, I slowly increase the heat.
When soft, we put the apples through the food mill. If you want to make a quantity of applesauce, a large food mill is a tremendous blessings. My mom found this Squeezo for me at a yard sale! You pour in the cooked apples in the top, turn the crank and out comes your applesauce with all the skins and seeds removed!

Ladle into jars.
Can for 20 minutes.

Our total for today was 29 quart - plus one quart we ate for lunch! (Warm applesauce! Mmmm!) I am hoping to do at least four, if not six, more bushels. Then I'll be done with canning for the year! Yippee!!! (Unless I make apple pie filling or can some venison.)