One of my favorite things about this time of year (October through December) is that I get in the mood to do a lot of baking and sometimes cook. I'm not the greatest baker or cook, but I can follow a recipe, I know what I like and I know what other people like. So generally what I make comes out good, if it's a good recipe. Well I have really hit the jackpot recently with recipes. My New York Cheesecake came out delicious, the Maple Cheesecake with cranberry-pear glazed topping came out even better and, most recently, the maple applesauce I made Monday afternoon is just outstanding.
***It took about 4 hours to make from start to finish. And it made about 6 cups of applesauce. I was looking for the recipe online, but sometimes magazines don't post them so you would have to buy the publishing. Annoying for the purpose of sharing. Essentially though, it was just under a peck of apples (about 8 to 10 pounds worth), 2 cups of water, 10 inches worth of cinnamon stick; cook 35-45 min (I let them go longer); take out cinn. sticks; push apples through a sieve; add 1 cup real maple syrup; bring back to boil and VOILA! Yumminess. ***
I am also going to try a brown butter and sage applesauce. That's going to be phenomenal, too. I only have two pecks of apples left though. So I'll prep some apples for pies and if I have left overs, I'll try the new sauce. I am certain that I will need more apples this season though. At the apple orchard, each peck cost $10 and a peck is supposed to be 10.5 pounds. So by the calculation, I have to see what the best bet is: but some at a local market and hope they are as fresh as they claim, or go back apple picking. It's not that I would mind, I prefer to go upstate for the u-pick stuff, but I don't know that I can afford another trip up... especially just to pick apples. I recently read that apples at supermarkets are, on average, 14 months old. I was appalled and saddened. There are so many recipes I want to try though. I came across some other really good ones last night also. I've got about 25 recipes that I want to try. My problem is that the ingredients and other supplies start to cost a lot very quickly. Though it is generally less expensive than buying everyone gifts, it makes it difficult to try everything because you have to give baked gifts fresh, so I can't make things now and save them until the holidays. Though I may do mostly mini apple pies, so I am planning on prep-ing the filling and the pie crusts separately now (or soon) and then freezing everything until I am ready to put them together.
We won't only be giving baked goods as gifts. We are also making picture frames for immediate family. I've got some visions in my mind. We can't afford big gifts, and to be honest, I really don't like the idea of buying people expensive gifts for the holidays. I think it really misses the point of the season, which to me is about celebrating family and friends and helping others. Which is why I want to sign Little Miss and I up for volunteer work at a soup kitchen through the holiday season; maybe make it a weekly or bi-weekly thing throughout the year. I'd like to teach her, and The Bean when he is old enough, that 1. there are those less fortunate, and 2. people don't only need help at the holidays, but yearlong as well. It's just so hard to find the time sometimes with the kids and family plans and finding a sitter. Those are just sorry excuses though.
Little Misses 11th birthday is in less than 2 weeks, as is The Bean's. We got her some clothes and her grandparents want to get her a notebook laptop. I'm sure she will get more from others but that is a huge gift from them. We aren't actually buying anything for The Bean. I'm making an ice cream cake. And we just got him all these new clothes. A few people asked what he wanted. He's too young to want anything. But I told them we were thinking of getting him a tricycle or a wagon that attaches like a trailer to the back of the parents bike. Or a combo birthday-christmas gift and get him a playhouse, like the Little Tykes kind. They are expensive though. The ones we like are easily $600. But I don't like the idea of getting one now or soon because it will be so cold soon and I think he'll get more use in the Spring. But the idea is "what would it hurt to get it early" I guess. It's a lot of money for us though. Perhaps just something to save for; maybe save a bit longer and get a big one. Though if we save too long, by the time we might be able to afford the big one we will probably be ready to move out, and then what would really be the point by then anyway.
Looking forward to getting some scrubs for the new job tomorrow! Yay! I start Monday with a long day - 9am to 7pm. Longer than I anticipated. So now I have to talk to my manager and let her know that I won't be able to last as long as I thought and she'll have to hire someone. There is no way I can be at work Sunday at 11pm, when I won't be getting to bed until 8pm that night (because my fiance will now have to work Sundays); then work until 7am, go to the doctors office 9am to 7pm, then get to sleep around 8pm again to work the overnight Monday night 11pm to 7am and work 9am to 4pm Tuesday. That would mean I'd be lucky to get 4 hours of sleep over a 48 hour period of time. That's really demanding a lot of myself. I guess we will see what happens.
Thanks for reading.
Peace & Love,
Emily
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