Mmmm, apples. I used the last of our orchard apples in a batch of crock pot apple butter last week. I tried it on ice cream and it was tasty. I have also been designing some pillows for my handmade shop. The first one I finished is the apple pillow. I also made patterns for owl and pumpkin pillows. Cooler autumn weather always puts me in the mood to sew!
Our garden is doing so well right now. We picked our first radish yesterday! So far we have peas, carrots, spinach, lettuce and radishes coming up. We added strawberries yesterday and this week we'll plant onions and another crop of spinach and carrots. In a few weeks we'll be doing a lot more planting. My little one has so much fun in the garden, it's such a joy to see.
It's going to be a busy week. Sara's third birthday is the 8th and we're having a birthday party this Sunday. I may post only photos the rest of the week until I get my stuff done.
More later this week!
Boy, have I been enjoying that pasta with pesto and chicken. I had forgotten about the dozen or so batches of pesto I made last summer. They've been sitting in the freezer all this time, until this weekend. I used a little with this pasta and also threw in some oven roasted cherry tomatoes that I froze as well last year. It all brought a little bit of summer to our meal.
I had to include the photo of my daughter too. Usually she's right by my side when I take photos for this blog or for my shops. My little assistant :)
I just finished the last of my homemade fudge. Next on my list of holiday treats to make are gingerbread cookies. I may try to make a gingerbread house too this year. I think my little one would love it.
It sure does feel like November here, cold and gloomy. But, our garden is still producing. Yes! This is our first year with a fall garden (we've been gardening in spring/summer for years). We planted carrots, onions, radishes, and spinach. I'm just so pleasantly surprised how well our garden has done, even with many nights of frost. Hope you are having a good weekend. I'm looking forward to making pot roast and apple brown betty tonight and hopefully doing a little sewing.
Mmmm, caramel apples. I decided to start autumn off right by making caramel apples. It sure feels like autumn around here- the leaves are changing and it's been very cool. Love it! This week I'll start decorating my house for Halloween.
I've been busy making things the past week: a skirt for Sara, a dress for her Mandy doll, and home made play dough. I'll share more about them this week. Have a nice day :-)
One of my things on my summer to-do list was to make homemade ice cream or sorbet. I made a batch of strawberry sorbet this weekend and it turned out really good. I'll share the recipe with ya. Enjoy!
Fruit Sorbet
2 cups fruit puree or juice
3/4 to 1 1/4 cup sugar
up to 2 T lemon juice
1 T vodka (it improves the texture)
Combine all in a large bowl. Stir on and off for several minutes until sugar is dissolved. Rub your finger along the bottom of the bowl to see if the sugar is dissolved. Pour into a container. Cover and refrigerate until sorbet is 40 degrees F or lower. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn. Freeze up to 2 days.
I went strawberry picking a few weeks ago at a u-pick patch just outside of town. Last year I made strawberry freezer jam, but this year I decided just to make some strawberry sauce to freeze. I froze the sauce in ice cube trays and then popped them all in plastic bags. The perfect size for a sundae or smoothie. I never did get around to making strawberry shortcake. Maybe I'll have to try that with my raspberries from our backyard. One of my favorite things about summer is all the fresh fruit. Yum!
Just picked button mushrooms from our kit in the basement. I think I'll make mushroom calzones for dinner. Yum.
Hello summer!
I picked strawberries over the weekend and made a big batch of strawberry sauce to freeze.Mmmm. Next up, strawberry freezer jam.
Here's some other things I'd like to make (some for the first time) this summer...
ice cream, sorbet, raspberry sauce, grilled fish, salsa, dill pickles, grilled sweet corn, tortillas, popsicles, yogurt cheese, pitas, mojitos, smoothies, salad dressings, grilled kabobs, ice cream sandwiches, summer rolls, berry tarts, grilled pizza and stuffed green peppers.
How about you?
Have a lovely day!
Boy, have I been enjoying that pasta with pesto and chicken. I had forgotten about the dozen or so batches of pesto I made last summer. They've been sitting in the freezer all this time, until this weekend. I used a little with this pasta and also threw in some oven roasted cherry tomatoes that I froze as well last year. It all brought a little bit of summer to our meal.
It sure does feel like November here, cold and gloomy. But, our garden is still producing. Yes! This is our first year with a fall garden (we've been gardening in spring/summer for years). We planted carrots, onions, radishes, and spinach. I'm just so pleasantly surprised how well our garden has done, even with many nights of frost. 
Mmmm, caramel apples. I decided to start autumn off right by making caramel apples. It sure feels like autumn around here- the leaves are changing and it's been very cool. Love it! This week I'll start decorating my house for Halloween.
All I can say is.. yum. I've been slow roasting batches of our cherry tomatoes for a couple weeks now. They are just so flavorful when slow roasted. Wow. I'm freezing most of them for future use. The recipe is from the wonderful Smitten Kitchen. It's a must try if you like tomatoes!
I went strawberry picking a few weeks ago at a u-pick patch just outside of town. Last year I made strawberry freezer jam, but this year I decided just to make some strawberry sauce to freeze. I froze the sauce in ice cube trays and then popped them all in plastic bags. The perfect size for a sundae or smoothie. I never did get around to making strawberry shortcake. Maybe I'll have to try that with my raspberries from our backyard. One of my favorite things about summer is all the fresh fruit. Yum!
Hello summer!
