Apple Butter 101...

So first off here in North Carolina people love to can stuff. I heard about it from my friends about all the things they have canned and I went to a salsa canning party a couple months back. Since then I’ve been really interested in canning some apple butter. So over Labor Day weekend my friend, Kerri and I decided we need to try it.

What we didn’t realize is that our day project would turn into a week. Now granted we know now that we should cook the apple butter in a crock-pot….makes it cook a LOT faster. So next year if we decide to embark on this adventure again we’ll remember to bring out the crock-pots first.

First off we decided that we wanted to actually go to an apple orchard to pick our apples. That was a blast.

After we picked a ½ bushel each we headed back to Kerri’s and peeled and cut them up. I think my thumb was sore for a week after that.

Then we put the cooked apples in a food processor then back into the pot with the spices to cook.

This of course is where we should have used crock-pots because it took FOREVER. We ended up giving up on cooking it the rest of the way that day and went and had dinner with friends from small group.

The next day Kerri figured she could cook it the rest of the way and can it. That didn’t happen so I brought her my two crock-pots and it was easy sailing from there. Here is the finished project.

All in all it was a blast and I hope we try again next year.

Pie Crust & Pecan Pie....

My first attempt at making pie crust crashed and burned. It was horrible! So after chucking the dried out dough in the trash I called my mother and cried to her and asked what in the world I did wrong. Okay maybe I didn't cry. In the end really not sure what I did wrong but mom said when Cray and I came up on the July 4th weekend she and I would make pies together.

Making them with her was a total success!! Maybe my first attempt failed because I didn't have a pastry cutter or maybe I didn't add enough Crisco or maybe too much flour. Who knows!

Last night I tried making the crust on my own. S-U-C-C-E-S-S again!!! I was so very proud of myself. Cray had to endure me jumping up and down clapping my hands like a silly school girl.

Next I made a pecan pie. I found the recipe on The Pioneer Woman blog. It looks oh so good and I can't wait to try a piece tonight.

Blackberry Cobbler...

Last night I made a very yummy blackberry cobbler. I found the recipe over at The Pioneer Woman. I've never read her blog until this week and I think she is amazing! She tells such great stories and has made some very wonderful dishes. I can't wait to try more!!

Lights, Camera....

NOTHING. Okay so let's start off by saying I'm not one to try or make something new and not take pictures of it. I like to take pictures, for one gives me something to write on here about and two when I get really old I can look back at the pictures and say "oh yeah I remember that".

So with that said last night I made for the first time Hershey kiss cupcakes...YUM! At first I wasn't worried about making them. I mean come on people it's cupcakes! Then my BFF told me that she tried to make them and they turned out really dry. Well crap! Now she is not an incompetent cook so don't start judging. She's pretty darn good at cooking. She just needed to take about 5 minutes off the cooking time.

So...with that in mind and the fact that my lovely stove cooks hotter I went to work. I wanted to make mini cupcakes but can you believe walmart didn't have any? Come on walmart has EVERYTHING. Oh well guess it wasn't meant to be. So I ended up taking off about 7 minutes from the cook time. 7 was the lucky number because they turned out so moist and oh so good.

If my lovely batteries wouldn't have died you might have seen a picture like this...

haha...okay that's a joke. Mine don't look anything like that but when I googled Hershey kiss cupcakes this is what pulled up. Don't they look amazing though?? Okay enough rambling. Hope everyone has a great weekend! My eyes will be glued to my text books. :) Oh one last thing...took my first medical term test last night and made an 84. Not bad I guess.

Food, food, & more food...

So this past weekend we had the annual Hill Christmas Party. I had no clue what to bring but thanks to my husband and I having to buy 2 turkeys in November (long story) that problem was solved because his mother had no one bringing a meat. My next minor issue was the fact that I had never cooked a turkey in my life. That’s okay though, I’m not one to be intimidated by a dead bird…cough, cough.

So I followed all of the directions, plus my mother’s directions for cooking a bird. I’m very proud to say that I was not defeated and everyone loved the turkey! Victory is mine!!!

Because I love to cook and bake I decided to make a little dessert too. They are called Red Velvet Cake Balls. I found the recipe on http://www.bakerella.com/. She is an amazing baker/artist. You can find the recipe here.

Here are some pictures of my own. I think I did well for my first try.

Not only did we have the Christmas party that night but it was also Cray's birthday. So I made him a breakfast casserole and he played video games all day while I cooked up a storm in the kitchen. Sweet of him right? Na...it was his birthday and all. :)

Addicted…

To Coffee! It’s the best stuff in the world! I always need a cup in the morning or I can’t make it through the day. Sad I know! Tell me what’s your addiction??

FYI the husband and I are cleaning out all of the computer stuff from the garage. YAY!! One step closer to turning it into a den. Have a great weekend and try to stay dry!!

Chicken Parmesan

Cooking is one of my favorite things to do. I'm always looking for something new to try. Cooks.com is one of my favorite websites to find my next meal. Thank you to Kimberly W. for sharing this wonderful dish. Below is a picture of the leftovers. Excuse the paper plate. :)

4-6 chicken breasts
Italian dressing for marinating chicken
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan
garlic powder
salt and pepper
mozzarella cheese
spaghetti sauce
oil with 3 tbls. butter

Marinate chicken breasts for 1/2 hour in Italian dressing. On plate add Parmesan to bread crumbs and garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add to frying pan enough oil with butter and let it heat up. Dip marinated chicken into bread crumb mixture. Put chicken in frying pan. Fry until brown on both sides.

After browning, place chicken in shallow baking pan and pour any kind of spaghetti sauce of your liking over chicken. Add enough mozzarella cheese to cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
If you have sauce left over cook linguine noodles, drain add sauce, add 3/4 cup mozzarella, and Parmesan for a side dish.

Enjoy!!!!