After making applesauce yesterday I still had some apples left. I decided to use some of the apples and make my Aunt Cathleen’s Fresh Apple Cake. My aunt shared this recipe years ago and it has been a family favorite ever since! It is delicious anytime of the year but especially good in the fall when the apples are fresh. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Fresh Apple Cake

2  1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup walnuts, chopped

4 cups coarsely chopped unpeeled apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. It is often easier to use your hands to mix everything together as the mixture is quite stiff. Lightly grease a tube pan. Scrap mixture into the tube pan and bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.

Bon Appetit!

Nancy

Linked To: IAmAddictedToRecipes

Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to pick apples. It was a beautiful fall day, perfect for such an outing. The orchard had over 43 different varieties of apples, although the trees were not marked. As I walked through the orchard I would pick a few apples from each tree. In a very short time I had two full bags, plenty to make applesauce! Applesauce is one of the easiest foods to can – if you have a water bath canner. You can also freeze applesauce. I use the recipe found in the Ball Blue Book Guide To Home Canning, Freezing and Dehydration. The recipe is very simple. wash, stem and quarter apples. You do not need to core or peel the apples. I usually do take the time to core the apples before cooking. Cook the apples until soft in a large saucepot with just enough water or apple juice to prevent sticking. I then put the apples through a food mill to remove the skins. While the applesauce is still hot you can add sugar and spices if desired. Follow the directions for canning or place in freezer containers and you will have plenty of applesauce to enjoy all winter. It is such a satisfying feeling to have pantry shelves full of beautiful homemade applesauce.

Raising four children on one salary was often a challenge. I learned many ways to help stretch a dollar. Sometimes I would work part time or take care of other children in addition to our own in order to supplement our income. When I did work part time we would consider my salary as extra and not something that would be part of our budget.

One of the most important things I learned over the years was to make a price book. I am not the type to keep numbers in my head, so how was I to know if something was a good deal? The answer was keeping a price book.

A price book doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just a way to keep track of prices. Each page contains prices for one item and the pages are in alphabetical order for easy reference. You might also have a code for various stores in the area, the brand, the size of the item and the unit price. You’ll be amazed what you can learn by writing down various prices, not every sale is always a sale! When you do find a good deal you can stock your pantry with confidence knowing that you are saving money. As you look through sale flyers with your price book, you will immediately be able to see what the good deals are. This may be the first step in getting control of your food budget.

 

It’s a wet, chilly Friday. A perfect day to make Cream of Carrot Soup! I’ve had this recipe for years and it freezes well although if you are planning on freezing it I would add the light cream later. This soup does not need to be blended but I have one of those wonderful emersion blenders, which I love to use! So before adding the cream I puree the soup. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Cream of Carrot Soup

2/3 cup diced onion (from my garden)

2/3 cup diced leek (from my garden)

¾ cup diced celery

2 cups shredded carrots (from my garden)

6 TBSP butter

¼ cup white wine

6 TBSP flour

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups light cream (I used whole milk)

Salt, pepper and thyme

Soften leeks, onions, and celery in the butter. Add wine and reduce heat. Add broth and cook for ½ hour. Add flour and spices. I used about 1 tsp of thyme. Add carrots and cook until tender. Add cream and simmer for 20 minutes.

Perfect for a chilly, fall evening!

Enjoy!  Nancy

 

Nothing like a full day’s harvest to help stock the pantry! First I collected the eggs,  it’s nice when each of the hens gives us an egg. Then I shelled my dried Cranberry Beans. Can’t wait to use them in a recipe. Pulled all the carrots; looking forward to making my delicious carrot soup. Spent the rest of the day digging potatoes, which is a real chore. However, a full cart of potatoes will last us all winter! Now to sort through them and pick out the ones that need to be used first, they’re the ones I stabbed with the shovel..

Coming soon my recipe for Carrot Soup!

Nancy

 

 

 

One of my favorite fall activities is making soup! I can take a few ingredients from the garden and create a wonderful, nourishing soup that we can enjoy and I can also freeze for later enjoyment. Butternut Squash Soup is a family favorite. Every time I find a recipe I have to try it and compare it to other recipes in my collection. Yesterday I made a wonderful Curried Butternut Squash Soup. Here is the recipe:

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut up

1 sweet potato or a large baking potato, peeled and cut up

3 large leeks cut up (white part only)

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 shallots (didn’t have any shallots so used onions)

1 stick of butter to sauté all of the above to a soft consistency

 

Than add salt and pepper and 1 tsp cumin

1 TBSP curry powder

32 oz chicken broth

Simmer until the squash is soft, and then puree the soup with a blender or an emersion blender. When it is smooth and free of lumps add:

2 cups of heavy cream (I only used 1 cup of milk).

Enjoy!  Nancy

Skunked!

We’ve lived in Vermont for over 14 years and have never had any problems with skunks. That all changed last night, Riley, our* Boston Terrier met a skunk right next to our house! Perhaps she thought it was another Boston Terrier?  She came running back to the house and sat on the steps while we tried to figure out what was the best method to treat her. Luckily just days before I had read something about using hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to treat a dog sprayed by a skunk. Talk about good timing! Luckily we had the ingredients on hand ( it is prudent to have a well stocked pantry!). We soon had a much better smelling and very clean dog. She still spent the night in the laundry room….

If your dog runs into a skunk here is a wonderful recipe:

1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 pound baking soda
Bit of laundry detergent or dish soap.

Now if we could only figure out how to get the smell off the steps. Any suggestions?

 

Enjoy your weekend! Nancy

*Riley actually belongs to our daughter living in London.