Mama’s Apple Recipes: the Daily Buzz Moms 9×9

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Mama

As the cool weather approaches and the leaves start to change, everyone in our household gets excited. The arrival of fall means Gravenstein season is finally here! Hot cider donuts, hunting for the perfect pumpkin in the pumpkin patch and eating apples fresh from the tree make the fall harvest a special time of  year for our family. We went apple picking two weeks ago, and stocked up on our favorite early season apple: the Gravenstein. It’s not too sweet or sour, and it tastes great both fresh off the branch or warm and golden from the oven. If you plan to go apple picking, here are some simple ways to use your freshly picked apples. Happy picking everyone!

1. Spiced Applesauce (my family recipe…and it’s so simple).

Ingredients

  • 6 large apples, peeled, cored and cubed
  • water to cover, about 2 cups
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • dashes of nutmeg to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon of white sugar (optional to sweeten if needed)

Add the cubed apples to a large stockpot, and add water to just below the top of the apples (about 2 cups). Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until soft. Mix with a fork to applesauce consistency. You can use a potato masher if needed. Season with additional cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar to taste.

2. Apple Cupcakes with Spiced Buttercream Continue reading →

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Pin Lab: DIY Sea Glass

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Mama

I have several collections of natural objects: shells, stones, pressed flowers, and sea glass. Sea glass is one of my favorites because of how challenging it is to find pieces of a significant size. Several of my friends also collect sea glass, so when I saw the pin for DIY sea glass gifts I had to give it a try. This one has easy DIY Christmas present written all over it!

The Pin: DIY Sea Glass Gifts

I know a lot of you have re-pinned this one, so here is the nitty gritty:

The Results

A Pin Win! Pour out 2 parts white glue and 1 part water into a paper cup. Add a few drops of food coloring. I used 2 drops of green and one drop of blue to make a stunning teal color. Paint the glue on the outside using a foam brush, and let it dry. It’s as simple as that. Quick sweeping strokes seem to work the best.

The glue is water soluble, so you if you want to change the color or start over you just wash the film off. With that said, if you are using it on a vase (like I did), you have to be careful not to get the outside of the vase wet because your sea glass effect will come off.

As the cooler weather approaches, the sea glass vases are perfect for preserving a piece of summer.

 

Even, Stink thought this pin was fun to do. See the big kitten smile…well maybe Stink is smiling on the inside.

Did you recently try a Pinterest pin? How did it turn out for you?

 

 

 

 

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Wordless Wednesday: Jewels of the Earth

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Mama

 

and late summer flowers from the gardens…

 

Stunning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rosemary-Sage Balsamic Pork & Apple-Beet Mashed Potatoes

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Mama

Root vegetables and hearty, wholesome meats are staples of cool weather meals. While I’m not a vegetarian, I don’t consume meat often. One of the only ways I will actually eat pork, chicken or beef is if the protein is cooked with plenty of savory herbs and deglazed with balsamic vinegar. The flavor is outstanding. This cool weather recipe comes straight from my table to yours. It’s sweet, savory, and incredibly simple. Enjoy!

Ingredients for the Pork

  • 1 package of boneless, skinless, thin-sliced pork chops (you may substitute chicken)
  • 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, stripped and chopped
  • 3-5 sage leaves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup water or chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil

Heat a little olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with rosemary, sage, salt and pepper. Continue reading →

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Fall-Inspired Soft Pretzels

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Mama

I had to do something with all of the colored salt from my edible glitter Pin Lab experiment, so I made some fall-inspired soft pretzels. They are seasonally appropriate, adorable, and they would be super cute to bring to class for a back-to-school celebration or teacher’s gift.

In the Pin Lab I baked the salt, but you really can just skip that step. My experimental results suggest the baking process doesn’t really do a whole lot to the colored salt. Continue reading →

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Peach Cupcakes & Sugar Glass

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Mama

The edible glitter didn’t turn out as I had anticipated, but it did make some gorgeous sugar glass. Some of the sugar pieces remind me of coral. I made some pretty peach cupcakes with buttercream frosting and colored sugar to go with the sugar glass. These would be so cute for a Little Mermaid or Finding Nemo party.

Continue reading →

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Pin Lab: Edible Glitter…or not.

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Mama

I need a little more time on the Custom Blog Design on a Budget post I’m working on, so in place of that, let’s do another Pin Lab! Give me something with a little sparkle and I’m a happy girl. This is why I got so excited when I saw the Pin for edible glitter. Glitter tea party with glittery cupcakes? Yes please!

The Pin:

 

The Results:

The pin uses sugar. Come to find out the original recipe uses salt. There is a difference. Are yoy ready for a mini science lesson?

Sugar (sucrose) and salt (sodium chloride) are two very different compounds. In a nutshell, the bonds holding together a molecule of salt are different from the bonds holding together a molecule of sugar. Plus, salt melts from a crystalline structure into a liquid at a definite temperature. Sugar apparently does not melt, it decomposes. This means sugar and salt behave very differently in the oven.

So what?

Well, when you put sugar in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes like the pin suggests you sometimes get this: Continue reading →

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Rosemary Garlic Bread

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Mama

Everyone should have a favorite herb. Mine is rosemary. It’s aromatic, woody, and lovely. I use it frequently and generously. So you can understand my joy when I found this recipe for Rosemary Garlic Bread at Little Bits of…baking, crafting & life. Kelsey thinks the recipe is SO good the title for the bread ought only to be typed in italics and bold.

…I agree.

So, this is my version of her fabulous Rosemary Garlic Bread. (yes it’s that good). Continue reading →

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Lazy Lasagna

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Mama

I absolutely adore lasagna. It’s one of my top ten favorite meals to make and eat. Lasagna is my signature dish that I contribute to our annual family reunion, and everyone scrambles to get a piece. There have yet to be any leftovers even though I added a second baking dish this year!

I’m not a vegetarian per se, but I don’t enjoy eating meat often (except bacon, everybody loves bacon). You’ll never see a meat sauce in one of my lasagnas. Bleh. I use a hearty garden vegetable sauce, and instead of ground beef, I stuff my signature lasagna with mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, garlic, and shallots. It’s sweet, savory, and oozing with cheese. The next time I make the real deal I’ll write out the full recipe for you and take lots of mouth watering photos, but not today. Today I give you Lazy Lasagna.

My mushroom garlic lasagna takes a fair amount of effort, and it’s a little expensive to make. Therefore, we don’t eat the real deal often. The obvious solution would be to eat frozen lasagna, but I have yet to find a frozen lasagna I like.

Do you share my distaste for frozen lasagna? If you want the flavor and satisfaction of a homemade lasagna without exerting alot of energy in the kitchen Lazy Lasagna is for you. Continue reading →

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Blog Design on a Small Budget: Choosing a color palette

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Mama

Congratulations! You’ve found a fantastic layout and are ready for the next steps in building your custom design.

Step 2: Make a copy, make a copy, make a copy!!

Did I mention make a copy?! Oh, and make a copy.

You are going to mis-type something. You will accidentally delete the codes for the sidebar. You will get so engrossed in making changes only to discover you dislike the result. You will do lots of things where you will need to start fresh. Well my friend, you can’t have a fresh start unless you have a back-up copy of the original. So, before you begin customizing your template make a copy.

Step 3: Choose an eye-catching color scheme.

The easiest custom change you can make is to choose a unique color palette. Your color scheme sets the tone and mood of your blog. A hot pink, lavender, and neon green blog has a totally different feel from a blog sporting dark red, black and brown. A reader anticipates that the colors fit the content, so keep this in mind as you pick your palette. If you are writing about food, consider choosing warm and spicy colors.

 Honeycrisp_Apple
Color by COLOURlovers

If your blog is about parenting and children, bright and playful colors may be appropriate. Continue reading →

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