You Are the Apple of My Eye

We have been blessed with an abundance of apples. We have been blessed to share them with family and friends, enjoy them dipped into Carmel Apple Dip, and are in the process of retrieving juice from said apples.
Steve working on his amazing apple press
Steve is working on his apple press and had plans for an Apple Festival.
Carter was indispensable in helping

(Rain may change his plans) I plan to bottle Pearl’s Apple Pie Filling. I also have plans for Apple Crumble Pie and Apple Crisp. I tried a new recipe-Apple Cake. Please see the reviews following the recipe. I found this recipe in the Mormon Essentials Cookbook. It was so easy to make. And by the way, Steve is the apple of my eye…..although there are lots of little apples in there also.
I will be trying new recipes from time to time and sharing the results.
Apple Cake Before the tasting
Apple Cake
1 ½ c. oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
3 c. flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 c. peeled and thinly sliced apples
Beat oil and sugar. Add the eggs and beat until mixture is Creamy. In a separate bowl sift together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir into batter. Add apples and vanilla. Bake 350* for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8 oz. pkg. Cream cheese softened
½ c. butter, melted
1 16 oz. Pkg. Powdered sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
Cream the cheese. Blend with butter. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat Well.

Unsolicited reviews:
"What's this apple-ish stuff? Is it apple? It's good."
Carter J."Ummm I like it. Do you like it? Ummmmm"
Steve JSorry, that is all the reviews I could get. I just work with what I have!

"Delectable."
Morgan G.
"MMMMM"
Colton G.

Recipe Club

Almost 24 years ago, I was new to my neighborhood. I was looking for new friends. I wanted to make our family meals more exciting, so I began a club. Recipe club. The first members were Cae Hurst, Chris Barkdull, Barbara Palmer, Lesley Leger (my new bff) and me. We met each month, rotating the host home. We shared our recipes and enjoyed a luncheon together made from those recipes. The tradition continued for many years. The faces around the table changed and I am grateful for my friendships with those people. Lesley will better remember how many years we continued. (Put it in the comments, Les) More of the friends that shared: Melinda Welch, Janet Webster, Jann Nelson Simpson, Darlene Baza. I even know of another group that started because of our group. Today's recipe is from that club. Melinda Welch brought Cheddar Chicken Casserole. My family loves it. Although, I have to make one end nutless for Hayden. (that crazy boy!) We are enjoying it tonight.
Here is the recipe with my adjustments:
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts (I just cook the whole package, who notices how much it weighs? I have found that skin on- bone in is best)
Water to cover
3 green onions chopped
3 stalks celery including tops chopped
Simmer this until tender. Strain and reserve broth. Chunk up the chicken
3 c. cooked angel hair pasta (break in 3 inch pieces)
Grated cheddar cheese
Cashews
(Note that I didn't give amounts...use what suits your tastes)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
Crushed Cheddar Cheese Crackers
Grease a 9X13 pan. Layer pasta,cheese, chicken, nuts. Combine soup with 2/3 c. broth. (I use more broth to make the sauce a little thinner and 'saucier'). Pour over the previous ingredients. Cover with crushed crackers. Bake uncovered 350* for 30 minutes.
To any of my friends from past years that may find this..please leave a comment and maybe a fun memory!

Dinner in A Pumpkin

Thanks to Ethan for posing with the pumpkins last year!

When I was little, our family vacations often consisted of visiting Aunt June. She was one of our favorite aunts, although she really wasn't 'our' aunt, she was my mother's aunt. She made our visits so fun. she took us all over Washington state showing us the landmarks and interests. Seattle is still one of my favorite places because of her. Every day was an adventure. She also made great meals. I remember stopping at roadside stands to purchase the fresh ingredients for her meals. One of my favorites was her Dinner In A Pumpkin. It was always a quest to find the right pumpkin. It still is! I love this autumn meal to this day! Here are the instructions:

Dinner In A Pumpkin
2 pounds ground beef
6 oz. Sausage
2 tsp. Salt
2 ½ T chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
2 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Vinegar
½ c. chopped green olives
1 can tomato sauce
3 eggs beaten
1 tsp. Pepper
Brown meats. Add remaining ingredients, except eggs and fry until tender. I add the eggs right at the end of the frying. Put into a cleaned out 10 inch pumpkin shell. Place in a shallow pan of water. Bake 350* for 1 hour. Serve in pumpkin. Scoop out some of the pumpkin when serving. I sometimes draw a Jack O Lantern face on the side of the pumpkin with a Sharpie.

Share the Eats

I am endeavoring to save some of my best recipes and to share with others. I am not advertising this blog just yet....Hopefully my most loved family and friends will find it quickly. I accept requests and hope others will share 'keeper' recipes. Those are recipes that are fantastic and well worth saving. Coming tomorrow.....my favorite Dinner in a Pumpkin. Yes, I have tried other recipes. This is the best. It has a great spice to it which flavors the pumpkin. Some of my squash hating family even ask for the pumpkin 'scrappin's' when we serve this......This is on the menu for this week.