Our Family Secret: The Perfect Apple Crisp

It is Fall.  Which means it is Fall food time.  :-)  We grew up on an apple crisp that will make you swoon.  Once we all became of the age to begin cooking, apple crisp was one of the first recipes we all requested of our mom.  I had no idea how easy it would be!

What You Need
5 cups tart apples (I use green): peel, core and slice them up
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon of cinnamon, mixed with 1 teaspoon of sugar
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
Vanilla ice cream

What To Do
Preheat the oven to 375 and butter a loaf pan.

In large bowl, toss the apple slices with the lemon juice and cinnamon-sugar mixture.

In another bowl, blend the brown sugar, flour, butter and salt together.  Mix it up with pastry blender, 2 knives and then get your hands in there.

Put apple slices in loaf pan.  Press the topping over them.  Bake the apple crisp for 1 hour.  Don't leave the house because it smells too good!

Serve warm with ice cream.  Serve as a leftover cold (if the crisp makes it that far)!

Make Your Own Menu Board

I always need a place to write things down just when I am running out the door.  Usually, I pull a little newspaper corner and jot down the note (so I won't forget later).  But as it turns out this little scrap is usually never to be seen again.  So, I wanted a whiteboard for my kitchen.  But, not one of those academic-y white boards, all sterile and school-like.  Here is a great solution that is pretty and functional!

What You Need
12X12 inch frame (or really any frame for that matter)
Scrapbook Paper (I got 12X12 inch paper too)
Letters for words

What To Do
Put any kinds of words on your scrapbook paper (ie. "Menu," "To-do")
Place paper in frame
Yep, that is all. Oh, and write on the outside with dry-erase marker

Chicken Picasso

I cooked up this meal for my sweet hubby last week.  He said it was a hit!  It makes a lot which was evidenced by our days and days of leftovers.  It is a really colorful dish as well; perfect for a dinner party!

What You Need
4 chicken breasts
2 medium onions
3 bell peppers
2 large garlic cloves
14oz can diced tomatoes 
1 vegetable bouillon cube
Grated cheese (whatever kind you like best!)
1 tbsp Italian herbs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cream
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
pinch nutmeg
pepper
salt

What to Do
1. Heat oven to 400*F.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until butter has melted.   Lightly brown chicken on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to 9 by 12-inch baking dish.

3. Add onion to skillet and cook, stirring, until soft.  Transfer onions to baking dish.  Add bell peppers to skillet and cook, stirring, until soft.  Transfer bell peppers to baking dish.

4. Add garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add water, diced tomatoes, Italian herbs, bouillon, nutmeg, and half and half.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir well.  Simmer sauce over low heat for 5 minutes.  Pour sauce over chicken and vegetables.

5. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and uncover.  Top with cheese and bake, uncovered, 15 minutes or until cheese has melted and chicken is cooked through.  Serve over pasta.

Hootenanny: The Baked Pancake

Nothing starts a weekend off right like a hot and homemade breakfast.  I really like pancakes but I really don't like the pancake flipping part.  Turns out, I am incapable of flipping a pancake without major breakage.  Then, I discovered a pancake that requires no flipping.  It just requires an oven.  To be honest, I think it even tastes better (and it's easier too!).

The Hootenanny
What You Need
1 cup Flour
1 cup Milk
6 Eggs
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Some melted butter: the more butter the merrier :-)

What to Do
Mix together all the ingredients.  Pour batter into greased 9X13 pan.  Then pour 1/2 cube melted butter over the top (don't mix).  Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.  Cut into pieces and drizzle with whatever your happy heart desires: syrup, peanut butter, powdered sugar, ect.

From Farm to Table

My husband & I try to make it back to the farm as much as possible. This time of year happens to be very busy for the Dodsworth's because it is wheat harvest (and the garden is over flowing with produce). Here are a few pictures of a delicious zucchini bread recipe that is made from scratch with as much from the farm as possible.

This is the garden. It has everything from beets, sweet corn, lettuce, radishes, rhubarb, strawberries, carrots, snap peas, winter peas to squash, zucchini, pumpkins, peppers and more!

My MIL sent me home with some awesome produce!

B harvesting the wheat and transferring it from the combine to the grain cart on the tractor.

Me getting some wheat from the grain cart!

Grinding the wheat in my Magic Bullet...probably not the best idea, but I was anxious to try out the new wheat berries!

Adding the zucchini to the bread dough.

Getting ready to go in the oven!

Finished product. Great recipe! Click Zucchini-Oat Bread to see the recipe!

Wedding Projects on a Budget

Only 27 days until the Big Day!  I, Susanna (the middle sister of the three) am overcome with excitement as the countdown ticks away.  Throughout the summer I have been tackling various wedding related "projects."  My wedding will be black and white, with "pops" of yellow.  It is an afternoon/evening affair so I wanted an elegance feel to the day. 

These signs are going on the back of Marshall and I's chairs at the reception.  They are still missing bows.  I found a wooden background and wooden letters at Hobby Lobby for next to nothing.  Turns out, a little paint and Modge Podge glue goes a long way.  

Most of the tables at the reception are not reserved, but a couple are.  I found this frame at the Dollar Store for...$1.  I then typed up and printed "Reserved" to go inside the frame.

The fabric/pattern that inspired so much of the decor.

The centerpieces!  We bought a bolt of fabric from an online store.  We measured, pressed, cut, and stitched up 20X20'' inch squares.  Soon these will be decorating tables!  

Homemade Laundry Soap!

Laundry Soap is ~$2.06 per batch. My batch for my husband & I has lasted since June 2010, so over a year and still have about 1/4 of the 5 gallon bucket left!

Ingredients:

Quantity	Ingredient	Price
4 cups	Water	Free
1 Cup	Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda	$5.58 / box (55 oz.)  [6.87 batches]
1/2 Cup	Borax	$4.09 / box (4lbs. 12oz.)  [~18 batches]
1 Bar	Fels Naptha bar soap	$1.05 / bar (1 batch)

Instructions:

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)
*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

Oreo Truffles

The word truffle sounds expensive.  Truffle oil or truffle chocolate, either way it is going to cost you.  Here is a recipe for fun and delicious truffles made with 4 ingredients.  Not just 4 ingredients, but 4 inexpensive ingredients.  You can decorate them up with fun sprinkles or use white chocolate for contrast.  Perfect for a little gift bag or just perfect for your fridge.

What You Need
1 (1lb 2oz.) pkg Oreos
8oz. cream cheese, softened
Chocolate-Flavored Almond Bark
*1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional- may add other extracts to enhance flavor)
*Crisco if needed (to thin almond bark once melted)

What to do 
- Crush Oreos using a food proccessor, or even by putting them in a plastic bag and using a rolling pin. 
- Add softened cream cheese and vanilla (if desired) and mix until smooth.
- Make small balls out of the mixture
- Chill mixture in fridge or freezer until firm.
- In microwave-safe bowl, melt the almond bark. If you want a slightly thinner coat of chocolate on each ball, add about a teaspoon of shortening (non-flavored).

- Drop Oreo balls into melted almond bark. Make sure to coat the entire surface then use a spoon to place on wax paper or aluminum. Let almond bark harden (you can use the fridge to speed this process up). ENJOY!

Coupon Trick of the Trade

Coupons are everywhere!  You just have to keep your eyes peeled!  I often do best with the coupons you can tear off a pad.  This particular one has a picture of BIG SLICE, but you can get any of their Kraft sliced cheeses with it.  So I always choose that which you can get the highest oz/dollar.  This happened to be on sale for 1.99 this week (from 4.99, YIKES).  So they came down to 99 cents a pack.  That equals 12 cents/ ounce and under 2 dollars a pound, which is WAY cheaper then buying in bulk, even with a good sale!  I use it for all cheese recipes and just shred it with a knife if I need shredded, it's SO cheap. YAY.  Also found SOOO many people out couponing today.  Sometimes I inadvertently give them the "evil eye."  You weren't out here before the "Extreme Couponing" show came out!

Email these Companies, get these coupons!

Well, I think I will start with a master list of companies to email and they will send you coupons or samples through the mail!  It's always fun to get coupons in the mail!
UPDATE:  You are able to email by going through their "contact us" page and email through most appropriate subcategory.  

Companies that DO Mail:

Playtex

MAM Baby

Heinz

Skinmate

Snapple

Kelloggs

Jose Ole

Purdue

Bumble Bee Tuna

Tidy Cat

Dove

Crest

Nivea

Aquaphor

Ellas Kitchen

ConAgra

Apple and Eve

Medela –And Samples!

Lansinoh – And samples!

Johnsonville Sausage

Arizona Tea

Lipton

Hunts

Nutro Dog Food

Cascadian Farms

Boogies Wipes

Hawaiian Tropic

Kashi

Morningstar Farms

Plum Organics

Campbells

Glade

VIP – Frozen veggies n fruits

Mario Olives

Purina

Ragu

Pull-Ups

Seventh Generation

Dial

Smuckers

Airwick

Cottonelle

Fresh Express

Mama Marys

Pop Chips

Unilever Qs-Bertolli,

 Breyers,

 I can’t believe it’s not butter,

 Hellmans,

Dole

Clorox

4C Juice

Pepsi

Coffee Mate

Viva Towels

Beech Nut

Purina

Egglands Best

Lysol

Downy

The Greek Gods

Palmolive

Cheez-its

Duncan Hines

Daisy

Bar S

Biore

Kettle Chips

Hostess

Fizzy Izze

Turkey Hill

YoBaby

Pediasure

Charmin

Ore Ida

Ziplock

Sweet Baby Rays

Utz

Petes Coffee

Danon

V8

TGI Fridays Frozens

Bushes Beans

Edys

Wymans

Kozy Shack

Ball Park

Kandoo

Del Monte

Chobani

Jif

Welchs

New York Toast

Kings Hawaiian

McCormick

Johnson

Avoderm

Kimberly Clark

Puffs

Hefty

KC (Windex)

Renuzit

Soft n Dri

Soft Scrub

Purex

Nexxus

Thomas Bagels

Head and Shoulders

Michelinas Frozen Dinners

Quilted Nothern

Glad Air Freshner

Aunt Jemima

Blue Bunny

Birds Eye Viola

Boudreauxs butt Paste

Tillamook

Pictsweet

Dr. Pepper - will say no but send you some anyways.

Pistachios

Monster - sends stickers!

Silk Soy Milk - 1 per year

Companies that have said NO

Orajel

Kellogs Nutri Grain

Hill Science Diet

Annies

Stride Gum

Cream of Wheat

Dr. Browns

General Mills

Motts

NUK

Boppy

Tommee Tippie

Hersheys

All

Barilla

Starkist

Campbell

Charmin

Del Monte

Ben and Jerrys

 Starbucks

Venus Razors

Con-Agra

Nivea

Head and Shoulders

Hit and Miss Companies

Huggies

Similiac – Unless you need a special kind

Gerber -Unless you need a special kind

Enfamil -Unless you need a special kind

Pampers

Juicy Juice

Aveeno

Baby Magic

Coke

Pepperidge Farm

Earths Best

 Kraft Mac n Cheese

 Chiquita

Scrubbin Bubbles

Venus Razors

Get busy emailing away!