Carmel Apple Butter

I mentioned on facebook that I was making carmel apple butter and several of you asked for the recipe so here it is.

Carmel Apple Butter by Linda J. Amendt
Makes about 7 half pints

Apple Pulp
3 1/2 lbs tart apples, cored, peeled and chopped
2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 cup water
1/4 cup strained fresh lemon juice

Butter Indredients
4 cups apple pulp
3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp unsalted butter
1 (3-ounce) pouch liquid pectin

To make the pulp: In a 4-quart pan (I had to use an 8-quart pan but that is because I weighed the apples after coring and peeling them), combine the apples, apple juice, water, and lemon juice.

Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the apples are soft, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Press the apples and juice through a food mill or fine meshed sieve. Return the apple pulp to the pan.

Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. As the apple pulp thickens, stir th mixture frequently to prevent sticking or scorching. Remove the pan from the heat. Measure 4 cups of apple pulp.

To make the butter: In an 8-quart pan, combine the apple pulp, brown sugar, granulated sugar and butter.

Over medium-low heat, heat the mixture, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the entire contents of the pectin pouch. Return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Skim off any foam.

Ladle the hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp cloth. Cover with hot lids and apply screw rings. Process half-pint jars in a 200F water bath for 10 minutes, pint jars for 15 minutes.

Halloween

Miles gets to go trick or treating with his classmates to some of the local businesses. Miles was dressed as angry elephant this year.


A few members of the class getting ready to go out. They have a rope with rings that they hold on to.

Fran's Chocolates was our favorite place to trick or treat. They gave the kids boring candy, but gave the adults a chocolate ganache. Yummm!!

Pumpkin Patch!!

We started going to a pumpkin patch every year to support local farms and get back to nature (because we love nature). This year we went to Craven Farm.


Miles tries so hard to help with the farm chores.

Steve is so strong

Determination...I will not let this pumpkin that is bigger than me beat me.

STRIPES!!!

I'm checking for seeds.

Childrens' Museum

I was downloading pictures off the camera to post pictures of Miles trick-or-treating and I realized I haven't posted anything on the blog in awhile. Here we are at the Children's Museum on the advice of a friend. I think Miles had a good time, but I think we will wait a few years before we take him again. We didn't get to spend any time in half the museum because Miles (meaning Steve and I) got tired.

They had a special Clifford the Big Red Dog exhibit. Miles liked the purple poodle.

He was a little afraid of Clifford though.

I was glad we went in October. This pumpkin is HUUUGGGEEE!!

We found one of those bikes that teach little kids how to balance without pedaling before they get to an actual bike so Miles took it for a spin. Later, I wondered if it was part of the museum or privately owned since it was parked near stroller parking. Oh well.

Since Miles rides the bus every day we thought he might enjoy driving one.

He seems to be a friendly bus driver as he mingles with his clients.

Here he is grocery shopping.

Here he is checking out the fish he chose to buy.

Leavenworth

After a super crazy week, we met up with friends and their family for a weekend in Leavenworth. What an awesome time we had.

Steve and Miles took a cow ride. If you look close, you will see that Steve's knees are poking out. He had a great time.

Did you ever see Muppets from Space when the evil guy says to his bear helper "Hand me the remote" and the bear says, "The goat?" That's what this reminds me of.

If you look in the back of this picture, you will see a freakishly small cow. It was insane.

Miles didn't even like the pretend animals in the petting zoo

Steve is showing Miles that it's okay to feed a sheep. What you don't hear is Steve asking the sheep to please not use his tongue when eating out of his hand.

Finally, Miles found something he loved at the farm. A small shopping cart.

Downtown Leavenworth. It was about 80 degrees and Steve didn't pack shorts. Therefore, he fashioned some manprees.

This picture made me laugh out loud. Miles is clearly hot and tired.

After a full day, Miles finally warmed up to the dog Rocky. It was so fun watching him interact with a dog. Here he is trying to feed Rocky.

On Sunday, we went to the beach. Once again, Steve sports manprees. More than once on this trip we had role reversal where I said, "You are not wearing that" and Steve said "but its comfortable".

Food Storage is fun

This summer started with a craft night with my friend where I canned yellow beets and she cut out her quilt. However, my friend wha so fascinated with canning, that she went out the next day and bought 20 lbs of peaches. After that, we bought pickling cucumbers and tried to make cucumbers. Well, by now my canning genes werr in full gear so we went to Yakima to get some cheap produce for canning. Here are the results.


30 lbs of pears.

60 lbs canning tomatoes

green beans, beets, heirloom tomatoes, peaches, apples, and purple peppers. I froze the peaches for later, ate the heirloom tomatoes, apples, and purple peppers, and canned the beets and green beans.

My first night, I canned 12 pints of tomato wedges.

Steve wanted to do the dilled green beans, we got 4 pints.

Steve also made pear halves when I needed a night off.

Other food not pictured include 1 pint pear butter, 6 pints smooth basil marinary sauce, 6 pints chunky marinara sauce, 9 pints of salsa, and 3 pints of baby beets. I am so tired of canning, but it didn't stop me from experimenting with different flavors of gnocchi last night. A friend of mine came over and we made sweet potato sage gnocchi, sun-dried tomato basil garlic gnocchi, and rosemary black pepper gnocchi. All gnocchi is sitting in my freezer waiting for a night when I don't feel like cooking.

New York, I love you

Right now, my brother and sister-in-law are enjoying New York. It makes me long for the wonderful city. Steve and I were able to go in June on an adult only vacation while Steve's sister watched Miles (thanks Jennifer). Here are a sampling of some of our adventures.


The first night, we went to Bouchon Bakery to get sandwiches and cookies and then we took them to Central Park to eat and people watch. We each got a macaron even though I didn't have high hopes because nothing compares to the ones in Paris. Holy cow! These were just like Paris, so delicious.
As the sun set in Central Park, fireflies came out. I never see fireflies where I live so I found it absolutely magical as if I were a princess in wonderland.

Here is a drinking fountain in Hi Line park. It is a park built on an old elevated train line. It was so cool. I now recommend it to everyone who goes to New York because you just don't expect an elevated park.

More Hi Line. Don't you love how they incorporated the old rail lines?

I thought these chairs were really cool. They are actually on wheels on the old rail line so you can move them.

Okay. To beat the heat (it was really hot), we went to the Museum of Natural History. Amazingly, we got there an hour before the museum closed so we got in for free (I'm all about the deal). Anyway, dinosaurs are pretty awesome.

Starbucks Passion Iced Tea. The drink that made the heat bearable. It was the official sponsor of this vacation.

So we went to Brooklyn to go to the botanical garden and I think we walked about 10 miles along the perimeter of the park before we found an entrance. It got to the point that we started taking pictures from the outside in case we never made it. Did I mention it was hot? We get a little dramatic when we are hot.

We made it!!! Here we are inside the Brooklyn Botanical Garden

Some of you may know that I am kind of obsessed with the little walking guys that show up in intersections to tell you its okay to cross. This obsession began when we went to Vancouver, Canada and I realized they had different walking guy symbols. When we found this construction fencing showing all the different types of walking guys, I felt like I was in heaven. Of course we had to take a few pictures. Here, Steve is posing with Hamburg as that is where he went on his mission.

I chose to hold hands with the walking man from Nice. Even though I have bad memories of visiting Nice, France (horrible food poisoning while pregnant that came on Saturday night after everything had closed, oh and by the way, nothing is open on Sunday), I loved that the walking man is wearing a hat and is walking in a cross walk.