Apple Buns

apple buns!

In case you haven't heard we have an apple tree.  Which means... we've got a fridge full of apples!  We gave a bunch to John's mom shortly before we moved in and she made us some wonderful apple crisp out of them but we still had a full grocery bag left at our house afterwards... so if you are like us... with an abundance of apples at this time of year... might I suggest apple buns!

The recipe linked above recommends resisting the urge to add sugar or cinnamon to your apple mix.  I've made these twice now (the first time was a number of years ago though) but the first time I did add the sugar and cinnamon.  This time John told me to make it liked the recipe suggested... he agrees now that they could be even tastier with the addition of a little cinnamon and sugar for next year though.

We ended up bringing a dozen of our apple buns to our bible study and they were a big hit... we ended up leaving the extras with the host but I think there was only about 2 or 3 left in the end.

We've been cooking up other stuff from our garden already... here is our salsa.

Homemade Salsa

We've got salsa folks!

We were home this weekend so took a little trip to one of the many local farmer markets to pick up way too many tomatoes (John's sister is making us tomato sauce) and with the extras (and many from our pants) I made some salsa for canning.

Here's the thing... I did this last year (I think I did 2 jars not knowing how much salsa we would use up) and we easily used it all up!  So this year the plan was to do the exact same recipe but perhaps, this time, a full recipe (instead of the half I thought I did last year)

So I figured... I probably posted a link to whatever recipe I used in my blog from last year... the post where I talk about making salsa can be found here and if you read it I only talk about making the salsa and make no mention of the wonderful recipe I had found (also note, the date of that post was December 7th!).

So I searched.  I opened link after link after link.  I could make a number of assumptions about the recipe I used...

1) I felt like maybe it made 5 quarts

2) I don't recall buying chilies for it

3) I would never make salsa that included cilantro 

4) Based on the spices that I currently have in the pantry I assumed I only used the spices I currently have.

5) We don't own a kitchen scale and so I was pretty sure the amounts of veggies in the recipe were measured in cups... not pounds.

In the end I'm fairly confident that I didn't find the exact recipe that I used last year (even though I searched to the 5th page of my google search!)... on to (hopefully) better things! So I ended up going with this recipe.

FUTURE CHRISTINE: WE'VE FIGURED IT OUT FOR NEXT YEAR... CHECK ONE OF YOUR CHURCH COOKBOOKS... THAT'S WHERE YOU'LL FIND THE RECIPE

Ahem... anywho.. It definitely took a looong time to chop up all those veggies (I added extra jalapenos to their suggestion because we weren't sure how spicy ours were - most of them had turned red)

homemade salsa

At this point I left John in charge of the salsa and it got pretty runny so we simmered it for quite a bit longer than the recipe suggested to thicken it up (the recipe I plan to use next year says to add corn starch which we debated on adding this year but didn't)

3 quarts of homemade salsa

You can see that we didn't get close to the 5 and a half quarts the recipe claimed it would make (probably because we simmered it for so long)

John ended up sampling some and said it was spicy... we then looked up when to pick jalapenos and learnt that if picked when just starting to turn red they are at their prime spicy level... whoops.

Ice Cream

You scream, I scream, we apparently ALL scream for ice cream.

Cake Batter and Golden Oreo Ice Cream

Well guess what, I've found a handy little way to make it in your very own home... no fancy ice cream maker required.

All you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk and 2 cups of heavy whipping cream.  The rest is pretty well up to you!

I found the recipe on The Comfort of Cooking.  The first one I made (which was not one of hers) was a chocolate peanut butter one.  So I used her Double Chocolate Pecan Ice Cream and just scooped in a bunch of peanut butter and left out the chocolate chips and pecans.  It was quite good.

The second one I made was her Funfetti Cake Batter Ice Cream.  I just left out the sprinkles and tossed in some crushed up Golden Oreos.  This one was also pretty good (but I think I like the chocolate one better).

I want to make a couple more while the weather is still decent.  I'm thinking I'll make a vanilla one but add a bunch of bananas to it.  Then another vanilla one but add a bunch of crushed up regular Oreos.  

You should probably try it... it's pretty easy.

Christmas Drinks

Day 23

Christmas Beverages

Today for Blogmas lets talk drinks.  To be more specific let's talk delicious hot drinks because it is getting cold up here!

When considering what drinks to add to this post I said to myself "Now Christine, everyone knows how to crush up a candy cane and put it in hot chocolate"... so needless to say I didn't include that one (just kidding I changed my mind and included a hot chocolate recipe - that does not include a hot chocolate mix).

Confession: I'm not big into the alcohol but if you wanted to make these a little more alcoholic I would suggest some Bailey's or Kaluha.

Confession #2:  I took pictures of each and every single one of these drinks (I really did make them all.. I promise!) but then they pretty well all looked exactly the same.  So enjoy the few pictures I included.

Up first we have one of my absolute favourites to make!
Pumpkin Spice Latte
I LOVE to make this for a few reasons

1) It gets made in my crockpot which means I can turn it on before church, head out to church for a couple of hours and come back to something warm and delicious...  There is just something nice about a warm cup of pumpkin spice latte after coming back from church on a chilly morning.
2) It's pumpkin spice (need I say more)
3) It's pumpkin spice without the price tag of having to go to Starbucks.

Now, I have a REALLY small crockpot so I have to cut this recipe at least in half (when it is just John and I though I'll cut it down to a quarter recipe.

I make my own pumpkin pie spice instead of buying it in the store you can find a recipe for some here.  I've also never purchased allspice before but one can make it using some spices that you likely already have in your cupboard (equal amounts of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg) .

I don't have espresso (I don't even know if you need a fancy special espresso machine to make the stuff) so I just make strong coffee... no one has ever complained.

I've been making this for years and it has never done me wrong.  So you should definitely try it this holiday season and maybe try it with these Pumpkin Cookies



This next recipe will go great with my Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cream Cookies because well..
Cookies and Cream Hot Chocolate

Bonus: This one is seriously easy to make.







I'm a big fan of the coconut frappachino at Starbucks during the summer time.... so I set my sights on a hot beverage that might compare... which I came across one that involved both caramel and coconut I knew it would be good.

Caramel Coconut Hot Chocolate


We don't have those Nestle chocolates where I am (that I'm aware of) so instead of using caramel chocolates (which I guess I probably could have found something more comparable) I just added a bunch of caramel sauce that I would put on ice cream.  It turned out great... I actually like this one just as much as I liked the pumpkin one.  Just watch the coconut that you're toasting (I put mine in the toaster oven)... it seems like it is taking forever and then you go to respond to one text message and BAM it's burnt.

You can enjoy this beverage with my Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Finally, I thought this post needed another coffee option PLUS I was missing out on doing anything with eggnog and that just isn't right.

Eggnog Latte

Much like with the Pumpkin Spice Latte I used strong coffee instead of espresso for this one.  I didn't think I would enjoy this one too much because I know that I don't like the eggnog option at Starbucks with their holiday drinks... well, I much preferred my version of it!

Don't forget to enjoy this with my Eggnog Cookies... the perfect pairing!



Hot Chocolate
Ok, I know I said I wasn't going to but for those of who are too afraid to try something new and exciting John came over a while ago and told me he was looking up where the best hot chocolate was in the city... he had a couple of options but then we decided to make it ourselves.

In case you are only wanting to try a couple of these lovely drinks my favouites are the Pumpkin Spice Latte and Caramel Coconut Hot Chocolate.



Now it's your turn... have you tried any of these?
Considering to try one of these?
Which one sounds the best to you?

Christmas Breakfast

Day 15

Christmas Breakfast Options

Welcome to Blogmas Day 15 (only 10 more days until Christmas!!)

Picture this
It is Christmas morning and you have a fancy Christmas beverage in your hand (that you are you going to learn all about on Day 24).  The tree is decorated and loaded with presents under it and the stockings by the chimney are ready to be ripped into (just don't rip the stocking!).  And what's that you smell?  Why it's Christmas breakfast warming in the oven!

Here are some options to make for Christmas breakfast (or, if you are like me you and your boyfriend ate them for dinner every Sunday in November so that you would have the pictures for this blog)... did we also enjoy these dinners with our special Christmas beverages?  Well... one day that worked out.

French Toast Casserole

French Toast Casserole
I've made this a ton and it is delicious!  Trust me... you won't be disappointed!

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes
I don't know how many times I've just wanted to eat a cinnamon bun for dinner (because breakfast for dinner is alive and well at my place) but alas, I've never had the proper ingredients.  Well, not anymore with a cinnamon bun pancake! I didn't get a picture of these but know this... they are delicious!  I think the recipe is perfect for 2 people (only I would half the icing recipe).

Pumpkin Pancakes

For another version of pancakes...
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Pancakes are super easy and don't require you to do much prepping (or even thinking) ahead of time.  Just make sure you go out and buy some pumpkin!

These ones don't have chocolate chips in them... I made the last 2 pancakes with chocolate chips though and we made them into dessert pancakes.  But since it's Christmas and we are already eating unhealthy... may as well just toss the chocolate chips in with the whole batch!

pumpkin waffles

Pumpkin Waffles
maybe you can go all out and eat these with a Pumpkin Spice Latte (coming soon)?

Where's the meat?
John and I cooked up some sausage or bacon to add to these (along with some fruit salad) but in this humble bloggers opinion we eat so much at Christmas and so it is okay to not have meat at one of the meals for the day.

I asked John which of these breakfasts (for dinner) he liked best and he said the French Toast Casserole.  I was stuck between the casserole and the cinnamon bun pancakes but in the end I chose the pancakes... they were really, really good!... so good that I think I'm going to make them again today!

Now it's your turn...

Which of these are you going to make sure you have ingredients for this Christmas?

Do you have a different tradition that you follow for a Christmas morning breakfast? 

 Fill this girl in using the comment section below!

Carrot Cookies

52 Weeks of Cookies:  Week 16

I've had the website for these cookies preloaded on my phone (and no, not simply bookmarking it) for at least a couple months now.  So I figured it was high time I made them.

You can find this recipe on All Recipes

Plus, everyone is digging up their gardens around these parts and perhaps that means that in addition to an abundance of tomatoes some of us also have quite a few carrots... here is one way to use them!

The dough

the cookies

I served these to my friends and I think most of them (maybe all of them) loved them.  I'm not so sure though.  They taste more like orange than carrot and maybe that is what has thrown me off.  However, they are definitely better than the Strawberry Cookies I made in the summer (which tasted more like a muffin).  So I'm going to give these an 8/10

For those of you wanting to make a fall type cookie, last week I made some pretty good Pumpkin Cookies.

Pumpkin Cookies

52 Weeks of Cookies:  Week 15

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian Readers!

In honour of this very special long weekend I needed to make some pumpkin cookies and my cousin insisted these ones were delicious!

The recipe comes from The Food Network

The dough

The cookies (sans icing)

The cookies - with icing and cinnamon

 I used a different pumpkin cookie recipe last year and I must admit these are better.

In fact, I'm currently enjoying one right now with some homemade pumpkin spiced latte

(I guess today I'm having dessert before dinner)

My rating: 9/10

They are delicious and the cookie/cake part is really good.. I don't think you'll be disappointed in these!

Last week I made some basic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Life Lately

So I'm a little (a lot) behind... what else is new?

I'm sure I'm forgiven though?

I've been busy subbing lately.  Today I got home by 4pm... it's kind of nice.

Subbing has FINALLY picked up 

Last weekend we had Thanksgiving and as it is with most big family events... I managed to get a cold just for the weekend.

it was a lot of lying in bed and Watching Modern Family.  

Can you spot the super moon?  John and I watched it!

Super moon

I had one day off last week, luckily it was a lovely day!

More walks in the park

I made John and I breakfast for dinner one day (don't worry, we also had some slightly over cooked bacon and fruit salad)

Pumpkin Pancakes

But the highlight of the last couple of weeks was that last week John and I went to see Odysseo!

I thought it was great!

After the show we went to the stables to see the horses (we weren't allowed to touch them though)

This just seems like a slightly better than ordinary breakfast but in reality it was dinner.  John was away and normally he has to make the omelettes because, well... I can never seem to get it right.  But on Saturday that all changed.. it was delicious!

Probably about 6 months ago my friends and I made some bowls with what was pretty well paper mache and balloons. But there was never a time when we could all get together to paint them... until Saturday evening.  

Mine is the purple one in the front.  It now holds my keys by the door.

paper mache balloon bowls!

All summer John and I have been reading The Scorch Trials and we finally finished it!  Then yesterday John and I spent a couple hours at the mall waiting for Scorch Trials to start at the theater... and about an hour  before the movie was set to start alarms started going off at the mall.  Shops started closing and firemen were walking around with a hose and an axe... but no one seemed to be in any kind of panic so we kept wandering.  Then we got trapped inside Chapters which was when they said we had to leave the mall.  

But don't worry!  We just took a drive to the next theater and caught it somewhere else.

And that's been my last couple of weeks!  

Looking forward to more Thanksgiving festivities (this time with John's family) this weekend.

Last Weekend at the Lake

Still haven't been up to much lately... it's been a slow start to the school year but I really, really, REALLY hope things start picking up soon.

What have I been up to?

John and I made these delightfully colourful popsicles.  We added a simple syrup to the pureed fruit... but I don't think it is necessary.  We used kiwi, a mango/peach combination, and strawberry.

pureed fruit popsicle

We got back to John's place after life group last Wednesday and his sister had a collection of dress up hats and glasses for a photo booth... naturally we spent some time playing dress up.

playing dress up

With nothing much to do during the day I've taken to going for afternoon walks.  Luckily, there is a lovely park not far from my place that I can walk to and enjoy!

I spent one last weekend at the lake.  It was such a beautiful weekend consider we are over halfway through September already (where was this gorgeous weather on the long weekend!?!).

fishing

We did some fishing before dinner on Saturday (much like all the other times I went fishing on this lake... no one caught anything).

Then something happened to the motor so we started paddling back (thankfully we were nearly back by this point... but not so close that we would get back in under an hour).  My attempts at getting the other people fishing to tow us back to the docks by blowing a whistle to get their attention was useless... but my prayers were answered when another boat came to our rescue!

getting towed

And, I played some telephone pictionary with my students on Friday.  To see the full round to go with this picture click here

telephone pictionary