Apple Recipes

  Our apple trees are bursting with fruit. To the point where we can't keep up with them. It seems to be this way most years, actually. There is so much fruit we can't use it all.

  Here are some of my favourite recipes to enjoy all the appley goodness.

APPLE CRUNCH
serves 6

5 medium apples, cored & chopped 
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix apples & brown sugar in a oven-safe casserole dish. Set aside. Mix dry ingredients. Add egg & combine. Spread over apples. Pour butter over top. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Yummy by itself, with ice cream or caramel sauce!

APPLE STREUSEL MUFFINS
makes 12

Topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

In small bowl, rub together topping ingredients until crumbly. Set aside.

Muffins:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup finely chopped or shredded apple

Mix dry ingredients. Set aside. Mix wet ingredients. Combine both until just moistened. Do not over mix. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle with topping. Bake in 400 F oven for 15-20 minutes.

APPLESAUCE IN THE SLOW COOKER
makes 4 cups

16 small apples or 8 medium apples, peeled, cored, & sliced
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (or more if you like it very sweet)

Combine apples, water, & sugar in slow cooker. Cover & cook on low for 4 1/2 - 5 hours or on high for 2 1/2 hours. 

Using my vintage finds

  A couple weeks ago I went thrifting / vintage shopping with my mom... remember?  I came home with several great finds & today I'm going to show you what I did with some of them.

  In one of last week's posts, I showed you what I did with the vintage postal scale I brought home. It sits beside some favourite books on our book case.

  The chair I bought from Great West Warehouse went into our son's room under his loft bed as a place for him to read. I'm going to find or sew some cushions to add to it. We also have a wall mounted lamp to hang in this space as it can get quite dark under the bed when the sun goes down. I'll post pics when it's all put together.

  The Sleeping Beauty record I bought from the Salvation Army Thrift Shop went in a record frame & now sits on top of our daughter's cupboard in her bedroom. I think I'll keep looking for other vintage Disney princess records & perhaps do a collage of them on her wall if I find enough.

The silver basket I found at Value Village now holds my mini scrapbook albums in my scrap space.

  The more I look around my house purposefully looking for items that I've purchased second hand, the more I find. I'm going to be posting more about them in the future.

Enjoy your day!

~Steph

This week's papercrafts

  This week, I decided to post all the papercrafts I've made this week together in one post. Like one big Thank-Goodness-It's-Friday-Let's-Have-Dessert! kinda post. At least that's how it makes me feel. :) 

  

  I was able to squeeze in some scrapping time this week & yesterday I had the treat of scrapping with a friend for the afternoon. Isn't scrapping with friends the best? I love it. 

"As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." ~Proverbs 27:17

  Before I go any further, though, I must give a shout out to the newest scrapbooking store in Saskatoon. The Scrapbook Studio is a fabulous new store in the Lawson Heights area. It just opened yesterday, so me & two of my scrappy friends went to check it out. We didn't know what to expect, but were THRILLED at what greeted us!! It is amazing. Go check it out. And 'like' them on Facebook while you're at it. 

  Without further ado, let us move on to my projects this week. The first layout was a part of a challenge for a focus group that I am part of. I recently was "chosen" to be on the focus group for Crop Chocolate. 

  I'm in the midst of working on a album of my childhood, hence the vintage photos of me & my family. :)

  I drew that tree with the help of a ruler and cut it out free hand. Added patterned paper circles, & buttons, & viola! 

Here's the layout I was working on yesterday afternoon while scrapping with my friend, Vanessa.

 Card creations:

Free printable "Thank You" label available here

I tried my hand at a rolled spiral flower. Not a bad first try. 

I also wrote my sentiment in freehand. I've never done that on a card before. I like how it turned out.

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend (and eat some dessert)!

~Steph

Old Books

  I have an affinity for old books. I love how they cozy up a room & call to a me: "Open me up. Discover another time. Learn about another culture."

  I have some favourite authors I keep my eyes peeled for when I am looking at second hand books. L.M. Montgomery, Jane Austen, & Charles Dickens to name a few. Hardcover classics catch my eye. The colourful fabric covers with the metallic titles.... Mmmm. My favourite one of all? My copy of Heidi as seen in the top photo, second book from the left. Just the way it looks makes me smile. The vintage-y fabric is so cheerful.

  And they just plain look good on a book case. :) I've also used old books as part of a display on a side table or dresser. They usually add just the right touch.

  Speaking of bookcases... Remember that little postal scale I bought on my vintage shopping day last week? Well, it now holds a place of honour beside a stack of books on my book case. I quite enjoy it.

Side note: the fun 60's photo effect on the above photos is available here.

This week's papercrafts tomorrow! Woot!

Enjoy your day!

~Steph

Dad's Caesar Salad Dressing

My dad makes the best from-scratch Caesar Salad dressing I have ever had. I thought I'd share his "secret" recipe with you today:

Please note: If you don't like anchovies or just fish in general or can't find anchovies at the grocery store (as was the case with me the last time I made this) just leave them out. It's still very good without them.

Dad's Caesar Salad Dressing
dresses a large salad

1/4 tsp. Dry Mustard
4 cloves Garlic
1 tin Anchovies drained into measuring cup then add
Olive Oil to make 3/4 cup (if you're not using anchovies, use 3/4 cup olive oil)
2 Eggs
1/4 cup White Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Sugar

Puree all ingredients together in the blender. Cover & refrigerate unused dressing for up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy your day!

~Steph