Enjoying A Little Tradition

Despite all the clouds and the chilly air today went wonderfully. My husband and I joined my parents on a trip to the orchard in Concord, NH for some apple picking with our daughter. It was chilly but it gave me an excuse to bust out the puffy vest and some boots. My daughter woke up a little on the unhappy side this morning. (All four top teeth are coming in at once, yay.) Still we had fun despite the grumpy photos.

Once we got home she had a very large bottle, a semi large poop and a nap and all was right with the world once again.





Once we returned home I realized my mother bought all of her apples for me and we had bought our own bag as well. Now, I was to make apple crisp for everyone and I had way.. WAY... too many. Yet, baking I did and turns out it has been a while but it was delicious anyway.





I made apple crisp to begin with, something I have made since I was a kid but unfortunately  my ancient Betty Crocker cookbook from the 50's still holds my mothers claim so thank goodness for the internet. I found it. After about half and hour of coring and peeling by hand I got to the mixing and sampling.

 It came out beautifully and once again my home smells like a grandmothers house.
I followed the apple crisp up with a lovely apple pie. What I am going to do with all this food now? I don't know but hopefully it will keep me away from the Halloween candy that has been calling my name since I brought it home.

Am I the only one that buys a bag that never makes it to actual Halloween night?
Anyway, my parents are shutting down the camp this weekend due to the early chill and the predicted nasty winter we are expected to get. So they never came to pick up the goods, time to find a spot in the fridge. Until, I get up that energy I guess I will just watch a movie and sip my martini with my husband.

Days like this make me feel lucky to be me and that wasn't always the case. Just had to look a little harder to see it.

Make your whole house smell like fall.

That time of year again. Once we get sick of humid summer here comes the crisp breeze of fall. Leaf peepers clogging up our highways, beautiful colors, pulling out the boots and jackets, lets not forget the oh so wonderful scarves. Still, when the windows are closed up tight at night against the cold you can lose that fresh smell of seasons changing. I personally am I huge fan of that apple smell of fall. It brings up memories of holidays, family, the familiar smells of cooking and the ever present smell of fall scented candles.

If your anything like me, I always like that smell in my house. So after a little Pintresting, (yes I'm addicted) I found some lovely ways of getting the whole house to have that aroma of food and family. Right now apples are cheap and in season and most people are picking them up anyway to whip up some apple crisp or a flaky pie. So when you find some with a bruise or worm holes, don't throw them away. Make a simmering potpourri.

Simply put, cook up the scent on your own.
You will need:
Water
A Small pot
An apple or two
An orange or two
Dash of vanilla extract
(opt.) pinch of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg.. really anything that makes your house smell yummy when your baking. Your amounts don't need to be specific, it really all depends on how much you like certain spices.
For instance, I go a little heavier with cinnamon and vanilla and lighter on nutmeg and cloves.

 Really anything you like the smell of  can be made this way.
Place some water in the pot and drop in all the ingredients. Throw them on the stove and let simmer for a little while. You can turn it off when the scent reaches what your looking for and always turn it back on later.

It's the simplest of recipes and packs quite a punch.

Ah how I love fall. I'm sure there will be many more fall posts as the cool air rolls into the northeast.

Enjoy!