Friday Fun: 30 Second Organic Air Freshener

This looks so easy - why hadn't I thought of it already??  The directions and photo are straight from Re-Nest, a fun site for all kinds of home pretties and such.  Definitely let me know if you try this out and what your favorite fruit/spice combos are!




30 Second Organic Air Freshener
from Re-Nest


Materials
2 (or more) pieces of leftover, inedible fruit parts - e.g. apple core, orange peel
1 sprinkle ground, sweet-smelling spice - e.g. cinnamon, nutmeg, dried vanilla powder
Oil spray
6-inch piece of wax paper, tin foil or small, oven-safe ramekin

Instructions
1. Enjoy delicious apple or other fruit of choice. I highly recommend Pink Ladies right now.

2. Take inedible waste- apple core, orange rind, banana peel- and put on piece of foil or wax paper- folding up edges of paper to make a little well that will keep the waste from leaking out.

3. Spice and Oil: Sprinkle with cinnamon, or other fragrant spice. You can feel free to go crazy here (vanilla extract, cardamom, etc). But remember you're feeding your nose not your mouth, so keep it simple. And quickness is key: This isn't Martha Stewart's 2 weeks potpourri primer. Then liberally mist oil spray to prevent burning.

4. Put in 200 degree Fahrenheit oven until you smell the lovely and all-natural apple/orange/[insert your fruit here] pie-like fragrance. Keep on warm as long as you desire full force of scent. The smell will last for a couple hours even after you turn off oven; just don't open the door.

The New Food Guide

We all grew up learning about the Food Guide Pyramid, remember that thing?  I distinctly remember having school quizzes on the foods that belonged at each level, and the numbers for each.  Fast forward a couple of decades, and the USDA has released an updated version of the Food Guide, and this time around, it's in the shape of a plate. 

At first glance, the logo seems cartoon-ish and simplistic, but the more I look at it, the more I really like it.  The graphic makes it so easy to visually portion out meals to fit.  And I really like that it recommends that half my plate be filled with fruits and veggies.  Lately, I've been trying to eat less meat, so that there's room for more fruit and veggies in my diet.  It's not a huge transition for me, but Bo certainly does not like the idea of less meat.  And that blue "Dairy" piece up in the corner is something I do not have in my diet at all.  I'll just have to picture it tan-colored so that I can replace it with my calcium fortified almond milk. 

What do you think about the new food guide?  Easy?  Fantastic?  Plain silly?  Did any of you ever plan your meals according to the old pyramid?  (I never did!)

Apple Treasure - Etsy Treasury

Etsy is one of my favorite places to shop online. They have all kinds of things handmade, custom and vintage. If you have a little time I would really suggest that you check it out. I created this Etsy treasury for this weeks theme and it can be viewed and is clickable here. On the front page there is an option to Pounce...this is what I do when I am bored. Just pounce through the latest items sold. Surely you all would like that...just looking through everyone's shopping bag as they went past you in the mall?

Apple Vinaigrette Dressing

(Tip: this cruet was only 98 cents at Walmart)



I decided to rebel and not use apples as a typical recipe ingredient, haHA!  Ok, so I'm not kidding anyone by calling myself a rebel, but still.  I'm a bit of an apple snob with 90% of my relatives living in Washington state, so now that I'm living in the South, I have the hardest time buying apples when they don't have those little WA state stickers on them.  One day, I'll get over my issues (maybe), one day.  So I opted instead to try and come up with a copy-cat recipe for Panera's Fuji apple vinaigrette dressing.  I love that stuff, but I really wanted to be able to whip it up at home, and without any funky additives.  The results are super yummy, hurrah!  This dressing isn't identical to the restaurant version, but we loved it enough to make it be our stand-in here at home.



Enjoy!

Apple Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2 c. canola or vegetable oil

6 Tbsp. apple juice concentrate

4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar)

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. sugar, or to taste

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.  Keep refrigerated and shake well before serving.

Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots, Tomatoes, Apple Slices, Candied Pecans, and Feta

Apple Cake

I don't bake too often and when I do it is usually something I whip up from a box mix.  However, we had lots of apples left around the house and I was in the mood for something different.  I flipped through some cookbooks and came across this delicious sounding After-School Apple Cake in my FamilyFun Cookbook.  I found out it was so bad to bake from scratch and the result was a yummilicious treat.  And as a bonus I managed to snag some good pics as I went!

Ingredients:
6 apples (Cortland, Braeburn, and Empire work well)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 13x9x2 inch baking pan.

2.  Peel, core, and slice the apples, set them in a large bowl.

3.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend the oil, eggs, and sugar.



4.  Add the baking powder, flour, and wheat flour and blend until combined. 



5.  Pour the batter over the apples, gently stirring until the apples are just coated.





6.  Pour this mix into the prepared baking pan, arranging the apples in an even layer.



7.  Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.



8.  When the cake is cook, cut into small squares.  Makes 16-18 pieces.

An Apple A Day

Dear Friends, 

I am honored to write this guest post on "apples" for the women who write "From Blah to Ta-Daa"!  My name is Cristy and I have my own blog entitled "So Many Kids, So Much Fun".  www.somanykidssomuchfun.blogspot.com.  I am a stay-at-home mother of 4 (Lillian, age 11, Andersen age 8, Harrison and Malcolm age 6 who also happen to be identical twins!).  I strive to see the positive in all situations, remain calm, have fun and then I blog about how well (or not) it's working for me!  I plan to guest post again soon.  Thank you again, ladies!

Popular Apples of New England
Top (l to r): Cortland, Empire, Golden Delicious
Bottom (l to r): Eastern Red Delicious, Granny Smith, McIntosh

Everyone has heard the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."  While this notion has been around for a long time, it still holds true, somewhat.  Nowadays, we use the Food Pyramid (http://www.foodpyramid.gov/) as a guide to promote and maintain wellness.  The Pyramid states that you actually need 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.  So, a modern version of the adage may be more along the lines of "An apple (or five) a day keeps the doctor away (plus don't forget your grains, proteins and dairy)"!

Did you know that apples lower blood sugar?  They have a lot of soluble fiber, which slows down the release of insulin into the bloodstream.  They also have Vitamin C and potassium.  If you don't peel your apples, you get the added benefit of Quercetin, a flavonoid contained in the skin.  Foods rich in flavonoids have been known to lower the incidence of lung cancer in a Finnish study published in 1997!

No doubt, they are healthy.  They are also versatile, convenient and delicious!  Wash them and pack them in your kids' lunchboxes.  Eat them straight off the tree, peel them and bake them into pies, press them into yummy cider and apple juice, bake them into a cake, make applesauce or apple crisp!  The possibilities are endless.  The varieties are also many. 

I live in Massachusetts, one of the many states where apples are grown locally.  Some examples of typical kinds of apples that I see for sale in my grocery store (pictured above) are Cortland (my personal favorite, red with some yellow streaks, great for cooking and eating whole), Empire (a cross between a McIntosh but sweeter and a Red Delicious but more tart; wonderful after a meal or for use in recipes) and Golden Delicious (another "all-purpose" type of apple). 


Then there are Eastern Red Delicious (firm, sweet and best eaten fresh on its own, or deliciously sliced into a salad, for example),  Granny Smith (green and tart, working beautifully for baking and eating raw) and McIntosh (red and green, does best when mixed with a firmer apple for pies, but is fine if used on its own for applesauce.  Of course, it always tastes good as a snack too!).

One of my most anticipated activities in the fall (other than first craving then consuming apples ice-cold out of the refrigerator or drinking cider glass after glass) is going apple-picking with my family!  First, we choose a crisp, fall day with a bit of a nip in the air for our adventure.  Then, we drive out to one of the fruit farms.  We live in central Massachusetts, so we have our "pick" of places to go!  We've been to many, but we have a few favorites of course, such as one nearby that offers a breathtaking view of a hill with all of New England's foliage colors abound.  Upon arrival, we take a hayride out to the orchard and start picking!


My husband took these pictures about three years ago.  My kids have grown  a lot since then, but this is the best set of apple-picking photos we have!  We cherish them so much, we have copies framed in our kitchen, which, by the way, has an apple theme.

Above:  (left) Harry works hard to select the perfectly-sized apple.  (right) Malcolm has a little fun!
Below: (left) Andy spots the right one and climbs up a ladder to get it! (right) Lilly examines her fresh apple that she just  hand-picked.

(left) Apples in their natural habitat; (right) Malcolm and Harry tiredly leaving the orchard for the day.

My children, who not only have picked apples with us on many occasions, have also gone on field trips with their schools!  They are expert apple-pickers and have taught their parents well too!

Some tips from my "pros"  include:

-    Find a wonderful-looking apple on the tree.

-    Then, cup your hand underneath it and gently lift the apple.

-    Next, twist the apple so that the stem comes loose from the tree without damaging the tree's branch.

-    Do not select apples that have fallen on the ground.

-    Make sure you stop by the farm stand for some cider and a slice of apple crisp or pie.  Of course, don't forget the whipped cream or ice cream on top!  (My daughter likes to have both!)

-    When you get home from your day in the orchard, store your apples in the refrigerator to maintain orchard freshness!

(left) Apple Crisp fresh out of the oven!; (right) Apple Crisp a la mode!

Here is one recipe for apple crisp that I make.  My kids can do a lot of it on their own now too.  Serve it hot, with whipped cream or ice cream (or both!) and you'll be in apple heaven!

Apple Crisp

Makes 6 servings
Preparation: 20 minutes
Baking: 25 minutes

You will need:


8 McIntosh apples

1 lemon, juice of

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp water or apple juice

Topping:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1.    Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a 9-in square pan or baking dish.

2.    With a knife, peel, core and thinly slice the apples.

3.    Place the apple slices in a large mixing bowl.  Add the lemon juice, raisins, flour and cinnamon.  Stir until the apples are well coated.

4.    Place the apple mixture in the greased square pan.  Add the water or apple juice.

5.    In another mixing bowl, stir together all the topping ingredients.

6.    Press the topping evenly over the apple mixture.

7.    Bake for 25 minutes or until the apples are soft.

Whipped Cream:

Pour a small container of cold whipping cream into a bowl.  Beat with a whisk or electric mixer until soft peaks form.  If you like, you can add 1 tsp sugar just as the cream starts to thicken.

Cookie Week: Peanut Butter Balls

(And just like that, you can't get rid of me, ha!)  I know that these aren't technically cookies, but my family is really big on making Christmas candy instead of cookies.  I have an arsenal of recipes that were handed down from my grandma, but a few years ago, my bestie and I came up with this recipe for dipped peanut butter balls.  We gathered a bunch of different recipes, hacked them up, and out came these babies.  And they're so darn yummy, that we didn't bother to change a thing.