Apple pie filling

Apple Pie Filling(for canning)

• 1/2 bushel apples(I used Summer Rambo)
• 27 cups cold water
• 12 cups brown sugar
• 10 cups white sugar
• 1 TBS cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp salt 
• 6 cups perma flo
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 

-In a large, 20 quart stock pot, combine all ingredients except apples.

-cook on medium heat till it begins to thicken. Stirring constantly.

-peel, core & slice apples. Add to the sauce & mix well.

-pour into jars. Fill to about 2 inches from the top(the filling will expand & fill the jar as it processes)...I learned this the hard way & had filling oozing from my jars when I took them out of the canner.

-cold pack for 30 minutes

I know it seems like an obscene amount of sugar, but that is what gives you that  delicious, caramel flavor. The filling will become nice & translucent as it processes...I had Gracie taste it & she said,"Mama! It tastes just like caramel apples!"

I used an apple peeler-corer-slicer to do the apples. I like the fact that they are all the same thickness & will cook evenly & it saved me so much time.

The recipe yields 22 quarts.

I use the filling for apple crisp, apple pie tarts, & apple pie .

School is in Session!

We are a week & a day ahead of schedule.

The kiddos have been itching to get started in their school books.

They see the buses going past our house, every morning & evening, & they know that it's that time of year & want to get started....

when I put little man down for his nap this afternoon, I had the big kids get out their schoolwork for an hour of Math, just to get a feel for it :)

Tomorrow morning, school will start For Reals!

The sound of pencils, scratching numbers, letters & words to paper, makes me a happy Mama!

Heres to a good, successful, 2015-2016 school year!

Lifting my glass of ice-cold Pepsi...Cheers!

Easy Peasy pasta/pizza sauce

This recipe has 5 ingredients. That's it. My kind of recipe & it's delicious & versatile. 

It's mild enough to use as a pasta sauce & just enough zip to be good as a pizza or marinara sauce...

Easy Peasy Pizza/Pasta Sauce

1. 11.5 quarts tomato juice
2. 1 gallon of your favorite pre-made pasta sauce
3. 10-6oz cans of tomato paste
4. 5 pkgs Mrs. Wages Pizza sauce mix
5. 1 1/4 c. organic cane sugar

First I cook, then juice my tomatoes through a Victorio strainer. In a 20 qt. stock pot I measure out my 11.5 quarts of tomato juice. Add the one gallon pre-made gallon of pasta sauce, tomato paste & cane sugar. Lastly, add the 5 pkgs Mrs. Wages pizza sauce mix -slowly, whisking as you pour it in. Let  it come to a slow boil & let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour into jars & cold pack for 45 minutes. This makes approximately 19 quart sauce.

Tips

1. When using a canner, pour 1 cup white vinegar into the water bath-your jars will come out shiny & clean.
2. When using a large stock pot for cooking down sauces & soups, a long handled, metal spatula works much better at scraping the bottom of the pot than a spoon will. Theres much less chance of it burning when it cooks down if the bottom gets scraped clean when stirring.
3. I use quarts & pints when canning this recipe. The quart jars work great to use for pasta recipes & the pint jars are a perfect amount to cover 2 large pizza crusts.

Celebrating our Birthday Girl!

Gracie & I celebrated with a girls night out on her Birthday but we also wanted to have a small party that included the Grandmas, Grandpas & a  close friend. 

This past Sunday evening happened to be open so a quick little party was planned.

The Menu:

Neapolitan Ice cream pops

Pink Velvet Cupcakes

Chips & Pretzels

"Take a picture of my hand stand, Mom!"

There was swimming, ball playing, marshmallow roasting & kitten holding...

Last, but certainly not least, there were presents to open :)