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 :)

Celebrating 10!

It's been a really long time now that I've taken any time to blog...Today, as another milestone passes, I'm making time to put it in writing & save a memory that might otherwise be forgotten.

I'm horrible at keeping baby books for our children. It just doesn't happen.

I'm hoping to spend more time here, saving a lot more of those memories...

...Today was a pretty special day. My one & only daughter turned 10! Double digits!

Shes been saving 2, 5.00 gift cards from Yummy's. She said she wants a Mama & Gracie date for her Birthday & wants to use them today(she earned them last summer already for Bible reading at church)...

We took some extra time & prettied ourselves up & left the men of the house to fend supper for themselves :)

We shared a chicken, bacon, wrap from the Ginger House Cafe'...Then had Yummy's for dessert, right next door-It was delicious!

This Daughter of mine is so much like her Mama in so many ways...

She is a doer & a planner. She loves a good sunset. She can be buried in a good book for hours. When I'm in the garden, shes at my side, wanting to plant, grow & pick things. When she colors, she uses bright & many colors. Shes creative. Her spirit runs wild & free. She doesn't love easily, but when she finds you worthy of her love, she loves fiercely! She holds her own in a good game of basketball & baseball with her brothers(she doesn't get that from me) :)

And she loves babies...We stopped in to see Gracie's new baby cousin, on our way home from her Birthday date...

This was her 1st time seeing & holding her(we are in LOVE!)

I asked her,"wouldn't it be fun to have a new baby at our house too? She claimed,"Only if it's a sister!"

After loving on little Dani for awhile, we headed home...Gracie asked,"will we ever have another baby Mama?"

I explained to her that we can no longer have any of our own, but maybe someday, God would bring us a miracle baby girl through adoption...her reply broke my heart.

She said,"Mama, when I get married, I hope my husband doesn't have cancer. Cause I want 2 or 3 babies of my own"....I hope so too baby, I hope so too!

When tucking her in for the night, she reached out to give me a great big hug & said,"Mama, tonight was the best night we've ever had....I think shes right. It was a pretty great night with a pretty special little girl!

Happy Birthday to the little lady I so lovingly like to call Gracie-Lou <3 (aka Aalyvia)  :)

2 weeks that were

The last 2 weeks have been a blur of emotions, weddings, doctor appointments, neglected children...I feel as if I don't document it, then it never happened & it was all for naught...wasted.

It all started with a doctor appointment that would change the course of the journey in a very real way. The tumors have grown, Husband has 2-3 months before the tumor pushes his small intestine completely closed. Chemotherapy is his only chance at giving him more time-we need more time. He signs consent forms giving them permission to start treatment as soon as insurance clears. 

I'm committed to help coordinate a wedding...baby has an allergic reaction to milk & becomes sick...2 full days of sitters, putting children here & there as I help create the day of her dreams...dreams & wishes are carried out in the midst of a blustery, cold to the bone, rainy day. Warm, salty tears weren't noticed as the bone chilling rain came pouring down intermittently...

The Dr. calls. Chemotherapy starts Wednesday. We mentally prepare ourselves for the side affects that come with chemo. Fatigue. Nausea. Skin irritations. Hair loss. Decrease in white & red blood cells.

My mind is spinning. Will Husband be able to continue to work? Will he have enough energy to keep up with the 5 littles? Will his quality of life be the same after chemo?

Wednesday comes too soon...Husband sits in a stiff- backed, cold, plastic recliner while potent drugs are pumped through his veins. Grabbing a hold of tumors, shrinking to give him more time...I pray.

3 days, of the 5 littles being put to sitters while I sit beside Husband, praying for time, so much more time. Praying for no side affects, no suffering.

We make it through 3 days of doctor appointments, Bio therapy & chemotherapy. 

No time to breathe. There are things that need done. Food needs ordered & prepped for a fund raising meal that will help off-set medical expenses...

It feels as if the littles have bickered for days, the babies can't sleep-mama & daddy try for hours to get babies to sleep. All they need is to be loved on. It's hard to give love when there is nothing left to give. We are physically & emotionally spent.

Food is prepped, we are ready.

I take the littles home & I hold them, taking a few moments with each one as I tuck them in to get some much needed rest, much needed time at home, much needed love & attention from mama.

As I lay with the tiniest little, he fights sleep, scared that mama won't be there when he wakes. He takes my hand in his, holding tightly till sleep finally takes him. Blessed rest comes, hours...days of stress finally melt away & sleep comes. It will be okay.

Twenty-four hours...then forty-eight hours after chemo have passed. No side affects. God answers our prayers.

Cancer doesn't just affect the individual, cancer affects the whole family...friends.

We need your continued prayers. For mental, physical & spiritual strength, to endure the ride this journey has taken us on.

Someday, it will all be okay again...someday.

In my Kitchen Today: Perfect(every time)Homemade Bread

My mom messaged me last night, asking if I would have time to make a batch of homemade bread for her. I was planning to make some today anyway, why not make enough for her as well...

You can use sprouted grains, whole wheat or white flour with this recipe & it will be perfect every time. Just don't supplement, change out or eliminate  any of the other ingredients or you will get a flop. And follow the recipe precisely. 

If you own the cookbook "Healthy Choices" It's the recipe on page 57. If not, then I have it here for you...

Perfect Whole Wheat Bread

4 1/2 cups lukewarm water

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup honey

3 Tbs. instant yeast

2 Tbs. lecithin granules(non GMO)

2 heaping Tbs. wheat gluten

2 Tbs. sea salt

12-14 cups whole wheat flour(I use fresh milled spelt)

-In my mixer, I add the first 7 ingredients in the order given. Mix lightly to incorporate all the ingredients. Then add 5 cups flour & mix till flour is all incorporated. Now mix 6 cup more flour & mix on low till well mixed. Keep adding flour by 1/2 cup-fulls till dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. knead on low speed for 10 minutes then let rest for 5 minutes. 

-I use the small bread pans from Wal-mart. They sell for under 1.00 & they are a perfect loaf size. Divide dough into 5 parts. Roll out each part till about 1/2 inch thickness, then roll it up, tucking the ends in as you go. Place in a well greased bread pan.

-place inside the oven(turned off & closed) for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn oven to 300' leaving loaves inside. bake for approximately 30 minutes till golden brown.

I've been making this bread recipe weekly(or more) for about 6 months & have never had it flop(except when I've tried to change it up) 

It's dense, super soft, & we even used it in place of hotdog buns this summer, when we had cookouts. 

It won't get crumbly  & fall apart, not even when wrapped around a hotdog :)

A little tip my mom passed on to me: "Rainy days are the best days to bake good homemade bread. the extra moisture in the air helps the bread to rise beautifully"

Happy, Rainy, Friday!