A lot has happened here on the homestead since I posted about our first spring chore day a month ago. The new growth had me so giddy that I found myself constantly taking pictures with my phone. Here is a collection of some of those photos, so you can see what we've been up to.
Yesterday was our first real work-outside-til-the-sun-goes-down day of the year. The weather was perfectly suited to our labors, sunny, but not too warm, and with a light breeze. I took so many pictures with my phone, and didn't want to inundate Instagram, so I thought it would be fun to share them with you here.
Not too long ago I started experimenting with cooking Cara-Sel down from a sauce to a candy, specifically, the "firm ball" stage. I first tried "soft ball," but felt a little firmer was best. This all began because I wanted to chop the caramel and fold it into brownie batter (um, yeah, the brownies are amazing!).
I kept meaning to post the instructions in case one of you wonderful folks wanted to try it, too, but, well, life got in the way. Fast forward to a few days ago when I saw on Instagram that one of my favorite bloggers (two sisters, one blog!) was playing around with baking caramel in cookies. Not being able to sit idly by, I sent her some sauce to play around with. We corresponded a bit via email about the method for the caramel and after further experimenting, Hannah came up with a complete recipe and had the great idea of us posting in conjunction. FUN!
From early fall to late winter we are rarely without a batch of homemade applesauce in our fridge. It's a great snack and since there isn't a lot of fruit in season here in the NE, it is nice to switch it up from eating apples out-of-hand or the trucked-in citrus we otherwise turn to.
After a bit of playing around a few years ago, I established what has become for us the perfect recipe. I haven't strayed since. And since it contains only the tiniest bit of added sweetener (honey), it is super healthy, too!
Every Christmas morning, for as long as I can remember, I have eaten "apple stuff" for breakfast. My mom would fill the crock pot on Christmas Eve and we would wake up to the amazing scent of warm apples and spice. After we opened our stockings on Mom & Dad's bed, we would head downstairs to fill our bowls with the apple-y oat-y goodness, pour cream on top, and savor each spoonful. For me, it just wouldn't be Christmas without this delicious breakfast, so I have kept the tradition alive within my own family.
Why am I talking about Christmas breakfast in January? Good question. Well, I made Apple Stuff this snowy January morning -- the first time I have ever made it on a day other than the 24th or 25th of December.
