Getting Ready for Thanksgiving - Apple Crisp

Canadian Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. We are going to do a few blog posts focusing on getting ready for Thanksgiving. One week we’ll have a recipe, another week a craft, and then a decoration.

Up first is a recipe. I have made a yummy apple crisp recipe recently and have paired it up with some of my homemade vanilla ice cream, so yummy! It smells so good when it is cooking, perfect for Autumn. I also have found some delicious sounding Thanksgiving recipes on Allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/198/holidays-and-events/thanksgiving/?page=2 

Apple Crisp

Ingredients

For the filling:

6-8 large apples  
The zest of 1 orange and 1 apple

1 freshly squeezed lemon and half of a freshly squeezed orange
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup of butter/margarine  

How to:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch baking dish. I use a Corningware oval dish but you can use a rectangular dish also.

Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Mix all of the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and cinnamon. Place into the dish and spread evenly.

To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cubed cold butter in a bowl. I like to mix it all up with my hands. Mix it until it is crumbly so there are small chunks of butter remaining. Scatter evenly over the apples.

Bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. You definitely need to serve this warm. Top it with vanilla ice cream, or have it plain, or put some other yummy topping on it. I have tried vanilla Greek yogurt and it is quite good.

Game and Matching Card

This past week was Nicole’s birthday and I was asked to make a card for her by someone who bought her a game and wanted the card to match. The game is called Patchwork. I played it for the first time and it is a lot of fun. At first I wanted the card to match the game exactly so I tried to find like pattern and colors to create the card. I have to admit I got a bit frustrated doing this so then I thought for a moment and realized that I was going about things all wrong. Instead I came up with an idea to make the card very Nicole like. I picked out patterns that I thought she would like and used her favorite color. In order to make the card I just cut a dark purple base to the size card that I wanted. I cut a bunch of the patterned paper into squares and just laid them out to look like a patchwork quilt. I moved things around until I got them how I wanted and then glued them all down added some ribbon and layers in accent colors and I had a card! In the end card turned out really cool and I was very pleased with it along with everyone else which made me happy happy happy. I’ve shared a couple pictures of the card below along with a picture of the game and a link to it. Enjoy.

http://www.amazon.com/Mayfair-Games-MFG3505-Patchwork-Board/dp/B00RCCAPPE

Mason Jar Lunches

This week has been so busy and hectic with back to school. One important part of going back to school is lunch. Coming up with different lunches to take can be challenging after a while, that’s for sure. Some people have their go to lunch which they have day after day and that can get a bit boring after a while. I saw a very cool and inventive way to take lunch the other day when I was at a school and now I want to pack my lunch this way too. I saw a girl who brought her lunches in a mason jar. So cool! One day she had a layered lunch inside of the jar and then one day she made a dessert and just mixed it up and stored it in the jar. I think this idea is awesome and so I wanted to blog about it this week. I have come up with a couple ideas myself and then also found some other cool mason jar “recipes” that you can try out for you or your kid’s lunch soon. There is definitely more mason jar blog posts to come from me. Enjoy your future lunches!

Mason Jar Lunch Ideas

Apple Cubes with Cinnamon – This one is so simple and sounds very yummy. It is the perfect snack or dessert. All you need is an apple or two of your choice, lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut up your apples into cubes toss them with a bit of lemon juice so they don’t turn brown and then sprinkle them with how ever much brown sugar and cinnamon that you would like. Done!

Green Salad with Cheese – For this one you can toss a salad together before putting it into the jar or you can put in layers of veggies and lettuce into the jar, whatever you please. Then put a layer of chicken, bacon, ham, or a sliced boiled egg, and then put a layer of your favorite cheese. Yum.

Burrito in a Jar  - Add 1/4 cup salsa, 1/4 heaping cup black beans, 1/4 cup cheese, and 2 tablespoons yogurt or sour cream into your jar. Try adding 1/4 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice to each jar.

http://skinnyms.com/skinny-burrito-in-a-jar/

StoneGable Pasta Salad In A Jar -  

You will need:

1/2 box farfalle pasta (bow ties)

1/2 box Gemelle (twisted, loose spiral pasta)

1/2 box pene (small ribbed tubes)

1-2 bottles of Greek dressing, I use Garden Gazebo

1 red onion, finely chopped 

2 green peppers, finely chopped

1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

1 jar artichoke hearts, drained and rough chopped

10-15 oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and finely sliced

1 small can of black sliced olives, drained

1/4 lb sliced pepperoni, thinly sliced

1-2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

handful fresh basil, chopped

fresh parsley, chopped

thyme for garnish

Cook pasta according to the package directions, or even just a little underdone.  Drain and put into a large bowl. Add 1 bottle of good Greek salad dressing and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Add more dressing if desired. Add a sprig of garnish to the top. Jar and refrigerate. 

http://www.stonegableblog.com/stonegable-pasta-salad-in-jar/

Gluten Free Mac and Cheese

You will need:

4 cups Gluten Free Noodles
1 whole Egg, Beaten
1/4 cup (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
1/4 cup Gluten Free All-purpose Flour
2-1/2 cups Nonfat Milk (original recipe uses whole milk)
2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
1 pound Grated Cheese
1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Gluten Free Breadcrumbs (optional to top with)

Mix the cheese sauce and noodles together in one large pan. Scoop the mixture into the 4 oz. mason jars. I use this cupcake scooper to do this. Top with some grated cheese and breadcrumbs (gluten free) and bake at 350 degrees on a baking sheet for about 30 minutes.

http://www.fancyashley.com/2014/08/26/gluten-free-macaroni-and-cheese-in-mason-jars/

Mason Jar Yogurt Parfait – These are good for snacks, desserts, or breakfasts. You can make your own variation up or go with the recipe on this website.

http://iowagirleats.com/2013/01/15/make-ahead-fruit-yogurt-breakfast-parfaits/