Homemade applesauce

Apples don't last forever, and in my house store-bought apples lose their appeal after a few days. So why I continue to buy them in five pound bags is beyond me. But I abhor waste, so the weeks-old apples, by now all shrively and soft, have to be eaten.

But what to do with these apples that no one will eat so that everyone will want to eat them?

Homemade applesauce FTW. Aw yeah!

Making homemade applesauce is a breeze. So easy, in fact, that I didn't even use a recipe.  I just made it. Here are the steps:

1. Peel, core and dice apples. How many apples? That's up to you--it depends on how much applesauce you want.
2. Put the diced apples in a saucepan, cover with water and boil until soft.
3. When the apples are fork-tender, drain the water and dump the apples into a food processor.
4. Process those apples!
5. Add some cinnamon and sugar.  How much?  That's up to you!
6. Add some lemon juice. An amount somewhere between a teaspoon and a tablespoon. Or not.  It's totally up to you.
6. Process some more.

Once the apples are smooth, it's ready to eat! Or, if you prefer warm applesauce, return it to the saucepan and heat it up for a minute or two.

It's delicious!  And so much better than the stuff that comes in the little plastic cups.  I'm looking forward to batches and batches of homemade applesauce when our apple trees start producing, but until then, I'll satisfy the craving with all of the on-the-brink-apples already in my kitchen.

Which I continue to buy.  In five pound bags.  Sigh.

Martha Monday--Martha's Entertaining

I finally got my hands on Martha Stewart's Martha's Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations.  And it's amazing. 

Martha's Entertaining is an inside look at a year's worth of celebrations as planned, coordinated and executed by Martha Stewart.  All celebrations were authentic: they were done for that particular holiday/occasion, and nothing was staged.  What a refreshing change from the usual magazine schedule...for magazine layouts, they often shoot a feature or story 6-8 months in advance (such as a Christmas scene staged in the month of June). But for this book, the parties and soirees were real events hosted by Martha throughout the year.  Awesome!

The book is divided into times of day: Mornings, Afternoons and Evenings. Every single holiday was given its due, from Easter to Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas. Several dinner parties, cocktail hours, family breakfasts and picnics are also included, and formats ranged from very formal to completely relaxed.

Martha's Entertaining contains a ton of beautiful pictures about every aspect of each event: the food, guests, decorations, preparations, setting, etc. 

A large section at the end of the book contains recipes and how-to instructions.  No matter what you are planning, this book is sure to provide an invigorating dose of inspiration.

Have you seen this book? If so, what did you think?  I love the glimpse it gave into Martha's life.  Everything is so beautiful and it seems totally effortless to make it happen.  Though I know better--events are a ton of work, and Martha has an entire staff to do that work for her. 

Now, more so than ever, I want to live her life.  Or maybe be reincarnated as one of her dogs.  Either way, that's a win-win.

Broccoli chowder

Last week, I put making Martha's broccoli cream soup on my to-do list. Then, a friend (Hi, Cori!) suggested I might like Lulu the Baker's cheesy vegetable chowder.   Both soups looked delicious, and I just couldn't decide which one to make....so I created my own soup by combining the two recipes.

Everybody wins! Especially me, because the result was absolutely delicious. 

For the most part, I stuck with Martha's recipe (minus the onion), and added shredded carrots, diced potatoes, and 1.5 cups of cheddar cheese as suggested by Lulu the Baker.  And because calories don't exist in my world, I increased the amount of heavy cream from Martha's recipe from 1/2 cup to 1 whole cup.  Calories?  What are those?   

Technique-wise, I definitely deviated from Martha's recipe:  I didn't run the soup through the food processor after cooking. Instead, I ran the broccoli through the food processor before adding it to the pot, making sure that all pieces were small-to-medium size and not completely pulverized.  I wanted this soup to be a meal by itself with chunks of vegetables, and that's exactly what it is. 

Note: the soup stores wonderfully in the fridge, so don't be afraid to make a big batch and have leftovers.  This mash-up recipe is incredibly easy to make and quite a satisfying meal.  Enjoy!

St. Patty's Day fun

Today, I want to share some fun St. Patrick's Day ideas that I've pinned:

I'm loving the homemade shamrock shake, the mint chocolate chip cookies and all the fun treat ideas for kids. 

In case you want to have some St. Patrick's Day fun of your own, there are some great FREE printables on the Catch My Party blog.  I am really liking this "Preppy Plaid" collection from MJ Paperie, especially the beer bottle labels.  Cute!

I hope everyone has the luck of the Irish with them this weekend!

A TMI PSA: don't drink and drive.  Or text and drive. Or drink and text.  Well, maybe that last one isn't so bad, but still, it's better to be safe than sorry!

Martha Monday--St. Patrick's Day fare

St. Patrick's Day is all about the gold, the shamrocks, the leprechauns...and the corned beef and soda bread, which is what I usually focus on.  This year, I might change it up a bit and make a few other Irish-themed dishes and treats for St. Patrick's Day.  Thanks for the inspiration, Martha!

I'm liking this Irish Beef and Stout Stew:

This Cheddar-Topped Shepherd's Pie is going to be a huge hit with my family:

Irish Beef Hand Pies?  Yes, please!

After any of those hearty meals, Irish Coffee Cupcakes would be a delicious dessert:

Topped off with a Hot Nutty Irishman, of course!

What are your plans for St. Patrick's Day?  If nothing else, make sure they involve a hot, nutty Irishman. He sounds like a lot of fun!