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Quick and Easy Homemade Apple Butter

September 10, 2014 By Thaleia 7 Comments

Since our family was able to go to a small apple orchard and pick all the apples we wanted for free, it was time for me to learn how to make apple butter. I am totally new to canning besides seeing my mom can at times growing up. I have never really liked apple butter before. I like cinnamon and apples but not too much cinnamon. I left out the allspice and cloves that most Apple Butter recipes call for.

I pulled out my Moto X smartphone and googled how to make homemade apple butter. Yes, that is right. I was standing in front of my stove using the internet to do something “old-fashioned” like canning. (It kinda makes me laugh thinking about the irony.) I saw a few recipes to make it in the crockpot from homemade applesauce. I prepared my apples into applesauce then filled up my 6-Quart Slow Cooker and set it on low. (My affiliate link is used as reference.)

I began cooking the apples down before really worrying about seasoning the mixture. I wrote down two different recipes for spice ingredients but went my own way making it less spicy and more apple flavored. So this might not be a “true apple butter” but I do not care as long as we like it and eat it. I will be giving this as part of Christmas this year (so sorry any family reading this for present spoilers!)

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon of Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of Nutmeg

1 Cup of Sugar (if needed)

6 quart of applesauce (before being cooked down)

I keep stirring my applesauce every hour or so because I feel like my 6-Quart Slow Cooker
might cook a little hot. I did not want it scorching or burning. I ended up putting the crockpot on the “keep warm” setting over night just to be on the safe side. During the day I had it on “low”. My applebutter cooked for more than 24 hours. I canned one batch the first evening around the 24 hour cooking mark. Then the second batch I canned in the am of the next day.

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My Canning Equipment

Homemade Applesauce

Super Simple Homemade Applesauce

September 8, 2014 By Thaleia 7 Comments

Gonna throw this post up quick since I am in the thick of processing apples into homemade applesauce and crockpot apple butter. This is our 3rd year to harvest apples for free from another homeschool families grandparents! We are so blessed to have free apples to enjoy. Usually we dehydrate a bunch into apple chips but our humidity has been threw the roof and the chips won’t dry- boohoo!

Okay, on to my super simple process of making homemade applesauce.

1) Pick your apples. Hope you have a great GMO-free orchard to go to to pick your lovely apples. Remember for sauce that bruises and apples off the ground are just fine.

2) Wash your apples. I dumped mine in our kitchen sink to soak the bugs out of them. I only had to wipe a few that had mud or grass on them.

3) Core your apples either with an Apple Corer or Apple and Pear Slicer
(Using affiliate links for easy reference.)

4) Place cored apples into Stainless Steel 8-Quart Covered Saucepot.
I used a 3 quart pot but bigger would be faster! Cover with 2-4 inches of water. Cook until apples are tender. You may want to stir them up once or twice so the apples on top cook as quickly as the apples on the bottom.

5)Start sterilizing your Ball Jars in Water Bath Canner or large stock pot.

6) Use slotted spoon to scoop cooked apples out into Stainless Steel Food Mill
over large bowl or 3QT Plastic Bowl . I have one without a handle bought at a garage sale for $1 but I could have used my Pampered Chef batter bowl as well. (I used empty ice cream pail for skins and seeds to be dumped into compost.)

7) Ladle applesauce into hot sterilized canning jars using a canning funnel to help lessen the mess. Wipe jar rims to be sure they are free from debris. Apply clean simmered lids using magnetic lid lifter and finger tighten the rings.

8) Using jar lifter gently place filled jars of applesauce into simmering water. Bring to a slight boil for 15 miuntes. Turn off water and remove jars being sure to use tongs and place on towel or cooling rack onto counter.

9) Listen for the pop sound of your jars sealing. Once cooled label with description and date.

Now you will have some wonderful homemade applesauce to enjoy!

Back to School #GivingBackpack Event

August 5, 2014 By Thaleia Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I was provided $25 by our sponsor Ebates to purchase a backpack and school supplies. I was not compensated in any other way for this post. I have included affiliate links for products and Ebates. #givingbackpack #ebates

Back to School time is right around the corner. I feel super excited by all the deals on school supplies but at the same time a little sad. I’m excited because I love deals and I love school supplies. I feel sad for all the children who start school without the mandatory school supplies. I know many teacher’s who buy supplies out-of-pocket to help bridge the gap.

I’ve been known to post back to school sales on facebook or in text messages to help friends save money. I just downloaded my niece’s school list so I could text it to my mom while she is on vacation. In my family Grandma helps provide school supplies for any of her grandchildren even the homeschooled ones!

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Peanut Butter No Bake Dessert Bars

July 31, 2014 By Thaleia 5 Comments

Remember when I said my sister tried to make one new recipe a week or four new recipes per month? Just nod your head, yes, like you remember. She visits her local library scouring the recipe book section for new additions to her recipe collection. This time she remembered to take pictures of her latest recipe Peanut Butter No Bake Dessert Bars.

Here’s a super quick and easy dessert recipe that feeds a crowd. I was a little skeptical at first when I heard about it over the phone. Eldest spent the night and took all the pictures while my sister did the baking. What a great team they made!

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Keep Your “new” Vehicle Looking New with Kick Mats

June 30, 2014 By Thaleia Leave a Comment

We just got our “new” van yesterday and first thing we did was install the Kyodora Kick Mats for pics, BUT I will not keep them in our “Homeschool on Wheels” because I need a product that offers pockets for storage and organization. Don’t get me wrong they are a really great product but I have my heart and mind set as to what our Chevy Venture van will do for us. The need for organization in our main family vehicle is uber important to me.

With four children ranging from 10 months to 11 years old we need a huge range of activities to keep everyone contented in the car for short and long car trips. Organization is imperative for successful trips to field trips as well as grocery store. With all that being said, I would definitely recommend Kyodora Kick Mats to anyone who has a concern for keeping their vehicle upholstery clean and free from dirt and grim of little feet!

My almost 10 year old daughter was able to install the Kyodora Kick Mats without trouble. We have portable cd players with velcro straps and those take two adults to install. These Kick Mats were a total breeze to install in our minivan, but were a little tricky in the wider seat of an F150 Pickup.

I am going to offer the kick mats to my brother who’s wife and daughter ride horses and have barn muck to contend with. We will share pics of what Kyodora Kick Mats look like in an Ford F150 truck. My super sweet niece is helping model where a typical 5 year olds foot would hit on the back of the seat.

Product Details:

Whether you drive a stately sedan or a practical minivan, you deserve to have your vehicle remain in good condition for as long as possible. Of course, kids impatient from a long car ride don’t share that desire. Protect your car seats from kicking, roughhousing, eating, drinking, pet fur, mischief and other issues with Extra Large Kick Mats.

These kick mats are fitted with 2 adjustable straps – 1 to be placed over your car seat headrest and the other around the bottom portion of the seat. We have specially made these kick mats to fit most vehicles – not only are they longer and wider to provide maximum coverage, the bottom strap is custom made to be extra long for ease of fixing and adjusting – no struggling with elastic bands that barely fit your car seat or velcro straps that you can’t properly secure.

They are easy to remove and install, so a single set can be moved to protect multiple vehicles and save you money. They also fold and store easily when not needed, providing you convenience.

Don’t waste precious time and money cleaning – these kick mats are double-layered and water-resistant so not only do they protect your vehicle seat back from spills and food spatters, they are designed to be wiped clean with just a damp cloth.

Protect your investment – this product comes with a 90 Day Risk-free Money-Back Guarantee – No Questions Asked!

Kick Mats – Extra Large Auto Seat Back Protector (amazon affiliate link)

Disclosure: I was provided a set of Kyodora Kick Mats as part of their Kyodora Insider program. I was not compensated monetarily just with free product. My opinions are my own and I do feel that this product is of good quality.

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