Homemade Applesauce

Once you taste homemade applesauce, you'll never want to go back to store-bought. And while sometimes that makes me immediately skip past that kind of recipe (it's so easy to buy it, so why would I want to make it??), this recipe is fairly simple and not time-consuming, so I make an exception. The only difficult part is peeling and coring, but that's where that terrific apple slicer, corer, peeler gadget truly comes in handy and makes this quick work.

This recipe is for canning, so if you want to make a smaller batch, you'll obviously need to adjust the amounts and just store the sauce in the fridge after you're done blending it. When adding the sugar and spices, I always started with just a little bit of each, tasted, and then added more as needed. Even with fruit from the same tree, some batches needed more and some needed less to get it just right.

I also skipped the ascorbic acid step and didn't have any issues, but I figured I'd leave it in there in case.

We used fruit from our own tree, and I'm not sure exactly what it is, but we believe they are Jonathan apples or something close. You'll want to use a sweet apple, such as: Braeburn, Cortland, Crispin (Mutsu), McIntosh, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gravenstein, Liberty, Ida Red, Rome. Mixing apple varieties can make it even better.

Printable Recipe

Homemade Applesauce

Quantity: An average of 21 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 13-1/2 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 48 pounds and yields 14 to 19 quarts of sauce—an average of 3 pounds per quart.

Quality: Select apples that are sweet, juicy, and crisp. For a tart flavor, add 1 to 2 pounds of tart apples to each 3 pounds of sweeter fruit. 

Ingredients:

21 pounds of apples

1 cup water

1 cup honey

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

Wash, peel, core and quarter apples. If desired, slice apples into water containing ascorbic acid to prevent browning. 

Place drained slices in an 8 to 10-quart pot.

Add 1 cup water. Stirring occasionally to prevent burning, heat quickly until tender (5 to 20 minutes, depending on maturity and variety). 

Remove from heat and add honey, sugar and spices. Stir to combine. Sauce may be packed without sugar, if desired.

Press through a sieve or food mill, or use a blender or food processor to get to the consistency you want. (I used a food processor)

Taste and add sugar or spices as needed. 

Reheat sauce to a rolling boil.

Fill hot jars with hot sauce, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. 

Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel. Adjust lids and process.

Recommended process time for Applesauce in a boiling-water canner

            Process Time at Altitudes of

Style Jar             0–                  1,001– 3,001– Above

of Pack Size            1,000 ft 3,000 ft 6,000 ft 6,000 ft

Hot                Pints 15 min 20                20              25

       Quarts         20                 25                 30                35

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

An excellent remake of Red Lobsters yummy biscuits.

Printable Recipe

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2 1/2 cups Bisquick mix
4 tbsp cold butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine Bisquick and cold butter, using a fork or pastry cutter. Don't combine too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter about the size of peas.
 

Add cheddar, milk and 1/4 tsp garlic.
 

Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

Make 12 equal portions and place onto greased cookie sheet.
 

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops are light brown.
 

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a bowl. Stir in 1/2 tsp garlic powder and parsley flakes.
 

Use a pastry brush to spread garlic butter over tops of biscuits.

Sock-It-To-Me Cake

This recipe came from my mother-in-law. I have no idea what the name "Sock-It-To-Me" comes from, but it's one of my favorites. Super easy and sweet enough on it's own to not need frosting.


Printable Recipe

Sock-It-To-Me Cake

Filling:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

Cake:

1 white or French vanilla cake mix with pudding in the mix

3 eggs

3/4 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

8 ounces sour cream

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

Mix together filling ingredients and set aside.

Mix together cake ingredients.

Pour half the batter into greased pan.

Sprinkle filling on top of batter.

Pour remaining batter into pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Serve warm or cold.

Shredded Pork Tacos

We were trying to make more things with pork, so I found this recipe at www.mealsmatter.org. It made quite a bit, but that was okay because it was delicious. Anthony even tried it as a sandwich, and it works that way too. All of the spices really come together for a fabulous taco filling.

Printable Recipe

Shredded Pork Tacos

Pork Filling:
1 3 lb. Boneless pork prime rib roast
8 cloves Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons Dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon Onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Ground red pepper
1 cup Beef broth

Tacos:
2 cups Shredded Savory Pork
8 Taco shells or eight 6- to 8-inch flour tortillas
3/4 cup salsa (if desired)
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese


Trim fat from meat.
In a small bowl combine garlic, coriander, cumin, oregano, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and red pepper; rub into the meat.

Place meat in a roasting pan that has a cover; add beef broth. Cover and roast in a 325 degree oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until very tender. (Or put in crock pot--6 to 8 hours on low, 4 to 6 hours on high.)

Remove meat from liquid with a slotted spoon; discard excess fat from cooking liquid. Reserve the rest of the liquid.

When meat is cool enough to handle, shred it.

Stir in 1/4 cup of reserved cooking liquid to use as taco filling. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Prepare tacos as normal.


You can also freeze the prepared meat and reheat later for an easy freezer meal.

Snickerdoodle Bread

I love cinnamon desserts during the winter, and this one did not disappoint. Absolutely amazing straight out of the oven, and still fabulous cold. This is one of my favorite new quick breads, and it got rave reviews at a meeting.

Printable Recipe

Snickerdoodle Bread

 adapted from Key Ingredient

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 pkg Hershey's cinnamon chips

Topping:

3 Tbsp. sugar
3 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350.

Grease 2 loaf pans (or 4 mini loaf pans).

Cream butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy.

Add eggs and mix well.

Add vanilla and sour cream and mix well.

Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients and mix until all combined.

Add cinnamon chips and stir by hand.

Spoon batter into loaf pans until about 2/3 full.

Mix 3 T. sugar and 3 t. cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle over the batter in each loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes (35-38 minutes for mini loaves).

Let cool before removing from pan.

Sweet Potato Casserole

With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes that I've made for years. I've never been big on sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and this is a yummy, easy alternative. We don't usually put the pecans on (at my husband's request), but we love the sweet topping. Most of the time I do about 3 large sweet potatoes, which I know is over two pounds, but it still tastes fabulous without changing the other ingredients. We make it for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Printable Recipe

Sweet Potato Casserole

(from Better Homes and Gardens)

3 medium to large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup  sugar
1/4 cup  butter, melted
1/4 cup  milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon  vanilla

Topping:

1/2 cup  packed brown sugar
1/4 cup  all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon  butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Cut off woody portions and ends. Cut into quarters.

In a large saucepan, cook potatoes, covered, in enough boiling salted water to cover for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender; drain.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Transfer potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Mash lightly. 

Stir in sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, milk, egg, and vanilla. Transfer sweet potato mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish.

In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans, flour, and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.

Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Crockpot Apple Butter

One of my favorite memories of growing up is taking a fall drive through Southern Indiana to Brown County. I don't know if there is anywhere else in the world that can rival the gorgeous colors of the trees when the leaves are changing.

And of course when you're there, you have to stop in Nashville and pick up some apple butter. Yum! If you don't know what apple butter is, it's an apple spread with lots of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc). It's a super thick apple sauce consistency, and my favorite thing to put it on is homemade biscuits (this recipe pairs VERY well with these biscuits).

I adapted my recipe from this one (I prefer some of the ingredients, and I wanted to do it in the crock pot since slow cooking is important in making apple butter) and from the Utah State University Extension--the latter is my go-to when I'm canning because I know I can trust them to give me a safe recipe that has all of the correct directions. ***Sidenote, whenever you find a canning recipe online, it would be wise to check it with a trusted source. I've seen so many that don't mention the amount of headspace needed or leave out key ingredients (spaghetti sauce and green beans, for example, have to be done a certain way or with certain ingredients, or you're putting yourself and anyone who eats it in serious danger of some major food poisoning.) Just because your grandma did it that way, or you've never gotten sick, it doesn't mean it's safe. One of the most important things to check is processing times. If the recipe gives you an exact time for processing (i.e. 15 mins in a water bath canner), check with another source. Processing depends on the size of your jar (pint vs. qt), whether you're doing hot pack or cold pack, and the altitude of your location. Fifteen minutes might be correct for the blogger, but it doesn't mean it's right for you.***

If you'd rather not can it, just put it in jars and place in the fridge (or freeze it). I'm not sure of the shelf life. Usually jam is a couple weeks, but many people say it keeps longer, so use your best judgement. That is another reason I use pint jars, so I don't have an open jar for too long.

Printable Recipe

Crockpot Apple Butter

Use Jonathan, Winesap, Stayman, Golden Delicious, MacIntosh, or other tasty apple varieties for good results.

8 lbs apples

2 cups apple cider

2-1/4 cups white sugar

2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

Yield: About 8 to 9 pints (I ended up with 6 pints)

Procedure:   

Wash, remove stems, quarter, and core fruit. (I used an apple corer, peeler, slicer and that made the process a lot faster.)

Place all ingredients in crock pot and stir so all apples are coated. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce to LOW for 8 to 10 hours; stir occasionally.

Once the apples are a rich brown color and mash easily, drain off excess liquid. 

Use either a blender, hand-blender or food processor, and blend just for a few seconds to get a good, thick consistency (it should look like a thick, slightly chunky applesauce).

Fill hot into sterile half-pint or pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Quart jars need not be presterilized but should be clean and kept hot until filling. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel. Adjust lids and process.

Recommended process time for Apple Butter in a boiling-water canner

(from the USU Extension)

Process Time at Altitudes of

Style                      Jar                         0–                           1,001–                           Above

of Pack                 Size                        1,000 ft                 6,000 ft                        6,000 ft

Hot                         Half-pints                5 min                        10                                      15

or Pints

Quarts                      10                              15                                     20