Now that it's December, I will officially allow myself to feel Christmas. I haven't been turning on my Christmas trees since we set them up because I just didn't feel like it, but now I want to enjoy them! Here are three more reasons it should feel more like the season for me:
1.) I've ordered my 3-D Santa's Sleigh and Reindeer cookie cutters.
2.) We went to the first Christmas party of the season last night.
3.) Christmas tunes are now allowed to be played in my car.
But first, to wrap up Thanksgiving, I made apple butter in the crock pot with some leftover Thanksgiving apples! Yum. Apple Butter is kind of like caramelized applesauce with extra spices. There is no butter in it, but it can be eaten as a spread on top of fresh baked bread, muffins, etc. It would also be good baked in to muffins or cookies as a butter/oil substitute!
APPLE BUTTER (This isn't really a recipe - it's just the approximation of what I had and used this time around.)
9 apples, cored and chopped but not peeled (5 large, 4 small, jonagolds and unknowns)
1/2 lemon, juiced, and 3 slices of peel
Sugar (I probably used about 3-4 Tbsp), sprinkled over apples in layers
Cinnamon, sprinkled over apples in layers
Allspice, sprinkled over apples in layers
Cloves, sprinkled over apples in layers
All of that made only about 3 Cups of apple butter when all was said and done. Here's what it looked like:
The beginning! I cooked it on high for the first hour.
Cooked for about 4 hours total: 1 on high, 3 on low.
Cooked for about 9 1/2 hours total. Maybe it doesn't look incredibly appetizing, but it sure smelled delicious all day!
I tried to blend it with an immersion blender, but it wasn't quite deep enough to get it smooth.
So, I tried the traditional blend method, though the Magic Bullet's blending capabilities are a bit limited.
So, I also had to strain out the peels, because they didn't puree. "Butter" should be smooth afterall!
That's what was left of the peels.
I decided it would be better to freeze in 1/2 cup portions for use later. The jar was for immediate consumption.
Freezer ziploc for extra protection.
Spread on toast the next morning. Yum!
1 comment:
Apple butter! I love apple butter. I am going to have to try this.
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