Yesterday was Applesauce Day at our house. I got a great deal on apples and decided to take the plunge since I didn't make applesauce last Fall.
My Grandma taught me to make applesauce, but I have revised her method to make it easier and faster. If you have never had homemade applesauce, let me tell you there is no comparison and it's simple to make:
The only apples I don't use for applesauce are Granny Smith (too tart) and Washington Delicious (too mealy and not enough flavor). My preference is Fuji or Gala apples. Nine or ten pounds of apples will make a fair amount for a small family or a generous amount for one person.
I use a crank apple peeler/corer/slicer to peel my apples. Of course, you can do this by hand. If you don't have a peeler see if you can borrow one. It makes this job quick and efficient.
Peel, core and slice enough apples to fill a Dutch oven to the top. Add 6 ounces of frozen apple juice concentrate and 1/4 to 1/3 cup redhot candies and 1 cup granulated sugar. Bring the apples to a simmer, cover the pot, and let them cook slowly until the apples fall apart when you stir them.
Once the apples are fully cooked process them in a food processor until smooth. Don't overfill your processor - do this in batches. Pour applesauce into a large bowl and add additional sugar and/or more cinnamon if desired. Let the applesauce cool to room temperature and put in freezer bags (I use pint bags) and freeze. Your applesauce will have a rosy color. The bonus of making your own applesauce is the way your house will smell like a huge apple pie all day!
The way we enjoy our applesauce is to take a bag from the freezer and microwave it for one minute on High. Squeeze the sauce into a bowl and break up the icy chunks. We love ours slightly frozen.
I haven't been sewing too much the past few weeks, but my Hubby is wanting me to finish his Double Slice quilt I've been sewing a little here and there. After a couple more seams it will be ready for borders. Here's what I have so far:
Jeff chose the fabric from the Birchbark Lodge line by Moda. Two layer cakes plus border yardage are needed to make a Queen quilt. At first I didn't care for the blue in with the earthtones, but now I can see it needs to be in there to keep the fabrics from being boring. I have border material in the large orange print. I had also thought about making the outer border from baby corduroy in chocolate brown. I may still do this. Missouri Star has a great tutorial on this Double Slice quilt. This is one of those quilts that looks labor intensive but it's really super simple. This would be a good beginner project in a smaller size. I'll keep you posted on this project.
It's good to be blogging again!! Thanks to everyone who prayed for me during my recent illness. The notes and well wishes were a blessing.
Wishing you a day filled with Peace & Plenty....Barb
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