Apple Fest

Now that we have a lot of apples around, it is time to be productive. So we got into the pie-making mode, and froze and shared our apple pies, pies with top crusts and pies with Dutch crispy tops. Then there was that cocoa apple cake my daughter's mom-in-law supplied the recipe for--I had baked one of those years ago, and lost the recipe. So she sent it to me, and voila--a really yummy cake to make! Best of all, it combines two of my favorite ingredients, chocolate and apples.

Cocoa Apple Cake

Cream together:
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 pound butter, softened
1/2 cup water

Sift together:
2 and 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture.

Fold in:
2 cups chopped apples
1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (use the good ones)
1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix well, and put into a greased and floured bundt pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes until testing done.
Let rest on rack to cool for 10 minutes, invert onto a serving plate and you can dust it with powdered sugar.

Fall Quilt Project

Now that it's done and has been received by
darling daughter, I can post pictures to
share. Violet kitty gave her special
stamp of approval to the quilt before
we shipped it out. Have to confess,
the quilt backing was especially difficult
for me to sew, only because I am not
a spider fan, and of course the backing
has many many spiders and webs all over it.
So this quilt is wishing you a Happy Halloween!

Fall

Fall

Fall

Apple Time!

Drove out along the Missouri River up to Waverly today, looking at the turning leaves, the hawks and buzzards drifting along on the air currents in the clear blue sky, watching the farmers harvest their beans, and enjoying the fragrance of fall. Rasa's Orchard was a busy place, and full of people like us, wanting to "pick their apples"-- already packed in bags. Found some Granny Smith, Jonathan (our favorite all-time good for everything apple), and Fuji. And a bag of sweet potatoes, all ready for me to cook for sweet potato muffins, biscuits and hopefully sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving dinner, if they last that long! Now I just need that kitchen elf to help things along as I make the pies!

Welcome Fall!

Nights are getting shorter and cooler. Days, well, it seems like summer is trying to stick with us, or at least trick us into thinking she is. That's ok, the cooler nights make up for it, and seeing the butterflies still coming to all the flowers still in bloom, makes it all right for now.

Time to get out to the orchards and pick up our apples. Used to be, we picked them ourselves. Now we just buy them in the baskets, and enjoy them anyway. This was a great peach year, and I am sure this is an equally great apple year. Driving out to the countryside along the Missouri River for the apples gives us a change to enjoy the leaves turning on the trees.

Hummingbirds have already left us for the south. Wild turkeys are gobbling in the woods, discussing where to hide for Thanksgiving. And soon the snows will fly!