 Well hello, long lost blog friends. It's been 8 days since I posted on the blog and even though most of you probably never even noticed my absence, I feel compelled to explain. 🤣 You're going to have to stick with me here because even though my explanation may take a minute - I WILL (eventually) get to the reason for my blog hiatus. We are officially T-minus 10 days until our kitchen remodel begins!! As excited as I am about a new, more efficient space to work and create, I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about the process. The thought of not having a kitchen sink is a little unnerving, to say the least. 😬 In anticipation of my upcoming, "forced" cooking sabbatical, I've been loading my September calendar with catering orders. I'm not sure if it's the need to validate my "shut down" during kitchen construction next month but I've been stepping out of my catering comfort zone more than ever. 🤷🏻♀️
This weekend I tackled a charcuterie style brunch for 90! NINETY!! 😳 It was a huge undertaking which ended up as 16 amazing feet of morning deliciousness. I made eggs, bacon, cheese, fruit, muffins, bagels, croissants, biscuits, tarts, biscotti, yogurt - all the typical "brunchy" foods. 🥐🍳🥓 It was a lot of fun but preparing this epic brunch buffet occupied so much of my time this week that there was just no time left for blogging. (Told you I would get there eventually.) Not one, but two apple cider donut cakes had staring roles on my charcuterie brunch table. Soaking the fruit in apple cider really gives this cake a rich, deep apple flavor. 🍎 This cake has earned a spot as a Fall staple at our house.  Apple Cider Donut Cake 1 large honey crisp apple, peeled and chopped 1 1/2 cups apple cider 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice 8 Tablespoons butter, softened 3/4 cup light brown sugar ½ cup white sugar 3 large eggs Topping 6 Tablespoons butter 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg Pinch of salt
 Let cool in pan 15 minutes then remove from pan and cool completely.  Brush cake with browned butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.
It's apple season in Georgia and I think I found the most delicious way to enjoy this delicious fruit. 🍎😉 Ciao!
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 Get ready friends - It's finally September and I'm about to unleash the dozens of apple and pumpkin recipes that I've been holding in my que for months. 🤣🍎🎃 I'll do my best not to overwhelm you, but honestly, I'm downright giddy over here just thinking about all the Fall treats that I have ready to share with you. For those of you who might be new to my food blog, I want to be completely transparent. I don't hide the fact that I make most of my blogged recipes well in advance of when I actually post them. Because of the time that it takes to write out step by step directions, prepare and photograph each recipe - it's almost impossible for me to post recipes on the same day or even the same week that I make them. ⏰  Now that you know that, you'll understand why I've been making apple and pumpkin recipes for my family for months. We endured hearty Fall soups in the middle of July and Autumn Harvest Bowls in August. You don't know what you're missing until you've experienced Spicy Lentil Curry on a 100 degree day. 😅 Before you start to feel bad for us though - just remember that we also start eating Christmas cookies in October. 🍪🤣 This summer I made Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls, Fall Harvest Granola Bars, Pumpkin Muffins, Cinnamon Crunch Bread and Slow Cooker Apple Butter. The food blogging gig does have its perks. 🤣 All pumpkin muffins taste good in October but the true test of a great pumpkin muffin is how it tastes in June. The same is true for apple butter. 🍎We absolutely gobbled this apple butter up in the middle of the summer so you KNOW it was good - and I'm guessing that it's even better now that we're entering apple season in Georgia.
Slow Cooker Apple Butter 5 pounds mixed apples, peeled and cored 3 cups granulated sugar, divided 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground cloves  Cut apples into 1-inch cubes; place apple cubes and 1 ½ cups of the sugar in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours.  Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and remaining 1 ½ cups sugar. Cover; cook on LOW until apples are very soft, 4 hours.  Use and infusion blender to process until smooth.  Spoon into containers and store in refrigerator for up to 1 month.  I don't know who came up with the idea to make apple butter in the slow cooker - but I've gotta say -- genius. I mean, wit just makes sense. It's the perfect way to slow cook apples to their most tender, buttery state. This recipe does make a lot of apple butter but you'll be surprised at how fast it gets eaten. And if you happen to end up with extra - check out these amazing Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls! They're amazing and you will want to eat these every weekend this Fall.  Make sure that you subscribe to my email list so you don't miss this amazing recipe. It's a great way to find out when I post new recipes to the blog. Thanks guys and Happy Fall!!!
Ciao! |
