Rainy Day Doings And Recipes

Yesterday (when I started this but the day ended very late) was first humid and overcast, then drizzly, then windy and rainy so I made a list of indoor projects.  I also made plans for dinner for two missionaries from our church coming over to join us. What I really wanted to do was just hunker down and read this book all day that my thoughtful and lovely stepdaughter Kara sent me.

First project - washing windows in the Queen Room.  This house, like many very old New England houses that have been added on to many times, has a lot of windows - like 50-60.  And these are the kind with the two storm windows plus screen that you have to wash from inside and out, going back and forth, screen up, screen down, upper pane down then lower pane, inside and out about 6-8 times.  Tedious and painful, especially if you are up on a ladder.  So I'm trying to do a room a day (unless it has more than 4 windows - my per day limit!)  but not every day either or I wouldn't want to get up in the morning.  I start in the fall and am done by late winter so that they are all clean for spring/summer.  (I did it this way in my former old house as well that has 55 windows).  Some I can't get to on the second and third floors without a ladder so they don't get washed as thoroughly.  Some are painted shut on the top inside so they never get 100% done either but I do the best I can and someday we will get all new windows and it will be easier.  I do like me a clean window.  So I did the two in the Queen Room before it rained.

Today's windows

Next I painted the inside of a vanity in the powder room.  We've had a leak under the faucet for some time that kept worsening and we finally got a plumber here.  Under sink cabinets are often grossly abused; stuff thrown in, unorganized, unpainted, neglected, ugly.  This one was; I meant to fix it up when we first moved in but knew a plumber was needed eventually.  All better now.

Painting by my lovely and talented stepdaughter Brittany - yes, in the powder room so that I look at it several times everyday.  I love it.

 I had about 40 apples of a mix of Golden Delicious, Cortland, McIntosh, and Macoun so I decided it was a good day to make applesauce.  To freeze instead of bath water process.  I like the taste better.  This whole project took 45 minutes.  Preparing the apples took 15 minutes with the corer/peeler, and then cooking them down took 1/2 hour.  Then they cooled, I ate some with Greek Gods vanilla honey yogurt (full fat - to die for - thanks PigNose) and slivered almonds, and the rest went into the freezer for happy days ahead.  Here is all you do:  Easy peasy if you have the corer/peeler - get one asap.

Freezer Apple Sauce (you can bottle this too in a boiling water bath)
Washed Apples - use the gadget and put them any size in a large pot with a couple T.  fresh or bottled lemon juice in the bottom.  Swish them in it with your hand each time you add an apple.  If some skin remains on peeled apples, let it stay.
Pour in pure apple cider (not from concentrate!) into bottom of pan over apples so there is about 1/2"
Drop in 2 cinnamon sticks and turn on med high heat.  Once the cider comes to a boil, lower heat to med low and cook until apples fall apart.  It doesn't take long and stir every 5 minutes or so.  I then mash them with a potato masher, leave the cinnamon sticks in while the applesauce cools, and then remove them when I pour the sauce into freezer jars or glass jars if I'm going to process them.  Delish.

For dinner, we had guests coming as I mentioned so I decided to make "Bloomin Baked Apples", a recipe I found on the blog thegunnysack.  I prepared one for each guest and one for me and Dan to share.  Her link will take you to the recipe but here are my pictures.  I also bake would bake mine the longer time because I like really soft mushy cooked apples; you might like yours a bit firmer.  So bake them from 35 to 50 minutes and test at 35 and so on.  I served them with vanilla greek yogurt but vanilla ice cream would have been even better.  Highly recommended, this dessert.  And my house from both the applesauce and baked apples smelled heavenly!

The bloomin cut

I used caramel bits instead of caramel squares

Sister Tate and Sister Duncan - we ate roasted pumpkin ravioli, homemade pasta sauce with ground and seasoned turkey added to it, salad, and steamed green beans with lime butter.  And the Bloomin Baked apples too.

After our guests left we went to the late show and saw "Meet The Mormons" - it was fabulous - it made me want to be a better person and Christian.