Another Day Another Dollar! Tidbits For You To Enjoy!

Lets start with somethings I have found helpful traveling down that olde road again...Then I will tell you how to do something...
Keep a small journal and jot down these ideas and then fill in with your own...
Make a list of items to stop buying..You know the kind that aren't good for you, or the ones you just cannot keep your hands off.
Items to buy...Like high fiber bread.
Exercise/Walk, vacuum, mop, change sheets on all the beds....
Sleep good (this is very important in losing weight)....Don't let your depression get you down and then turn to your comfort item FOOD...
Start your meals with 1 cup low cal soup or salad....Cut back 1 cup of starchy carbs a day (potatoes, corn, peas, parsnips, beets are starchy veggies and you shouldn't have two at one meal. Replace with non starchy veggies, such as carrots, spinach, turnips, summer squash, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower.....Avoid trigger foods (Sweets or in my case peanut butter)....Drink lots and lots of water...Know in your heart you can succeed.....When preparing meals, don't nibble, taste or lick the spoon...After supper stay out of the kitchen...Plan your meals a week ahead and then only buy items you need to prepare these meals....Write down everything you put into your mouth....When you feel like you need something to eat, but know you really don't, drink some more water, go for a walk, post on your blog and of course chew sugar free gum...studies have shown chewing gum helps you lose weight...Let your old ways and taste buds go away...You're changing your style of eating and the taste buds will adapt in a few weeks to new tastes.....Make sure you eat a good breakfast...This jump starts your body...Don't ever, ever go to buffets or cafeterias....You will over eat...and remember YOU DESERVE to lose that weight!!!Don't eat food with empty calories, such as sugar, butter, sauces...these don't fill you up and actually make you hungry and want more...When you do falter, stop and ask yourself why? It is nearly always something else besides wanting that food....Use less salt on your food...use herbs and spices or a salt substitute...Now for the other thing....
Do you like those reed diffusers?
And don't want to spend the money on them?
Here are some basic directions for making your own..........

What you need:
- 1 small jar or bottle (simple ones can be purchased from supermarkets or craft stores) OR what about a small old prim bottle?
- Reed sticks will work best, you can purchase them at candle or gift stores OR Thin bamboo skewer sticks will also work (supermarkets sell them for around $3 for a packet of 100).
- Carrier oil: Don't let this freak you out. You can use sweet almond oil (or substitute with extra virgin olive oil , grapeseed oil or canola oil).
- Scent oil /essantial oil
-OPTIONAL-Ribbon, homespun, rusty star,vintage pic or hang tag

Directions:
Blend the scent oil and carrier oil together.
For every 1ml of your scent oil, blend with 10ml of the carrier oil. For a stronger scent, pour 6ml of carrier oil instead. Swirl the blend together in the bottle and let it sit for an hour.
*If you're using bamboo skewers, cut off both ends and make sure half of the stick appears above the bottle.
Have 10-12 sticks in the bottle and let it sit for a few hours for the scent to climb up.
Take a piece of ribbon ( or homespun) and tie around the bottle .
You can add a hang tag or rusty star if you want. OR attach a vintage pic to the front of the jar. :)

Peach Dump Cake....Easy & Ummm Good!!!

This is for Pam....She doesn't like apples and wanted something made with peaches....



PEACH DUMP CAKE:

1 box cake mix (yellow cake mix or white cake mix)
1 can of chunky yellow cling peaches, drained
1 can of crushed pineapple, drained
1 stick of butter
1 - 1 1/2 cup of crushed nuts of choice (walnuts or pecans)
1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly grease (bottom only) of a cake pan (13x9).
Melt cubed butter in microwave and set aside.
Open canned peaches, drain and dump into cake pan. If desired cut peaches into smaller pieces, no need to do this prior just cut them while they are in the pan.
Sprinkle entire (dry) cake mix on top of peaches.

On top of cake mix add crushed drained pineapple
Sprinkle desired nuts on cake mix.
Pour butter evenly over nuts.
Sprinkle brown sugar over the top
Bake for 45 mins to 1 hour.
Cake will appear wet and uncooked but once cooked it is delicious, almost cobbler in nature. It is especially good served warm a la mode

Tis The Season For Apple Pies!! Yes By Golly It Sure Is!!

Apple Pie!!
I do very little baking now days, but every once in a while I'll bake an Apple Pie…
I make a pretty good pie crust, but I'm usually making a crust for a savory dish. I had a whole bag of apples, so it seemed like a good time to bake an apple pie...


This is my favorite pie crust....I use to make so many pies, (14 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving) and this one was so fast, easy and turned out perfect every time...

OIL PIE CRUST:

1 c. flour, plus 2 tbsp.
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. oil
2 tbsp. cold water

FOR TWO CRUST PIE:
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. oil
3 tbsp. cold water
Mix and roll between wax paper.


APPLE PIE RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS
7 tart apples, peeled and cored
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, or to taste
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt to taste
2 recipes unbaked pie shells
1 tablespoon butter


DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.Cut the apples into 1/4 inch slices.
3.In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, flour, nutmeg (or apple pie spice), and salt; mix thoroughly. Pour the spice mix over the apples and stir until the apples are coated.
4.Line one crust in a 9 inch deep dish pie pan. Place the apples in the pie crust. Dot the apple filling evenly with butter. Fit the top crust over the apples. Press the crust down gently and cut 3 or 4 slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape while the pie bakes
5.Bake in the preheated oven 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Check the pie after the first 30 minutes of cooking: if the crust is already browned reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) to allow the apples to cook without the crust burning.


Baking Apple Pies!!
Baking apple pies is a rather straightforward technique, but a few tips can help to make your pies come out looking and tasting perfect.

1. Preheat the oven to the temperature the recipe you are following recommends. Most apple pies bake at a temperature of between 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Some recipes call for baking the pie in a 450 degree F oven for the first part of baking, then turning down the oven to about 350 degrees F. This helps set the shape of the crust in recipes that contain a lot of fat; it can keep your crust from slouching.
2. To add a richer color to a double-crust or lattice-topped pie, brush the top crust with milk or lightly beaten egg before baking.
3. Baking a pie with a raw apple filling will take about an hour. Always bake pies on a baking sheet to prevent spillovers in the oven. Apple pies cook for approximately 45 minutes. When using a pre-cooked filling, pies can bake at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time, just enough to thoroughly bake the crust and heat the filling.
To check the doneness of the filling, insert a knife into the center of the pie. If it meets with little or no resistance, the pie is done. If the pie is not quite done but the top or edges are becoming too dark, loosely cover the top of the pie with aluminum foil to shield it from the heat. A glass pie dish is a great way to ensure the bottom crust is fully baked; using a baking stone or pizza stone is another trick. Baking on a stone ensures that the bottom crust on even the juiciest apple pie will be done when the top is brown.
4. For shine and sparkle, thin a quarter cup of light corn syrup with very hot water. When the pie is done, brush the thinned syrup over the top of the crust. You can add granulated sugar or decorative sugar at this time. Return the pie to the oven for two to three minutes to let the glaze dry and set. Once the pie is done baking, carefully remove it from the oven. Let the pie cool to room temperature before slicing to allow the filling to set

Butter, Butter, Butter; Apple Butter That Is!!!

When apples are plentiful in the fall it seems you can't find enough things to do with them! make a whole pile of apple pies for family get togethers, apple slices for the grandchildren, apple cake, apple cobbler, apple bread or jelly; but here is something old that is new again.....APPLE BUTTER!...What could be more fall-like than apples, sugar and spices slowly cooking all day long? So I made a big batch of apple butter! The aroma that this makes as it cooked away in the crock pot was amazing. It does’t take much to get lots of flavor, it is a mix of sweet, tart and spice all at once; I was also drying apples and my home smelled sooo good...All the neighbors came over to see what I was cooking;
This Apple Butter is so easy to make, using your crock pot!
Now if you don't have Apple trees in your yard or have an orchard nearby, check out your local farmer's market...This time of year they always have Apples & Pumpkins...I am lucky as we have about 4 orchards nearby..
This recipe makes a small batch, so you don't really need to give it a water bath...just store the jars in the fridge...or if you want to give as gifts, then you will need to give them the old water bath treatment for 15 minutes!
SLOW COOKED APPLE BUTTER!

10 t0 12 large cooking apples (14 cups)...I used Winesap apples
2 cups apple juice or cider
3 cups white sugar ( I am diabetic so I used Splenda in one batch)
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

INSTRUCTIONS:

Core and chop unpeeled apples (bite size)
Combine with the apple juice or cider
Mix sugar (splenda) with the cinnamon & ground cloves
Add to the apples in the crock pot
Cover; cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 4 hours (the 10 hour one was better)
Remove cover and drain the apples
Put into blender or food processor and blend on high speed until smooth
Return apples to slow cooker
DO NOT COVER and cook on low for 1 hour or till it is the desired consistency
Mine took 1-1/2 hours;

Storage of Apple Butter:

While the mixture is very hot ladle the cooked Apple Butter into sterilized half-pint jars, leaving a 1/2" head space.
Put the lids on and then tighten the rings but not to tight.
Process in boiling water canner for 15 minutes
Remove from water bath and set on a dry cup towel till cool and lids pop closed..
Store in a cool dark place
OR:
You can just put into the sterilized jars, cover with the lids and rings, let cool and store in fridge...If you like Apple Butter this will go fast!

I got this recipe from Home Cooking and made a few changes;

Next I will do the Slow Cooked Pumpkin Butter and is that good.

Just like having pumpkin pie on your toast!