Red Hot Apple Butter

I love apple butter! I have made it several times in the slow cooker and it is always so yummy and super easy. My favorite store in Shipshewana, IN - E & S Sales - carries Cinnamon Apple Butter that is made with red hots. It is a beautiful red color and has a sweet spicy taste. So good!

Thanks to the wonderful world of Pinterest, I was able to find a recipe for Red Hot Apple Butter from Sprinkled with Flour! I was beyond thrilled. I knew I had to give it a try.

First, the apples. I am fortunate to be able to go to a fantastic farmer's market that has an apple vendor. They have a huge variety of apples. I picked mostly sweet apples, but I can't remember all the names.

In addition to white and brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice are also included in this wonderful recipe.

Of course, the red hots candies!

Everything is loaded into the slow cooker with some water. This was the first time I have added water  for an apple butter recipe. I am still a little undecided about it. It does make the end result a little more soupy than my previous recipes, but the taste is still fabulous.

After 2 hours of cooking on high, the apples have softened considerably and the red hots candies have melted.

The original recipe said to puree the apples and she used an immersion blender. I don't have an immersion blender and since the cooking time was far from over, I used my potato masher to break down the apples. They still had a little bit of texture to them.

After another 8 to 10 hours of cooking on low, this is the final result. A gorgeous apple butter! And the taste is divine!

I was able to get 5 pints from about 5 pounds of apples. I froze 4 pints so I have lots to keep my apple butter cravings to a minimum.

This recipe is definitely a keeper! Check out Sprinkled with Flour. She has some yummy-looking recipes.

Making A House Home Sweet Home

I have been anxiously waiting for the month of October. Not only because it extends deeper into fall with cooler weather and beautiful changing leaves, but because it is time for The Nester's 31 Days! This year it has its own website!

Last year was the first year I focused on my love of fall. This year, my choice of topic was easy - Making a House Home Sweet Home.

When I first started thinking about my specific blog posts months ago, I had a bunch of ideas like picking out paint colors and adding pictures to the walls. But at the moment, the only thing I have done is paint. I don't have a lot of furniture and definitely have nothing on the walls yet.

Instead, I am sharing what I am doing in the meantime - limited decorating, stocking my freezer and pantry with staples, cleaning. I will also be sharing verses that talk about hospitality. My desire is that my home is a place where people feel comfortable being and where I love living.

I hope you enjoy this series!

Day 1 - Red Hot Apple Butter
Day 2 - Painting Pumpkins
Day 3 - Welcoming Autumn
Day 4 - Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Day 5 - Reflections On Hospitality
Day 12 - Reflections On Hospitality
Day 15 - Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Day 16 - Baking Buckeyes
Day 20 - Reflections On Hospitality
Day 26 - Reflections On Hospitality
Day 27 - Feathering My Nest - Where to Start

Reflections On Contentment

Snapshots Into My Life

What I am seeing through my lens this week.

This candle smells so good! Everything about it reminds me of fall. I have been burning it since the end of August.

My mom and I went away this week. I always feel so bad about leaving Luna.

Our getaway was in West Virginia, Wild and Wonderful!

The Greenbrier Resort! This was our destination. I will be posting more later, but this hotel is amazing.

The views at the pool are unbelievable! The leaves on the trees were already starting to change. I could stay here forever.

On the way home, we stopped in Columbus for dinner at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Grill. It was pretty good, but the Buckeye Pie was so yummy!

Front Yard Face Lift

Yesterday, the front of my house got a little bit nicer looking. It isn't the best looking, but it made a big step closer.

Family friends were willing to take some giant hostas that were growing in my pitiful looking landscape. While they were digging those out, they also cut down some trees that I wanted gone! It is amazing how much better everything looks.

One of the trees that came down was the tree that was overtaking my lamp post. Every house on my cul-de-sac has a lamp post, but mine was invisible, hidden amongst a tree.

Down it went. Two other trees came down. One was right in front the living room window and the other was next to the front door. I couldn't find a good picture of the other trees.

A naked lamp post! It needs a little bit of love, but it is visible. Maybe next year, I will add some flowers around it.

Please ignore all the weeds that are growing obnoxiously. They will be gone soon too. The hydrangea bushes are staying, but I would like to start everything to be fresh and new.

I have to keep reminding myself that it is one step at a time. I may want it all done right now, but that isn't going to happen.

Reflections On Contentment

Snapshots Into My Life

What I am seeing through my lens this week.

My first pot of coffee Monday morning tasted funny, so I made a second pot. It tasted much better. I don't seem to function very well without my cup of joe!

My mom and I have tickets to the Pop Series at the Toledo Symphony. I am really excited about it because there are some really good performances that we will get to see. First one is October 4. It is coming up soon!

Luna can just see over the edge of the window. She keeps an eye on her yard. If she sees squirrels she runs to the back door so she can chase them.