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Homemade Apple Sauce

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Homemade Apple Sauce
Oh dear, where have I been for the last few months?  This is a great question!  I have been busy moving… again!  I didn’t move across the country again, just across the bay.  I moved from the South Bay of San Francisco to the East Bay which equals a shorter commute for me and a larger kitchen! A win-win in my book.  I have over 1-2 hours back in my life each day,  which is beyond amazing.  People who don’t commute in major cities probably wouldn’t understand the excitement of moving from a 2-hour commute each way to a little bit less than an hour each way, but it is life altering!

I can’t believe next week is Thanksgiving, but I also can’t believe it’s almost December!  No fear the 2 sisters in 2 cities are here to help you with you last minute holiday meal planning.

One of my favorite sides for a holiday meal is homemade apple sauce.  It is so easy to make and 1000 times better than store-bought apple sauce.  Homemade apple sauce is like eating the inside of an apple pie- so delicious!  You don’t have to use the most expensive apples to make apple sauce.  You can use a variety of apples and they don’t need to be perfect.

What do you need?
Apples for Apple Sauce
A bunch of apples is a must!  Get those apples that have been chilling in your fruit drawer for weeks.
Peeled Apples for Apple Sauce
Peel those apples… bruises are okay!
Slice Apples for Apple Sauce
Slice the apples evenly (and meticulously stack your apples cores.)
Cooking Apple Sauce
Cook those apple slices with water until softened.
Mash Apples for Apple Sauce
Mash the apples once softened.
Apple Sauce
Tada!

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Apple Sauce
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Ingredients
  • 8-10 apples
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ –1/2 cup granulated sugar (to taste)
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Peel all the apples. Cut apples into evenly sized slices. Throw your peels and cores in your compost pile.
  2. Place sliced apples into a large pot. Add in water to pot and cook over medium heat. Put on cover and cook for 10-20 minutes until apples soften. Turn heat down if the apples start to boil.
  3. Apples should be easily mashed with a fork or potato masher when cooked. Mash apples to preferred thickness.
  4. Add in sugar, to taste, and cinnamon. Stir and cook for a few more minutes. Serve warm or cold and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

sisterk (2)

Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

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Fall for Pumpkin Doughnuts

I warned you that pumpkin recipes were coming!   And of course I am finding more use for my doughnut pan!

These baked pumpkin doughnuts were phenomenal with their buttery cinnamon sugar outside and their delicious pumpkin spice inside. The day after making them, I was so excited to get out of bed to eat another doughnut with my coffee.  There’s nothing like a cool fall morning with a yummy pumpkin goodness.  Bring on the pumpkin baked goods!  I know, I know- pumpkin is totally overdone, but it’s one of the reasons why I love fall.   I even have a pumpkin Pinterest board- check it out here!

Pumpkin Doughnuts

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Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts
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Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
For Doughnuts
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1½ cups canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. ground ginger
  • 1½ tsp. salt
  • 1½ tsp. baking powder
  • 1¾ cup All-Purpose flour
For Topping
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In the bowl of your mixer add all doughnut ingredients except flour and mix together until smooth. Add in flour and mix until just combined.
  3. Spray a doughnut pan with non-stick spray. Fill each doughnut mold with batter and fill ¾ths the way.
  4. Place in oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
  5. Let doughnuts cool in pan 5-10 minutes before taking out of doughnut pan. You can loosen the edges with a butter knife. Place doughnuts on wire rack.
  6. Repeat for additional batch (if using a 6 doughnut pan)
  7. In a heatproof bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Watch carefully so the butter doesn’t boil over.
  8. In a medium bowl stir together sugar and cinnamon.
  9. Dip doughnut in butter, shake slightly to stop dipping and then dip doughnut in cinnamon sugar, covering both side. Let dry at room temperature on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for 1-2 days.

 

Stack of Pumpkin Doughnuts

Source- Adapted from the King Arthur’s Flour Blog

sisterk (2)

Crockpot Cider with Mulling Spices

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Crockpot Cider with Mulling Spices

There is nothing better in the world on a fall day than apple cider, except that is warm, mulled cider.  One of my favorite ways to make mulled cider is with my crockpot.  This crockpot cider can cook anywhere from two to eight hours and it will make your house smell heavenly.  If you don’t own a crockpot, this recipe can also be made just as easily simmering on low on your stovetop.

This crockpot cider is perfect for any fall party, whether it be a birthday party to a football game watch.  Set aside a small ladle with some mugs and allow your guests to help themselves to the cider.  Just be sure to reset your slow cooker to warm (from low) about 3o minutes before your guests arrive.  I find that the low setting is a bit too warm and might burn your tongue if you take a sip too quickly.

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Crockpot Cider with Mulling Spices
Author: 
Recipe type: Drinks
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 2 quarts cider
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 and ½ tsp whole cloves
  • 1 orange, cut into slices (optional)
  • cheesecloth
Instructions
  1. Pour the cider into a slow cooker. Add brown sugar and orange slices. Cut a 7"x7" square of cheesecloth and put the cinnamon sticks and cloves in the cloth. Tie into a pouch and add the spice pouch to the crockpot. Cook on low for 2-8 hours. Before serving, remove orange slices and spice pot. Serve with cinnamon sticks if desired.

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10 Recipes for October

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As K and I approach our 3rd anniversary of blogging together, I realized we have quite a number of recipes in our archives.  While we do share them in our recipe index, I wanted to highlight a few (10 in fact) recipe for October. Think pumpkin recipes, Halloween baking, and comforting dinners.

  1. Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee– While this recipe is for iced coffee, you could also use the pumpkin spice simple syrup for regular coffee drinks or lattes.
  2. Black Cat Halloween cookies– K posted about these cookies last year. I’m definitely going to make these for Baby T later on this month.  Meow!
  3. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies– I actually started to make these this afternoon so I could post them to the blog and realized that K had already done so 2 years ago.  Plus, I was out of eggs.  Just wasn’t in the cards today.
  4. Chicken Piccata– This is the perfect dinner for a cool fall night.  One of my favorites.
  5. French Onion Soup– I wish I had a bowl of this soup right now to warm up with.  Yum!
  6. Minestrone Soup– Another great soup to warm up with…serve it with the following:
  7. 5-Minute Artisan Bread– An easy recipe to make a lot of really tasty bread (the extra dough keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks!)
  8. Chicken Chili– I completely forgot about this awesome chili recipe until I saw it in our recipe index.  I have to make it again this week.  The leftovers make really good nachos as well.
  9. Pumpkin Mousse– This was one of the first recipes I ever posted!  Sorry, no pictures back then…haha.  I’ll have to make it again this fall and post some photos.  It’s definitely a crowd pleaser.
  10. Apple, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Salad with Dried Cherries– I’ve made this recipe several times this fall.  I’m in love with it!

There you go- 10 recipes for October.  I completely forgot about a few of these fall recipes and I plan to add them to the weekly menu soon.  What are some of your favorite recipes to make in October?

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