She's getting so big

The pressure builds

I'm in my last semester of classes before my internship begins, and every day I feel like the weight gets heavier and heavier. I'm so paranoid about messing something up -- goofing up on an exam, setting myself back, forgetting something important, etc. There is just so much pressure- I've got two little girls that are depending on me financially, and so many goals that I want to accomplish within the next few years, all which depend on me accomplishing this semester, my internship, and finding a job shortly thereafter in a really bad economy. I know I can only take it one step at a time, and thankfully everything has gone well in the past 3 years and I am so thankful for that. I also have a great husband who is my biggest cheerleader, and I never would have been able to get this far without his constant encouragement and lifting me up when I'm emotionally down. I'm the first person in my extended family to go to college, and of course, will be to finish college when I finally get there. My family are all religious weirdos that have judged me for so long, and I can't say there won't be a huge sense of achievement when they see that I've accomplished something that none of them have been able to do. That will be a great day for so many reasons. If it would just get here already...

Apple Butter recipe

So we decided to go pick apples today and returned home with a bushel of them and a very confused mommy about what to do with all them apples. One of the things I decided to make was apple butter. I had never heard of apple butter before I moved to the South, and it is SO good, I don't really understand why everyone wouldn't be aware of it. It's also super healthy and completely natural. Not to mention that it makes your house smell soooo good. Thought I would share the recipe -- also I used the canning techniques that the HEATHEN HOMEMAKER suggested in her blog, the waterbath kind. Visit her blog if you're interested in learning about that.



Apple Butter

Approx. 3 lb. apples
1/2 cup apple juice
3 cups of sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 package of powdered pectin


Pour apple juice into crock pot. Fill crock pot 3/4 full of peeled, cored, sliced apples. Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Cover and cook on low overnight. If it has too much liquid, remove lid and cook on high until of desired consistency.

Awesome crepe recipe

This morning I woke up early and made crepes for my girls. I love making crepes because they are so thin and crispy so after you eat them they don't make you feel sick compared to regular pancakes. They are also very versatile -- you can put anything on them: maple syrup (my favorite, don't get the aunt Jemima garbage though- splurge on the real thing), powdered sugar, strawberries (or any berry), nutella (or any chocolate syrup), bananas, peanut butter, molasses, honey, jam, whipped cream, nuts, pretty much just empty out the jars of your pantry and let your family members go to town. Even though they look fancy, they are very economical to make and require very few ingredients.

This morning I tried a different recipe, one from a Polish cookbook which seemed interesting. I had never seen a crepe recipe using seltzer water before. But they turned out great! The combination of the seltzer water with the baking powder and soda made them especially crispy and light. I kept shoveling them onto the girls' plates and when I looked over a few minutes later they were already gone. I think they need a nap after all that food! I thought that I would share the recipe!

Ingredients
Batter:

* 2 cups milk
* 2 cups sparkling water
* 1 egg
* 1 egg yolk
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 pinch salt
* 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
* 1/2 tablespoon baking powder


Directions

Mix all the ingredients well in a blender and refrigerate for 1 hour (or make the batter the night before and let it chill overnight so you can immediately start frying them in the morning like I often do).



Spray a frying pan with cooking spray. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into the pan and cook until firm (tan, not brown). Turn over and cook the other side. Transfer crepes to a large plate and repeat with remaining batter.

My funny girls