Happy Days!!!

No, not the TV show! It's the week of Thanksgiving! I get to relax for a day, throw the diet completely out the window, enjoy the day with family and friends. And my favorite part... I get to make this again:

This my friends, is a Pecan Bourbon Cheesecake in all it's ooey gloriousness. It was a hit a couple Thanksgivings ago and I haven't made it since, but I'm making it this week. Along with the staple of green bean casserole and I'm going to attempt to make the Amish Stuffing I ate at Das Essenhaus this summer - it was soooo good I still drool just thinking about it. I bought the recipe book and I hope it's as yummy as I remember!

Can I tell you a secret? I LOVE to cook!!! Especially for large numbers (like more than 2 people, not 100). Thanksgiving and Holiday get-togethers let me cook and cook recipes that I don't make for only Ben and I. I get it from my Nana, what can I say?!

Over the weekend I wrapped all of the Christmas gifts we've already bought, worked on the new stitchery quilts (Yay!) and did some other stuff... I'm trying to get the housework done tomorrow so I can bake the Cheesecake Wednesday and eat on Thursday!!! I'm so close to finishing a couple of the stitchery quilt tops (can I tell you they are just so stinkin' adorable) and I'm hoping to show those off later this week. I was thinking I would get at least 1 or 2 tops done by now, but I couldn't stop stitching. They're too freakin' cute!!!

So, my question for you is: What do you like to cook for Thanksgiving or what can you not have Thanksgiving dinner without?

My Nana is so awesome and makes everyone's favorite thing (Brian's mashed potatoes, Paul's apple pie, my buttermilk rolls, etc.). We all have our favorite thing and she makes sure there's something on the table for everyone. It just makes it that much more special. She's pretty cool like that :]

So, that's it for today. I have much more wonderful and exciting news to share later this week. I can't wait to hear all about your favorite Thanksgiving foods!!! (can you tell I've been dieting for over a month now? hehehe) Later!

Frozen In

I would say snowed in, but that just doesn't suffice. In the last 24 hours we've had the 10" or snow already on the ground rained on, followed by freezing rain, followed by warmer temperatures to let everything melt just enough, so then when the temperatures dropped and the snow returned we now have a snow and ice lasagna of sorts. Snow doesn't scare me, ice does. So therefore I stayed home today and quilted all day! Not bad for an impromptu day off.

Oh, and before I forget the other night my very first ever roasted chicken was perfect! I even have a picture.

I'm definitely doing that again. I love roasting all sorts of things, mainly potatoes, asparagus (very yummy), london broil, okay now I'm drooling so I have to change the subject.

I'm hoping the weather will break long enough tomorrow so I can have a girl's day out with my S-I-L. It's long overdue. Oh, and I'm planning on making Roman Shades for my kitchen tomorrow. Wish me luck and I'll be sure to show pictures. If it goes well enough I'll do a tutorial on it in the future.

Can't wait to show you more, soon enough I promise!

Euphoria...

Alright, this weekend has been exceptionally good considering it's freezing outside and has been raining for what seems like an eternity. Why you ask? Well, for one I got to sew more than I had anticipated today and did way more on other things as well, so that's a good start. And last night while watching TV with Hubbin, Duncan decided he needed some Mommy and Me cuddle time and I loved it. Slightly pathetic, but he's my sweet boy.

 Also I got a dozen of these yummy goodies from Mandy at Sweet C's Cups & Cakes. These are the Caramel Apple Cupcakes - an Apple Cake with Caramel Buttercream and and a Cinnamon Sugar Glaze. Let me tell you, these are the most DIVINE little morsels I have had in a long time and look forward to testing out more flavors in the future. Look at her menu for a longer list of other options she has created or mix and match to make your own. No joke - these have the BEST frosting I have ever had (sorry Gramma!)

 Now onto other things. I was going to wait a bit to do this, but I couldn't stop myself and a 5 pound bag of Macintosh apples just hopped into my cart while grocery shopping this morning. So I'm going to give you all the easiest recipe you can ever make - Homemade Applesauce.  It's so much healthier and tastier than anything you can buy in a jar at the grocery store. Once you try this you cannot go back to that - whatever that may be - and it freezes well so you can make a big batch or three when apples are plenty (like now in our neighborhood) and have it whenever you like!

 Now, I started with a 5 pound bag of apples. What you start out with and the end result are two completely different amounts seeing as how the apples cook down so much. If this seems like alot, trust me it isn't. This is the amount I like to make if I plan on serving this warm as a side for a family gathering. It's the perfect amount for a group of 10 or so people.

 This crazy contraption is my best friend while making anything with peeled, sliced, and cored apples because it does all three in a cinch. It sure beats cutting myself up while doing it by hand. It's something that all people should have in their kitchen arsenal if you ask me. I know you can have too many gadgets, but this one's a keeper. It works like this:

 You stick the apple on the pokey end of the rod, right through the core. Try to line up the other end of the core best as possible (you'll see why in a second). To make this easier, the peeler can lock in place out of the way.

 Engage the peeler again and begin to turn the crank...

 And it peels...

 And slices...

 And cores it too! (I feel like I should be on an infommercial...sorry) So you should end up with something like this. Sometimes it's not so pretty, but it all tastes the same.

 Once you pull of the sliced and peeled apple, the core needs removed from the pokey things. Quarter the apple slices into smaller pieces and put them in a large pot or deep non stick skillet.

 I have this great big non stick cast iron pot/skillet that is coming more useful everyday. It was perfect for this today. Put all of the apple slices in and add just enough water to fill the bottom of the pan with 1/4" or less. Bring this to a simmer, do not boil - just simmer gently. Now kick back and relax, but remember to come back occasionally to stir the apples. (if you're not using a non stick skillet, you'll have to check on it more often) You will notice the color of the apples darken and they will start to cook down. Like this:

 And just let them cook....

 And cook...

 And finally you get something like this. This still has a few chunks left in it. If you would like a smoother consistency, keep cooking the apples until you get the results you like. This took about 3 hours or so. Once you like the consistency of the apples, take them off of the heat and taste test them at this point. Do not season until the apples are cooked completely.  Sometimes depending on the apples, you may not need to do anything. If you would like a little cinnamon or sugar in with them after your taste test, do it gradually. Sugar - add no more than a tablespoon to start with if you have a batch this large. Cinnamon - start out with only a teaspoon or so with a large batch like this.

 This is what the end result came to be - two containers. One to eat for now, one in the freezer for a later date. That's it. If you can peel, slice, and core apples, simmer them in water and stir it often, you too can make the best applesauce you've ever had. I have been told if you like applebutter it uses the same process but you use more water and cook it longer. I haven't tried that yet, but am hoping to do so soon.

Well, I hope you try this and especially if you have kids - try this on them. It's cheaper and much healthier than whatever may be in that stuff you buy at the store and if you ask me - this kind actually has flavor and lots of it! It's my favorie easy recipe. My Grandma Safick used to make a bunch every year and serve it all winter long during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Once I got married and moved out I never made this (because I never asked how for the longest time) and I thought it was really hard to make - NOT! It's so easy! I hope you enjoy it, I will never ever in my life ever again buy a jar from the store - you heard it here. Make this once and you'll understand why.

Okay, dinner is put away, the dishes are almost done, and I think I am going to have a little piece of euphoria with one of those cupcakes before Hubbin eats them all! Until next time!

It's that time again!

It's the perfect weather for the first batch of chili at the Silbaugh household. It's been a fun packed day designing my friend's menus for her cupcake business, Sweet C's Cups & Cakes (if you are in North East Ohio, she will be at the Pumpkin Festival in Huntsburg in a couple weeks, go and check her out!), my Hubbin and I painted a second coat of red in our bedroom (sorry but the Valspar paint and primer does NOT do what they say it should!), and chili is in the crockpot cooking away!

When we bought our house everything including the walls and the floors is a wonderful color that has been dubbed "Builder Beige". I love color and after a year or so we have finally spent some of our time deciding which colors we would like in our rooms and actually putting those colors on the wall. This is Heirloom Red and there's still a few spots that need touched up, but we'll get to that another day. I was worried with our dark bedroom furniture it would be too dark, but honestly it's perfect. And it will match a quilt that I'm working on so all the better!

And for what you've all been waiting for - my chili recipe. It's really easy, about 20 minutes of prep, and just let it cook all day and dinner will be ready when you are.

Ingredients:
* 2-3 pounds of ground meat (beef is good but use what you have, Same with the amoutn of meat, use what you have. Don't worry about making a special trip to the store if you don't have to!)
* 2 green peppers (diced into big pieces)
* 2 onions (diced into big pieces)
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 2 cans of beans (it's great to mix and match these too)
* 2 cans of diced tomatoes (try some of the specially seasoned ones!)
* 2 small cans of diced green chiles
* 1 small can of tomato paste
* 1 cup of chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
* 2 tablespoons italian seasonings
* 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
* salt and pepper as needed

Step One: Brown the meat in a skillet, season as desired. Remove the meat from the drippings and put into the Crock Pot.

Step Two: You can either discard the drippings and use olive oil, or use the drippings to slightly cook the diced green pepper and onion. Place these in the Crock Pot with the meat.

Step Three: Make sure you are using a large Crock Pot because of this step - add the rest of the ingredients to the Crock Pot and stir well until all ingredients are mixed.

Step Four: Set the temperature of the Crock Pot to Low (cook for 8-10 hours) or High (cook for 4-6 hours). Place the lid on the Crock Pot and DO NOT TOUCH until finished! The lid will be full of steam which will seal in all of the goodness. As much as you (or your Husband...) want to look and stir - RESIST! This does not do you good and actually causes the Crock Pot to lose heat and take longer to cook. (I'm still working on the resist to stir thing with Hubbin - tisk tisk tisk)

Step Five: Serve with your favorite companion such as roasted potatoes, spaghetti, baked potatoes, cornbread, or just by itself. Spoon and bowl might be necessary!

*If you find the chili too runny for your taste, a little thickening flour should do the trick or cook the last half hour without the lid on the Crock Pot.

Well, there it is. This is now one of my favorite meals (coming from the girl who didn't like chili until I was married!) and I look forward to making it often this time of year. This recipe does make a bunch so it will feed a crowd or freezes nicely. It's way too much just for Hubbin and I, so this also happens alot.

I hope you enjoy it, I know I am enjoying a bowl of this yummy goodness right now. Until next time!