Apple Cobbler

My sweet mother (she of the gigantic watermelons) went apple picking and brought me some apples. One of my favorite things to make when I get fresh fruit like this is a cobbler. I figure that at least a cobbler has less calories than a pie since there is only one crust. I'm all about saving calories. :)

First you need to prepare the apples. Peel and slice the apples until you have 6 to 8 cups of fruit. Put the apple slices into a large bowl.

Pour 1 cup of white sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice over the apples. Stir gently and let sit for a few minutes while you make the crust. If the fruit is really juicy, stir in 2 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch.



Now make the crust. I use my old standby Crisco pie crust, doubled. It's just so good and flaky.

Here is the recipe for the single pie crust (remember to double it for the cobbler).
1 1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Crisco
4 Tbsp. cold water
Combine flour and salt and cut in Crisco until crumbly like coarse cornmeal. Add the water; toss with a fork and make a firm ball with your hands. Place on a floured surface; flatten dough with hand and roll to about 1/4 inch thickness.



Now pour your apples into a greased 9 x 13 pan and dot with 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine.

Place the crust on top and prick the crust with a fork or knife. Dot the top with a couple of tablespoons of butter and sprinkle 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar all over.

Place in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes.

It's fantastic served warm with ice cream.

Enjoy!

How to survive the cold and flu season

The Cold
We've had a jump start on the cold and flu season around here. Everyone in the family but Mike and Marcia have been sick. The whole town seems to have the same thing.

Over the years, I've learned a few things about dealing with those little bugs that go around.

1) Stock up the medicine cabinet. I'm so glad I already had cold and flu medicine, cough drops, tissues, and Vicks Vapo-Rub on hand.

2) Keep hand sanitizer and disinfectant handy. This will at least slow the spread of germs between family members. Remember to disinfect doorknobs, light switches, telephones, and computer keyboards. Those areas can be super germy.

3) Keep some easy meals on hand that hubby or the kids can make without help in case Mom gets sick. It won't hurt them to eat something warmed up in the microwave every now and then. I keep canned soup and frozen chicken nuggets for "emergencies" like this. The last thing I want to worry about when I'm sick is cooking dinner.

4) Set aside some "sick day" entertainment for the kids. I sometimes buy those DVDs for a dollar at the dollar store. They are usually old black and white movies and they are a fun treat. Another good idea is a new box of crayons and a coloring book. Even though my girls are probably too big for coloring they still think it's fun if they are sick.

5) Have an "emergency housekeeping plan". Realize that when you or someone in the family is sick, the usual housekeeping just won't get done. Try to do only the things that will take longer if you let them go, like laundry and dishes (or delegate them). The rest can wait. The dusting won't take any longer if it's been awhile since you last dusted. Just dim the lights a little. :) It's also a good idea if Mom gets sick to have some disposable plates and cups on hand. It's worth spending an extra dollar or two for you to have less to wash when you don't feel well.

I'm hoping you're all healthy and none of you will need this advice this year! :)

A Small Project

I'm finally feeling better. Not well, but better. I'm still coughing, especially at night (which is driving the entire family crazy I'm sure). Hopefully that won't last much longer. Otherwise I might have to sleep in the garage. :)

I wanted to get a little organizing done, but didn't have the energy to tackle anything too big, so I decided to organize our living room bookshelf. It always looks so sloppy and cluttered. So I took everything off of it, gave it a good dusting, and put most everything back, hopefully in better order.

Before:


After:

I think it looks a little more orderly.

Enormous Produce!

First of all, I want to let y'all know that we are fine. We are not in coastal Texas. We have had some weather issues, but nothing like those poor folks in Galveston are facing.

Now, on to today's post! :) My mom has a lovely garden at her ranch, and she grows the most enormous produce! I don't know what it is about her garden... Last year, she had to pick her zucchini right away or it would grow to the size of baseball bats!

This week she came to town and brought me a watermelon and a pumpkin. The watermelon is HUGE! I couldn't get over it! I got out my bathroom scale and weighed it...35 pounds! Can you believe that? Our little watermelons are puny in comparison. I told her that our watermelons are "apartment size" and hers are "big house with a pool" size. :)

Here's the pumpkin which is very large too.


Here's the watermelon. I put an apple in the picture to give you an idea of how big it is. The apple is a fairly large red delicious.

I Love Tomatoes!

If you were my neighbor, I would take some tomatoes and peppers to you. :) We are over run!

Caring for your front loading washing machine

Servis Washing Machine
I am LOVING my new front loading washing machine! I can put lots of clothes in it and it is SO quiet. The clothes spin so well they are nearly dry when they come out of the washer. I'm also looking forward to big savings on my water and electric bills. I can't believe that our clothes are getting clean with so little water.

I've found, however, that a front loader is much different than a top loader. It seems that it is quite common to have problems with odors. I've talked to friends and researched and I think I've figured out how to keep the odors away.

1) ALWAYS use HE detergents (they are low sudsing) and use as little as you can get by with. From what I hear, liquid HE detergents work better. That's all I've used so far.

2) Wash in warm or hot water. This seems to keep the inside of the machine cleaner. I do this anyway, because our clothes just don't come clean in cold water whether in a top loader or a front loader.

3)Run the "basket clean" cycle at least twice a month.

4)After your last load of the day, dry the rubber seal and leave the door cracked open.

5)Occasionally take off the little front panel in the lower corner and drain. Make sure nothing is clogged in it. It is made to catch small items that are left in pockets, etc. and it can start to smell if left too long.

6) Don't use liquid fabric softeners. They leave a "scum" on the inside of the washer that is hard to get off with so little water coming through. Just use dryer sheets if you need to.

I'm hoping that my washing machine will last for many years with a little preventative maintenance.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's been so hot lately that I've hardly turned on the oven. Today it's cool and sprinkling...just perfect for baking cookies.

This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and it's Bobby's favorite cookie of all time. He loves when I make them. He'll be thrilled to find them when he comes home from school today.

I made these cookies one time for the judges at a band contest that our school was hosting. One of the other moms tried one and said "We'll put those ol' store bought cookies out for the judges and keep these back for the parents." She went on and on about how good they tasted and of course that just made my day. :)

This is a recipe from Crisco that I tweaked a bit.

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2)Combine the following and beat at medium speed until well blended:
3/4 cup (3/4 stick) butter flavor Crisco Shortening
1 - 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla


3)Beat one egg into creamed mixture


4)Combine:
1 - 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Mix into creamed mixture just until blended.


Stir in 1 cup milk chocolate chips and 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans.


4) Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

I hope your family enjoys them as much as we have.