Homemade Apple Butter

I had a craving for apple butter on my English muffin the other morning. And since I'm so brilliant and bought a bag of apples not realizing I already had a bag at home, I figured I had a few extra to try out a homemade recipe. Below is my concoction. I cut the original recipe down and adjust the sugars a little. It called for something ridiculous like 5 pounds of apples and made 7 pints. (I wasn't craving it THAT much). It's delicious though!

7 apples - dicing them smaller will make the cooking process go faster
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch of ground cloves
1/2 T Vanilla extract

Cook for about 8 hours, or until apples are soft. I put the apples in a container and used my emulsion blender for a smooth texture. I'm sure your blender would work just as well. I also saw a recipe instruct you to mash the apples with a fork (seems a little labor intensive) for a chunky texture. I placed part of the apple butter in a canning jar and the rest in a container in the freezer for later. 

10 Crafty Gifts!

Not a fan of using the yarn and hook to complete my last blog, 5 Last Minute Crochet Gifts? Well here are a few crafty projects just about anyone can do!

Chalkboard Coasters
Crazy Wonderful

DIY Monogram Mugs
Design Mom

Homemade Terrarium
Squidoo

Write a favorite quote or poem with painted wooden letters glued onto a canvas

T-shirt Scarf
Hello Giggles

Monogram Frame
All Things Beautiful

A different version
Yay, I Made It

Do you like them but don't want to get crafty? Buy one on Etsy.
Look at shop studio6fresno

Frosted Votives
Bliss Images and Beyond

Vanilla Sea Salt
My Baking Addiction

Watermark T-Shirt
U-Create - dye a shirt

Or do the opposite and bleach your shirt. This could also work for
kids t-shirts, totes, etc
Domestic in the City

Homemade Pasta Salad in a Jar
Under the Table and Dreaming
(There are several desserts in a jar here too. Drool!)