Homemade Fruit Leather

This was my first attempt at making fruit leather and it turned out great. Very easy to make, just a little time consuming.


I had some apples that I had canned last year and pureed them in a blender. If using fresh apples, just peel, core and cook until soft. It was approx. 2 quarts of sliced apples. After they are pureed it should measure 4 cups of apples. Taste the apples to see if they are sweet enough for your taste. You can also add cinnamon or nutmeg.


Turn your oven to the lowest setting, mine went to 170 degrees. Line a large baking sheet (17x12) with parchment paper. Pour your apple puree over paper and smooth out so apples are even. Bake for 10-12 hours. Your fruit leather will peel right off. Cut to size, roll it up and wrap in plastic wrap.

You can make a variety of flavors. I made pear fruit leather also, delicious. Peach is the next one on my list. Not sure how long these will keep, but I would imagine at least two weeks stored in airtight container.

Want a chance to win a Nutrimill?

Have you ever thought of grinding your own flour? It's very healthy and easy to do with a Nutrimill.

Laura at Heavenly Homemakers has paired up with Paula's bread to giveaway one Nutrimill. Head on over for your chance at getting one for FREE. The drawing will be held Monday Sept. 12. Let us know if you win. Good Luck!!!

Gratituesday: Thankful for bountiful gardens

This Gratituesday I'm thankful for a bountiful garden. I have been getting about 8-10 lbs. of green beans a week out of my garden. Tomatoes galor and now pears. If you are overwhelmed with fruit or veggies from your garden how about trading with your neighbor. A guy I work with grows watermelon but his green beans didn't do so good this year. Guess what we'll be trading??

Maybe your neighbor makes some delicious homemade bread and you have plenty of jams or jelly's. Donate your fresh fruits and veggies to your local food bank. The ideas are endless, just don't let the food go to waste. It breaks my heart to see fruit rotting on trees.

I think I'm going to try and make some fruit leather. Never made it before, doesn't seem hard, just time consuming. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Join me at Heavenlyhomemakers for Gratituesday.

No Cooking Today; Spent Time With Family

Well, I was planning on doing a lot of cooking today but things didn't go as planned. That's o.k. though, I spent good quality time with my family.

My sister had to work and mom was volunteering to help a friend so I babysat my 3 year old niece. We took a little trip to see my great aunts. They live about 40 minutes down the road. We visited Ellen in the nursing home, she doesn't get many visitors besides her 82 year old sister Erma.


I love sitting with my great aunts and hearing their stories about growing up on the farm with their 12 brothers and sisters. Erma told me today she walked one mile to school. She had to cross over rivers and rocks, barefoot. When she would see the school house she would put her shoes on. She didn't want to ruin her shoes walking. Oh how easy the kids have it now.

We went over to my aunts neighbors house and picked some pears off her tree. She told us to take all we wanted, she hates that tree. Free food??? Who could pass that up? Off we went with our buckets. 44 lbs. later we returned. Can you guess what I'll be doing next week?

Then back home to get my other 2 nieces and 1 nephew off the bus. They each grabbed a snack and off to do homework. Except for the kindergartner, Krista. Her and I went to the garden to pick green beans for dinner.

I really don't see how some people can plant rows and rows and rows of beans and pick them. They have to crawl or have no back bone left. It takes all I have to bend over them green bean bushes and pick 3 lbs. I know, I know, stop complaining. I am very thankful to our heavenly Father for blessing me with a bountiful garden.

Off to the kitchen to make dinner. We invited my mom and step dad over also. You know I "love" cooking and I really "love" to cook BIG. We had hot dog muffins, mashed potatoes, green beans, garden fresh tomatoes and canned peaches. Oh, for dessert was pumpkin roll. Yummy!

Baking Apple Bread and Pumpkin Rolls

My two nieces trick-or-treating

Fall season is right around the corner. I love this time of year. Fall has such wonderful things to offer us. Yummy foods, cool crisp mornings and beautiful decorations. Now that it's getting cooler my oven is getting a work out.

I had two request this week for baked goodies. One was for Apple-Honey Challah and one for a pumpkin roll. After church yesterday I got to baking. Got both of the baked goods made and delivered. I have another request for a pumpkin roll from my 5 year old niece. She's lucky I have leftover pumpkin.


Some other Fall goodies I like to make are homemade marshmallows, fire side coffee, homemade apple sauce and pumpkin muffins. I can't wait till Thursday, my day off, time to cook.


Some of you might think I'm a little crazy for "loving" to cook, but that is my passion. You get this warm feeling inside when you take out that creation from the oven and watch your loved ones devour it. I love knowing what is going in my food and my body. It's a great experience, try it sometime.

Do you love to cook? What is your favorite thing to do in the Fall?

6.0 Earthquake here in Virginia

Yesterday was a pretty scary day. We had a 6.0 earthquake that lasted about 30 seconds. It seemed to last forever. Grocery stores are closed do to clean up, windows are broken, schools are closed. Things like this usually don't happen around here.

The epicenter was about 40 miles from my home. The quake knocked off a bunch of my pictures and broke a few dishes. Pretty scary stuff, but we are grateful no one was injured. The after shocks are a little frightening as well.

I wanted to send out my prayers to everyone affected by this earthquake. Stay strong and God will provide.

Homemade Spicy Salsa

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. Every where there are tomatoes. This is a good thing though. You can make homemade spicy salsa. It's so tasty and good for you too.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chopped peppers (red, green, yellow, purple)
6 cups chopped peeled tomatoes (use hot water bath to get off skin)
1/4 cup spicy jalapeno peppers
1 onion (diced)
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cajun bayou (this is spicy, could also use cayenne pepper)
2 minced cloves of garlic


Chop all of your vegetables pretty small, unless you like your salsa chunky. Pour all ingredients in a large crock-pot, stir and cook 5-6 hours on low. Do a taste test after an hour or so to see if you want it spicier. If so add some more cajun bayou.


You can freeze in freezer bags or can them for later use. Yummy!! Makes 4 pints.