Apple Butter Me Up!

My main intention for apple picking a couple weekends ago was to make apple butter. Having made so much jam this summer I figured it'd be a piece of cake and I can always use another spread! Apple butter is way easier than jam. Especially crock-pot apple butter - you basically do no work. I searched through at least a dozen recipes until I found one I thought was perfect - some have too many ingredients, some use the stove top, all too much work - I picked this one. It's simple, painless and the slow cooker does pretty much everything for you (I was also swayed by the beautiful jars they have)!

Ingredients

20 small McIntosh apples - peeled, cored + chopped 

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place your chopped apples into the slow cooker. In a bowl combine the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt, and pour over the apples, mixing until well coated. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for approximately 10 hours, stirring occasionally. Uncover and stir in the vanilla, cooking for another two hours uncovered, until thick. Using an immersion blender (or many stages of a regular blender), puree the mixture until completely smooth. Similar to with the jam, have the jars filled with hot water, and when ready to fill, pour out the water, fill the jar with apple butter, screw on the lid and wait for that popping seal of approval. Keep in the fridge for a couple weeks, or in the freezer for several months.

I've been spreading my apple butter on toast, stirring it into my oatmeal, and eating it with a spoon! It's the perfect combination of spicy and sweet and leaves my taste buds completely satisfied. 

Spinach Basil Pesto

As much as I love to experiment with flavours and recipes, I usually shy away from trying out anything that could be categorized in either the "condiment" or "sauce" category. After browsing through a few of my favourite blogs I found quite a few recipes that included pesto. Now, pesto isn't usually my flavour of choice when it comes to pasta or various other italian dishes, but it seemed simple enough to make that I thought I would give it a go. I glanced at a few different recipes and came up with my own concoction for a spinach basil pesto that is so delicious I've been searching high and low for new ways to incorporate it into my every day meals.

Ingredients
1.5 - 2.0 oz fresh basil
1.5 oz baby spinach
1/4 cup pine nuts
1-2 cloves garlic (depending on your tastes)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
dash of salt

Take your food processor of choice (I prefer the Magic Bullet) and blend all the ingredients until desired consistency. I prefer mine to be a little on the grainy side for some added texture. Store it in an airtight container and it should last for about a week. I first used this pesto on some linguine with chicken and roasted red peppers, but it would also make a great pizza sauce replacement or spread a little on your sandwich! Yum!

Because People Like to Say Salsa

Two well-known facts about me:  I love Seinfeld (hence the title taken from this episode) and I love fajitas. Craving mexican (and fajitas specifically), and having lots of cilantro in the fridge from a previous dinner, gave me the idea to try my hand at making fresh salsa. It seemed like a simple endeavour and fresh salsas always taste so much better than the jarred-last-forever-on-the-shelf varieties. The recipe I followed resulted in a delicious salsa that's left me trying to incorporate it in every meal.

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes

1/3 spanish onion

1 jalapeno

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3/4 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp chili powder

juice of half a lime

Dice the tomatoes and the onion into small chunks. Remove the jalapeno seeds (I left some in for extra heat) and mince. On a large cutting board with a sharp knife, combine the tomato, onion, jalapeno, cilantro and garlic, chopping it together until the pieces are as small as you like. Mix in a bowl with the sugar, salt, cumin, chili powder and lime juice. Store in an airtight container for one week. 

Perfect with chips, fajitas, black bean burgers or even scrambled eggs - salsa goes with everything. What makes it even better is being able to say "salsa" over and over again while you're making it...I can testify that I do indeed like to say salsa.