Author: Laura

"Have no fear of perfection. You'll never reach it." --Salvador Dali
Posted in 30 Days of Apples, Cooking & Eating

Apple-Onion Jam

Posted on by Laura

appleloves onion.jpg

I don’t know if you know this, but apples LOVE onions.

It’s a match made in heaven. See, an onion might seem spicy and savory–even a little harsh–but when you break it down, it’s truly sweet on the inside. The apple, while sweet in an obvious sort of way, can be surprisingly tart. On their own, they’re simple flavors–pair them up and you get something delightfully complicated.

I put apples and onions in my thanksgiving stuffing. I’ve been known to toss a little apple into my onion soup. They’re just a power couple–a dynamic duo, if you will. Add some sugar, salt, and lemon and they are the jam.

Apple-onion jam, that is. Which you make like so: Continue reading “Apple-Onion Jam” →

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Posted in 30 Days of Apples, Cooking & Eating

Caramel Apple Ice Cream Sundaes

Posted on by Laura

sundaeI love caramel apples.

I love the idea of them, anyway. In reality they’re a complete pain to eat, they’re usually over-candied or made with too sweet an apple, and they’re monstrously overpriced. But that flavor combination of apples, caramel, and nuts (because my favorites are not the over-sweet, marshmallow-white-chocolate things you get at specialty candy stores)–mmm! There’s nothing quite like it.

Which is why I love a good caramel apple ice cream sundae.

It’s super simple:

Apple ice cream + caramel sauce + chopped nuts (I like the pre-chopped peanut & pecan sundae mix you find in the baking aisle).

Yum!

Posted in Thoughts & Doodles

Apple Ice Cream

Posted on by Laura

It’s September, which means apples! (Obvs.)

Of course it also means:

  • back to school mania
  • unpredictable weather
  • summer merchandise blow-out sales

If you’re experiencing these September symptoms, then I have the perfect dessert for you. It’s pretty easy. It’s no-bake. It tastes like fall and feels like summer.

It’s apple ice cream!

apple ice cream

(And if you don’t have an ice cream maker already, you can bet your britches there’s one at a super discounted rate somewhere near you.) Continue reading “Apple Ice Cream” →

Posted in 30 Days of Apples, Cooking & Eating

My First Apple Pie

Posted on by Laura

pie.jpgI used to hate apple pie.

When I say hate, I mean, HATE.

The texture of the apples made me gag. The flavors were never as good as the smell. But most importantly, apple pie was my brother’s dessert of choice–so much so that he requested it each year in lieu of birthday cake.

How could I like something that robbed me, each year, of eating birthday cake? No, it wasn’t my birthday, but he got to eat my cake! And he had no dessert aversions at all so there was nothing I could do to keep my cake to myself out of spite.

All right–it’s not just about my brother. I still don’t like a mediocre apple pie. Unfortunately, it seems that most apple pies are mediocre–to me, at least. If I’m going to eat apple pie it has to be perfect. And preferably contain almonds and caramel.

Yes, apple pie purists of the world–I hear your screams. And I respect your opinion. Which is why in this post, I’m sharing my gateway apple pie recipe–the one that got me to give apple pie a chance and opened my mind to cooked apples of all kinds. The following link will take you to a simple, sweet pie that I have not yet been able to ruin:

My First Apple Pie

Posted in 30 Days of Apples, Cooking & Eating

Easy as Apple Pie Fritters

Posted on by Laura

IMG_20180904_081729.jpgI’m easing into our thirty days of apples with a simple recipe using ingredients I always have around my house. You’ll notice there are no actual apples in this recipe–just applesauce–but I think you’ll find that the spices evoke all the sweetness of fall without requiring any peeling or chopping. This recipe is easy enough, you can accomplish it before your first cup of coffee. Continue reading “Easy as Apple Pie Fritters” →

Posted in 30 Days of Apples, Cooking & Eating

30 Days of Apple Goodness

Posted on by Laura

Though Starbucks has already released its pumpkin spice latte, there are some who would claim it’s too early.

Sure: it’s not officially fall. Sure: pumpkins aren’t quite in season. Sure: we shouldn’t let a corporation’s calendar dictate our lives.

But you know what it isn’t too early for? Apples.

Apples, apples, apples. Continue reading “30 Days of Apple Goodness” →

Posted in Friends & Family

Ten Tips for Camping with Kids

Posted on by Laura

A few weeks ago, we packed our car to the brim with camping gear and headed for the mountains. We had no campsite reservation: we were being adventurous.

(Also, we’re poor planners, but that just makes life more interesting.)

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We knew the chance of finding an official campsite was slim, but we also knew that the forest service allowed dispersed camping in this part of the woods, and we’d seen many a tent pitched along the river or by the side of the road. We had to drive quite a way, but eventually we found the perfect spot: a bare patch for the tent, some shade to sit in, and only a literal stone’s throw from the river.

(Yes, we took our kids to a campsite right on the water. Where they could have wandered out, slipped on a rock, smashed their heads open and washed away. Spoiler alert: they didn’t.) Continue reading “Ten Tips for Camping with Kids” →

Posted in Goals & Challenges, House & Home, Just Routine

Just Routine: The Spastic Polka and Other Metaphors

Posted on by Laura

Whenever I try to change myself, this is how it goes:

One step forward, two-hundred-and-twenty-three steps back. Or, as Lorelai Gilmore would say*: I start doing the spastic polka.

Of course, part of the problem is that I put myself in advanced courses when I don’t even know the fox trot. I tell myself, I learned the Viennese waltz for a show I was in back in 2003, so clearly I am thisclose to becoming the world’s greatest dancer. I don’t want to spend hours perfecting my shuffle-ball-change**. That’s boring. And it doesn’t feel productive. Give me a spotlight and some sequins and I’ll surely be Ginger Rogers.

(Insert maniacal laughter here.)

Anyway, I’m actually talking about this routine thing. Growing up.

Whatever. Continue reading “Just Routine: The Spastic Polka and Other Metaphors” →