a veg life

Ever since apple season has come around again, I've felt the urge to try my hand making apple butter. After reading a number of recipes that involve using a crock pot (my favorite easy cooking appliance), I knew it would be easy! Here's the recipe I followed, using a mix of Granny Smith, Fuji, and Gala apples.  Crock Pot Apple Butter thanks to Kathryn T for help with this recipe! 16-20 apples, cored and cubed (as many as it takes to fill your crock pot) 1/2 c apple cider  1 tbs cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp cloves 1/3 c sugar Fill the crockpot with apples and sprinkle spices and sugar on the top. Stir to mix and cover. I set my crock pot to high for about an hour, to get everything started and then switched it to low. Stir every few hours, if you can.  I started my apple butter around 7:45pm and switched the crockpot to low an hour later. I stirred about once an hour until I went to bed. I let the apples cook overnight, and then switched off the slow ...

From a favorite blog Allison and I When I first started getting into veg cooking, my friend Allison suggested I check out a blog called " Peas and Thank You ." Within the posts, I found fantastic recipes, family values, and confirmation that our lifestyle is one that works--even with kids. If you haven't read any of Mama Pea's posts, or checked out her cookbook , get off your computer and do it now :)  Last night's dinner came to us courtesy of the Peas. Many of the recipes I make with frequency are Mama Pea's, and when I had a craving for spaghetti last night, I knew where to turn .  I'll let the photos do the talking, but our add-ins were eggplant, zucchini, onion, red pepper, tempeh, basil, a little red wine, and garlic. Delicious! A special thanks to my sous chef for all of the chopping while I was stuck in traffic! Tonight's dinner was another batch of brussels sprouts--I promise I have something good up my sl...