Wordless Wednesday: Happy Halloween!

Wordless Wednesdays

Delicious "After Apple Picking" Recipes

If you ask me, fall is one of the better seasons. The leaves are changing, and the air is finally cool and crisp after a long, hot summer. One of the greatest things about fall is that you never run out of things to do. From Halloween to Thanksgiving, it's just a fun filled family season. If you haven't already done so, it's time to go apple picking. The apples are only good this time of year, so gather your family one Sunday afternoon, and take a trip to the apple orchards. 

We all know the feeling once we've picked all those apples. You come home with a huge bag of apples, and despite the fact that "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away," no one loves force feeding apples just cause you picked them. Below are a couple of delicious recipes that will use up all those apples in no time! 

Old Fashioned Apple Cider

What you'll need:

• About 12 small-medium apples
• 1 small orange
• 1/2-1 cup brown sugar
• 3-4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 whole nutmeg.
• 1 tbs whole cloves
• water

How to:

1. Once you've washed the apples and oranges, cut them into large slices (dont worry about seeds and peels, they can stay on). 
2. Throw them into a large stock pot, add the sugar and spices, and cover with water.
3. Bring to a boil, and boil uncovered for at least an hour.
4. Cover and reduce to a simmer for at least 2 hours.
5. Uncover and roughly mash contents of the pot. (To further reduce: allow to simmer until cider is dark and spicy)
6. Once the cider is ready, allow to cool and strain. You can use a cheesecloth if you want to get every last drop. 
7. Serve hot or cold, usually makes around 1/2 gallon. 

Dutch Apple Pie With Oatmeal Streusel 

What you'll need:

• 1 (9 inch) pie shell
• 5 cups apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup butter

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Leave crust in freezer.
2. For filling: place sliced apples in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine 2 tablespoons flour, white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix well, and add to apples. Toss until apples are coated.
3. Remove pie shell from freezer. Place apple mixture in shell and dot with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. 
4. For topping: In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, and oats. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Remove filling from oven and sprinkle streusel on top.
5. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake an additional 30-35 minutes, until streusel is browned and apples are tender. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning.

What do you do with your extra apples? Post a comment with a delicious recipe! 

Cuddling Cuties!

Today we are dedicating our wordless Wednesday to our favorite feline friends! 

NFL Goes Pink

Last Sunday, I took my husband to see his favorite football team, the Buffalo Bills, play their 4th game of the season against the NY Jets. How could he be a fan of a team who has won 0 out of 5 games this year, you ask?.... beats me.

Football was never my thing. I don't know the rules, and I spend most of the game wondering how badly that last tackle must have hurt that one player. Even though I couldn't really follow the game, and my husbands team lost, it turned out to be an extremely fun experience.

First of all, if any of you know Buffalo NY, you know that it's freezing. I was so glad to be wearing my brown Valencia boots, not just cause they're adorable.. but they provided the heat the my feet needed throughout the game.

As the game was about to start, I noticed the "Jills" (the Bills' cheerleading team) were in pink. I may not know a lot about football, but I do know that the cheerleaders should be wearing the team colors (in this case, red, white, and blue.) It wasn't until my husband reminded me it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, that I even made the connection.

So I thought... Oh.. how nice that the females representing the team are wearing pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. I think my jaw actually dropped when the team ran out, and I saw that the men were wearing pink too!

This year, the NFL joined with the American Cancer Society to raise awareness for breast cancer. The players, as well as the coaches and refs will all be sporting (no pun intended) pink game apparel  throughout the month of October. So if you're watching the game with your man, look closely, and you'll see everything from pink sneakers to sweatbands to mouth guards! After the games, the apparel will be auctioned off, and the money will be donated to the ACS.

I think it's so great how a sport as "manly" as football can take the time to come up with a thoughtful and fun way to support breast cancer.

How are you staying aware this month? Do share! 

A Lil Something About Parrots!

There is more to Parrots than just being a talking bird, they can live up to 60-100 years old depending on the species.   These birds live much longer than your dogs and kitties, it becomes a part of your family.  Word has it that Winston Churchill's parrot is still alive, can you believe it?!  If it is true, it will be over 100 years old. So this week our wordless wednesday is dedicated to these lovely birds! :)

My Jambu Adventure

I recently went camping in The Forks, Maine; it was my first time in Maine and over 10 years

since my last camping trip. While packing the only thing on my mind was "what shoes will I be wearing?" A fashionista at heart, for a 4 day camping trip I brought 4 pairs of shoes; the common denominator, (I later realized) they were ALL Jambu! I thought to myself, I'll wear the Cherry for white water rafting, Vermont -Waterproof for hiking, Himalaya for lounging and I'll bring my Allure's just in case we come across a party.. I don't know what type of party in the woods people dress up for but I was prepared.

It rained the day I hiked Mosquito Mountain. My Vermont waterproof proved to be an excellent choice, not only did they provide great traction getting up the mountain but they were also slip resistant getting down and my feet

were kept dry. This was my first hike and I was praising my Jambu shoes for getting me through it.

The first time I'd been whitewater rafting was the last time I'd been camping, so it had been a while but I was so excited about experiencing that thrill again. I signed up to raft the Kennebec River, a level 4 and that day there was going to be a water release of 8000cfs, we're talking huge waves!! I felt so prepared with my Jambu Cherry's in red. I figured I should wear a bright color in case I fall over someone can spot me by my shoes. Because these sandals are fisherman like the water drained easily. We all definitely got wet that day and with water getting in our raft, no need to worry, my shoes were non slip. I jumped in the river several times for a dip, one of the key instructions is to keep your feet up so they don't get caught on anything down under; I received so many compliments on my cool shoes.

The Himalaya's were perfect for everyday walking and lounging and needless to to say that the Allure's were not needed on this trip.

I had an amazing time in The Forks and Jambu made my journey comfortable and definitely adventurous!