independence day was wonderful. low key, a lot of good BBQ food, and of course apple pie. because hello what's more american than apple pie right?
i'm still reaping the benefits of my canning from last year. we're down to 2 apple pie fillings for the year. but i'm planning on canning again this year...mainly more apple pie filling. it made for a great neighbor gift at christmas...and well lets face it, there's nothing better than being able to open a bottle of the stuff and have it taste like i just spent all day making it.
i took it to our neighborhood BBQ and it was a hit. :)
i know i've said this time and time again, but seriously thank you to the wonderful men and women who serve our country. and a huge thank you to the families who stay behind while their loved one is serving over seas or where ever. i can still feel like it was yesterday that jake was gone. and never before did family matter the most. i believe it was that year of hell that i grew the most, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. my hat goes off to the families who go through deployment over and over again. it takes toll on you, not just as an individual but as a family unit. i feel blessed to of been able to look at it now and say "we made it out okay".
last year was still hard for our family with jake trying to re-integrate back to non over seas life, and for us trying to figure out life with him post deployment. i think i can now say, a year and a half later from his homecoming of spending a year in afghanistan...that the year spent trying to find out "normal" again was just as big as a trial as well. it's starting to feel more like a dream, or at least its more of a memory rather than our day to day.
so to the women who send off their loved ones for year long deployments or year and half deployments...or even three months deployments. really, my hat goes off to you. you amaze me, you are wonderful. and you are some of the strongest women i have EVER met. you've changed my life completely watching you and learning from you, so that i could do it "just that once" and if ever need to do it again, i'll look to you again, for the love and support that is always there when needed.
so here's one more recipe that is huge for me and one that i'll be spending a whole week doing this fall again, so that all year long i can reap it's benefits but especially to be able to celebrate independence day with american apple pie.
apple pie filling
4 ½ cups sugar
1 cup corn starch
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
blend together. Add ten cups water, cook and stir until thick. Add 3 tbsp lemon juice. add your peeled and sliced apples. then leave ½ head space in each bottle. Makes 6-8 quarts. Cold pack for 20 minutes.
okay i'll back off of all the food posts. for a little bit.
i think i'm going to try to sew a little this week.
hopefully i'll have something to show you in that area here soon.
for now off to the pool.
and we'll talk soon!
;)
19 comments:
What a gloriously patriotic pie! Love it! Thanks for the recipe, too :-)
I'd really like to try this recipe, but how many apples? And what is "1/2 head space"?
That pie looks absolutely delicious! I am so excited to try canning my own pie filling! It sounds soooo good! Thanks so much for sharing. Stop by if you'd like:
www.karismaheartsavannah.blogspot.com
That is the most beautiful apple pie for July 4th! I bet it tasted delish!
What is cold packing? Does this mean just leave them out on the counter until we hear the seal pop? does that mean we don't have to put in a hot canning bath? Also, do you sterilize your jars and lids before you do this?
keep the recipes coming. I am just now catching up on your posts because I was in the middle of moving across the country. That cookie one looks yummy.
What branch of the service is your husband in? We are in the Air Force - so far no deployments for my husband (especially since he just got a job change and is now working for the general now), but he's warned me that if we stay in till retirement that he'll likely have to go at least once. He's definately been gone for months for various schools and trainings, but a solid 6 month or year hasn't happened yet. Heaven knows I'll rely on some major family and friend help as well!
That pie looks so yummy!!
First of all~Thank you to Jake for serving over-seas. I am glad you are home safely.
Tears in my eyes for your sweet words about being the wife of a service man. Bravo to you and all the ladies, men and families who are left home without their loved ones.
Apple pie..oh my!
Cory/Dogwood
OOOH! This recipe looks yummy!!! ...wait a second. How may apples?
To Caylee: 1/2" headspace means you leave 1/2" between the filling and the rim of the jar when you can it.
We're looking at a January 2011 deployment for my Dh who is in the Navy. It will be our first deployment and I was fine with it until I just learned I'm pregnant and due two weeks after they're scheduled to leave! Now you make it all sound like it's going to be sooo easy! lol
the pie looks lovely. We love apples around here. :) I'm glad you guys are getting back to a normal after all of that. I can't even imagine.
Thank you to your husband and family for the sacrifices you have made. You are what makes America so great!
I had the same question as Ms. A - how many apples??? I planted an apple tree last year and can't wait to be able to preserve some of it this way.
oh, what i would do for a bite of that apple pie. looks too good! :)
tiffany {Simply Modern Mom}
great post! i've done 6 months (deployment) but i know there are more to come. i am so thankful for the guys and gals that go over there but it takes a special person to stay home and make life "normal" for the kids. six months was killer so i applaud you and others that have done longer!
It's about as all-American as you can get! We have two apple trees in our back yard and every late summer I put up gallons and gallons of peeled, cored, and cut apples that we (me, my daughter and daughter-in-law) use all winter for apple desserts! It's so great to have the ability!
Mmm....I just made apple pie today. Your sentiment about being a military wife really resonates with me-- my husband is a Marine and we are stationed in Okinawa (we've been here for almost 5 years and Im ready to get off this rock!) but there was a year long period where I was pregnant and my husband was gone for almost the entire year. It was really hard being SO far away from family and having him gone and being pregnant-- if I couldn't count on my friends and neighbors I never would have made it. Its not an easy life but Im surrounded by the most amazing people and that makes the hard days tolerable! :)
This all looks so good, I might try canning. OK, I've never canned before. What's cold pack 20 minutes mean?
Is one type of apple better than another?
Thanks.
Thank you to both you and Jake, and I am glad you both made it. OUR lives depend on people like you.
glen
I hope some politicians would read your blog to see first hand the trials and tribulations military families go through when fathers, mothers, daughters, sons or siblings are deployed overseas. It should make them think twice before putting them in harm's way.
Oh, and the pie looks yummy and very festive!
Thank you for your continued recognition of military families, your sentiments always strike a chord with me, particularly in this post where you give a voice to the struggles, both on the part of the one in the military as well as on their families, as they seek to reintegrate in a daily routine that continued to exist in their absense. My family is experiencing this now with my brother who returned from deployment a year ago and still struggles to maintain a "normal" daily routine, so it comoforting to hear we are not alone and will continue to take more time.
Sorry to be so serious on you in my comment.....I will DREAM of that applie pie tonight! :) (was that better?)
Here is a website that clearly tells you about cold packs. http://www.ehow.com/how_5652685_cold-pack-canning.html
And for how many apples...I found a tip that might help. Place your apples in each jar as you cut them up, that way they are measured as you go. I'm going to try it, but I don't know how many I will be using...so we'll see!
Hope this helps you all out as much as it did for me!
Post a Comment