HopeAbound: Apples For Fall

After our trip to Maryland, my heart has been aching for some fall inspiration. It's everywhere up there without effort and down here. Well, it's pretty much still summer. So to get the house in gear, I bought some apples.

A LOT of apples to have on hand and to make my house smell oh so FALL!

They're pretty too. They even look fresh and soul lightening, don't they? Ok...they do to me. I got busy working on the apples in the morning so I could have a whole entire day of an apple smellin' house. Slippers on my feet, windows opened, Parenthood playing (thank you DVR!) and my little hands busy at peeling.

I cut them all up according to the plans I had for them. I wanted to make some for freezing, some for slow cooked apples, and some for decor.

Slow Cooked Apples

I peeled them and with my apple thing-a-ma-jig, I cut them up.

(I wish I would have had an apple peeler, but $20 for something I only use maybe once a year...eh. )

Then I just tossed them into the slow cooker and turned it on for 7.5 hours. No sugar. Nothing. You could add cinnamon, sugar, or allspice, but that's your choice. They're truly delicious on their own...hence the name...Red Delicious.

Do you see my new cooker? A big shout out to my Father-in-law!!! A kitchen item he didn't use is now a new gadget for me. Yay!!

Freezing Apples

Having apples in the freezer makes it so convenient for cooking with them down the road. Whipping up Apple Carrot Muffins or Apple Crisp is a breeze when the apples are already prepped for you.

Freezing apples is pretty easy. Just cut them up in little chunks, toss 'em on a cookie sheet, sprinkle a little bit of lemon juice or Fruit Fresh and place them in the freezer. After 2-3 hours in there, transfer them to a bag. Done.

Apples for Decor

I love the look of dried apples. There's a lot of character in each little slice...each one with it's own curvy definition. So I thought I'd attempt to make my own. I messed up at square one when I forgot about making them and peeled All. Of. The. Apples. Grrr! Oh well. No big deal, I pressed on.

I simply sliced an apple as thin as I could without having it break apart. I wanted some pieces with core personality. I sprinkled lemon juice on them to keep them from turning ugly on me.

I set my oven to 150 degrees and tossed them in there on a cookie sheet for a couple of hours. The time frame all depends on your oven and how thick you slice your apples.

Next time I think I'll use my dehydrator (I know...duh!) and a mandolin to get nice thin slices. I searched on Pinterest for more ideas on using dried apples around the house. Take a peek at what I found. Click HERE!

Homemade Apple Cider

The rest of the day was spent trying to make some apple cider. I couldn't stand to see the apple cores tossed in the trash without at least trying. If I failed, oh well. Right? I have some treats I want to make soon and it calls for cider. So, I thought I'd try my own.

I looked it up quick on the Internet and realized that most people used a juicer or an apple press. Which of course, I have neither one. But. I didn't let the stop me. I pulled out my food processor and the wheels took off turning on their own.

I processed the cores, the peelings, and a few whole apples all together with a cup or two of water, cinnamon, and allspice.

Put it all in a pot, on the stove, and on to cook. All. Day.

Around 3, I decided to strain it through a cheesecloth. It was a lot of work, but well worth it.

All in all, I had a great day working with all of the apples I bought. I now have apples galore and I think I might even go buy more. They're so good and so cheap right now. Who wouldn't?

When you can take this and turn it into...