HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE

APPLESAUCE IS SOOO EASY TO MAKE.  It can be a little time consuming though.  (and a little messy!) But I have say, homemade applesauce is well worth the effort.  Once you've had homemade, you'll never be able to go back to store bought.  


The best applesauce has been made with a variety of apples.  Here are a few tips to help guide you in your apple choices.


Choose:
McIntosh for pink color

Red Delicious for mild flavor and color
Yellow Delicious and Cortland for sweetness
Rome for fragrance
Winesap for tartness


I like to find an apple that is sweet all by itself so there will be no need to add any sugar.  This time, I used Yellow Delicious and a few Red Delicious and Fugi apples for color.  This batch of applesauce still turned out to be fairly yellow.


Begin by washing your apples, and cutting them into smaller chunks (quartered) and cut out any bad spots.


Place apples in a large pot with about a 1/2 an inch of water in the bottom.  If you would like to try a spicy applesauce, add a few whole cloves as well.  Cover and steam.  Remove the apples to the strainer.  (I reserve the juice and add it back to the applesauce later as needed)

the Victorio separates the pulp
 from the seeds and  skins

Notice the difference in color.
The first batch contained more "red" apples"

And whalah! You have applesauce. 

 I used a Victorio Strainer.  You could also use a small strainer like this one, but of course it will be a lot more work.  I don't add sugar or spice to my applesauce, but you could.  

When finished, just season it to taste.   We enjoy ours au'naturel.  Hubs doesn't like cinnamon. So I just add it to mine when I eat it.  I don't bother to can it either, just put it in containers and freeze when it's completely cooled.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

I kept seeing recipes for homemade cream of chicken soup on the web. So I finally gave it a try and used it in a salmon casserole that called for cream of chicken soup.  This recipe could be made vegetarian if you used vegetable broth instead.  This particular recipe came from Tammy's Recipes.    (No, not me.  Another Tammy!)

Makes 3 cups (about 2 cans)

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (or less; taste to test)
1/4 teaspoon parsley
dash of paprika
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour

1. In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two (longer if using fresh onions or garlic).

2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.