Apple Cider Sangria

well...I can't forget to post this :)

APPLE CIDER SANGRIA

1 bottle Pinot Grigio
2 1/2 cups Fresh Apple Cider
1 cup Club Soda or plain water
1/2 cup of Cinnamon Simply Syrup (recipe below) OR 1/2 cup Cointreau, Triple Sec or Grand Marnier
2 apples, cored and chopped~other fruit would be tasty as well

Stir all to combine and allow to mellow in fridge for an hour before serving.

CINNAMON SIMPLE SYRUP
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick 3 inches long
6 or so whole allspice
2 inch piece of fresh ginger
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

In a small saucepan bring all ingredients to a boil, reduce heat and keep at a rolling boil for 5 minutes. I only used 1/2 of the quantity for the sangria, but feel free to add to taste. I put the cinnamon stick and allspice into the sangria as well.

Resuming my previous life

The Cookbook "Seasons In My Kitchen" Winter Edition has finally went to the printers yesterday!!  Since this is small cookbook, a volume, if you will, I didn't have nearly the time invested as most writers, but WHEW!

Yesterday was a beautiful October day and I got to resume my previous life of snapping photos, cooking, playing with the pups.....it's the same life but I didn't have a project looming.  Very liberating for a few days!

I didn't take any photos of prepared foods......
I started a new novel.....
I visited with the neighbors.....
I hung up a really cute Halloween bat garland in my kitchen window.....
I enjoyed a beautiful bouquet from Whole Foods......
I planted tulip bulbs for next spring.....

Even though it's Friday, it's back to business!  I have Pup Trick or Treat arrangements to be made and biscuits to be baked!

The Cookbook

I'm in the midst of writing a cookbook that I intend to self publish this fall.  Now that it's on "paper" or "public" I absolutely HAVE to finish it!!!

The cookbook idea has been a dream of mine for ages and technology has made it amazingly easy to make it happen.  In fact, the digital press that is printing my books is just in a small neighboring town and I can pick them up once they have been printed.  We are looking at a release date of November 1. (OMG)  "Seasons In My Kitchen" Winter edition.  It's all happening....

What has not been so easy is the sheer amount of TIME the little bugger is taking!  It's making me crazy.  I am cooking like mad, photographing as I go, re-photographing, re-designing, blah, blah, blah.

So this is a bit of an apology, I promise the blog will have recipes, food thoughts and more as soon as I get the perfect shot of vegetables.  Or have the puppy potty trained.

At the very least, I'm super excited to have blackmailed my eldest child into editing the cookbook.  And we are eating better than we have in 3 month., And the gnats are finally starting to die.  And I have a store full of wine for when the going gets really tough.  And Henry only had 1 accident yesterday.  And it's another beautiful day in Michigan....      

Heirloom Apples

I am an apple girl.  I like them every which way...baked, fresh, sauced, jammed and pressed.  Skin on-skin off, in stuff and on stuff.  I am always curious to sample unusual and brand new to the market.  I don't get worked up about spots or worms (unless they are 1/2 worms.....enough said) and I love the different colors of apple skins and flesh.


Macintosh had been a lifetime favorite for me, usually just for snacking.  I have sampled a fair amount of heirloom apples too, with the Northern Spy and Snow/Fameuse apples as favorites.  This year, we visited a different orchard however and I found a few varieties that I had never tried..JACKPOT!

I purchased Hudsons Golden Gem, Macoun, Sweet Alford, Karmijn de Sonnaville & Mother.  The Karmijn de Sonnaville was by far my favorite and was a beautiful russet apple.  Sweet and crisp with a thin skin.  With cheeses and good company, it was our favorite! 

The Macoun was an interesting green tinted flesh, even though the apple was perfectly ripe.  As you might have guessed, it's genes were used to create the Macintosh!  I also like the Mother apple as it's skin was beautifully golden with red splashes and it was a great balance of sweet/tart.

I've had lots of fun with apples this fall and am looking forward to creating a shared recipe for Apple Pie Jam from France!  I'll let you know how that turns out!