Autumn Apples Week {Day 3 ~ Pie Crust Chips & Apple Salsa + Link-up}

Well that's quite a long title, isn't it?! Are you enjoying Autumn Apples Week so far? Do go back to Day 1 and enter the giveaway for some lovely apple tea and a muffin mix!

Today, after my rather long recipe post, you'll be able to link up your favorite apple recipes! Feel free to share old or new ones from your blog. I'll be pinning your links to my Autumn Apples Pinterest board. And if you don't blog, you can always share your recipe in the comments.

So, here's my latest apple snack/dessert idea - Pie Crust Chips and Apple Salsa! Yesss.

First, you're gonna need a batch of Buttery Cinnamon Sauce.

Then you'll need to cook up a batch of Slow Cooker Cinnamon Apples {don't worry, it's not that hard} so you can make some Apple Salsa. While the apples are cooking, you can make some Pie Crust Chips. Oh yes! :)

Slow Cooker Cinnamon Apples

5-8 apples {I used Fuji for 1 batch and Granny Smith for another}, cored, peeled, and sliced
1/2 - 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 to 3/4 batch of Buttery Cinnamon Sauce
Ground cinnamon to taste

Prepare apple slices and place in slow cooker. Toss apple slices with lemon juice. Pour in Buttery Cinnamon Sauce and stir to coat well. Cook on high for about an hour or so. Stir apples and generously sprinkle cinnamon over apple slices. Cook for another 30-60 minutes until slices are fork-tender.

Apple Salsa

Finely dice cooked Cinnamon Apples. Best served either at room temp or heated slightly.

Pie Crust Chips

Rolled out pie crust {homemade or purchased}
1 egg white
Cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 450. Place rolled out pie crust onto wax paper. Whisk egg white until foamy. Brush over top of crust. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar. Place another piece of wax paper over top and flip crust. Peel back wax paper, brush with egg white, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cut crust into wedge shapes {I used a pizza cutter}. Poke crust all over one side with fork. Place onto parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven and cool.

Put it all together and serve it at your next Fall party! It's such a yummy snack! My son loved it all and even liked the pie crust chips just plain. You could also serve the chips with Slow Cooker Pear Sauce, Pumpkin Dip, or Sugar-Free Lemon Blueberry Sauce. So many great possibilities!

Isn't that fun?! I hope you get a chance to try it! But...don't eat it all! I need you to set aside about 1/3 cup of Buttery Cinnamon Sauce, 1/3 cup Apple Salsa, and a handful of Pie Crust Chips. We're gonna need them tomorrow!

Now it's your turn - bring some apple recipes or posts over here to link up! They can be old or new apple posts, but no more than 3 of them from one blog, please. And do visit some of the other apple posts! I plan on pinning your posts to my Autumn Apples board.

Thanks for stopping by Autumn Apples Week! Be sure to come on back tomorrow for another yummy apple recipe!

This post linked to:
 ~ Chic & Crafty Party at The Frugal Girls
 ~ I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom 

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Have a blessed day friends!

New Saturday Link-Up

When I mentioned things coming up on my blog, I said I would try and post about the Saturday link-up this weekend. Well our road trip back home delayed me, but here it is! I wanted you to know about it ahead of time in case you'd like to join me and link up here this coming Saturday!

I'm still trying to figure out the "official" name - LOL - but I'll have one by then! :) And hopefully a little button to go along with it.This is really just another way to share blessings which will hopefully help you find your smile and share a little encouragement in the blogosphere. Stopping and smelling the chocolates is about taking time to find and appreciate the little blessings in your day. My own quote that has been on my blog from almost the beginning actually inspired this! It says:

Your version of "smelling chocolates" might be reading scripture, gazing at God's marvelous works, listening to children laugh, looking at a blog, calling a friend, sipping tea, savoring a really good chocolate or all of the above!

So, the link-up will look something like this: Share a little something for each of these 7 categories on Saturday {or before and link it on Saturdays}. Link up your post and visit others to share encouragement! Here are the categories with suggestions on how to use them...

Scripture: Share your favorite verse; tell us what book you're reading in the Bible; share a verse that inspired you during the week, etc.

Stories/Story Tellers: Use this to share some blogger love ~ share a link to a great blog post from the week or feature a blogger you love or who inspires you that you want others to know about.

Social: Tell us about a moment with friends this week or a fun social outing, or tips on maintaining friendships/relationships.

Silly: I know you can find a little silly something to share, whether it's a quote from one of your kids or a funny pic you saw on FB - let's share the laughter.

Snapshot: Share a pic, any pic, from your week!

Sips: Tell us about your favorite new drink; link to a coffee/tea/smoothie recipe; just mention what you had to drink this morning; etc.

Sweets: Share a link to a yummy recipe; tell us about a treat you indulged in this week; say what your favorite brand of chocolate is, etc.


Keep it all short and simple - no pressure! If you have nothing to say in a category - just say that - LOL! How does that sound? Will you try to join me this Saturday or another Saturday? I'll remind you about it this week. Even if you can't join in, do stop by!

Thoughts? Questions? Let me know! Hugs to all and I hope you have a lovely week!

Sign on my dad's door when we went to visit - just had to share it with you! :)

If you want to make sure you keep up with future series and posts, just click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS! 

Have a blessed day friends!
 

More Encouraging Bloggers Resources

For those of you who followed along with my Encouraging Bloggers series, I have a couple more resources to share with you!

Have you stopped by the Allume blog yet? So many good things happening there, but one that you will appreciate is the Smaller Bloggers series on Thursdays. Christin and Trina are writing the series to "...equip you, encourage you, and cheer you on." Go. Read. Be encouraged!

If you're looking for some help with your blog, my friend Christin from Joyful Mothering has just launched a new business: Joyful Living Media. Christin is offering blog critiques and consults along with writing critiques. Her prices are very affordable! This could be just the thing to help your blog get off the ground or to help you move forward if you're feeling stuck. Go check it out!

Remember - if you need a little assistance with fixing up your blog, you can check out my Blog Tips pinterest board. I just used one of the tutorials linked on there a couple days ago!

Resist the temptation to compare yourself to others and don't let the blogosphere get you down! You have a voice and a purpose - keep on blogging!

May you be blessed and encouraged today friends!

You can stop & smell the chocolates with me everyday - just click and subscribe right here.

I'm Still Around

I'm still here!  Last week was busy with my dad visiting (we had a good time) and by late-night my brain was just always too mushy to put a post together.  How was your week?

Even though I've been a bit scarce on this blog lately, I have had some posts on Pennies and Blessings that you may have missed.  So I wanted to make sure you had the links.

First, was my Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies post (not too late to whip these up for Valentine's Day you know!) ~

Then I shared my experience with a Natural Oven Cleaner - it worked great ~

And last week I talked about an inexpensive gift idea in a jar - Table Topics ~

So if you've been missing me - stop over on one of these posts and say hi!  :)  I do hope to get some posts up on this here blog this week, but we will see how things go with the homeschooling and the homemaking first!

Do you have any fun plans for Valentine's Day?  Or other fun things going on this week?  Do tell!

Have a blessed day friends!

Encouraging Bloggers ~ Link Up

Welcome to the final post of my our Encouraging Bloggers series!  I have so enjoyed hanging out with all of you, sharing encouragement from my heart, and watching you spread that encouragement to others as well as back to me!  I sincerely thank you all for joining me, whether you have been here for the whole series or just a post or two.

If you've missed any of the posts or want to look at one again, here are the links:
~ Intro: Small or Hobby or Nicheless or New, This Blog Series is Written For You
~ Part 1: A Blog is a Blog no Matter How Small
~ Part 2: One *Why* Or Another 
~ Part 3: Money Can't Buy You Love 
~ Part 4: Variety Is The Spice Of Life
~ Part 5: Go Forth And Comment
~ Part 6: Out of Clutter Find Simplicity  
~ Part 7: Thrive on the Encouragement of Others
~ Part 8: The Art of Getting Noticed Naturally
~ Part 9: The Blessings of Blogging
~ Part 10: Send Some Blogger Love Letters
~ Part 11: Be YOU, But Better
~ Part 12: Your Turn
~ Part 13: Sharing is Caring

Now I would love it if you would link up a post today (or through the weekend)!  Any post you've written on encouraging bloggers or how you've been encouraged or just an introduction of you and your blog is welcome!  Link on up so we can visit each other and share some encouragement!  Feel free to use the image at the top in your post.  Please include a link to this post so we can find our way back. :)

**Giveaway closed.** How about a little giveaway for some encouragement?

For one blessed Encouraging Bloggers reader - a pretty journal and pens so you can dream and plan for your blog while sipping some Constant Comment tea (a nice Winter tea and maybe it will inspire you to "constantly comment" on other blogs ~grin~).  *If* you would like, I could be persuaded to include some homemade Dried Cranberry Biscotti with it.  :)

But wait - there's more - one more reader will receive a copy of the eBook that helped inspire me to write the Encouraging Bloggers series: Notes to Aspiring Writers: Your Dream, God's Plan - in Kindle or PDF.

**Giveaway Closed.**  How to enter:  Leave a comment on this post telling me which of the posts was most helpful to you or what specifically you found most encouraging. For one extra entry - link up a post and leave a separate comment telling me you linked up.  Giveaway will be open until 10PM PST Monday 1/23 and winners will be chosen using Random.org.

Disclosure:  I did not receive anything of value for this giveaway - it's a gift from me to thank you for *your* encouragement!

I hope that you will keep on blogging and want you to know that you are important in this crazy blogosphere - whether or not you see traffic, subscribers, or comments right now.  I pray that you all have a very blessed day and weekend!

Link on up and let's get this party started!  :)

No Shampoo - A Baking Soda & ACV Hair Update {Part 3}

*I am no expert and am only relaying my own experience with this process. Please do your own research before deciding to use this method. It works great long-term for some, but I do have a reader that had her hair start to fall out after using this method for several months and could possibly be due to dry-out from the baking soda. I do currently use the method with no issues, but I take a break and use shampoo a couple times a year for a few weeks. Also, I use less baking soda than I did in the beginning - read the 8/11 Part 2 Update for the current measurements I use.

Finally!  The last part of the "no poo" series!  After checking out Part 1 and Part 2, this is the last bit of info that you'll want before you decide to make the change!

The main question I get about this comes from the biggest concern of all!  "What will I do on the bad hair days during the transition time???" If this is our biggest problem in life - then we've got it pretty good - LOL!  :)

I will give you some ideas for this, but really, have you looked around when you're out??  Do you think your "bad" hair will stand out in the crowd of all kinds of hair parading around out there?  I'm not saying we should regularly head out with bad hair or anything (hey - it's a big deal to ME too), but I don't think it makes that big of a difference in the grand scheme of things.  Now, if you have a full-time job in a law office or something, you may want to hold off until your vacation!

While you do have some bad hair days during the transition time, it's certainly not every day and not always that bad!  You can go out in public every day - I did!  But I'll share a few ideas in case you hadn't thought of them.

Bad Hair Day Ideas:

~ Slick hair back into a brushed pony tail.
~ Give hair a "messy" look and wear a low side pony tail with hair over your shoulder.
~ Wear hair in a loose braid.
~ Try a French braid.
~ Wear hair up in a bun.
~ Wear hair up in a clip.
~ Wear a cute baseball cap - works for long or short hair.
~ Wear a sun hat and movie star sunglasses.
~ Wear a cute scarf tied around loose hair or a pony tail - looks cute on short hair too.
~ Try a cute headband - again cute on short hair too.

What did I miss?  Any more bad hair day ideas?

Now if you'd like to get an idea of how the whole no shampoo experience is going for others (it can be a little different for each person), I've got some great links for you to check out!

Update on using no shampoo from Simple Mom

How to wash hair without shampoo at Kitchen Stewardship

Video on how to make no poo mixtures at Keeper of the Home

Natural hair care (no shampoo) at The Cozy Nook 

Homemade natural hair care shampoo recipe (alternative to no poo) from Passionate Homemaking
{6/13 - I discovered that she is no longer using this shampoo recipe and instead uses natural shampoo from Trader Joe's but adds some baking soda to it to stretch it.}

I think the results of no poo would be improved with the use of this shower filter (I would love to try it) reviewed by Kingdom First Mom

That should be enough to give you a good idea of whether you want try "no poo" or some other natural hair care method.  Have you tried it?  Are you going to give it a try if you haven't?

If you have a post on the no shampoo method, share the link in the comments or share a link to a helpful no shampoo post I've missed!  The more info, the better!

That's it - I'm done - no more parts - LOL!!  I hope this info has been helpful to you!

Have a great day friends!

Sharing the Yummy Stuff

I've already mentioned that I love Pinterest.  I have a board of Yummy Things to Make and recently needed dessert recipes for a church potluck.  I just went to my board and looked around until I decided on 2 new recipes to try!  So cool!!

I'll share the pics with you along with links to the recipes.  I must apologize for the pics though - I was taking them in the kitchen at church just before serving so couldn't take time to do better! It doesn't take away from the deliciousness though!  :)

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

These had a light lemon flavor - stronger would be even yummier - but they would be nice cookies for an afternoon tea.

Smore's Pie

Well.  It just doesn't get much yummier than this.  This pie was GONE before I made it over to the dessert table after eating my lunch.  However, I do have my brainy moments and had removed a slice before ever putting the pie out on the table!!  Plus I needed blog pics you know.  :)  And yes, the ladies at church are used to me trying to take last-minute photos of food before serving it - LOL!

I had made the pie the day before and chilled it a bit before cutting my slice which made for a fairly clean cut, but you'll notice in the slice that the chocolate looks solid.  That's not the consistency you want.  I put it into a warm oven for a few minutes until the chocolate softened - perfect!

Got any yummy stuff to share?

Have a yummy day friends!

The Good Spam ~ The Kind You Share With Friends :)

Every once in a while, I put together a few links to blog posts or articles and send them to a friend as she has similar tastes and enjoys having the links in one spot to check out in her spare time.  We jokingly refer to it as "spam" though they really are great links!

As I was sending her some "spam" today, it occurred to me that you might like to check out the same links!  So I'm sharing them with you today.  These are just posts/articles here and there that caught my eye - not all of the posts that I read and like.  Here you go...

My friend Teri Lynne at Pleasing To You always has thought-provoking posts and I could really relate to these two:
Make It Happen Monday: Stop Comparing
When We Disagree

Who doesn't love a great coupon?  Spotted this one at The Frugal Girls.  It's a Yankee Candle coupon good for $1 votives and tarts (through 9/26)!
Yankee Candle Coupon

Sweet Myra from My Blessed Life had a very cool tutorial on making your own hurricane vases:
Hurricane Vases! {Frugal DIY Tutorial}

A fantastically delicious-looking dessert from Ghiradelli (yum):
Milk Chocolate Truffle Cream Pie

The Fall Nesting Party at The Inspired Room - so many lovely Fall links to look at in all your spare time:
3rd Annual Fall Nesting Party

And I must remind you - tomorrow is Chocolate Friday!!  Prepare a chocolate post or find a good one in your archives and come link up!  The more chocolate, the merrier!  Or come by and leave a comment with your chocolate thoughts!  See you tomorrow!

Have a lovely evening friends!

Crafty Valentine Links

I do apologize for getting my posts up late every day this week!  Being a West-coaster, I normally write my posts at night and schedule them to be up anywhere from midnight to 2 AM my time so East coast peeps will see them bright and early ('cause I know your day just isn't the same if you don't see a post from me first thing - HA).  This week, I've been too tired in the evenings to think straight and taking care of and entertaining my sick kiddo in the mornings.  But I assure you that Chocolate Friday will be up at midnight PST because it's THAT important.  :)

I am not such a crafty person.  I can be if I feel really inspired and force myself to actually take the time to sit down and do the craft, but that is a rare occurrence!  I seem to be surrounded by crafty people though and I have seen many a great Valentine craft online!  It's not too late to get crafty for Valentine's Day!  I'll share a few ideas with you now...

Easy and cute idea with candy and notes in a muffin tin from Cathy Heck:
Valentine Candy Love Note Muffins

Darling hearts and a Valentine Swag from Kathy at Blessed Beyond Imagination:
DIY Fabric Heart
Valentine Swag

A cute bird house, tissue carnations, and a Valentine pillow from my friend Kim at Homesteader's Heart:
Bird House Project
Carnations and Pillow

Sweet Love letters in a frame by Myra at My Blessed Life:
LOVE in a Frame

Decorated box of chocolates from Alyssa at Keeping the Kingdom First:
Decorated Chocolates Box

These are just a few - there are MANY more ideas out there in blogland!  Have you seen a cute idea or posted about one?  Leave the link in your comments!

I love all you crafty people - thanks for sharing your ideas with the rest of us!  :)  Have a lovely day and remember to come back for Chocolate Friday - it involves chocolate (OF COURSE) and raspberry which equals yum!

Tea For Two-sday ~ Scones

Welcome to Tea For Two-sday!  Not only is a hot cup of tea nice when the weather gets chilly, but it's also a nice way to take a mini break from the busyness of December (I'm still trying to accept the fact that it is indeed December today!).

You know what's delicious with tea?  A scone.  You know what's delicious for breakfast?  A scone.  You know what's delicious anytime you feel like eating one?  Um...a scone.  :)

I have shared scone recipes a few times on my blog and I thought I would give you all the links in one place.  I'm also including some scone recipe links that sound good from other blogs.  Try making some scones for a special December morning!

My very favorite: White Chocolate Apricot Cream Scones

Strawberry Mascarpone Scones from good Life {eats}

(my own pic)

Bacon Cheese Scones from The Wooden Spoon

Chocolate Chip Orange Scones - A WW healthy recipe

Totally gonna make these this month:  Cinnamon-Eggnog Scones from King Arthur Flour

Starbucks Pumpkin Scones from Recipe Zaar

(my own pic)

I must make these:  Starbucks Petite Vanilla Scones from Kettle and Cup

There are many more scone recipes out there.  I'm sure you'll find one that you like!  What are your favorite scones?

Have a wonderful Tea For Two-sday friends!  Be sure to come back tomorrow to help me celebrate my 500th post!

Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ Cherry Chocolate Cobbler

Chocolate Friday is here again!  Seems like it came quickly this week.  Whether your week went quickly or slowly, you really should have some chocolate today!

My friend Jill sent me a link to a recipe that I had to try!  I made it for a church potluck.  It's a copycat version of Cracker Barrel's Cherry Chocolate Cobbler.  Yum!  Just click the link for the recipe.  It's best served warm and really good with a nice big glob of whipped cream on top!  Or you could try some ice cream with it.  I really liked it, but I would like to try it with dark cherries next - I think that might be even yummier.

 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Cherry Chocolate Cobbler

Well I shared my chocolate, so don't you think you should share your chocolate??  You know the drill - link up your chocolate posts below with MckLinky!  I'm sure you've got a chocolate post hiding somewhere.  You don't even have to write a new one - dig one out of the archives to link up!  See how easy-going I am?  And if you don't have a blog, share your chocolate thoughts or recipes in the comments! 

And I have a question you can answer in the comments today!  I'm really curious - have you ever made any of the recipes from my blog?  If so, which one(s) did you try?  I would love to know!

Have a fabulous chocolatey Friday!

Fall Fruits Festival ~ Chocolate & Giveaway

** Giveaway now closed. **

Welcome to the last day of the Fall Fruits Festival! I've combined it with my usual Chocolate Friday. I felt that it was only right that I should declare Chocolate to be a Fall Fruit - LOL! Should be much easier to get those recommended fruit servings now - you're welcome. :) Whether or not you agree that chocolate is a fruit, it does go well with fruit and it is a good Fall food!

Have you experienced the fun of every day of the Festival this week? You don't want to miss out on all the yummy recipes linked up to each day!

Day 1 ~ Pears
Day 2 ~ Pumpkin
Day 3 ~ Apples
Day 4 ~ Cranberries

Now if you're all caught up, you should reward yourself with some chocolate! I knew that I wanted to find a recipe for today that combined pumpkin and chocolate. I thought about truffles, but didn't see a recipe I liked. I also thought about combining pumpkin fudge with regular chocolate fudge - yum! But then I thought of something else and found a recipe to try. This is a nice Fall biscotti and it does combine pumpkin and chocolate!

You can get the recipe for Pumpkin Pecan Biscotti at epicurious.com. It doesn't have an overwhelming pumpkin flavor, not too much chocolate, and it isn't super sweet. It's just right! The recipe calls for white chocolate, but I didn't have any. I just used about a half cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips instead. This biscotti is softer than the other kinds I make, but I like it!

** GIVEAWAY CLOSED. ** And now...giveaway time!

This giveaway is for chocolate!! That's over a pound of Trader Joe's dark chocolate! I feel certain that you can come up with some use for it. :)

Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment on this post! That's it! The giveaway will stay open through 10pm PST on Sunday 10/18 and the winner will be randomly chosen from the comments.

Now it's time for you to link up your chocolate posts and recipes, because it's kind to share! You can link up a new or old post about chocolate, but please do include a link back to this post so everybody can enjoy the Fall Fruits Festival (and Chocolate Friday)! If you don't have a blog, feel free to share chocolate links and recipes in the comments.

Check back through the day to see all the chocolate posts linking up! I can't believe this is the last day of the Festival! My only regret is that I didn't make it a requirement to give me a sample to taste for every recipe linked - LOL! You can come back all weekend long and look at all the links (and you can still link up your posts) and enter the giveaways! Giveaway winners will be announced on Monday. Thank you so much for helping to make this such a fun and successful week! I really hope you enjoyed it!

Have a fantastic Friday friends!

I'm linking this up to the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap!  I'm also linking this to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Take a moment to subscribe so you don't miss any of the fun during the Fall Fruits Festival!

Fall Fruits Festival ~ Cranberries & Giveaway

** Giveaway now closed. **

Welcome to another day of the Fall Fruits Festival! I'm so glad you were able to stop by! We've already made it to Day 4! Today is all about Cranberries! Just in case you've missed any of the days, you need to go back and check out all the great recipes and enter all the giveaways:

Day 1 ~ Pears
Day 2 ~ Pumpkin
Day 3 ~ Apples

Wisconsin is the largest producer of cranberries in the United States, with Massachusetts coming in second. Cranberries are harvested in the Fall, usually in September and October. Fresh cranberries can be frozen for several months and used in recipes without thawing.

I do have some cranberry recipes that have appeared on my blog, like Dried Cranberry Biscotti, Pantry Cranberry-Apple Sauce, and Red White & Blueberry Cookies. I also have a couple of cranberry recipes from my other blog: Ham and Arugula Sandwiches with Cranberry Chutney, and Cranberry Nut Turkey Salad.

The recipe I'm sharing today is made with fresh cranberries. I got the recipe from my Stepmother. I love it and I love that it makes multiple loaves - there's one in my freezer right now!

Cranberry Nut Bread

2/3 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups chopped fresh cranberries
2 cups chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar. Add slightly beaten eggs and mix until smooth. Add flour and mix (dough will be thick). Stir in chopped cranberries and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. Makes 3 small loaves or 2 regular loaves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yum. I think this makes a nice gift at Christmas or something good to snack on at Thanksgiving! It's excellent for breakfast with your cup of coffee or tea.

Giveaway time again!



This giveaway is for a dozen homemade Dried Cranberry Biscotti and a box of Trader Joe's Organic Cranberry Green Tea.

Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment on this post! That's it! The giveaway will stay open through 10pm PST on Sunday 10/18 and the winner will be randomly chosen from the comments.

Now it's time for you to link up your cranberry posts and recipes so we can all get some new cranberry ideas! You can link up a new or old post about cranberries, but please do include a link back to this post so everybody can enjoy the Fall Fruits Festival! If you don't have a blog, feel free to share cranberry links and recipes in the comments.

Check back through the day to see all the cranberry posts linking up! Please come back tomorrow - it's Day 5 and it's Chocolate! I declared it a Fall fruit - LOL! Thank you for coming by today!

Have a thrilling Thursday friends!

Take a moment to subscribe so you don't miss any of the fun during the Fall Fruits Festival!

Fall Fruits Festival ~ Apples & Giveaway

** Giveaway now closed. **

Welcome back to the Fall Fruits Festival! Today is all about apples. Yummy apple recipes work for me! An apple-themed giveaway works too! :)

Have you enjoyed all of the Fall Fruits Festival so far? For more yummy recipes and to enter all the giveaways, be sure to stop by:

Day 1 - Pears
Day 2 - Pumpkin

Did you know that apples are a member of the rose family? Did you know that it takes 4-5 years before an apple tree bears its first fruit? Or that apples are 80-85% water? Just some trivia to make you a little smarter. :)

When Fall starts here, we are able to go up to Apple Hill and visit lots of apple orchards. So fun and the apples are wonderful! While there recently, I got a box of Granny Smith apples. I had to use them in some great recipes.

When I saw this particular recipe, I KNEW I had to make it for my husband. My instincts were right - this recipe is great! I loved it; my husband loved it; my Dad loved it; and it was a big hit at my church potluck! Thank you to my Pillsbury calendar! :) We're going to have this pie for Thanksgiving so I'm linking it up to Tried and True Thanksgiving Recipes Week at What's Cooking At My House!  And I'm linking it up to the Love The Pie party happening over at Tidy Mom - yum!

Sour Cream-Apple Pie

CRUST
1 refrigerated pie crust, softened or
1 frozen pie crust or
1 homemade pie crust *

FILLING
1 1/4 cups sour cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
6 cups 1/4-inch slices peeled baking apples

TOPPING
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash salt
3 tablespoons cold butter

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare pie crust as directed. In large bowl, beat sour cream, granulated sugar, flour, salt, vanilla and egg with wire whisk until well blended; stir in apples. Pour into crust-lined pie plate.

2. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F; bake 30 minutes longer.

3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix all topping ingredients except butter. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs; refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Sprinkle topping over pie. Bake 20-25 minutes longer or until topping is golden brown. Cool completely on rack, about 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

* Please don't tell Donna from Way More Homemade that I used a frozen Marie Callender's pie crust instead of making my own!! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since I still had plenty of apples left, I decided to try making homemade applesauce. I tried this recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking. It turned out great! I just used less lemon juice and more sugar to make up for my very tart Granny Smith apples. It was so easy to do and yummy!

And now...apple-themed giveaway anyone??

This giveaway is for a small apple teapot and 2 kitchen towels.

Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment on this post! That's it! The giveaway will stay open through 10pm PST on Sunday 10/18 and the winner will be randomly chosen from the comments.

Now it's time for you to link up your apple posts and recipes so we can all enjoy the apple goodness! You can link up a new or old post about apples, but please do include a link back to this post so everybody can enjoy the Fall Fruits Festival! If you don't have a blog, feel free to share apple links and recipes in the comments.

Check back through the day to see all the apple posts linking up! I hope you'll come back tomorrow - it's Day 4 and it's about Cranberries! So glad you stopped by - I hope to see you again!

Have a wonderful Wednesday friends!

I'm linking this up for Works-For-Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family because great apple recipes and giveaways are workin' for me!

Take a moment to subscribe so you don't miss any of the fun during the Fall Fruits Festival!