Apples, Apples, Everywhere!

I have a ton of apples from Labor Day, so I made applesauce yesterday! It was so delicious :) I used this recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking. It turned out great.

But its not very pretty, because its all mushy and I've almost eaten all of it. I halved the recipe because I think my slow cooker is only 2-quart and the recipe uses a 4-quart. It made 2 servings and it was perfect- not too sugary and very apple-y. Yum! Please go try this recipe! You won't regret it!

Mountain Views

Here are some of my favorite pictures from my trip into the mountains on Monday!

Apple Pickin' and NC Apple Festival

In celebration of Labor Day and the end of summer, I did something very fall :) We didn't have class today, so my friend Melanie and I went up to Hendersonville, NC, pick some apples! We decided on Sky Top Orchards because they had some amazing views posted on their website and got up there around 10 am yesterday.

We picked our fair share of apples- 1/2 bushel was perfect. I'm planning on making some applesauce in my slow cooker and maybe some apple butter. And maybe even some apple pie or tart!

Mutsu Apples (early Fujis)

Jonagold Apples

Jonathan Apples (Just like my boyfriend! haha)

Melanie with her prize, little Gala apple. They were mostly picked over or rotten so she only got 2!

Me pickin' apples!

Eating an apple donut. Heaven in donut form- it tasted like apple pie!

Drinking an apple cider slushie-I had to get my fill of apple products!

How tall am I? The sign exaggerates by 2 inches, but I don't mind!

I picked up some mini preserve jars from Sky Top as well- Fig, Blueberry and Apple Cinnamon Jelly.

After picking apples and eating our share of awesome apple foods, we drove into Hendersonville, NC, for their annual NC Apple Festival

Hendersonville is so cute!

We ate at the Black Bear Coffee Co. and I got a ham and cheese croissant and iced tea. A great reward for picking some apples! And energy for our adventure after Hendersonville.... heading to Pisgah National Forest! More on that tomorrow... there are too many pictures for one post!

Antiquing

I had a wonderful time antiquing in Columbia when I found out the storefronts on Gervais Street (which previously looked closed and at one point had "Closed" on them) are actually open and one is a 20,000 square foot antique mall! Amazing! Well, after spending a couple of hours sifting, I walked out with a fabric lantern and a pretty doily for $6!

Its hanging in the entrance way to my room :) It's a great addition!

Friday Night Brownies

I had a wonderful Friday night with my friend, Kate, because her husband, Paul, was out for the night. After wandering around the mall and shopping a little bit, we stopped by the grocery store to get ingredients for pizza (there wasn't any dough left, so we got a pre-made pizza crust) and made some easy brownies. I have made these once before and they got scarfed up by my co-workers before I could get a picture of them! They are definitely easy to make and don't require melting chocolate (my least favorite part about homemade brownies). Here is the recipe!

Easy Brownie Recipe
from Group Recipes

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix flour, sugar, and cocoa in a large bowl. 

Pour in butter, eggs and vanilla.

Mix well and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. 

Bake for 25 minutes.

I love this recipe- so simple and so delicious. Its not a fudge-y brownie, but it doesn't "harden" until it cools because of the large liquid content in butter and eggs. They taste more like German chocolate to me than a traditional brownie, but I can't wait to try it with dark cocoa powder! Its a perfect dessert to throw together and somewhat instant gratification!

Quinoa Veggies

I finally got around to trying this recipe that I saw over the summer. And I'm converted to a believer for quinoa :) I used to think it was just strange and looked squiggly (which it does, but I just had a bad experience in Ecuador!) and I'm so glad I conquered that prejudice against quinoa.

Quinoa Veggies from Vegan Lunchbox Around the World

Ingredients

• 1 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2 c vegetable broth or water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ red onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• ½ red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• ½ c frozen corn kernels
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

1.       Place the quinoa and vegetable broth in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to low and cook, covered, for 20 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

2.       Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan or high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper, and cook, stirring, until the onion is just soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds, then add the zucchini and corn. Cook, stirring frequently, until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

3.       Add the cooked quinoa and stir well, toss with the fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4.       Serve warm or cold.

It will definitely be a new recipe staple! Oh, and feel free to add whatever vegetables you want :) I added some yellow squash that I had and it was wonderful. Its a pretty versatile concept!

Farmer's Market Finds

Yesterday was our first Farmer's Market on campus for the year! Its only going to have a limited run (until the end of September) but I had a great time going to each of the booths and walking away with some great produce.

My favorite items are these eggplants. I think I'm going to try a crockpot recipe with them, but I'm not sure yet!

I also picked up some long beans, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, apples and peaches. And I tried the best peach tea ever. I'm stoked to go back to get the peach cider concentrate next week because I found out after I left that all you do is make black iced tea and add a little of the concentrate. Easy peasy, and super delicious!

I hope fresh produce inspires you this week :) Farmer's Markets are the bomb! I walked away with a ton of stuff for $12!