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Monday, October 5, 2015

October 5: Slow-Cooker Apple Cider

Why yes, I did go outside and have a photo-shoot with my food. 
Doesn't everyone do this? What? Just me? Oh. 
Meanwhile? Who loves my new prop the leaf charger? It's Cynthia Rowley and I bought a set of 4 at HomeGoods.

As I mentioned in my post kicking off this month, I love autumn. There's nothing quite like that nip in the air, the brightly colored leaves, the orchard visits, and mugs of steaming deliciousness. Today's treat combines those last two.

Remember all these?

A sampling from our apple orchard haul

Well, what the heck is a person supposed to DO with all these apples? Yes, the girls have been snacking on them, but it's no small feat consuming 73 apples. And so, when my favorite food blogger, Sally of Sally's Baking Addiction, posted a recipe for Homemade Apple Cider, I was all over that. (Side note: She just published her second cook book--this time she's focusing on CANDY--and the girls and I drove out to one of her book signings to check in with her for the second time. She's just as sweet in person as the treats she cooks up!)

When you visit her blog for the recipe (I was going to retype it, but then I thought, why retype it when you can get it from the source? If you've never been to her blog, you'll thank me later when you see all the other delightful goodies she's got cooking over there), I'll ask you not to compare my photos with her photos. While mine are certainly better than they were back when I shot half of them on my iPhone camera, they're still, um, emerging from a talent perspective. I'm okay with that.

Anyhoodles, the recipe is a cinch to throw together. 

Gather your apples, core and quarter them (no need to peel! Hurrah!), plunk them in the slow-cooker with an orange, some water, cinnamon sticks, sugar, and cloves. Then walk away! Later, the apples need to be mashed and strained. Voila! You've got yourself homemade cider!

 The apples after they cooked for hours, but before I mashed them up
 The mash that had to simmer for another hour before straining
Omigosh! Look how squeaky-clean my sink is! 

 Let the straining goodness begin...

Ta da! A mug of steaming deliciousness!

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