I steamed up the kitchen and front sunroom again…this time I made up 7 quarts of apple pie filling.

Last weekend while at Shinneyboo Creek Cabins, I picked up a brown paper grocery bag full of apples from Ikeda’s for $2.99. On Saturday I peeled and sliced 1/2 of the bag to make up apple pie filling.

I used the recipe from Ball’s Complete Book of Home Preserving, page 170.

Apple Pie Filling

12 cups sliced peeled cored apples, treated to prevent browning (1/4 C. lemon juice & 4 C. cold water)
2-3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups ClearJel
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (I used 2 tsp cinnamon)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (I used 1 tsp nutmeg)
1-1/4 cups cold water
2-1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice (I used apple cider)
1/2 cup lemon juice

1. prepare canner, lids, jars per usual.
2. In large pot of boiling water, working with 6 cups at a time, blanch apple slices for 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon and keep warm in a covered bowl.
3. In large stainless steel pan, comine sugar, Clearjel, cinnamon, nutmeg, water and apple juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, and cook until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add lemon juice, returen to boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Drain apple slices and fold into hot mixture.
4. Laddle into hot jars, leaving 1 inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim, place on lid and screw bands down.
5. Place in canner and process for 25 minutes from boil. Remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes then remove jars and let cool.

Adjust for your altitude (25 minutes is for sea level)…I processed mine for 35 minutes.

It’s very tasty! I made a pie yesterday…just poured into an unbaked pie crust and baked at 400F for 10 minutes then 350F for 30, put on a cinnamon/butter/flour/sugar crumb topping, and baked for another 15 minutes.

Just some pictures along the hike down to the South Yuba River from the cabin we stayed in over the weekend.

Mom sprung for a girls-only weekend and rented a cabin at Shinneyboo Creek off of HWY 80. So on Friday Mom, my sister, and I packed the car and off we went.

I have been craving Popeye’s Chicken for a while now and asked if we could just blow into Auburn for lunch. We get there and it’s CLOSED! ACK! So we went over to the south side of the highway and ate at Ikeda’s.

Ok…back to Shinneyboo ~ here is our cabin we stayed in.

It came with a small fridge, microwave, coffee pot and hot water pot. Could have used a shelf unit above the microwave/table area. Definitely.

Nice size bathroom with a jetted tub…which we all used both nights! And ahhh…note to self…don’t add too many bubbles and then turn on the jets!

The rest of the first floor is a queen size bed, small table with two chairs, and a propane standing stove.

Then there is the loft…where my sister and I slept…I’d show the other picture I had, but my sister would probably then post an embarrassing picture of me on her facebook page.

We hiked down to the South Yuba River (my sister and I) on Friday…pictures will be posted tomorrow…we lost the trail a couple of times. There was a bit of snow on the ground.

Saturday we got up and decided to drive to Sacramento…to visit the Lego store and find a Popeye’s to eat lunch at. We found both! The Lego store was WONDERFUL! A whole wall of lego parts! You take a large (or small) container and fill it up for a set price! And Thanks to a wonderful woman standing in line in front of me at Starbucks…she called her husband and he gave us directions to the nearest Popeye’s from Arden Fair Mall.

We just relaxed the rest of the time…crossword puzzles, books read, hemp necklaces made, doll clothes cut out, started crocheting scarf, and playing with legos.

Geez, it’s been a long time in between posts!

I’ve been busy here at work ~ I just moved our office to another building…then in about 6-7 months we will be moving again. Yee Haw!

At home I was making soy candles, earrings, and market totes for a small craft fair.

Spent Veteran’s Day up in Virginia City to watch the parade. Lots of people up there thanking our Veteran’s and current servicemen and women.

Have tomorrow off to go up to a cabin in the Sierra with my mom and sister for the weekend. Will be nice to get away for a couple of days. Should be some snow up there…it’s raining down here.

Just a small sampling of some of the earrings I made…next week I’ll get them up on etsy and maybe feebay.

FOR TODAY … 28 October 2009

Outside My Window… Cold grey sky…looks like there may be blue trying to peek out. Construction dudes working on the walk way that will be coming through my office soon.

I am thinking… I need a vacation. I don’t want to move my office. I’m tired of jumping through hoops. A wanna Black Rock pizza for lunch today.

I am thankful for… my job (blech)…a roof over my head…my family.

From the kitchen… Not sure. I haven’t made up my mind yet.

I am wearing… grey fuzzy pullover, blue jeans, tennies.

I am creating… Good grief. I’ve made up 70 pair of earrings (sterling, silver plated, gold plated, and surgical steel)…14 Christmas market totes, 36 soy candles (so far)…I’m gearing up for a craft fair that’s being held on 11/07/09.

I am going… to go to lunch pretty dang quick here!

I am reading… nothing…too tired at bed time.

I am hoping… My constant wish ~ That everyone that is looking for a job, finds one.

I am hearing… One of my faculty moving stuff around for the move, another cussing out their computer…construction bangs and beeps…me typing.

Around the house… beads, wire, fabric, canning jars.

One of my favorite things… warm gooey pizza.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week… continue planning our office move; make more candles; finish the market totes.

Here is a picture thought I’d share with you…

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

The Simple Woman is the original home of The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Having a bad week…so today I’m going to just post some pictures. A few from up in Portola at the WPRR Museum and then some of last Saturday’s walk around Ferrari Farms in Reno.

Last week my newest sewing machine came…the one to replace my beloved Janome 6500, RIP.

My dear friend, April, was able to negotiate the deal for me with an eBay seller, niftythriftgirl, over the weekend the Genoa Candy Dance was on (I don’t have internet access at home…nor when I’m out and about ) She bought it and I paid for it…a week or so latter my pretty little mocha Singer was at my door step.

She’s a Singer 301 Sewing Machine ~ Mocha ~ Long Bed ~ Feed Dog Drop ~ Slant Shank for improved needle visibility ~ Light Weight (about 5 pounds more than the Feather Weight) ~ Comes with a great carrying case ~ Gear Driven…no belts ~ Built-in Fold down Handle ~ Front Mounted light ~ Great for Quilters with the free-motion capability.

I’m really happy with this machine! Extremely happy with the seller and the awesome packaging job they did.

I have a 1951 Singer 99-13 for sale should anyone want it! $75 if you’re in the Reno-Sparks area. Works great, comes with original wooden dome carrying case & key, foot pedal, and some of it’s attachments, bobbins, and footsies.

We like to go up to Portola and Sierra Valley quite a bit…and I always see something new at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum to take pictures of. Even though it’s probably the same thing I saw before, just in a different light.

So bear with me…going to post more photos of the area that I took on 11 October 09.

First three photographs are taken just east of Portola on the middle fork of the Feather River…dropped my husband off there and he rode his bike along the path to the train museum where by then, I was walking around waiting for him.

The rest are from the Western Pacific Railroad Museum…at the rail yard. You’ll probably figure out that I like textures.

We have a favorite area that we like to take rides up to ~ Sierra Valley (Chilcoot, Loyalton, Sierraville) and then on over to Portola, Ca.

I’ve driven by the Vinton-Chilcoot Cemetery a gazillon times, but have never stopped…that is until last Sunday.

There are some beautiful carved statues on some of those tombstones…thought I’d share. The place is dedicated to the Swiss-Italian Dairymen that settled the Sierra Valley in the mid-1800’s.

I absolutely LOVE this statue…she’s beautiful!

So is this pretty wee angel ~