Papa made French Toast this morning for Cedi’s 3rd birthday (I know!  So old already!) so this recipe seemed fitting for today.

Blueberry French Toast

by Linda Finn

Egg Mixture

12 slices day-old bread (no crust)

2 (8-oz) pkgs. cream cheese

1 c. blueberries

12 eggs  (***On a side note, Jared found TEN eggs from the chickens on Friday!  We’d been getting maybe 1 to 2 a week for a long time…,now TEN!)

2 c. milk

1/3 c. maple syrup

Layer the following:  Place the bread, cut into cubes, in a greased 9x13 pan.  Cut cream cheese into cubes and place over bread.  Top with blueberries.  Beat eggs, milk, and syrup and pour over bread.  Cover, chill for 8 hours.  Bake at 350-degrees for 25-40 minutes, or until light brown and set in the middle.

Sauce

1 c. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1 c. water

1 c. blueberries

1 T. butter

Make sauce by combining all ingredients in a 2 quart sauce pan.  Simmer for about 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Serve warm egg mixture with warm sauce. 

I’m up early about to head out for the Craftacular in Madison, WI, today.  I should have done a really good teaser blog to this but I just haven’t had time as I’ve been making LOTS of new, great things for it! 

If you are in the area you should definitely stop by!  There are going to be OVER 60 local artists!  A perfect spot to finish up your holiday shopping.

To read more details go to:

http://www.craftacular.glitterworkshop.com/

To visit stop by:

Madison Masonic Center
301 Wisconsin Ave
Madison WI 53703

Hope to see you today!

Later than usual but I didn’t forget.  This looked like a great recipe for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday.  Since we will be closed starting Thanksgiving day, Frank and Diane have decided to keep the store open Monday through Wednesday from 12 to 5.  Make sure to stop in to stock up on pie pumpkins since Libbey’s will be running low this year!

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Diane Lapacek

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. wheat germ

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. pumpkin puree

1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk

5 T. oil

1 lg. egg

Preheat oven to 350-degree.  Lightly grease bottom of 9x5 inch loaf pan.  Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.  Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, oil and egg in medium bowl; mix well.  Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients; stir until moistened.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

I can’t believe it!  After all the anticipation and leading up to a fabulous craft sale for the Holidays the day is here!  We’ve spent the last few days transforming my mother-in-law’s shop into a great little boutique for fabulous handmade goods.  I managed to take a few snapshots last night to give you all a sneak peak at some of the amazing items we have for sale.  Since it was dark they didn’t all turn out the best but I think you’ll get the gist of it…      Hope to see you!  The hours again are today, November 20th from 9 until 6 and tomorrow, Saturday, November 21st from 9 until 5.  (PS…My mom, Jared and I were up early making CIDER DONUTS for the sale too!)

This is a popular canned item that we sell all apple season long in our store but we also have it included in BOTH of our cookbooks since it’s such a customer favorite – Apple-tizing Recipes and Farm Fresh Recipes.  I thought I’d share it with you today…the weather is perfect for canning!

Apple Pie in a Jar

by Bev Walters

28 c. sliced apples

4 1/2 c. sugar

9 c. water

1 c. cornstarch

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. canning salt

1 c. cold water

1 T. lemon juice

Peel and slice apples into mild salt water.  Drain and pack into 7 quart canning jars.  Bring sugar and 9 cups of water to a boil.  Combine cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Mix with one cup cold water until dissolved.  Add this to sugar mixture.  Cook until bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Add lemon juice.  Pour over apples, leaving 1 inch headspace and using a knife to remove air bubbles and distribute juice.  Seal and process 20 minutes in hot water bath.  Use one jar of pie filling for an 8 or 9 inch pie.

Now you can just fill your pie any time of the year for fresh apple pie or heat some mix up and put over ice cream!  Yummmy!

If you are in the Middleton Area and are missing the crafty display in the back of the apple store…make sure to stop by my Aunt Becky’s Holiday Craft Fair. 

I was there yesterday morning and took pictures of the fabulous collection of handmade goods. 

Some of the things you’ll see are: hand-crafted fall and winter decorations, fused glass jewelry, fused glass bottles and bowls, ornaments, greeting cards, candles, handmade baskets, purses, totes, pillows, quilted/embroidered wall hangings, table runners, towels, jewelry from theApple, baked goods and treats!

Complimentary coffee and refreshments.

Where: 7100 Spring Hill Dr., Middleton, Wisconsin

When: Saturday November 14, 2009  -  8:30 am - 4:00 pm

  If you want to bring your kids I’m sure Becky will find them some fish food to feed to the fish they normally have in their backyard pond.  Due to winter weather they bring them in to a big tank…kids LOVE them!  (Trust me…feeding the fish beat out Build a Bear in my kid’s answer to ‘what did you do today?’)      As you can see…I only have a small fraction of the jewelry I make listed on my etsy store, theApple.  It’s good that I have a lot of inventory though…I still have three more sales to make it through!                     I hope you can find some time to stop by!

I’m sorry I’ve been a bit absentee on this blog lately.  Things are slowing down at the apple store but picking up with my other businesses (KimsCraftyApple and theApple).  If you want to keep up on my other going-ons you can always check out my other blogs:  www.kimscraftyapple.blogspot.com (about my crafting world) and www.onebeermom.blogspot.com (about my fabulous and adorable kiddo’s).

I also haven’t been writing much because I honestly haven’t been doing much for the orchard.  If you stop by you’re most likely to see Diane, Frank or Jared working the register…I have been given some time to create thing and complete some custom orders.  I’ll be around again though…no worries!

Here are a few more artists that are going to be at the sale in just over a week!  Wow!  It’s really coming up fast!

Once again my husband’s aunt, Becky, will have her beautiful baskets at the sale.  I didn’t have any pictures of her baskets from her but I took some pictures of baskets I’ve purchased and gotten for gifts in the past.  I absolutely love them!  I have one really big one (pictures above) that she gave me for my baby shower…perfect for all the kids toys, oh and Capri likes to use it as a boat sometimes too… This stair basket is great to put things in that have to go upstairs…stylish and helps to keep the clutter down.  This magazine basket is great for just that…magazines…and whatever else you may want to put in it!  I just love the colors!  I’m excited to pick out my basket for this year!  Becky started basket weaving in 1994.  She also dabbled in macrame in 70s (I have to throw in that this was before I was born!) everything from plant hangers to cheerleader, frog, cowboy, gingerbread boy/girl  She also did some crocheting - lots of dollies and enjoyed cross stitch for a few years.  Her main focus now is on her baskets…and they are truly beautiful. 

A beautiful local potter, JennyBlasenPottery will be bringing yarn bowls and mugs, plates and bowls to the sale.  I purchased one of her mugs last year and it is so amazing!  It makes drinking coffee even more fun!

A new addition to the sale this year is Cait from TieBeau.  She will be bringing headbands made from men's neck ties.  No one every will be walking around with the same head band as them.

Her line is called Tie Beau and my line of evening wear headbands with extra sparkle and accessories is called Tie Beau Tuxedo.

I have a few more people to feature in the next week so tune in again to meet more artists from the hoedown!

Sorry that I’m so late posting the recipe today…I just got home from Quilts by Barb’s 2009 Quilt retreat.  I had a great time and learned a lot of new things!  I’m definitely looking forward to next years!

Here’s the recipe I chose from the ‘Farm Fresh Recipes from Lapacek’s Orchard’ Cookbook:

Scalloped Apples

by Karma Lapacek

6 med. apples

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 T. lemon juice

1/4 c. water

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. flour

1/3 c. butter

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.  Pare, core and slice apples.  Place in buttered shallow casserole dish.  Combine spices, lemon juice and water.  Pour over apples.  Work sugar, flour and butter together until crumb-like consistency.  Sprinkle over apples.  Bake at 400-degrees for 30 minutes.

***SIDE NOTE*** If anyone has any metal cookie cutters (any shape) that they are looking to get rid of please drop them by the orchard or send me an email…I’m looking for some!

For the third year, Jen Geerdts will be selling her wonderful handcrafted soap at the Handcrafted Hoedown for the Holidays. I have many customers that come in each year and stock up because they love it so much! This year, Jen will be offering even more scents and varieties than usual (both of her boys are in school full time now…) Here’s the list of scents for this years 2009 Handcrafted Hoedown for the Holidays:

Honey Oatmeal Soap - nutritive and appetizing
Clove Soap - warm and spicy
Cinnamon Seed Soap - exfoliating massage bars
Frankincense and Myrrh Soap - a great gift for wise men
Pumice Soap - abrasive and cleansing to smooth hands and feet
Candy Cane Soap - peppermint scent to wake you up
Lavender Soap - always a favorite, traditional and calming
Christmas Tree Soap - balsam fir scent refreshing and definitely Christmas

New this year to the Hoedown is CJ’s Country Classics and her fabulous Soy Candles! She let me try a few samples and I absolutely love them…they are great smelling and burn very nicely.

To find out more about what she has to offer check out her website: www.cjscc.com

Yup, it’s true! We recently added some new additions to our Kroncke Road Orchard – SEVENTEEN chickens (12 Rhode Island Reds and 5 Barred Rocks)! So far, so good. Rhode Island Red Barred Rock

We got them from my neighbor at the Sun Prairie Farmer’s Market – Rainbow Hill Farm. These chickens are ‘old’ and are not producing eggs like they needed them too so we took them in! They are free range chickens and so far we haven’t had any issues (knock on wood). Even the dogs and cats seem to have accepted them as their new friends. I just love having random chickens run by me…this city girl is really turning into a farmer!

The Hoedown will be a one shop stop for all your jewelry needs this holiday season!  Not only will you see some great jewelry from theApple…a lot of what you’ve seen in the apple store this season and more that I’ve been working on this week and will continue to create up until the sale.

I have a few new additions to our jewelry artist line up besides myself this year.

One new comer is Julia Jiannacopoulos.  She has a variety of items for the show:  lightswitch plates, metal message boards, clock-purses, peace ornaments, napkin rings and jewelry.   Most all of her work is one-of-a-kind using upcycled materials: vintage jewelry and materials, found objects and cultural ephemera.  I know that I’m really excited to see the rest of her things!

I will also have some adorable bottle cap necklaces from StorylineDesigns.  Just visit her shop to get even more of a sneak peak!

OddStuffByXanthe will be bringing some adorable scrabble tile pendants along with many other fun items!

I will also be selling some fabulous jewelry from BlueHillByHand.  BlueHillByHand is the company that purchased my candy drop ring design and is selling it wholesale.  I also do contract work for them in my off-season for many of their earring designs.  I had fun picking out a collection of goods to offer at the sale.  I only have a few of each style so don’t wait too long to make it out to the sale!

These are just a few of the fun jewelry items that you will see…I just want to get a taste of excitement in your mouths for all the possible Christmas Gifts you can buy for friends, family, even yourself!  Can’t wait to see you in just a few weeks!