Homemade Applesauce Mason Jar Gift Packaging

We went to the apple orchard last weekend for the first time this fall, ahhhh one of my most favorite activities :-) It was the perfect weekend outing, the weather was cool and crisp and the apples were plentiful which is exciting in itself as last year the apple crops here were a total fail due to an earlier than normal heat wave and then a horrible frost that killed off so many of the buds. 

Of course we taste tested all the varieties to find our favorites...Jonagold, Snow, Honeycrisp, Lustre Elstar, and Mutsu were definite winners in our book, so we picked and picked and picked some more. And then, as we carried our bushel of apples back to the barn we stopped by the big wagon of windfall apples. They were calling to me, really.

Did you know that windfall apples make the best applesauce? Yup, they do! They are usually all the apples in the orchard that have dropped to the ground but are otherwise in good condition. That randomness means you are getting a nice mix of sweet, tart, acidic, sharp flavors as well as a variety of white, yellow, soft, crisp, and buttery flesh. So basically, the makings of the perfect applesauce!  And since I was itching to make my Crockpot Applesauce (recipe here) as the kids eat a container full of applesauce almost every day in their packed school lunches, the windfall apples (at half the price of pick-your-own) were a calling my name...another bushel of apples it was!

I feel like I have been making a crockpot full of applesauce everyday this week. Our house smells so good! And if you have ever had homemade applesauce you know it is one of the best things in the world to eat. I thought it might be nice to package up some of that apple-y goodness and share it with others.  Why not share the love, right?

I ladled some into pint-sized regular-mouth mason jars, the perfect size for sharing, and decorated them all cute cause the only thing better than getting a little gift is getting a cute little gift, am I right?! 

I used my 2.5" circle punch to make a label for the top of the mason jars out of kraft paper.

Then I grabbed some felt and cut out little apples by hand and glued them on the center of the label with a regular Elmer's glue stick. I hand-stamped "Applesauce" underneath.

I added a doily, wrapped the jars in twine, and clipped on a tag decorated with washi tape for each of the recipients :-)

Easy peasy, apple squeezy! 

Such a fun and simple way to dress up some homemade goodies.

Thanks for stopping by today!

XOXO,

Creamy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo-RECIPE

How about today I share another easy peasy and delicious dinner recipe to add to your dinner menu rotation?  My family loves this one a lot, it's a super filling Creamy Chicken Alfredo that you make in your crockpot.  Well, the sauce that is.  The noodles you boil up on the stove right before you are ready to eat and then you pour that creamy alfredo sauce over top for a hearty meal your whole family will enjoy!  Serve it up with some garlic breadsticks and a nice green salad and you are set for the perfect well-balanced meal, nom nom!  :-)

Creamy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo

2 large or 4 medium chicken breasts (can be frozen!)

1 can cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup

1/2 cup Italian dressing

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 8 oz block of cream cheese

1/2 to 1 bag of frozen peas or broccoli

1 lb spaghetti or other noodles

Place chicken breasts in crockpot and add in the cream of chicken soup, Italian dressing, minced garlic, and mushrooms.  Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.  About 20 minutes before serving, pull chicken out and shred or cut into cubes and return to the crockpot.   Add in the block of cream cheese and stir until combined.  Boil water and cook your noodles. 5 minutes before noodles are done, mix in frozen peas or broccoli into the boiling water with noodles and stir.  Drain noodles (and veggies) and pour alfredo sauce over top...Enjoy!

Grab your chicken breasts...and yes, the can be frozen or refrigerated!...and place them in the bottom of your crockpot.  Add in the cream of chicken (or mushroom!) soup, can of drained mushrooms, Italian dressing and minced garlic.  Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

20 minutes before you are ready to eat you are going to do a few things...first, start boiling water for your noodles of choice.  Next, pull out the chicken breasts and shred them or cut them into chunks.  Place the chicken back in the crockpot and mix into the sauce.  Add in a block of cream cheese too, stir until it is nice and combined.  Once your water is boiling, add in your noodles and about 5 minutes or so before they are ready pour in a bag of frozen peas or broccoli or any other veggie you'd like.  The hot water will cook them and once your noodles are done just drain everything and you are good to go!

Now, either pour all your noodles into one huge bowl and pour the sauce over top and mix everything together or do each person's bowl separately...your choice.  

Either way it is delicious!  YUM squared!

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Cozy Crockpot Minestrone-RECIPE

There's nothing like eating a warm bowl of soup for dinner along with some good crusty bread.  Yup, nothin' like it.  Especially when you are sick, like I was last week.  Being pregnant and sneezing every other minute of the day is not fun, not fun at all.  I somehow felt like I was about to sneeze this little baby right out of me, ouch.  Good thing that is medically impossible ;-) 

This soup, Cozy Crockpot Minestrone, is nothing but pure awe-some-ness.  It's loaded with lots of fresh veggies (even a whole bunch of fresh spinach!), some cannellini beans and even a wee bit of pasta.  It's impossible to not feel better after eating a bowl of it.  And because you make it right in your trusty crockpot it's also the perfect weeknight meal for those crazy busy days we all have sometimes...all the time?...yeah, pretty much all the time.  I got your back.

Cozy Crockpot Minestrone

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups vegetable juice (like V8)

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained or 3 medium tomatoes, diced

2 cups fresh spinach

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 1/2 cups chopped potatoes

1 can cannellini beans 

1 tsp dry parsley

salt and pepper

1/3 cup dry ditalini pasta or other small pasta noodle

Place everything in a crockpot minus the ditalini pasta and stir well to combine.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6.  Add ditalini and stir well.  Cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes before serving.  

Are you ready to make some warm and cozy minestrone?  Then grab these lovely ingredients to get started!

Chop up 1 cup each of carrots, celery, and green onions.  Then chop 1 1/2 cups of potatoes and add it all into your crockpot along with 4 cups of chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes, and 1 1/2 cups of veggie juice.  

Drop in two GIANT handfuls of fresh spinach...

And add in 1/2 tsp of dried parsley as well as a few pinches of salt and pepper.

Stir everything together and cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.  Now go about your day as you normally would, go on.  The magic happens when you leave your kitchen  :-)

20 minutes before you plan to serve the soup, add in 1/3 cup of dry ditalini pasta and stir well to combine. Cover your crockpot and cook for about 20 minutes.  

And now you can dish up a huge bowlful and enjoy it with some of your favorite crusty bread!

Happy weekend-ing to you!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Crockpot Hot Chocolate-RECIPE

This past weekend my husband Clif had an actual Saturday off from work so we thought it would be a good idea to spend an hour on Saturday morning bundling up the kids in snowsuits, coats, warm hats, mittens and snow boots to take them all sledding.  If you have kids, you know how much work is involved in getting out the door once cold weather hits.  Somedays it's just no fun at all but if our agenda is to head to our nearest giant snow-laden hill than we are cool with it.  This was our first sledding adventure this winter if you can believe it.  We finally had a big snowfall here in Illinois last week and the snow was just perfect for sledding and building snowman.  

Before we headed out the door I made my favorite hot chocolate in my crockpot so when we came back from our snowy day out it would be ready and waiting for us to warm up our bellies.  I don't know about you but my kids immediately ask for hot chocolate the minute they come in from playing out in the cold.  If you have never made hot chocolate in a crockpot you must!  It is so nice to come home and have a warm cup of chocolatey goodness just waiting for you after you spent a good 20 minutes getting everyone out of their snow gear...just one less thing to do!

I love this recipe because it makes really creamy hot chocolate and it used 3 types of chocolate so the (pregnant) chocolate lover in me is satisfied.  I hope you love it too and make some before your next cold-weather gathering!

Crockpot Hot Chocolate (serves 4-6)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp vanilla

3 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream 

1 tbsp white chocolate chips

1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

whipped cream

mini chocolate chips for serving

Combine the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt together in your crockpot.  I used my mini crockpot to make this!  Add in the milk and vanilla and whisk everything together until smooth and well-combined.  Cover and cook on low for 2 hours.  After 2 hours, add in the heavy cream, white and semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Stir until chips are melted.  After about 10 minutes, pour into mugs and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips.  Enjoy!

First up, grab 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and add it to your crockpot.  I used my little 'mini' crockpot, the one you usually use for warm dips, I find it is just perfect for this recipe.

Then add in 1/3 cup of white granulated sugar.

And a 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Add the vanilla and pour in 3 cups of milk, any variety will do although the more milk fat the creamier your hot chocolate will be...and more fattening...but hey, this is hot chocolate and it is winter so it's worth it!  I personally like to go with 1% as we will be adding in heavy cream a bit later ;-)

Grab your whisk and whisk all that goodness up....Yum!  Place the cover back on your crockpot and cook on LOW for about 2 hours.  Now, go sledding!

After 2 hours your hot chocolate will look a little like this...frothy on top!

Now go ahead and pour in 1 cup of heavy cream...

And add in your tablespoon each of white and semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Who's hips are getting fat just thinking about this?

Stir it all up until those chips are melted.  Wait about 10 minutes for the cream to warm up a bit and then ladle it out dude. 

I love serving it with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips, my kids love it this way.  I think it has to do with the thought of more candy getting into their bellies.   Of course whatever your favorite toppings and add-ins you enjoy are perfect too.

Mmm...one for me and one for you.

Enjoy....and stay warm out there!

XOXO,

 

Crockpot Apple Cider-RECIPE

I played host to another one of our Momma Get Together's recently and I thought I'd share my go-to recipe for some of the best apple cider out there!  This recipe is so easy, hello? you make it in a crockpot, and it's perfect for a group gathering on a chilly day.  It always gets rave reviews and recipe requests although I'm a little embarrassed to say that it isn't really much of a recipe...there are only 3 ingredients!  

On a side note, can I just say I love, love, love my Momma Get Together group time!  If you are a momma to any number of children you really need to do this!  Gather a group of your friends who have children together once every couple of weeks or once a month and make it a point to enjoy each other.  You can do this without kids or with kids--playdate style--but if you do get together with kids you need to make sure you aren't helicoptering around your children so you can enjoy the grown-ups a bit too!  I think it is so important for us momma's to have a support system of friends who are in the trenches with you, I mean this job is tough!  I truly think my friends are the best ones out there, we share the good, the bad, and the ugly and we keep it real.  I know sometimes it's hard to find good people out there especially other mother's that have similar values as you but it is possible.  Think of momma's from your children's classes, from church, or even someone you met at the park!  What a great New Year's resolution...make it a point to be friendly with other momma's and maybe start your own small group of awesome, it's totally worth it in my opinion!

Crockpot Apple Cider 

1 64 oz container of apple cider 

2-3 cinnamon sticks

dash of ground nutmeg

Pour the apple cider into a crockpot and add the cinnamon sticks and a dash or two of ground nutmeg.  Stir and heat on high until warmed through, about 2-3 hours.  Enjoy!

PS. You can find apple cider in the juice aisle any time of year!

This ground nutmeg is seriously the secret ingredient to this recipe.  I swear that just a dash or two of this stuff makes the apple cider outstanding!  There is just something about a hint of nutmeg I tell you.

Mmm, all warm and cozy and ready for friends to enjoy!  

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Crockpot Italian Beef {Recipe}

It's that time of year...my crockpot is taking up valuable real estate space on my countertops once again, yours too? :-)  If you are looking for a quick and hearty dinner tonight, this weekend, or even for your menu next week I've got the perfect dish for you.  I received this recipe from a very sweet momma from my Mops group, thank you Michelle!  She brought our family this meal after we had Eloise last summer (along with the recipe) and it has quickly become a family favorite.  The leftovers alone are reason enough for making this dish, I pinky swear you will love it.

Crockpot Italian Beef -print this recipe HERE-

1 3-5 lb pot roast

1 jar peperocinis including the juice

1 packet dry Italian dressing mix

1 can beef broth

1 tbsp Italian herb seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

Place all ingredients in your crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Shred the meat and serve on toasted bread rolls with provolone cheese.  Enjoy!

Take one packet of dry Italian dressing mix, a jar of peperoncini (hot or mild depending on how you like your food) and a can of beef broth and place in your crockpot with a 3-5 pound roast.  You could use a chuck roast, pot roast, arm roast, etc, etc...they are all great!

Then add in 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.  

Place the lid back on your crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Then shred your beef and serve on bread rolls...toasted if you are not in a hurry!

Add some provolone cheese and you've got a delicious meal for you family with hardly any time spent in the kitchen, woot woot!

Happy Friday peeps!

XOXO,