How to Make and Freeze Apple Pie Filling and Applesauce

During the fall months when apples are in season here on the east coast, I like to go to our local orchard and purchase Gala's by the bushel. Once I get them home, I like to make and freeze applesauce and apple pie filling.

It is really a simple process and can save you a lot of money. I take one weekend afternoon and have it done within a few hours. When purchasing your apples, buy them in bulk and check them over for bad spots. Stay away from any apples that have been sitting out in the heat for a long period of time. You will want to cut out any bad spots that you come across.

\"Pie Recipe\"

The following 2 recipes were given to me by my grandmother back in the 1980's and to this day, they are the 2 recipes that I use.

How to Make and Freeze Apple Pie Filling and Applesauce

Apple Pie Filling Recipe

4-6 apples

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Wash apples and then pat dry. Peel, core and slice into wedges. In a medium-sized bowl, combine wedges, granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Gently stir apples until coated with sugar and lemon juice. Pack into freezer safe bags or plastic containers leaving a 1/2" of head space.

Note: You can use an anti-darkening agent such as Fruit Fresh instead of lemon juice.

Applesauce Recipe

4-6 apples

water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Wash apples and then peel, core and slice into small chunks. Place chunks into a saucepan with just enough water to prevent scorching. Stir in granulated sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Turn burner to low heat and slowly simmer mixture until the apples cook down and become soft. Drain any left-over water. Run mixture in a blender or food processor until it's the consistency of applesauce. Let cool and then spoon into freezer-safe containers leaving a 1/2" of head space. If desired, you can sprinkle additional cinnamon on top before sealing.

How to Make and Freeze Apple Pie Filling and Applesauce

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. Shelly enjoys cooking, baking and canning food for her family. You can visit Shelly online at http://www.workathomebusinessoptions.com or her Shakin 'N Bakin recipe blog at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com for additional free recipes.

Side Dishes For Chili

Chili is one of those great dishes that can be served in tons of different ways and goes good with many delicious side dishes. But if you're thinking about serving chili the next time you have friends over for dinner or to watch the big game or when the weather starts getting cooler, here are some great ideas you might want to use.

Making Your Chili Even Better

\"Pie Recipe\"

Even if you already make the best chili on your block or at your tailgate parties, you could spice it up with some toppings. Of course, you'll find some of the traditional items on the list: shredded cheeses, sour cream, oyster crackers or crumbled tortilla shells (choose the ones with a hint of lime for an nice touch), saltine crackers, or even hot sauce.

Side Dishes For Chili

But those are a little bit basic. If you're talking about advanced chili topping for the chili connoisseur, then you'll want to shop around in your produce department or farmer's market. Adding scallions, green onions, cilantro, or avocado can give your chili a little color and extra taste. A dollop of guacamole instead of sour cream (or with sour cream) can also be scrumptious, especially if you make it homemade. Jalapenos are also nice for a kick and should be added by the individual consumers of the chili - not everyone likes the spice. Red onion or salsa can be nice additions, too.

Not Just for Bowls

Chili isn't soup so it doesn't have to be served alone in a bowl with a spoon. Instead, get creative with how you serve this dish. You can use Fritos for dipping or pour the chili on top of a baked potato, French fries, pasta (some people even add spaghetti or macaroni pasta to their chili), rice, taco shells, hamburgers or hot dogs, cornbread, or even scrambled eggs.

Chili goes good with almost any food but make sure to account for the potential messiness. Always have extra napkins.

Great Side Dishes

When you're serving chili, it's definitely hearty enough to be a main dish. And while some people like to eat their chili by itself, having some complementary side dishes can enhance the dish's flavor immensely. Cornbread is a delicious and traditional addition to chili. If you're trying to give your meal a Tex-Mex flavor, you could make Mexican cornbread with peppers, some shredded Colby/Jack cheese, and some kernel corn or if you want to make it spicier you can cut up pieces of jalapeno to add into the cornbread mix.

Black bean and corn salad is another choice. The salad, which is served cold or at room temperature, includes black beans, cubed cheeses, roasted corn, green onions, bell peppers, picante sauce, herbs, olive oil, and a few other tasty items. You can also toss in other items you love, such as avocados.

Another idea is a Southwest Vegetable salad that includes lettuce, colorful red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and some toasted pumpkin seeds. This dish has just as much color as flavor and has a very delicious flavor especially when enjoyed along with a bowl of chili.

Side Dishes For Chili

Want more interesting side dishes for chili? Chili Everyway takes the mundane out of chili and presents fresh new ideas for spicing up this delicious comfort food that everyone will love.

Who Invented Ice Cream?

Unlike pottery, arrow heads and metal tools, traces of ancient ice creams are not really something that archaeologists can unravel. The ice cream history is therefore elusive and not very well known. People living in climates where ice and snow formed naturally are believed to have enjoyed a form of sorbet since prehistoric time by flavouring snow with fruit, berries and honey. This was probably especially popular in warm regions with high mountains, since snow could be gathered from the high altitudes and brought down to regions where it provided much sought after relief from the heat.

Even though ice cream itself leaves no visible mark in ancient history, items and buildings used for its creation can. Icehouses are for instance known to have existed as early as 2,000 years B.C. in Mesopotamia. Wealthy Mesopotamians had them built along the River Euphrates and used them to store food. We also know from historical sources that several Egyptian pharaohs ordered ice to be shipped to them in the hot and sunny regions in which they lived.

\"Pie Recipe\"

Once of the earliest known instances of true sorbet - not only ice and ice houses - are the honey and fruit flavoured snow cones that you could buy in Athenian markets during the 5th century BC. Later on, the Romans adopted a lot of Greek traditions, ice cream eating included. The Roman emperor Nero who reigned from 54 to 68 AD did for instance have ice transported to Rome from the mountains and mixed with fruit and toppings.

Who Invented Ice Cream?

In 400 B.C. the Persians invented a cool pudding made from vermicelli and rosewater. This chilled treat tastes a bit like a blend of sorbet and rice pudding, and was often mixed with fruits and saffron. Ice was quite readily available to wealthy Persians since they owned so called yakhchals; naturally cooled refrigerators in which ice collected from the mountains could be stored for longer periods of time.

The Arabs play an important role in the history of ice cream since they began using sugar and syrup instead of honey. In the 10th century B.C., sweet ice cream flavoured with fruits and nuts could be purchased in all major Arab cities. The Arabs also began adding milk to the ice-cream, making it more similar to the type of diary based ice-cream that is most widespread today.

It has been hard to determine when the Chinese began enjoy Chinese ice cream, but the first type of Chinese ice cream is believed to have been flavoured with sugar and sold during the warm summer season. Most historians agree that the upper class enjoyed ice-creamed flavoured with fruit juices during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 B.C.) According to "History of food" by Toussaint-Samat the Chinese may even have created a special ice-cream creation method earlier than the Song Dynasty. This method involved pouring snow and saltpetre over containers filled with syrup. Salt will lower the freezing point of water to subzero. Diary products are still rare in Chinese food, but according to legend Mongols introduced the custom of drinking milk to the Chinese during the Yuan Dynasty and this eventually led to the invention of milky ice-cream.

Who Invented Ice Cream?

Ice cream is a tasty desert which can be even tastier if combined with other things like banana bread [http://www.banana-bread.info]. Make your own tasty banana breads using these banana bread recipes [http://www.banana-bread-recipe.info].

The History of Pie

The history of pie is rich in flavor. Pies have been around for thousands of years, we know this, since the ancient Egyptians kept records of their practices and pie is included there, along with all the mysteries and charm of those long ago days. The Egyptians would fill their pies with such ingredients as honey, fruit and nuts. The visitors to Egypt learned as many of their secrets as possible. The ancient Greeks liked the idea of pie and took the recipes home with them, then surrendered the recipes to the Romans, who thought so much of pie as to make offerings of pie to their deities. Since then the rich history of pie has grown while traveling to many different lands, many people enjoy pie.

Did you know that pie was originally a simple cooking and serving container fashioned of dough for containing and cooking the enclosed ingredient as well as their juices? When a pie had a crust, it was at that time known as a coffin, although pies with no crust were at that time known as traps. Large, short-sided pies are tarts and very small pies are tartlets. When someone made a pie of some type of bird, he or she would leave the legs of the bird outside the edge of the pie and used the legs for handles.

\"Pie Recipe\"

Pies at that time had a very hard crust and were very often to hard to be eaten, since the crust of the pie was used mainly for baking the pie as there were no pie pans back then. Think primitive pottery here, at times it was also known as bulletproof dough. Because of this quality, between the 13th and 16th centuries, many pies held live birds, frogs and other small creatures, even dwarfs and sometimes a small orchestra. These were contained inside the pie to emerge to enliven royal feasts with entertainment.

The History of Pie

Pies made their way to England and soon showed up in America with the first colonial settlers, them bringing along cottage and shepherds pie. From the American natives, the pilgrims learned the many healthy fruits and berries. Women at that time conserved their rations by making round pies and shallow pies. During the 1700s, pie first saw one of its best celebrating moments while gaining popularity in many homes, picnics and fairs. Many people have enjoyed pie eating contests or pie throwing games. Pies and their recipes have traveled a very long way from where they began to this present day.

As pie has moved along through the years, it has been adapted to fit into every culture it has touched. We enjoy pie today made of many different ingredients, such as meats of beasts, fowl and fish, vegetables, berries, fruits and nuts as well as cheese, custards and creams of many flavors. Many generations have seen the passing down of family pie recipes and many are still secret today. An assortment of many different sweet and savory seasonings and ingredients are included in pies. The smell of a pie baking can bring back fond memories of family and friends as well as build new ones. In homes the world over, someone will be baking a pie, while someone is savoring the wonderful aromas that make home so sweet. Everyone should enjoy some pie every day.

The History of Pie

For some delicious homemade pie recipes visit http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/pierecipes.htm and make a pie or crisp the hillbilly housewife way.

Best Things to Eat During Summer

Summer is almost here! This makes many people happy. Actually, in many areas around the country, summer is already in full swing. Summer, with its freedom and relaxation and time in the sun, is already being enjoyed.

When it is summer you know you're going to have hot weather. You may have hot, muggy, humid weather that leaves you feeling like you are about to wilt! The last thing you want is a heavy meal or hot food. Instead, try some cooling things. Having some cooling things about that can make you feel refreshed is important.

\"Pie Recipe\"

Snacks are good for when you are out and about, so you don't have to stop what you are doing to eat. Consider getting some good snacks that can help cool you off during summer months. That way the snacks serve two purposes.

Best Things to Eat During Summer

Some of these foods are ideal for summer. Don't let another summer go by without trying these this year.

Frozen yogurt. Right now, frozen yogurt is very popular. It is yummy and cooling, and healthy also. There are far fewer calories in frozen yogurt than in ice cream, so you have a delicious cooling treat that is also guilt-free.

Iced coffee. Coffee is a favorite beverage for when it is cold and snowy. You might think that coffee is no good during the summer months, but you don't have to forswear this beverage when the mercury rises.

Instead, make yourself some iced coffee. You can also make chai tea and serve it over ice, this too will be cooling for you.

Snow cones. You can often find snow cones at various outdoor festivals or fairs, they are available for purchase and make a great choice for a refreshing treat. You never see snow cones offered for sale in the winter, so get them while you can. They're strictly a summertime treat.

Best Things to Eat During Summer

Get great ideas for car vacuum cleaner and a vacuum belt from my other articles.

Homemade Baked Beans Recipe

If you're looking for a good "homemade baked beans recipe" recipe - this is the place! Everyone loves some good baked beans, but most recipes call for them to be in a crockpot. Mine doesn't, instead I use can beans and cook them on the stove top. It's true, you could just buy a fancy can of Bush's baked beans, but it's just not the same as making your own homemade baked beans and letting them simmer of the stove as the flavors meld together! These are equally as good in the summer with a BBQ as they are in the winter on a cold blistery day!

• 3 cans great northern or navy beans, or 1 - 48oz jar or Randall's mixed beans (drained)
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (diced)
• 1 cup barbeque sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon mustard
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3-4 strips of chopped cooked bacon (if you like)

\"Pie Recipe\"

Drain each can of beans and pour into a sauce pan. Add all other ingredients and cook on medium high heat until it boils, then cover and reduce to low heat and simmer for one hour. If you're in a real hurry, you can cook on high for 10 minutes and serve (it just won't taste as good!).

Homemade Baked Beans Recipe

In the winter time you can cook this on the stove and let it simmer while making the main dish, but in the summer I like to just put the pot on the grill and let the beans simmer while I grill my meat. By the time the meat is done, the beans are usually done shortly after. There are all kinds of beans you can experiment with on this recipe as well, I usually end up using what I have on hand at the time. So I may use Pinto beans, Chili Beans, Mexican Beans - and even though you're making "homemade beans" it doesn't mean that you can't utilize any leftovers that you may have around. For instance, if I grill out and have left over burgers and beans, the next day I may chop up the leftover cooked burgers and thrown them in the beans and simmer for 20-30 minutes and eat! I've used thrown in leftover taco meat, sloppy joe, and even chicken. Technically that makes the "homemade baked beans" more like a chili - but it's OK to change it up a bit! Another thing that's fun with this recipe is to add some cubed cheese of any kind just minutes before it's done. That melted cheese can make it a big hit with everyone in the house!

Homemade Baked Beans Recipe

John Pratt writes on his blog JTPratt's Blogging Mistakes, but his love of cooking keeps him writing for Free Online Recipes by Kieli! Catch him texting on his latest used cell phone!

Banana Ice Cream Recipe - 5 Easy Steps to Delicious Homemade Ice Cream

A banana ice cream recipe? Is that what you're looking for? I've got just the recipe for you! Great choice by the way! If you've never made this frozen treat before, banana ice cream is a great recipe to start out with! What if you don't have a maker? Don't worry!

Why? Because one of the main problems with making this homemade delicacy is that the end product can often turn out hard, rather than smooth and creamy. One of the "home remedies" to make this tasty treat softer is to add a little bit of banana to the recipe.

\"Pie Recipe\"

When you make this homemade frozen treat, you definitely will be adding banana! The result? A smooth, creamy, hard-to-mess-up (though don't feel bad if you do!) batch of homemade heaven!

Banana Ice Cream Recipe - 5 Easy Steps to Delicious Homemade Ice Cream

Banana ice cream not only has a wonderful texture, it also has a delicious taste. This frozen treat tastes just like a banana split! So if you've got a love for banana splits, this recipe will definitely be a favorite!

Enough about this great flavor, it's time to make it yourself. I'll let you make the final decision on whether or not you like it!

What You'll Need

3/4 cup lowfat milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 - 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 - 4 medium bananas, very ripe
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

What You'll Need to Do

Step One: Using a whisk or a hand mixer on low speed, mix milk, granulated sugar, and nutmeg. Continue mixing until sugar dissolves. (This will take 1-2 minutes.)

Step Two: Purree (or mash) bananas until they are pureed well. Add mashed bananas to the milk/sugar mixture.

Step Three: Chill banana mixture for at least one hour. Chilling the mixture will produce a smoother product in the end.

Step Four: Stir in heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract.

Step Five: Pour mixture into your maker and allow it to churn for about 25 - 30 minutes or according to the manufacturer's instructions!

Last and best of all, get out that spoon and enjoy!

You can spice up this delicious recipe in several different ways. About 5 minutes before your treat is done churning in your maker, you can add some of your favorite banana split toppings to the churning mixture!

This frozen treat is also great served "Sundae Style." Just get out your favorite sundae toppings and sundae sauces and make yourself the banana ice cream of your dreams!

Banana Ice Cream Recipe - 5 Easy Steps to Delicious Homemade Ice Cream

Don't have an ice cream maker? Find out how to make ice cream recipes without an ice cream maker! You'll also find great ice cream serving tips at http://www.serving-ice-cream.com.

Meat Pie Recipe - Easy Turkey Pot Pie Recipe

Here's a great way to use up that leftover turkey.

2 (9-inch) unbaked pie shells

\"Pie Recipe\"

1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed golden mushroom soup

Meat Pie Recipe - Easy Turkey Pot Pie Recipe

1 cup turkey, cooked and chopped

1 (10 oz.) can mixed vegetables, drained

1/3 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place one pie crust in an ungreased pie dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the mushroom soup and milk. Stir in the turkey and mixed vegetables. Pour the mixture into the pie crust in the dish. Top with the other pie crust; seal the crust edges by crimping with a wet fork.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

=> Meat Pie Recipe: Five Star Pork Pie Recipe

This is a hearty meat pie recipe featuring ground pork, ground beef, mashed potatoes and spices.

2 (9-inch) unbaked pie shells

2 pounds lean ground pork

1 pound lean ground beef

1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 egg white

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a skillet, brown the ground beef and pork over medium high heat; cook until thoroughly brown. Drain on paper towels.

In a bowl, mix together the cooked meat, potatoes, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Spoon the mixture into one of the pie shells. Cover with the second pie shell. Brush the top crust with egg white. Wrap aluminum foil around the edges to keep them from getting burnt.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil for the final 15 minutes of baking to brown edges.

=> Fish Pie Recipe: Swimmingly Good Salmon Fish Pie

A nice alternative to other meat pies, this fish pie recipe features salmon, rice, mushroom soup and cheddar cheese.

2 (9-inch) unbaked pie crusts

2/3 cup white rice

1 1/3 cups water

2 onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon butter

1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

2 (6 oz.) cans red or pink salmon, drained and mashed

2/3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, cook the rice in the water.

Line a pie plate with the pastry and set aside.

In a large saucepan, sauté the onions and mushrooms in the butter over medium heat.

In a bowl, combine the cooked rice with the mushroom soup and spread half of the mixture over the bottom of the pie shell. Layer the mashed salmon over the rice mixture.

Layer the sautéed mushroom and onion mixture. Layer with remaining rice mixture. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Place the remaining pie crust on top and seal the edges. Pierce the top with a fork to vent.

Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 30 to 35 minutes.

Meat Pie Recipe - Easy Turkey Pot Pie Recipe

Mmmm . . . where can you find that yummy recipe?

Milkshakes, Smoothies, Brownies, Chili, Casseroles and more!

[http://www.best-free-cooking-recipes.com]