Awesome Apple Peeler

I finally bought an apple peeler/corer/slicer in the hopes of eating more apples and making apple crisp. Boy does it make the preparation of apples easy!!! It took no time at all to peel, core and slice 2 apples, and then I made a quick homemade applesauce out of it.

It will also peel potatoes and cut shoestring potatoes too! I usually leave the skin on my potatoes (I like the taste and texture) but may make some hash browns one of these days.

We are hoping to have some apple trees in our yard when we move to Tablerock Lake - I will be ready to freeze and can those apples when they fall from the trees!!!

I bought the Back to Basics apple peeler because it is made of cast iron with stainless steel - it is really sturdy and suctions right to the countertop. I wish I had this when my kids were little - I would have used it every day!

Mmmmmm.....homemade bread

One of my Christmas presents was a book called "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. Their method is super easy (no kneading, minimal rising) - you basically make a big bunch of bread dough and it sits in the refrigerator for up to two weeks!! It only takes 5-10 minutes to mix up the batch of dough.

When you want fresh baked bread, you just pull off a section, shape it, let it rest for 20-30 minutes, and toss it in the oven. It's so easy and makes a nice boule, baguette, etc. The book has lots of different variations, but so far I like the basic recipe the best.

And the only equipment needed is a very large bowl or container, and a wooden spoon (although you could use a food processor or stand mixer if you wanted to - I don't happen to have either one of those and the spoon works just fine).

Of course this is not going to help my resolution to cut down on carbs!!