Apples, apples everywhere! Our project, our thoughts, and everything else in life involves apples this week! Pull up a comfy chair, and let’s chat a while. We’ve finished harvesting all the apples. Now we have to decide what to do with 15 gallons of them. This is, by far, one of the biggest apple harvests we’ve ever had. I did try out a new dessert this week, which turned out to be a real winner. I’ll share the recipe later in this post. I promise, it will be the last apple recipe for a while.
Are you a risk taker? I am, reluctantly! This week, I’m working on a piece for a magazine. It’s the first time I’ve pitched an article to a magazine in a long time. Many opportunities have come and gone over the years since I began writing, but I missed the chances because I didn’t have the courage to try.
It’s easy to tell myself that my writing isn’t good enough. I’m not much with flowery, descriptive speech, but then I see pieces that make it into print that don’t even manage to use basic grammar. I remind myself that Hemingway was one of America’s great writers, and he wrote quite telegraphically, without a lot of extra descriptors. I’m no Hemingway, but it’s nice to know that I don’t need all that to be successful.This week, I decided to take the risk. I hope you will take risks, and grab those opportunities that come your way. Follow your dreams!
I recently made a little work center in my tiny galley kitchen. I don’t have space for a real work center with a desk. I used the side of my refrigerator to mount a cork square, a small dry-erase board, and there is space for me to hang the weekly menus with magnets. I keep the menus in page protectors. I have 11 weeks of menus I rotate. I am especially enjoying having the dry-erase board handy. It’s so much easier to keep a running grocery list.
There is a definite chill in the air. The fireplace in the back yard is so inviting when the evenings become chilly. A warm fire and a glass of wine are just what the doctor ordered. It’s a very nice way to relax at the end of the day of dealing with all those apples!
Here is the recipe I promised:
Apple Crisp with Surprise Sauce
Enough chopped apples to fill a 9X13 pan. About 8 cups. (I never peel apples)
Secret Sauce
In a saucepan I heat :
1/2 Cup applesauce
1/2 Cup raspberry jam
1/4 to 1/2 Cup sugar
Heat thoroughly, but do not boil. Pour over the apples and stir to coat. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.
I hope you are finding inspiration in this season.
Until next time,
Helen
My Quiet Place 