I really need social interaction, it's part of my personality and something I need to really feel like myself. My husband does not have a typical Monday thru Friday 8am-5pm job, he never has in the 9 years we've been together so I'm used to it, but it definitely makes social planning difficult. We have been blessed that he has weekends off to spend time with the family (we do not see him during the week), we get to enjoy family time, go to church together, go to kids birthday parties, or just hang out at home.
This past weekend was especially busy; Friday I took B on her first field trip, Friday night was a date night (thanks to our church hosting a parent night out where they watch the kids for a few hours so couples can have a date!), Saturday we had some errands and things to do around the house then we painted pumpkins, Saturday night I had some much needed girl time, and Sunday had church and then a birthday party. It was a jam packed weekend!
It's technically fall here in Arizona, I love fall! Mostly for the cooling temperatures and fall time activities. This weekend was full of fall time activities!
Friday I chaperoned a field trip for the first time! We went to a farm, got to pick veggies, choose pumpkins, learn about corn and the kids got to feed animals and play in bounce houses. It was so much fun seeing my sweet oldest child interacting with her friends and enjoying her time exploring the farm. I did not take into consideration how exhausted I would be!
I'm 26 weeks pregnant but in my "I'm a super mom" brain a farm field trip being exhausting never crossed my mind.
The temperature has been like a yo-yo here, just when the temperature begins to drop and you get so excited for cooler temps the next week its back up in the 90s again. The mornings and evenings are nice and cool which is a welcome relief to the 120s we had in the summer!
Being from the Midwest I so miss the cooler temps (and the colors on the trees!) but I've become accustomed to the heat a little I suppose hence 80s actually feeling good to me now!
The day at the farm was a high of 87, so when we first got there it was great weather, by the time we left the sun began beating down and it got hot which I think contributed to the exhaustion.
My sweet girl is all about the bling and ready to strike a pose wherever we go.
While the farm is not a Midwest farm with hay rides and cold weather, it was very well put together. They had real corn (the kind that was over 6 feet tall!), a petting zoo, produce you can pick fresh and lots of other fun things for the kids; bounce houses, "train" ride (they get to ride in barrels pulled by a tractor), slides, water pumps and a few other things I know I'm forgetting.
Being from the Midwest I'm usually a little disappointed with the farms and corn mazes here in the southwest but this farm was well planned, very organized and pretty close to the "real" thing I'm used to.
An exhausting day at the farm made a girls night around the fire pit the next night (that I was already so excited for), even more welcoming. There's a great group of moms I've met from church that have just been wonderful to get to know. My family hasn't been in our area very long and making friends is super hard! It takes time, and as a mom with a husband who doesn't have a typical work week, schedules are almost impossible to work around. So friends don't come too easily as a momma in a new town. I'm thankful that we have a church with a lot of young families and there is always some kind of event going on which makes getting involved and meeting other mom's easier.
Anyways, one of the momma's I've been getting to know hosted a girls night, she has a lovely set up in the back yard with a roomy sectional couch and a fire pit. We had decided we would sit around the fire chatting and making s'mores. Even though we are in the southwest I still love what fall has to offer; cooler weather, fires, and all the fall smells and flavors. I wanted to bring one of my favorite fall flavors to s'mores night, Apple cider. I had never made apple cider before but decided it couldn't be too tricky in a crock pot, so I got to work on it Saturday afternoon.
I started with 8 gala apples cut into fours, I left the skin on and just cut around the core and seeds, and 9 cups of water.
I then added 5 cinnamon sticks, a teaspoon of all spice and 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
That's all! I covered the crock pot and set the temp to high
I let them cook for 2 hours, the apples became tender, I scooped them into a blender and pureed them then added them back into the crock pot. I did this in batches, adding about 2 cups of apples to the blender, puree, add them back to the pot and them scooped about 2 more cups of apples from the crockpot, pureed and added them back.
~when blending anything it works much better to add a little liquid in first, this helps the blades move more freely. I simply took some of the water from the crockpot and poured it into the blender before adding the apples to the blender~
The texture was chunky so I skimmed just a bit off the top (it was applesauce texture) but I didn't strain the cider as I think the pulp makes it taste more home-made.
DELICOUS! I took it to ladies night and they loved it. In fact we are planning on getting together for a s'mores night again soon and I've been asked to bring more apple cider.
Most of you know I love to cook I like creating something new and I so enjoy sharing delicious recipes with others. So, when asked to bring a specific recipe back it's seriously the best complement to me.
This apple cider recipe is definitely a keeper and I look forward to making it again soon!
Apple Cider Recipe
8 Gala Apples
9 cups of water
5 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. of all spice
1/2cup brown sugar
Wash the apples well, cut into 4 sections leaving the skin but cut around the core and seeds, put the apples into a crockpot on high heat, add the water, sugar and spices.
Let cook for 2 hours, puree the tender apples in a blender then add back to the pot.
Cook on low heat another 2-3 hours. Then enjoy!
I hope you all enjoy this delicious apple cider recipe! I especially love when a recipe is easy AND delicious, that is definitely this recipe! Not many ingredients, and minimal effort.
I hope you all have a great week! I have a busy one ahead but hope to still add lots more new posts.
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