Joy in the Kitchen!

One of our families favorite activities in the fall is pressing apple cider!  We have several apple trees, all different varieties.  This year our two heaviest bearing trees were our Gala and Honey Crisp trees.  Honey Crisp is one of my favorite apples!  So sweet!   Cider seems to taste best if it comes from a mixed variety of apples so in this small batch we used from the Gala, Honey Crisp, and a few Jonathan's.  It was perfect!    We only took time to press 7 1/2 gallons on this particular day but we plan to have at least one more cider pressing day this fall.  I usually just fill plastic jugs and freeze them to use later, though once in a while I'll water bath can some of it in quarts. Here are a few pictures from our little family day! Here are our amazing apple washers!  They washed a few bushel of apples. They did end up pretty wet themselves. Once the apples are washed we cut them into 1/4th or 8th's depending on how large the apple is. Some

There's nothing that fancies up a soup like serving it in a bread bowl!  Thickened soups work best in my opinion, but any hearty soup will work great.   I just used my favorite French Bread recipe for the dough and divided it into 6 bowls.  I thought they were just about the right size.  Tonight we filled them with Cream of Potato soup topped with cheese. Mix up a batch of the dough - you can find the recipe HERE.   Be sure the dough is nice and firm - not sticky at all.  Divide into 6 pieces.  Shape into a nice, round roll and place on a greased cookie sheet several inches apart. (I did 3 bowls per cookie sheet)  Let rise until doubled and bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned.   Let cool enough to handle.   Slice off top and pull out enough of the bread inside to make room for the soup.   These will freeze fine for a few weeks if you need to make them ahead. Bread Bowls are also a fun way to serve savory dips.

We love muffins!  Once in a while, for special occasions, we make these delightful French Puffs.  They are moist, tender, and just melt in your mouth.  Mmmmm!  This morning we are watching the LDS General Conference on T.V.  My kids tell me these muffins are tradition for conference mornings!  (Often, "tradition" means that we did something once and they liked it so we should do it again. )  The main recipe is in my old Betty Crocker Cookbook I got when I was married.  The cover is gone and pages wrinkled, stained, and torn, but the tried and true recipes in it are still legible.  Give these wonderful treats a try!  They are so easy and elegant! French Puffs 1 egg 3/4 C. milk 1/2 C. oil 2 C. flour 1/3 C. sugar 3 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt Heat oven to 400°.  Grease a tin for 12 muffins.  Beat egg,  milk, and oil.   Stir in remaining ingredients all at once just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy)  Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.  Bake until