Apple Hand Pies

I'm working on this recipe, they seem to be a hit so far. The photo was taken before the paper towel removal of the excess oil. Afterwards, I used a quick glaze on both sides. 

    

They're disappearing fairly quickly, so I am also considering making other fillings. The first sets are apple, similar to my chunky apple sauce. I'm considering a pecan pie filling next for my favorite tester ever. It's his favorite. Then cherry if I get my hands on some good ones.

Happy Baking, Heather

Chicken Soup Recipe

A couple of weeks ago, I made chicken & rice soup, inspired by a childhood favorite series that included Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak. My brother and I memorized the Pierre book and used to recite it with fabulous voices ad nauseam. I'll save this topic for another day, but freely admit I'm a bit obsessed with children's literature. I became a collector of vintage story books when I was pregnant with my first born. 

I'm making large batches of our favorite soups to help fill the deep freezer as I find deals at the market. The family loves chicken noodle soup. I hope to keep building up the stockpile over the next couple of months before I get busy with the garden and sewing. This is the recipe I've used, updating it to meet our needs. I hope you like it! 

Chicken & Rice (or Noodle) Soup

1 whole chicken, frozen (less time if it's fresh or thawed)

8 c chicken stock

1/2 onion 

2-3 large carrots, peeled and cut into slices or diced

Rice/Egg Noodles cooked separately, added before serving and freezing. 

Add herbs to taste: 

2 bay leaves

garlic

thyme

parsley

onion powder

chicken soup starter/bouillon

celery seed or powder, whichever you have on hand

Leftover white rice (already cooked) or egg noodles: Fully cooked rice, served separately to control carbohydrate counts or added when the soup is finished cooking. I probably had about 4 cups of cooked rice last batch and used a whole package of wide egg noodles for this version today. 

Sauté onions if you’d like to keep them in the soup. You can substitute with diced onions directly in the pressure cooker or cut 1/2 onion and place in soup pot, removing before serving.

Combine everything except your already cooked rice OR egg noodles - add either before serving/freezing. If utilizing a crockpot, slow cook 8+ hours, Crockpot XL Pressure Cooker on high poultry for 1 hour and about 10-20 minutes (depending on the size of the whole chicken), or on the stove in a large soup pot (stock pot) for several hours. Remove whole chicken and shred, returning it to the crockpot or stock pot and cook on low about 10 minutes longer; this can be done on the slow cooker function or in your stock pot. 

I hope to return to the sewing room when the cabinets are finished and the countertops are reinforced. Hang in there with me, I've had Jane on my mind and am planning to put her together sometime soon. 

All my best,

Heather

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, readers! I hope that you had a beautiful day & invested in some self care in addition to taking care of your loved ones. 

Sending my very best, 

Heather

Warm Welcome, Singaporeans!

Good afternoon, Singaporeans! I'm thrilled to see your massive and recent activity on the blog. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance at heather lint 02 (zero two) @ hotmail dot com.

Welcome and best wishes, 
Heather

Apple Crisp

Apple crisp is cooling on the stove and it smells divine. I had some small apples on hand and another bag already sliced in the freezer. I've been trying to bake some extras for the freezer or friends the past couple weeks. Sitting to cook is less than ideal, but I'm making it work with my helpers. I initially planned to make some homemade apple sauce but it's been so long since we've had an apple pie, crumble, or crisp.

It tastes best completely cooled. It will be even better tomorrow for breakfast with some coffee, I'm sure. I hope you're having a relaxing Sunday and enjoying some simple, joyful activities. 

Happy baking, Heather