25 Random Things

25 random things about myself. It seems a bit narcissistic, but then isn't blogging in general a bit narcissistic? Anyway, it also seemed kind of fun, so here goes:

1. I always have a hard time starting things - I write things one way and then redo them another. I can't seem to just dive in and go without thinking way too hard...
2. .... and i overanalyze things, and re-analyze things....
3. I am not particularly observant of my surroundings. There is a lot of stuff I really just don't notice. (But once I am aware of something you can bet I will find some way to analyze it!
4. Have I mentioned that I am annoyingly analytical?
5. Not a phone person, I really just don't like to talk much on the phone.
6. I love to gather and collect ideas. And I constantly generate ideas. Not so great on the follow thru of many of those ideas.
7. I really enjoy doing jobs like sorting, filing, copying, shredding. You know things you can just veg and do. Plus there is such a sense of accomplishment - you can see your progress.
8. I love learning new things. If i didn't have to worry about time or money i could probably spend the rest of my life taking random classes that interested me. Photography, neurology, economics, astrophysics....
9. I would like to learn to weld.
10. and knit... and crochet (i actually am working on learning to crochet right now)
11. I love all types of food. I love to try new recipes. I like almost every kind of ethnic food i have ever tried. And i am fortunate to have a hubby who is even more adventurous in eating than i am.
12. I have picky kids tho - which really annoys me until i remember that i was once a picky kid, so there is hope.
13. I generally take terrible pictures; something i would like to change.
14. I have visited more foreign countries than I have visited states in the U.S.
15. And I have not visited a foreign country since 1991, so almost 20 years now. This includes Canada, which is really sad because I live in a state that borders Canada!
16. I rarely like to watch any movie a second time. Unless i have completely forgotten it.
17. I quite often find it easier to get in a conversation with a group of guys than a group of girls.
18. I like football and find it interesting, which may be why #17 happens.
19. I have actually taken birdwatching.
20. I seem to collect books, and yet i feel like there are so many i have not read.
21. I would love to have a totally self-sustaining, off-the-grid acreage: chickens, solar panels, woodstove, root cellar, etc. At least i like the idea of such a thing.
22. I am a skeptic and a rarely believe any "new study" unless I can look at the data myself and read about how the study was set up.
23. I debate people all the time in my head. I am learning to say less and less out loud because I am also learning that most people don't like a friendly debate. But it is happening in my head. And I sort of like the debates in my head better anyway - at least I can win those! ( I used to be queen of the yabbuts, where I answer a person, "Yeah, but....." )
24. Underneath it all I am a bit non-conformist, so in the end my list will be something other than 25.

Making Applesauce

Aren't they pretty? I have made applesauce before, but this is the first year I have made it using a strainer attachment for my Kitchen Aid. And let me say that it makes the job MUCH easier. Here is how i did it....

First get yourself some apples. These are from Williamson's Orchards. They sell them by the bushel using bushel baskets, so the weight will vary. I did weigh my baskets though and it worked out to around 30 cents a pound. (One of the problems with posting months after you do something is that little bits of information that i thought were stuck in my "steel-trap brain" have escaped. The trap has sprung...) Anyway, i tried to get a mix of at least two different kinds of apples. Three or more is even better. For some reason with applesauce a mix of apples works best. I don't remember what kinds, another escapee from the trap. Sorry. I will try harder next year. Maybe.


Next you want to wash those puppies real good with dish soap and water. I mean really scrub them. We will not be peeling them and will be cooking them with the skin on, so you really want to get any dirt and pesticide residue off. (Unless you like these things in your applesauce. Who am I to judge?) Since we are cooking with the skins on it probably would be even better to go with organic apples.

Now get a really big pot. I am using a canner here. Put a couple of inches of water on the bottom, 4-6 cinnamon sticks, and then fill the thing up with chopped apples. Just chop the whole apple into 4-8 pieces, depending on how big your apple is. Throw it in, seeds, stems and all. You can also sprinkle in a little lemon juice or fruit fresh at this point to keep the apples from browning too much. But it is totally optional. You are going to cook them right away, so they won't get too brown. Now bring your water to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, and put a lid on. Stir the apples occasionally so that they all get cooked evenly. Keep simmering until they are soft.

While the apples are cooking get yourself all set up. (This is also a good time to make sure you have your canning jars clean and ready to go as well. ) Here is the attachment. It is a Fruit and Vegetable Strainer. I also bought a bigger tray to hold the apples. You will see in a minute. The cool thing about this is that it "poops" out solids I don't want (seeds, skins, etc.) and the applesauce comes out the other side. You can use it to make a bunch of stuff like tomato sauce, hummus, etc. Also if you remove the strainer portion you have a grinder that you can use to grind meats and stuff. So I should use this more than once a year. We will see....

This is how it looks set up.

Now spoon your softened apples onto the tray, turn it on, and push them down the hole with the pusher tool provided. Make sure you do NOT put any cinnamon sticks down the chute. They get stuck in the strainer and will constipate the situation, so to speak. Hypothetically speaking, of course. Not that I would ever do this....

Here is the "poop" of apple skin and seeds that comes out.

Here is the sauce. Now you can taste it and add more sugar or cinnamon if you so desire. To preserve it you would now spoon it into the size canning jar you want and process it in a water bath. For my area applesauce is processed for 30 minutes in a water bath canner for quart jars.

Let's try this again!

Oh look! Last time I posted was in October - and now it is January! Now that is just pathetic! Reading lots of great blogs lately has inspired me to try again - I might even include pictures as well. (Although all my pictures are taken on my sad little point-and-shoot camera that is old, old, old. I went to buy a new rechargable battery for it and the salesman just laughed... they don't sell those batteries any more at normal stores by-the-way. Probably could find one on the web or at a camera store, but not sure if it is worth replacing...) But I digress. I will start again. And so that I don't feel too bad about it I will start with my applesauce making which actually occured in October; so hey, I am keeping the spirit of October alive in the dead of winter! Whatever. Now to choose a person to write in. Part of me feels weird writing like I am talking to someone else, when I know that I am the only one reading this. But to write it like I am talking to myself is just a little too weird. (Not that I don't talk to myself all the time anyway...) And to talk about myself in the third person is even stranger to me, so I guess by default I will stick to the tried and true. Who knows, maybe someday someone else will read this. Although that is a somewhat disturbing thought as well.....