this was a stay-at-home weekend. saturday was gray and raining. sunday was overcast for the most the day. i indulged in some of my favorite pasttimes: cooking and knitting and watching old movies.
i am enjoying the bounty of the harvest
poaching peaches
making apple butter
cooking pumpkin and squash for yummy winter soup
roasting tomatoes
making tons
(well, it seems like tons)
of stewed tomatoes
spaghetti sauce
recipes:
for poached peaches you need 4 large, firm and ripe peaches
1 cup white wine (i am not fussy, i use what is available in my kitchen)
1/2 cup of water
1/3 cup of sugar
1 whole vanilla bean
in large pot go the wine, water, sugar and vanilla bean. mix, heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. add the peaches that have been pitted and sliced and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. wonderful to eat alone. great for breakfast with yogurt. fabulous with ice cream.
for apple butter you need 4 pounds apples (i used large Macs)
3 cups of cider
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
peal, core and quarter the apples and add them with cider and butter to a large oven proof pot. simmer quietly for 30 minutes then run through your food processor before returning to the pot and a pre-heated oven at 250 degrees for 7 to 8 hours. oh yum yum yum on toast, muffins, ice cream, with yogurt, in cake recipes. and the entire house is perfumed by the fragrance. important note: you must give the apples a stir at least every 30 minutes and more at the end so the potential apple butter doesn't turn to .... well i guess you can imagine
3 cups of cider
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
peal, core and quarter the apples and add them with cider and butter to a large oven proof pot. simmer quietly for 30 minutes then run through your food processor before returning to the pot and a pre-heated oven at 250 degrees for 7 to 8 hours. oh yum yum yum on toast, muffins, ice cream, with yogurt, in cake recipes. and the entire house is perfumed by the fragrance. important note: you must give the apples a stir at least every 30 minutes and more at the end so the potential apple butter doesn't turn to .... well i guess you can imagine
for winter soup you need one squash ( i used butternut)
a pumpkin
2 cups chopped onions
3 cups chicken broth (best if home made)
cream
seasoning to taste
garnish
peel and chop the squash and pumpkin and add to large pot with onion and chicken broth to large heavy pot. cook for several hours on a low heat. run through the food processor for silky smooth soup and return to pot. slowly add cream and seasoning. i used salt, pepper, a tad bit of nutmeg. for garnish i used home made croutons from a good bread
what old movies? well, Funny Girl on saturday night after a late feast of apples and onions baked with pork and cognac --- you probably know it wasn't the first time for that film; and on sunday afternoon while the apples became butter and my reynolds 'smile' yarn was becoming a purse, i watched Notting Hill but that was the first viewing
photos taken at Cape Porpoise, Maine
one of our favorite places in any season
