Homemade Ready

Apple butter is one of my favorite treats for fall. I make a batch every year like clockwork, using my slow cooker to make it easy, and to avoid standing at the hot stove stirring for several hours. This year, however, I have found a way to make it even easier . This recipe still uses a slow cooker to do all of the work, however, instead of peeling and chopping all of the apples myself, I start with a big jar of prepared applesauce. I know, I know, it isn’t 100% from-scratch, and not peeling and chopping those apples somehow seems like a bit of a cheat, but trust me, this shortcut is downright practical when you are short on time or energy. Normally, I make an event out of picking up some fall apples to make apple butter, and also pie filling. This month, however, life was just not going to let that happen. It's just been one of those times when I’ve been really busy, and lots of other, more important things have needed my attention. That’s just the way life is sometimes. I...

"Wild is the music of autumnal winds Amongst the faded woods." ~William Wordsworth Mushrooms and leeks are essential, but often overlooked, fall flavors. There is something about mushrooms, with their woodsy, earthiness that just seems to taste like fall. To be clear, I’m not talking about the bright, cheerful aspect of fall in all of its orange and gold flamboyancy. For me, mushrooms make me think of something more dark, mysterious and wild, like a fall day in a dark forest. They are most plentiful at end of the harvest season, in the space between the delight of Indian summer, and the merriment of the winter holidays. In my mind, mushrooms conjure an image of days long ago – thatched cottages and chimney smoke, homemade mead and bonfires to ward off the darkness of the long nights ahead. Although, many wild mushrooms are plentiful in the fall (with the exception of morels), I am not one of those fearless souls who is able to forage for their own...