Erin's Day Off!

Today was my last day off in at least the next two weeks as I have class M-F and work Friday, Saturday, Sunday for the next two weekends.

But today was a day well spent!

I went to the farmers market this morning and got some fresh cider (the boy helping at the stand informed me it was pressed last night) and some apples from a local orchard.

So when I got home I crock-potted some Hot Spiced Cider!

I used the recipe I found at simplebites.net, with a few of my own alterations (that I went ahead and compensated for in my list of ingredients).

Ingredients

• 12 cups fresh apple cider
• 1/2 cup raw cane sugar
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• spoonful of whole cloves
• spoonful of star anise
• 1 small chunk, about 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and sliced in to no more than 3 pieces.
• 1 sliced lemon
• 2l bay leaves
• spoonful of whole black peppercorns

I then ignored the rest of simplebites' directions and threw everything into a crockpot and set it on low. It's been happily making my apartment smell awesome all day!

To serve, I scooped the cider into a teapot Grandma Laura gave me (it's got an awesome strainer so no one drinks any cloves or peppercorns) and added a splash of spiced rum.

IT'S DELICIOUS

my crockpot cider

I also took some Jonathan apples and cubed them up and made "Apple Enchiladas", I found the idea on pinterest, but again, took the recipe into my own hands. Instead of cinnamon sugar and butter I made my caramel apple dumpling sauce.

I chopped up a red onion (also purchased at the farmers market) and a cucumber and made a super yummy cucumber salad and also this potato bake!

But instead of pancetta (not 100% sure what that is?) I used bacon. THIS bacon! This PERFECTLY COOKED BACON!
This is a big deal because I normally burn the bacon. Or at least part of it.

PERFECT BACON!!

I also, again pinterest, learned a way to make My Own photo canvases! I tested it out on a couple cheap canvases I got at walmart. I painted the edges black to match the vast majority of my framed pictures, then modge-podged my photo prints on, let that dry, trimmed the pictures up (the rectangular one is an 8x10 photo on an 8x10 canvas, yet there was still a little overhang. Clearly walmart is lying to me about one or the other.) Then I modge-podged over the top, let it dry, and touched up the sides in black again.  

I like how they came out.