I love toast. I love toast with just butter and a little salt. I love toast with jam, cream cheese, peanut butter, jelly, anything you can smear on toast (within reason) I am a fan of. So it stands to reason that I love apple butter. And I do, I had just never made it before. Because I’m a fool. When will I learn that pretty much everything I love to eat can be made easily at home? It’s a slow lesson, apparently. Maybe that will be my resolution for 2011. Make more delicious food. Hopefully that’s one I can keep.
You may be noticing that some things look different around here. As I promised, b&s is undergoing a face lift. The biggest change, the sidebar, is also the least permanent. While we know we want to move in the handwritten watercolor direction, there is some heavy lifting in Dan’s future to get it the way we want it (and some heavy bribery in my future). As always, feedback you have would be lovely! We’re definitely a few steps closer to the way that I’m envisioning it, which is SO exciting. Yay 2011!
UPDATE: Y’all, I am the luckiest person in the world. Dan pulled a (insert magician name here) and got the sidebar DONE so much faster than ever imagined. It’s perfect, I’m so incredibly happy. I did the watercolors last night (squiggly lines included) and think it adds the perfect… something. I love it. Don’t you?
Apple Butter
{this makes a small batch of apple butter}
4 honeycrisp apples
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Core and cube apples. In a medium size pot combine all ingredients. Simmer until the apples are translucent, about 1 1/2 hours. Use a food processor or immersion blender to puree the apples. Push through a fine mesh sieve.
To preserve:
Sterilize your jars and lids by boiling them for at least ten minutes.
Ladle butter into each jar, leaving about 1/2″ at the top. Wipe the rim of the jar and top with a sterilized lid. Screw on the band and continue until all your jars are filled.
When your jars are filled place them in the hot water bath. Boil them for 15 minutes. Then remove them and, carefully, tighten the lid. As they cool, the jars will make a ping sound which is how you’ll know they’ve sealed.
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