Bad Apples

Well, I don't know about you, but right about now I'd give one of my kids away (JK!) for some local fresh fruit!  For those of you that live in the Spokane area, you know that we have an abundance of amazing fruit within miles of our homes, and we can't wait to going U-Picking!  Apples, Peaches, Raspberries...Strawberries....Plums!  (I'm drooling) ...but
FRESH is what I want!

I try my hardest to live within a food budget yet provide fresh fruit & veggies.  Apples are on the top of the list around here, everyone likes them, but I'm TIRED of spending the money the Lord has given us, only to bring the food home and it turns out nasty, old & taste-less.  (Did you know that most apples in the grocery store are last years apples!  Kept at a specific temperature to stop their natural enzyme process)

So what do you do with those sub-par apples?  Throw them out?  I say NO WAY!  Turn them into CAKE!

3 cups grated/shredded Apple, Zucchini, or Carrots.  Cleaned of course but leave the peel on.
In a bowl sift together the following:
1 cup of white flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
In the bowl of your mixer beat the following till incorporated:
4 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
2 "cups" of applesauce. NOT cups as in measuring cups, but those little snack/travel cups of applesauce.  Any flavor.

Add grated veggie/fruit (a combo would work great too...I think I'll try that next!) to the wet ingredients and give a spind to blend.  Add flour mixture and blend only until all ingredients are incoporated.  DON'T over beat.
Grease/spray a glass 9 X 13 baking dish.  Preheat oven to 350.  Pour batter into dish.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Turn down oven to 300 and bake an additional 5 minutes.  Check for doneness with a toothpick.  Bake in 5 minute incruments until cake is done.
This cake can be very moist depending on the water content of the fruit/veggies.  Make sure you actually poke through the top crust to make sure the cake is done.  You are looking for a nice "crumb", not complete dryness, with no "goo"  ~enjoy~

What's that saying...."That 1 bad apple spoils the whole bunch"...well, I say...
"Approximately 4 not-so-good apples make for one TERRIFIC CAKE!"
PS We eat this for breakfast! 

Pot o' Gold at Rainbows End

I made these for the kids to help them celebrate St. Patricks Day in a sweet way!

On to State!

http://www.idodi.org/
Destination Imagination

Regional 2nd Place D.I.- Bot Team!

Snow White

These are photos of a bouquet of flowers Dave bought me to say "I LOVE YOU!" in December.  One morning the sunlight was gleaming through our kitchen window and I just couldn't help but grab the camera and take a whole bunch of pictures.  I hope you enjoy them.

He buys me flowers from the Davenport Hotel Florist Shop.  They are very reasonable prices and they are the only place he's ever purchased flowers from that last more than a couple days.  I had this bouquet for at least two weeks-minus a couple that died, but the majority of the flowers lasted quite some time.  I should also mention that this bouquet was 2 1/2 feet tall!