Apple New Year: Apple and Honey Nachos

This year was the most successful apple picking adventure to date.

What made it so successful?  Two things:

1) The weather.  This was the first year ever the weather wasn't unbearably hot.  It actually felt like fall! It was even cool enough that the boys had to wear jackets.

2) The fruit was bountiful.  We had no problem filling up our bags with pears and apples.

That's right, pears AND apples.  We headed to our favorite orchard which has both.  Thatboy is obsessed with the pears.

Thatbaby also told me he was glad we came, because apparently he didn't know he liked pears.  Now he knows he loves the yellow ones.

One of the nicest things about this apple picking trip was that we did it the day before Rosh Hashanna, the Jewish New Year.  One of the holiday traditions is to have apples with honey, so this felt especially special.  And we got to have our own freshly picked apples with our honey.

I also made a special apple and honey dish for the family to share with our Rosh Hashanna supper - apple and honey nachos.  Apples sliced thin serve as a chip substitute and the toppings?  Well just like real nachos they're very customizable.  I drizzled honey and peanut butter over the apples and then added my own form of "salsa" - strawberries!  But you could use chocolate, caramel, or berry of your choice.

Apple and Honey Nachos

2 apples, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp peanut butter

1 cup strawberries, diced

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

1.  Arrange sliced apples on a plate and drizzle with honey.
2.  Heat peanut butter in microwave until it's soft and drizzle over the apples.
3. Top with strawberries and chocolate chips.

A Viking We Will Go: Swedish Limpa

First off, I just need to acknowledge TODAY IS THATKID'S BIRTHDAY!  He's officially 8 years old, which, whew - we made it through another year!  We've got big birthday plans this weekend, so I'll hold off on an update until then. 

For now, I invite you to join me as we step back in time.

Way back.

To the time of the vikings.

See, last year Thatbaby was obsessed with a Frozen Night Before Christmas book.  In the book, Olaf narrates, and one of the things he talks about is leaving krumkake out for Santa.  Thatbaby was dying to try krumkake - a rolled cookie filled with cream.  We spent much of our Christmas break looking for one, and were fruitless.  But in my research I learned there was a viking festival closer to home that had some.  So I kept my eyes open for the Viking Festival and when I got the date, I packed us up and we headed out.

Krumkake success!

We also got to tour a viking settlement and see how the other half slept.

Thatkid and I read a lot of Norse Mythology over the past year, so it was really fun to see it come to life in the form of a puppet show.

And what would any good festival be without the feats of strength and courage.  The boys could have sat around and watched the fights all day.

Especially since they got to make their own swords and shields.

One of the re-enactors taught the kids how to play Hnefatafl, or Viking Chess.  While they played, his girlfriend pointed out to me "the most expensive bread you'll ever buy."  I asked her if it was worth it, and she said no.  I asked her what made it so special, and she told me it was because it was handmade.  Well friends, I can make my own bread.  And I often do.  I found a recipe for "Swedish Limpa" from James Beard and decided that this is probably very similar to "Viking Bread."  It's a rye bread, with flavors of orange and cardamom.  It's hearty, to stand up to time on a ship, or cold Nordic winters.  Maybe with some krumkake.

Swedish Limpa (by James Beard)

2 pkgs active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp finely chopped candied orange peel

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 1/2 cups rye flour

2 1/2 cups flour

1. Proof the yeast in the warm water with the sugar.
2. Combine molasses, melted butter, salt, orange peel, cardamom, 1 cup of rye flour and 1 cup of flour in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.  
3. Add yeast mixture and continue to blend until the dough is a smooth paste.
4. Gradually beat in the remaining flours and knead until smooth.
5. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
6. Divide into 2 parts and shape into oval loaves.  Place on a greased cookie sheet and let rise another hour until doubled in bulk.
7. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

You Can Go Back Again: Pittsburgh Hoagie

So, for those of you who aren't aware, I grew up in an impossibly small, western Pennsylvanian town.  So small, that it was big news when the Walmart moved in. 

When I was 15, we moved to California, a hyper suburban town that literally changed the flowers in city-wide planters every 3 months to keep them fresh and seasonal.  Because of this, Thatboy has always considered me a suburban princess, which is annoying since that's never been how I viewed myself.  I've always vowed to take him the middle of nowhere where I grew up, and this year, when a reunion for the high school I never actually graduated from presented itself, I thought it would be a great chance to show my family how different things were when I was growing up.

We started the trip in Pittsburgh - the nearest airport to the town.  Since it's still a good drive away, I decided we should stay the night and do some exploring of Pittsburgh before heading to my hometown - hopefully timing our drive with a naptime for Thatbaby.

We started out with the Pittsburgh Children's Museum, which I knew would be a big hit with ALL my boys.

Y'all know about my love of all things Henson, right?

We even managed to see the Eric Carle exhibit which was supposed to be over the weekend before we got there. 

I took them on a tour of the city via the Gateway Clipper - something my schools had done with our classes back when I was a kid.

And I knew we had to get them to the top of Mt. Washington via the Dusquene Incline - a trolley that goes up the side of the mountain and upon which Mr. Roger's trolley to the land of imagination was based.

And there was some run-around time at Point State Park fountain.

Our timing was great, because both boys slept almost the whole way to my little town.  Thatboy and I had a great time at my reunion, catching up with some really old friends (like friends I'd known since 2nd grade- they're not old!)

And I gave them a very thorough tour of my town.  It's the birthplace of Jimmy Stewart, so there's Stewart memorabilia everywhere.

Thatboy's favorite is that every street crossing on our main street is Jimmy Stewart's "voice" (it's not really him) telling you to cross.

The kids loved the stairs up to Jimmy Stewart's boyhood home.

View from the top

I took them to the north part of the county, which is where the large Amish population resides and they got a kick out of seeing kids their age in horses and buggies.  The town was having an apple festival complete with some civil war re-enactments.  

There are two main parks my family used to spend time at.  I gave Thatboy some background info and he picked one of them where we let the boys run around, play on the playground, skip rocks, look for turtles, and tadpoles.

When I was trying to figure out what to do with my family for such a long time in such a small town, I stumbled across the fact that there are 4 covered bridges in the county.  When I mentioned it to Thatboy, he was very interested in seeing them.  This was another great nap-time drive for Thatbaby.

One of my friends from waaaay back in elementary school also discovered earlier this summer that 20 miles from town was a WATERFALL!  So we had to make that trek also.

The land was owned by Fred McFeely, grandfather to Mr. Rogers.  And apparently little Fred used to climb over the walls and hang out before the waterfall when he was a child.

So we headed back behind the waterfall too.

When my friend went in June, the falls were much fuller, but it was still pretty cool in September.

And of course, I had to share my childhood favorite foods with them.  Like the frozen custard place that's only open in the summer.

Or Eat 'N Park

Thatkid loved the sandwiches.  He says his favorite part of the trip was Ninth Street Deli - the little corner deli my friends and I used to go and get hoagies from.  He also loved Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh.

Primanti brothers is known for their interesting "toppings" for the sandwiches.  Each sandwich comes with tomatoes, coleslaw, and french fries.

My only complaint about Primanti Brothers is that I'm not terribly impressed with the white bread the sandwiches come on.  Once we got home, I decided to combine Thatkid's two favorites - hoagies and Primanti Bros, into one killer sandwich - a corned beef hoagie topped with french fries, tomatoes, and coleslaw.

Pittsburgh Hoagie

1lb corned beef, sliced

4 oz  Irish cheddar cheese, sliced

1 cup french fries

1 tomato, sliced

1 cup coleslaw

4 hoagie rolls

1. Slice hoagie rolls in half.  On each roll, layer 1/4 lb corned beef, 1 oz cheese, 1/4 cup french fries, 1/4 of the tomato, and 1/4 cup of coleslaw.