February 12
Here is a cute Valentine's Day take on Caprese Salad. You will need a small heart shaped cookie...
It's apple season and that means it's a good time to make apple butter. This apple butter recipe is great to make over the weekend since it requires about 8 hours in a slow cooker. I like to start the process early Sunday morning and just let it be, so that way I can catch-up on whatever tasks that I didn't get to during the week. Three apple varieties are in this apple butter: Gala, Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp, but any apple variety may used. The cinnamon pear balsamic vinegar gives it a nice, subtle cinnamon balsamic flavor without it tasting like vinegar. You may also substitute any type of balsamic.
What you'll need:
6 pounds of apples (I used Gala, Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup So Olive Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Here's how:
Peel and core the apples. Cut the apples in medium sized cubes, and then toss them in a slow cooker. In a bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Then pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix. Place lid on the slow cooker and set it on low. In between, check on the apples and stir it a bit, allowing it to cook for about 8 hours or until apples are softened. After the apples are soft, grab an immersion blender, and blend the apples until smooth. If needed, cook for another half an hour. Then turn the slow cooker off and allow the apple butter to cool. Once cooled, put it in a container to freeze or refrigerate it to be consumed within a week. Enjoy with a warm buttery biscuit.
