Venison Tomato Sauce

I think I was Italian in another life.  I love Italy and I love Italian food.  Pasta, tomatoes, cheese, wine:  what gets better than that?

But, for my affection for all things Italian, there is a scarcity of Italian dishes on this blog.  Not because T and I aren’t cooking Italian food, but because Italian nights always become a flurry of a little of this, a pinch of that, maybe three shakes of this one because we haven’t used it in a while.  By the time we’re relaxing, quite content after an amazing meal, we couldn’t recreate the dish a second time ourselves, let alone write a recipe down.  We do like it that way, it keeps things interesting and always just to our tastes at the moment, but this time, we decided it was high time to record one of the dishes.

PB and J Cookies

A while back, T and I attempted to make grape jelly. For a first attempt, it turned out ok, but it was nothing to write home about – not enough flavor and all the wrong consistency.  We’ve been able to doctor that first batch enough that it’s edible and actually resembles grape jelly, but we’ve still got way too much of a grape-jelly-esque substance for us to power through. (Not to mention that I don’t think either of us are large grape jelly fans in the first place.  What compelled us initially to make grape jelly, I’ll never know. It was probably a “Can we really do that?” type mentality.)

So, we’ve been trying to incorporate the grape jelly into baked goods as much as possible to use it up. One idea that has been on our minds for a while was these Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint cookies. Think your traditional jam thumbprint cookies, mixed with your favorite peanut butter cookie.  It’s like a bite sized pb and j. Yum!

How would you use up excess grape jelly? We’re still in search of new ideas! (The jar in the picture is only the first!)

Slow Cooker Cinnamon Apple Sauce

I love apple season.  I take that back, I love fall harvest season in general.  Apples, pears, pumpkin and other squash grace the table, while leaves crunch underfoot wherever you walk and the air is thick with the smell of the changing seasons.  It’s the perfect time for a bowl of fresh apple sauce.

I am a bit particular when it comes to my apple sauce.  Some like it smooth and bright, with a refreshing taste of apples. Me on the other hand, I prefer chunky, cinnamon-spice goodness, piping hot and possibly with a smattering of plump raisins.

It’s all personal preference, but I consider this recipe apple sauce heaven.  It is divinely spicy and comforting when warmed, but still a great fall treat when cold.  And the best thing is that after pealing and chopping the apples, you can forget about it for a while and come back to a bowl of steaming goodness.

Slow Cooker Cinnamon Apple Sauce

Yields 5 c apple sauce

Ingredients
9 large Macintosh apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (about 12 c)
½ c water
2 cinnamon sticks
½ c white sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
½ Tbsp lemon juice

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a 3.5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours.

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I’m sending this crock pot recipe to My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats‘ Holiday Recipe Exchange. This week’s exchange is sponsored by West Bend. Check out the links and come join the fun!

What does your sandwich say about you?

It is a creative expression of taste and nutrition that makes your co-workers jealous, or are you stuck in a meat and cheese rut that makes you wish you had gone out for lunch?  Ok, maybe that’s taking things too far.  It’s just lunch, right?

Sandwiches tend to be the staple of my brown bag lunches at work.  It’s all to easy to throw some meat and cheese between two pieces of bread and call it lunch.  But after a while, I get quite bored, and I’ll do pretty crazy things to break up the monotony.  (A summer squash sandwich on homemade honey oat bread… why not!)

As a tribute to Food Network’s Brown Bag challenge and Family Fresh Cooking’s Project Lunch Box, I’ve put together some of my favorite ways to shake up my sandwich routine.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

My family was in town this past week, which gave T and I the perfect opportunity to try a dish we’ve been talking about doing for a while – pulled pork. We wanted a recipe for the crock pot that let you make your own barbeque sauce, and came across a recipe from Maria and Josh over at Two Peas & Their Pod.

I was hoping to have a post about home-made hamburger buns to go along with the pork, but the buns over-rose and turned into a hockey puck failure. which required a run to the bakery for something worthy of the amazing smells coming from the crock pot.

The pork, however, turned out great. The BBQ sauce seems a bit spicy alone, but is perfectly sweet and tangy once cooked with the pork. It’s a great, easy recipe for a crowd. I love that you can just set it and let the slow cooker work it’s magic. This recipe is definitely one I can see myself making often.

Head on over to Two Peas & Their Pod to check out their Pulled Pork Sandwich recipe.

I’m posting this for the Brown Bag Challenge because the pork worked perfectly packed in a Tupperware to reheat at lunchtime at work. Just bring yourself a bun, and you’ve got a great hot meal, the smell of which will make your co-workers jealous.

I’m teaming up with fellow food bloggers for a Brown-Bag Challenge, a month-long initiative to eat consciously and save money by packing a lunch instead of eating out. Join us and share what you’re eating.