Apple Crisp

So after picking a ton of fresh apples, I had to make some apple crisp. Here is the recipe that I use. Warning, it makes a TON of the crumble. I love a ton so this recipe is perfect for me. I got the recipe here.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 2 quarts peeled, cored and sliced apples

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Cut butter into mixture until crumbly.
3. Take half of the mixture and pat it into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. Cover crumb mixture with apple slices, then sprinkle apple slices with remaining crumb mixture.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender.

One thing I noticed is that cooking for this long tends to make the apples more like a chunky sauce (see my picture). It is still good, but the apples are a bit over cooked. I would do it for about 30 minutes and then check it from there to see if the crumble is nice and crisp. 

Applecrest 2011

Every year growing up we always went apple picking at Applecrest in Hampton Falls, NH. I have kept the tradition going and have been taking my kids there every year too. Now I live down the street and tend to go at least once a week in the summer. They have the best homemade maple nut ice cream.

                                      Looking for that perfect tree

                                          Sampling the goods

  
                                Feeding some future socks perhaps?

                   Love this odd looking pumpkin. I couldn't stop touching it. LOL

Cub Scout Bike Rodeo Round Up

This past Saturday Matt's Cub Scout troop gathered to recruit more kids to join Scouts by having a bike rodeo.

We had a Police Officer from out town come and talk to the kids about bike safety. We also had a station set up for bike check-ups and to talk about required gear for biking.

There were also some obstacle courses set up. One was where the kids had to weave in and out of cones to practice control and not speed. Another one was to stay in between two lines that get more narrow as it goes down. Of course Matt had to show off and go super fast while weaving between all the cones. He didn't miss any cones and one parent commented how he must ride his bike a lot. Matt lives on his bike.

Oh and I also got a picture of what looked like a butterfly on crack flying. It ended up being a Praying Mantis. Cool looking guy or girl more than likely. (the guys tend to loose their heads, literally, during mating.)

Happy Birthday Matt

Okay so his birthday was over a week ago now, but I have been busy and have had no time to blog. Anyway, for Matt's birthday I took him out mini golfing. It was a beautiful day. It was at a place near us called Captain's Cove. I even got a hole in one on a par 4! hehe. I took him to lunch at Friendly's (all meals were chosen by the birthday boy) and after we went home where he played video games for the rest of the day while I napped.

Paper that Matt's teacher sent home with him today

Student's should not spend more than ninety minutes per night on homework. The time should be budgeted in the following manner:

Looking for assignment....................................................................15 minutes
Calling a friend for the assignment.....................................................11 minutes
Explaining why the teacher is mean and just does not like children......23 minutes
Going to the bathroom......................................................................8 minutes
Getting a snack.................................................................................10 minutes
Checking the TV Guide.....................................................................7 minutes
Telling parents that the teacher never explained the assignment............6 minutes
Waiting for Mom or Dad to do the assignment....................................10 minutes

Thought it was cute.