It’s time for our Blogger C.L.U.E. Society monthly post and I’m very happy to tell you that this month, I have two recipes in one post because there were so many fabulous recipes on Eliot’s Eats, I could not pick just one. You see, I found Eliot’s Eats through a mutual friend; Chocolate Chip Uru from Go Bake Yourself. Funny how someone in Australia introduced fellow Okies! When I was given Eliot’s Eats for the month of December and then told to find a recipe my grandmother would have made I had so many recipes running around in my head I got dizzy. I’ve been reading EE for several years (you should too!) so I know several recipes that my Nana would have made so I had to start narrowing it down a bit finally settling on a recipe Nana was famous for but until I read EE’s recipe, I was never able to replicate and another that my great-aunt John (Nana’s baby sister) made for the family leaving the recipe only to my mother who would not share the recipe and then seems to have lost. I can’t wait to share both of them with you.
First, is Grandma’s Apple Butter and I was skimming the recipe for anything different than I put into mine besides cinnamon because Nana was very famous for her apple butter and it is Top Girl’s favorite thing to put on biscuits but the recipe was lost when Nana passed away. No one thought to ask her for it! I’ve made it many times and it’s always good – just apples, no cinnamon or nutmeg or any other spice – but it never quite tasted right and the texture was off just a little bit. Reading EE’s grandma’s recipe I saw an ingredient I would have never thought to put in but now that it is done and I have eaten some, I know that is what it was missing all these years! So thanks my friend for helping me reclaim an old family favorite. I cut the recipe in half because I just had one bag of apples. I will be making pork ribs on the grill on the weekend if it doesn’t rain and I am going to use this apple butter to baste the ribs with – won’t that be delicious?!?!
Here’s what you will need:
8 Cups of apple pulp
½ Cup Vinegar (I used apple cider)
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
4 Cups sugar
Directions:
Wash those apples well and cut them up – I core and slice them using one of those kitchen gadgets.
Throw in all the apples – even the core and leave the peels on and cover the bottom of pan with water.
Simmer until the fruit is soft and mushy then push through a sieve or use a food mill or Chinois – that will take care of the peels, stems and seeds.
You will need 8 cups of pulp in a sauce pan and add all the rest of the ingredients.
Bring to a boil stirring constantly and then turn down to a low simmer.
This is how it looked when I started:
This is how it looked when I finished:
It should not be watery at all – that should have cooked out and it will be a smooth and thick.
Ladle into jars (I got 6 half pints) and then place in a water bath for 10 minutes.
Set the hot jars in a draft free place for 24 hours making sure the flat lids are sealed.
Doesn’t it look incredibly delicious?
We are supposed to highlight our own grandmother’s recipes here but most ALL my recipes are my Nana’s or grandmother’s or Aunt’s or some family members so I thought I would highlight another of EE’s recipes here – the reason is because it works incredibly well, is easy, cheap, and it makes GREAT Christmas presents! I have made several batches of DIY Body Lotion using the smaller bottles to go in the treat tins I am making for mother to give to all her Lady Posse’ in the senior apartment complex. If you spend more than you should at Bath & Body Works like I used to, then this recipe is for you!
Here’s what you will need:
8 oz. of Vitamin E Cream – $3.78
13 oz. container of Vaseline – $2.00
15 oz. container of nighttime calming baby lotion – $2.00
Small plastic containers to put extra lotion in – $2.00
Total: $10.00 (tax included) at Dollar General Stores
Directions:
Put everything in a bowl and mix it up until creamy. I used my stand mixer and the whisk beater.
Peel the labels off everything you can, wash out the containers and allow them to dry.
Refill the containers using a funnel. Here’s the trick: put the funnel in the top, spoon some lotion in and then gently squeeze the container until it blows air through the lotion in the funnel. When it retracts, it will suck the lotion into the container! If you need a little extra help, heat it up in the microwave for about 20 seconds. That will make it easier to go down through the funnel.
Once they are all filled, clean up the outside and allow them to dry. You can put cute labels on like I have here from Free Pretty Things for You. Rocket thought some of his Spiderman stickers would look good on the small ones so we put those on too. 10 presents for $10 is a pretty darn good return for your money and it honestly took very little time.
Check out all of the Blogger C.L.U.E Society posts to find all kinds of retro recipes today. Just click on the links below. Be sure to check our Eliot’s Eats for some really great recipes too!
- Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Kate from Kate is Cooking
- Christiane from Taking on Magazines
- Debra from Eliot’s Eats
- Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
- Ramona from Curry and Comfort
- Janet from From Cupcakes to Caviar
- Christy from Culinary Diva
- Alice from A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen
- Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
- Kelli from Kelli’s Kitchen
- Kim from Liv Life
- Susan from Create Amazing Meals
- Aly from Cooking in Stilettos
- Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
- Kathy from Bakeaway with Me
- Anna from Anna Dishes
- Stacy from Food Lust People Love
- Wendy from A Day in the Life On a Farm
- Jean from Lemons and Anchovies
