A few weeks ago, I got a coupon from Earth Fare for a FREE 3 lb. bag of (my favorite) honey crisp apples.  Obviously I wasn’t going to miss out on such an awesome deal, but I had just bought a 5 lb. bag of honey crisps at Trader Joe’s the day before.  Rather than miss out on 3 lbs. of free apples, I got them anyways and figured I’d find some way to use them.

Fast forward about three weeks, and there are still apples left.  Apples that I might add, are starting to look a wee bit past their prime.  What to with apples that are on their way out?  APPLESAUCE!

So tonight, I made a quick and easy dinner, centered around delicious homemade applesauce.  I started by quartering all the apples, and dicing them into large cubes.

Next they went into my rice cooker (aka the wonder machine) pot, and I added a splash of light apple juice so that they would have some cooking liquid.

Added a touch of cinnamon, and gave it a good stir…

And popped it into the Zojirushi!  Have I not written a post about this bad boy yet?  It is the appliance that has single-handedly transformed my meals, and oatmeal.  Post to come – soon – I promise.  Set it to regular cooking, and hit GO!

Abut 40 minutes later I had this…

And that is not bad picture quality – that is piping hot STEAM!  Soooo delicious and gooey – I left the skins on to give it some texture (and fiber!), and tried to not over-stir to leave the applesauce a bit chunky. 

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, piping hot homemade honey crisp applesauce, served with simple maple roasted carrots, and my favorite baked tofu.  (And a tiny bit of leftover lentils from last night.)

All together, made a super fast, completely easy, and totally satisfying dinner out of kitchen leftovers (lentils and apples) and pantry staples (carrots and tofu).

YUM!

I’ve never been a big fan of waiting.  I also hate surprises.  I think the two go hand in hand.  Once I know something is up, I have to know what it is immediately – patience is not my strong suit.

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been complaining about my old camera for some time now, so I practically jumped around the room when Casey told me that his parents wanted to get me a new one for Christmas.  Even better, they were going to get it for me in Indianapolis and not make me wait until Christmas – hurrah!  I spent days and days on end reading Consumer Reports, photo blogs, customer reviews, etc. – trying to find the perfect camera for me.

First I debated camera style – SLR or point and shoot?  To be honest, I really want both, but ultimately I decided that I really good point and shoot would be best for now, until I learn more about the SLR’s and how to use them.  My plan is to save up for one throughout the year, and think about it again down the road.  One decision down, many to go.  Decisions are also not a strong suit…

In researching point & shoots, I found two that I liked, the Canon Powershot G11 and the Canon Powershot SX120 – different levels of features, and different levels in price.  After showing them both to Tina, she suggested I go with the higher level camera, and we’d call it a Christmas/Birthday present – SOLD! 

Blog world, I present to you, the Canon Powershot G11, arguably the most advanced point & shoot camera in the market today…

I took these pictures in the mirror, since I couldn’t bear to go back to the Casio once I started with the G11 – so pardon the backwards camera and mirror reflection!  It has a million features I won’t list and bore you with, but one of my favorites is that it has manual controls as well as automatic settings.

As soon as I got it, Casey and I went to Starbucks where I ran around taking pictures of everything in sight…

When we got home, I chased Bugs and Ruthie around the house with my new camera.  They were very patient (and photogenic!) models…

This camera gets so much more detail than I’ve ever been able to capture before.  I can’t wait to get home and get cooking so I can post some great FOOD photos!

I couldn’t believe I was even able to focus in on Casey’s ring inscription – so cool!

It take super wide screen shots too…

As I’m sure you can tell, I am sooooo excited for this wonderful early gift, and even more excited that I don’t have to wait for it!  Thank you thank you Tina and Eddie! 

Welcome G11, I’ve been waiting for you…

I got to Indianapolis Wednesday afternoon just as Casey’s plane landed – perfect timing!  Having spent almost an entire week apart, I was beyond excited to see him.  I picked him up and headed to Tina and Eddie’s (Casey’s parents) for Thanksgiving visits – round two!  We haven’t been back to Indy since Labor Day, so we were greeted with warm welcomes from Tina and Eddie, and of course Buggie and Ruthie…

It is such a change to go from my mom’s house of a million cats and little yappy Bosley, to Indianapolis, home of the 100+ pound German Shepherd and Rottweiler!  For anyone who says they are scared of big dogs, or thinks certain breeds of dogs (errr, such as these…) are dangerous or scary, I personally invite you to the Malone house.  You will never meet two bigger (literally) babies in your life – such sweeties!

Things to be grateful for – a week-long pass to Tina and Eddie’s gym in Indianapolis – THANK YOU!  I would have felt like such a lazy lump if I had been here for four days with no workouts.  In Cincinnati, I’ve run the Thanksgiving Day 10k every year (as evidenced by my festive shirt!), so since we were in Indy this year, we headed to the gym to create out own pre-feast workout. 

I felt soooo much better after a good long weight set and 45 minutes in the elliptical.  We were ready to head home and get our cook on!  After going over the menu the night before, I realized there was no cranberry dish, so I offered to make one (since cranberries are my favorite!).  I browsed the blog world for a few minutes, and decided that Meghann’s  cranberry sauce looked good, so I used the same recipe – Apple Orange Cranberry Sauce from Williams-Sonoma.  Thank you, Meghann – it turned out DELICIOUS!

Meanwhile, my mom and Sarah arrived to join the fun!  Next up was the Apple Cornbread Stuffing – yum!  I told Tina I would prep everything and get it ready for her, so I chopped and mixed while Casey  made yummy guacamole for lunchtime snacking. 

Tina found these fabulous turkey molds that she used to make some of the best cornbread I have ever had – so so good! 

Ruthie was excited by all the activity in the house.  She was literally smiling from ear to ear! 

I was smiling too – so grateful to have my most cherished loved ones around me for such a fun day.  I was totally spoiled this Thanksgiving, and got to have BOTH of my amazing families all together for the holiday.  My family is so small, and I am lucky enough that they will travel near and far so that we can all be together as much as possible. 

I’m sure a lot of people feel this way, but I truly feel like I am one of the luckiest people in the world.  I have a family of my own that couldn’t be closer (we missed you Rebecca!!).  A little sister who, despite being born almost exactly TEN years apart, we might as well be separated at birth.  A mom who would do anything for her daughters.  A wonderful new (ish) husband who I am thankful for each and every day. 

And as if that wasn’t enough – I married into a second family that I feel more connected to and part of than I ever thought possible.  Mom, dad, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins – they have all made me feel so at home and welcome in their family, and I cherish every minute we all get to be together.  Truly, the best of both worlds. 

Since we couldn’t all be together to give thanks, we sent lots of love and happy thoughts down to the big group in Atlanta, and to Kirt and Katie all the way down in Florida!

Back to our eats – Casey and I made an experimental vegetarian gravy (which turned out great!), and Tina whipped homemade whipped cream for the pies.

Sarah growled at me for taking so many pictures, and the turkey was finally done (and beautiful!) after being cooked on the grill all day long.  While I didn’t partake in any bird myself, it smelled amazing and smoky from the grill, and the group gave the grilled turkey two big thumbs up.

Ruthie rolled around as if she was a tiny dog, trying to get her belly rubbed…

But we were all way to distracted with FOOD!  Here’s our dessert spread set out on the buffet – chocolate “tunnel of fudge” bundt cake, homemade apple pie, and classic pumpkin pie.  YUM!  The apple-cornbread stuffing turned out delicious too – definitely my favorite dish of the evening, and a recipe to be saved for years to come. 

The vegetarian carved the turkey (!), and Jacque and Bob arrived for dinner! 

It was funny how many people asked me “what are you going to eat this Thanksgiving now that you don’t eat meat?” – really??  Does anyone really look forward to the turkey most?  For me it’s always been about pie and mashed potatoes!  We were ready to eat…  So many delicious dishes, a table filled with friends and family, and a cornbread turkey centerpiece – what more do you need?

This year I am thankful for so many things.  Most of all, I am thankful for the opportunity to come home to my two favorite places and relax for an entire week, and be surrounded by the people I love most.  Happy Thanksgiving!