Greetings All, I FINALLY got around to making the Apple Butter and wanted to give you all a big THANKS! Last weekend got consumed by errand, appointments, and social obligations so I was unable to get any cooking done. This weekend I put up the 'Do Not Disturb' sign, locked the door, and turned the phone off. Of course I didn't spend it all cooking. A lot of the time was spent turning nothing (counter space) into something (counter space). Unbelievable the amount of junk (and old canned goods) that accumulates in... Well, we won't go there. ;) Anyway, the recipe I chose was a basic one from the Ball canning book (starting simple). It didn't turn out GREAT and it wasn't terrible. I towards the end I thought it was tasting too sweet so I added an additional tablespoon of lemon juice. Maybe good, maybe not. There also seemed to be too much cinnamon and I might have cooked it down to far. It spread okay warm but I haven't tried it from the fridge. Anyway, fresh bread cut both the sugar and the cinnamon so I think I worried needlessly. There WAS an aftertaste of bottled lemon juice which I attribute to adding it in so late in the process. Over all it was tasty but I think it could be better... Next time. :D For now, I have most of it in the freezer in 4 ounce Rubbermaid containers. I'll vacuum seal those later and thaw as required. Once again, Thanks for all your help. Regards, Tim :)

Hi all! DeeMarie, hang in there!! Do you weigh in front of everyone? I think I would DIE!! : ) Pam, Wildchild... where are you? Hope that you both are feeling better. BarnMom!!! "weigh" to go!! we are so proud of you, you skinny thing. What are you going to do with your "big" clothes? Kathy, you had me ROFL!! Here is our favorite recipe for Tortilla Soup...( I took the tortillas out of mine...) 12 med. tomotillos 1 large onion 5 cloves garlic, 2 tomatoes, chopped 1/2 c. cilantro, chopped 2 tsp. chile powder 8 Ortega canned chiles OR 7 fresh anaheim chiles OR (my favorite), 5-6 chile pasillas roasted and peeled. 4c. chicken broth 1 c. shredded chicken breast 3 small flour tortillas cut into 1/4" strips Vegetable oil or (preferably) cooking spray. 1/4 c. cheddar or jack. ( enough to sprinle on top of soup) salt and pepper to taste. Place tortilla strips on an ungreased baking pan and spray with cooking oil spray (lightly). Bake @ 350 degrees till light brown and crisp. Combine broth, tomotillos, garlic, onion, chili powder and chiles in a lg. pot and simer till veggies are tender (about 20 minutes) strain and puree veggies . return to pot with broth and add tomatoes, cilantro and chicken. Cook x 15 min. more then... ladle soup into bowls, top with tortilla strips and sprinkle with cheese. Low cal, "good carb" and very tasty! If tomotillos are out of season they can be bitter. Adding a pinch of sugar / splenda will fix it. I had mine with a green salad w/lite dresing. My kid ate his with 2 quesadillas, 1 cup of beans, 1 cup of rice and a huge salad smothered with bleu cheese. (I REALLY resent that beanpole!! 6' and 123 lbs!!) Tikanas

Colleen, I got the recipe from the "tomato" thread. As Lars said, I think it would go very well with tomatoes. If only I had some worth eating, alas. Anyway, here's the recipe as posted by Lars. Rye Bread with Caraway and Fennel 1-1/2 pound loaf (approx.): 2 tbsp caraway seeds 1 tbsp fennel seeds 1-1/2 cups water 2 tbsp onion powder (can substitute 1/4 cup pureed onion) 1-1/8 cups dark rye flour 1-7/8 cups bread flour 2 tbsp semolina flour 2 tbsp VWG 2 tbsp brown sugar 1-1/2 tsp salt 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp IDY Grind caraway seeds and fennel seeds in a coffee grinder that is used only for spices. Add the seeds to the water (I use a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup) and microwave for one minute. Stir and microwave 20 more seconds, and then add the onion powder (or pureed onion if you are using that). If using pureed onion instead of onion powder, you can reduce the water by 2 tablespoons. Allow the ground seeds to sit in the warm water until the water has cooled to about 100 degrees. Meanwhile, add the flours, wheat gluten, sugar, and salt to the bread machine pan and stir gently with a plastic spatula. Add the oil to this mixture and stir slightly. Insert pan into the machine and lock in place. When the seeds have soaked for at least 15 minutes, add the seed/water mixture to the bread machine pan. Close the lid and add the yeast to the yeast dispenser. Set the machine for small loaf (1-1/2 pounds), medium crust, and regular loaf, or you can use the pizza setting if you want to shape the loaf yourself. Start the machine. When the bread is done, remove from pan and rub all sides with butter, and then allow the loaf to cool on a wire rack before storing it in a bag. Wait at least one hour before slicing. These directions are for the Panasonic bread machine that I have, and so you may have to adjust them if you have a different machine. The bread has a very intense flavor, and so you can cut back on the seeds/onion, but I like with a strong flavor. It is not as versatile as plain bread, but it makes great sandwiches. Grainlady gave me the suggestion to soak the seeds first, so that they will not cut the gluten strands, I think. Anyway, the loaf came out nice and light - not dense at all. Lars Colleen, I will definitely make this again, it's very flavorful, although I might cut the brown sugar to one tablespoon and get a slightly more savory dough in some instances. Annie

Hi May, I have made the same recipe for years. I just roll the dough into an 18" square as noted. Spread with the apples, eggs, cinnamon sugar and then bring each corner to the middle. Seal the seams. Now all the apples mixture is in cased in dough. Now the fun part.... I like to place the 'bundle' on a cookie sheet with side. Using my biggest chefs knife, I chop at random, cutting all the way through, until I have what looks like a big mess, and pieces of dough are about 1 inch, random cuts, so some are larger and some smaller, odd angles. There will be apple, eggs and dough everywhere, it's messy! Hence the cookie sheet. Then you scoop into the pans. I used to buy a bread like this at an apple orchard. I'd wait every fall to be able to get it. They drizzled the cooled loaves with confectioners sugar glaze. Yummy. My favorite way to enjoy...thick slices, toasted. Nancy