Hiking for Aunt Amy's Apple Pie

Tallulah Falls

This past weekend, Nathan and I took full advantage of the great fall weather, the leaves changing colors, and the start of apple season.  We drove about an hour north to hike the Tallulah Falls Gorge and made a quick stop at an apple orchard on our way back (see below for the results of our pit stop..and get the recipe).

I have to admit, I stole this pic (but only this one)  from the website...http://www.tallulahfallsgeorgia.org/

I don't think this even begins to show how steep this gorge is...

Tallulah Gorge was awesome, but not what we expected at all.  It's a 1,000 foot gorge with a big waterfall and a two mile river running through it.  I've hiked a few different falls in North Carolina, so I thought I was prepared for this. Wrong again.  I'm used to hiking on actual trails.  I'd say Tallulah is more climbing than hiking.  You start by descending about 1,000 stairs into the gorge.  Once you're in the gorge, there isn't really a trail.  You climb up and over boulders for about a mile and a half until you reach the slippery rock (or sliding rock).  Once you've reached slippery rock, you can either turn back and go back the way you came or wade across the river and hike up the gorge instead of using stairs.  

Being the adventurers that we are, we decided to cross and climb.  Oh. My. Goodness. Talk about a workout!  It took us 4 hours to hike about 3 miles. I definitely couldn't have done this without Nathan.  There were plenty of times where he had to give a boost or hold my hand (or foot) so I wouldn't slip.  We were exhausted by the end, but it was totally worth it.  We got to experience a stunning piece of God's masterpiece/creation and got to enjoy some quality time outside with each other.  We will definitely be doing this again...after my legs recover!

he just couldn't resist climbing it...

the suspension bridge

didn't see this until after we climbed back up...

We were trying to think of what to do the rest of the day (besides watching the Gators whoop up on South Carolina).  Since we would be passing right by an orchard on the way home, we thought what better way to end the day than with a home made apple pie?  

My Aunt Amy makes the world's best apple pie....seriously.  She makes it every Thanksgiving, and no matter how much I've stuffed my tummy with that day, I can ALWAYS make room for her apple pie.  I just can't help it.  When I told my dad we were going to make it I think he seriously considered driving up here for a slice.  Ok, maybe not, but I know he wanted to.  I still think my aunt makes it better (it's got to be all the love she puts into it), but I think ours turned out pretty darn good too! 

After watching the glorious Gator game, we made this yummy creation.  Thanks Amy for sharing your amazing recipe.  We think of you every time we make it...and with every pound we gain because of it :)

AUNT AMY'S APPLE PIE

Ingredients:
2 Refrigerated Pie Crusts (NOT the kind that's already in a pie dish)
7 Golden Delicious Apples
3/4 cups Sugar (white)
2-3 Tbs Flour
1 Tbs  Lemon Juice

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Salt
1-2 Tbsp. butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Peel, core and slice apples (about 1/4 inch thick).

Mix together everything in large bowl & let stand.
Roll out dough of one pie crust and put crust in bottom of deep dish pie pan (or a regular 9" pie pan).
Pile apples into the pie pan.
Sprinkle little fistful of sugar & cinnamon on top of apples & dot with butter.

Roll out 2nd pie crust and put crust on top of apples.

Pinch together crust edges to seal crust. Cut steam vents in top of crust.

Sprinkle sugar & cinnamon on top of crust.
Bake for 1 hour. Then let stand for 1-2 hours before serving.

****To Reheat:  put pie in oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

Seasons are a Changin'

We got our first real taste of fall last weekend, and although I miss Florida to pieces, I do NOT miss the humidity and the summer heat that tends to last well past the summer months.  I am welcoming the amazing fall weather with open arms and some yummy new recipes (they'll be in the next post which will hopefully be done tonight too).  The only bad thing...now that fall is officially here, I am now even more anxious for Christmas (84 days)!

I thought I'd update you on a few of the happenings in the VDS household.  I feel like so much has happened over the past few months that I'm not even sure where I should start.  Lets see...

I passed my boards, 

I started work a week later.  

I'm in a great outpatient orthopedic clinic. I love my patients and my coworkers. I'm still getting used to the working world, but it keeps getting better every week.

Nathan and I bought our first car...

We planned on driving both of our cars until the wheels fell off, and unfortunately, Nathan's wheel did.  So we traded in the good ol' blazer, and got a Hyundai Elantra!  My sweet, sweet husband is driving my old Jetta (that has no a/c...another good reason it's starting to get cooler), and I get to ride around in style in the new car.  It was our first big purchase together and it was a little intimidating!  I think it's the first time either one of truly felt like an adult...that feeling didn't last long though ;)

We discovered that Brinkley LOVES the water and launching into the water after tennis balls (even off of diving boards).  Atlanta has made the Brink into a wild man!

We found out WE'RE GOING TO BE AN AUNT AND UNCLE!!!  

My sweet sister and brother-in-law are going to have a little McNugget!  We are so excited to meet Emory McKnight in March...and we're placing bets on whether or not she/he will come out with spirit fingers.

Nathan got switched to day shift...praise Jesus!  

He was on the 3-11pm shift, meaning that we literally did not see each other or talk to each other during the weeks (except for Wednesday mornings when I got to go into work late).  It was definitely a challenge to find ways to communicate and not exactly how we pictured spending the first few months of married life.  Through those tough few months, we became aware of just how God was so good and faithful to us (like always)...He provided us with some truly wonderful weekends...which we desperately needed!  Now that Nathan is back on day shifts, we are so excited to finally get to share life together during the week too!

Nathan is starting to apply to Seminary for Biblical Studies!

He has felt God calling him back to teaching, despite his protesting for the past 2 years.  Nathan doesn't want this next generation to grow up without knowing God, and is being called to teach the Bible (most likely in a school, but we really don't know).  I am beyond thankful that God has given me such a great leader as a husband...Lord knows I need it!  He has the most beautiful and honest heart that I just adore like crazy!

and we just ran our first race together...

We ran the Tower of Terror 10 Miler at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  It was a super humid night (hints why I didn't post any gross after race pics) which made it much tougher than thought, but we beat our target time (by a whopping 11 seconds) so we were happy! Now I'm just working on trying to convince Nathan to run the 2014 Disney Marathon with me : )

I'm sure I'm leaving something out, but I think that a pretty good summary of our latest adventures.  Stay tuned for a broccoli and cheese soup and a drinkable pumpkin pie recipe!

Confessions of a Bake-Aholic: Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hi.  My name is Lauren, and I'm a Recovering Bake-Aholic.

I love to bake...especially when I'm stressed out or upset about something.  It's just comforting to me.  It's just what I do.  Which brings me today.  I took the National PT Boards today...barf.  Let's just say it was hard...the hardest, or at least most draining, test of my life.  Instead of getting depressed about questions I think I missed or worrying about whether or not I passed, I decided to lock away all of my sharp knives and pulled out the Kitchen Aid instead :)


So I cranked up some classical music (yes, I said classical) and my mixer, and I got to baking.  Something about it just puts me at ease. It must be all of the careful measuring and mixing taste-testing.  It's like God's personal little gift to me (he even protects me from Salmonella while I eat all the batter).


Today I made Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Oh buddy are they good...and they make a TON of cookies (how about 6 dozen).  They are so incredibly chewy and delicious.  Ugh, I could eat the whole batch...or at least half.  The last time I made these I brought them to Myrtle Beach.  I thought I brought way too many, but looking back I think I should have doubled the recipe.  All 6 dozen of those suckers were gone in 2 days.  No joke.  I'm going to have to show some restraint this time though...we're heading to PV Beach in 2 days for some serious family and BEACH time!!! 

Like always, this is a pretty easy recipe.  I've only made them 3 times now, but they've turned out great every time!

Start by beating the butter and peanut butter until creamy.

Add in the white and brown sugar.

Next comes the eggs, vanilla, and milk.

Followed by the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt)

Last, mix in those chocolate chips!!!

Scoop tablespoon sized balls of dough onto your cookie sheet.  You can roll them smooth first if you'd like...I personally like to leave them messy...it's more my style.

Bake at 350 for 10-11 mins.  Don't over bake them!!!  The may look gooey, but they'll firm up nicely.  Just let them cool on the baking sheet for a good 5 minutes before you try to remove them.  Enjoy :)

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES


adapted from Mel's Kitchen  Cafe

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ tablespoons milk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl (or mixer) cream butter and peanut butter together until light and fluffy.  I used a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.  Add the white and brown sugar and mix until combined.  Mix in eggs for 1-2 minutes, followed by the vanilla and milk.

Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) very briefly.  Before it is completely mixed in, add the chocolate chips, and finish mixing until the flour is combined completely.  

Pop the dough in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes so that it will firm up a little bit.  Scoop tablespoon sized balls onto greased or parchment lined baking sheets.  You can either leave them messy or form them into smooth balls.  (I personally like to leave them messy...it's more my style).

Bake for 10-11 minutes at 350 degrees.  DO NOT OVER BAKE!  They may not look completely done when you take them out, but after you let them cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, they will set up just nicely!

Meatless Monday: Bean Burrito

Like most newly-weds (and most people nowadays) we are on a budget...a Meatless Monday kind of budget. Since most things I make for dinner are intended to feed more than 2, our leftovers from Meatless Monday tends to turn into Meatless Wednesday and Friday too, which is even better for our budget.  We like our meat and like to eat a lot of produce, which gets expensive.  We had to find a way to cut back.  Going meatless once a week and a little smarter shopping has dropped our grocery bill quite a bit (about $100/month)!  What inspired us to start cutting our grocery bill was our desire to be debt free (can you say 7 years of college/graduate school loans?...barf)!  After reading Dave Ramsey's book on financial peace, we've decided to get our debt snowball moving...but I'll save those details for another day.

I was a little nervous about running this idea past my husband.  We are both very much carnivores, and I didn't know how he would take the idea of a meatless dish once a week.  Turns out he was all for it if it saved money, so we decided to go for it.  This was our second meatless dish, and it's been our fav so far.   Eating a good dinner is a big deal to us, so after each meal we tend to have a debriefing of what we thought about the meal (if we'd make it again, what we liked, what we would change next time...no kidding...we're that big of nerds).  Nathan told me after eating it, "that's a keeper".  Hope you enjoy it too!

Just a heads up...this makes A LOT (about 14-16 burritos).  We chose to freeze half the mixture for another week and only make 8 burritos for this week.

BEAN BURRITO RECIPE 

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe  http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/01/super-bean-burritos.html 

Ingredients

1 cup brown or white rice, uncooked
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, diced
2 packets reduced sodium taco seasoning
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cans (15 oz. each) reduced sodium pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 can less sodium whole kernel corn, drained
6 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped

16 burrito-sized (10-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

Cook rice; set aside. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion (not the green onion), garlic, jalapeno; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and golden, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Add one can of beans and mash gently in the pan (I used a fork, but a potato masher would work as well). Add the second can of beans and the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10-12 minutes, being careful not to let the mixture stick to the bottom of the pot. Add corn; cook to heat through, 2-3 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and cooked rice.

Heat tortillas in microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until all are warmed through.

Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup bean and rice mixture and 1/8 cup cheese on one side of tortilla. Fold, and hold in sides. Starting from filled end, holding sides in as you work, tightly roll into a bundle. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down, and prepare remaining burritos.

I topped mine with reduced fat sour cream and a little salsa :)

Nutritional Information: Calories 347, Total Fat 11.1g, Total Carbohydrate 56.09g, Protein 12.96g

Myrtle Beach Days...and Peach Cobbler

It's back to reality after a blissful beach vay-cay.  The hubs and I just got back from a week long stay at the beautiful Myrtle Beach.  Boy did we need a little getaway, and I desperately needed some beach time!  I love life in Atlanta, but I miss my sandy toes.  This was the 4th year I've been able to join the VDS/Ward clan at Myrtle. However, this trip was extra special because I was finally able to stay a full week and it was our first time at the beach as a married couple.  It. Was. Awesome.

We had 3 days of rain (boo) but managed to fill our inside-time with reading, Monopoly, and of course our new favorite game "things"...one word - hilarious.  The rest of our days were filled with boogie boarding, kayaking, paddle boarding and boccie-balling.  We even were able to get up close and personal with a few fishy friends (jellies, sharks, and dolphins, oh-my).

When we got back on Saturday, Nathan and I decided that we were officially on vacation until he had to go back to work on Monday.  Even though the rain followed us home, we enjoyed our last few days of relaxation.  Nathan even took me to see the Hunger Games since I finally was able to read all the books at the beach.

We ate LOTS of super good food at the beach, and vowed to get back to healthy eating on Monday.  But since it was only Saturday night, we thought our last hurrah should be making a delicious and completely unhealthy dessert...Peach Cobbler.  When people ask me what my favorite dessert is, I always answer "something warm with ice cream on top".  That pretty much sums up my sweet cravings.  This cobbler obviously falls into that category.  The best thing about this dessert is how easy it is.  If you don't already know, I usually only make simple recipes, and this one is very simple.  You can even swap out the peaches for other fruit (apples, blueberries, etc). All you need is 2 cans of peaches, a box of cake mix, a stick of butter, and some brown sugar.

Forewarning - I am about the furthest from a professional photographer that you can get! Sorry!

First you empty your canned peaches (fruit of choice) into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Then pour the DRY cake mix on top of the peaches ( I stress dry because my sweet friend KK thought I meant to make the batter and then pour that on top).

Melt a stick of butter and mix in the brown sugar. Then pour the mixture on top of the cake mix.  I usually spoon the butter mixture on top. You may have to make indentations in the cake mix with a spoon so that the butter will sink into it.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes until it is somewhat set. Then top with ice cream :)

Enjoy...we sure did!

EASY PEACH COBBLER

Ingredients

2 cans peaches (or fruit of choice)

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Empty canned peaches into 9 x 13 baking dish.

Pour (dry) cake mix on top of peaches.

Mix the brown sugar in with the melted butter and pour on top of the cake mix.  You may need to make indentations in the cake mix with a spoon to ensure even butter distribution.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream on top.

Simply the Sweetest Show on TV

It's finally here...the DWTS finale!  That's right, I am a Dancing with the Stars addict.  Not only is it the best show on television, but it's a way for me to stay in touch with my sweet momma.  We started watching the show  together about 3 years ago and have yet to miss an episode.  Our first love was season 11's Kyle Massey (aka the boy with the bionic bum) and we have been in love with the show ever since. 

This season my mom and I are watching the show together again, only 350 miles apart.  Even though we aren't sharing a blankie or the same TV screen, we're still sharing laughs and memories.  I know if my phone buzzes (loudly because it's ancient) on a Monday or Tuesday from 8-10pm, it is most likely my mom texting me about one of the ridiculous judges' comments ("You were like two skinny french fries chasing the ketchup" - Len Goodman) or about a fabulous dance routine by our fav star of this season - Katherine Jenkins.  It never fails to make my night and make me feel like I have a little piece of home up here in the ATL.

This season has been the most talent packed season by far!  We have loved every single week and (almost) every single star. Going into tonight, we said as long as Katherine or Donald won, we would be happy. We like William too, he's just not our favorite. But honestly, we'll be happy no matter what because we can put another season of memories in the books. So here's to you Mom...let's have another great night of dancing!