apples and tomatoes

I started this beautiful sunny day with a nice relaxing 3 mile walk with my Tess. Jay had to work today...During our walk we stopped at the park and went swinging (Tessa's favorite). She didn't want to get down! It was so nice being outside and exercising my body. I have forgotten what it feels like to have a really good work out, not that today way, but it reminded of when I used get the good ones in. There was a point in my life when I was working out 6 days a week and I loved it! It was so empowering to be strong and have the endurance for anything that could come my way. I loved feeling good about myself in that way when I worked out that often. Don't get me wrong, I am most definitely happy with who I am and what I am doing with my life, it's just different. I know there will come a time again in my life when I can up and go to the gym or pool to do laps.
My dream workout would be to walk 3 times and lap swim 3 times a week. I would be in heaven! But for now my walks will do and I'm grateful I have them! I just find it hard sometimes to get the motivation to get going. As President Spencer W. Kimball said, JUST DO IT! I guess that need to be my theme. Another reason I LOVE going on walks is enjoying and appreciating nature and all of the beautiful things we have been blessed with right in our neighborhood! I love to get ideas for workouts...What is your dream workout?

{We have an apple tree} that has actually produced worm free apples (well for the most part)! I love cooking and baking so its quite perfect. Emily and I make two delicious apple crumb pies...It's my favorite apple pie recipe ever. I pretty much make it for Thanksgiving every year. Another food we've had in abundance is tomatoes. I only planted 2 plants, and I have about 30 tomatoes that we picked this week and more on the way! Insane. Now tomatoes aren't my favorite, but I do cook with them....We have oodles. So I got the brilliant idea to make my own homemade marinara sauce. And I am freezing a bunch of it! Of course I used Giada's Italian recipe for it...very yummy and simple. It's just really time consuming to make because there is a ton of cutting involved especially since I did it with fresh tomatoes instead of canned. Still totally worth it and rather relaxing!


Apple crumb pie

1 pastry shell (or homemade recipe)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. nutmeg
2 lbs. apples peeled, cored, and quartered
1-1/2 T. lemon juice

Mix ingredients until the apples are coated with filling.
Put in pastry filled pan.

Apple crumb topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
5 T. cold unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pecan pieces (I never add these)
1 t. vanilla

Mix first three ingred. slowly add water. then add butter, vanilla (and nuts).
Put on top of apples.

Bake at 400 degrees. for 55 min. check at 50min. Put pie on a baking sheet because it most likely will over flow! If crust or topping appears to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of foil.

Marinara Sauce

MAKES ABOUT 2 QUARTS (8 CUPS)
1 QUART WILL SERVE 4 OVER PASTA AS A FIRST COURSE

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 32 oz. canned diced tomatoes (or fresh)
1/2 t. sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 dried bay leaves

IN A LARGE POT, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 min. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 t. each of salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 min. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

*The best part...Can be frozen!!!! I tripled the recipe and froze most of it in quart sized zip lock bags.
Enjoy!

Over the course of the weekend, this it what was produced (all homemade):

sweet rolls + 2 apple pies (with home grown apples!) + 7 quarts (28 cups) of marinara sauce (with home grown tomatoes!) + 1 pound of Semolina Pasta = A YUMMY WEEKEND.