Apple Crisp

I decided to make a dessert last night that involved apples as I had a couple apples going bad.  Originally I was going to make a pie, but when I asked my husband if he wanted an apple pie or an apple crisp, he said crisp. Now is a big deal because he likes his pie, as most people do, but my apple crisp is probably his favourite dessert that I make, which explains why we have it pretty regularly in the fall and winter.

This recipe came from a cookbook my Mom and Nanny put together for me before I moved away from home for school.  They put all my favourite recipes and some of theirs into this book and this was one of them!  I really enjoy this recipe, not only because it tastes so good, but also because it is so simple to make and you (should) always have the ingredients on hand:

Apples - we always have apples and
you only need 2 of them to make an 8x8 pan side

2/3 cup of butter - always have butter

2/3 cup each of flour, oats and brown sugar -
again, always have these things

Put on top of apples, bake for 30-40 mins at 350

AND ta da!  This is what you get...

So simple...

...so good!

Another great thing about this recipe is that is it so simple to whip up and quick to cook, that if you have an unexpected guest for supper or not enough time to prepare ahead of time, you can quickly put this together and let it cook while you are enjoying your meal and conversation!

Apple Crisp

2/3 cup flour

2/3 cup oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350.  Peel, core, slice and place 2 apples in an 8x8 pan.  Mix above ingredients.  Place on apples.  Cooke for 30-40 minutes. Voila done!

(I have made this in a 9x11 pan too, but then I double the recipe, adding a little extra of the dry ingredients and butter until it covers the apples)

Family Camping 2012

This past weekend we were camping at Presqu'ile Provincial Park with my parents and friends from my church back home.  We've been doing it for 21 years this year! (I haven't been to all of them, but the majority of them!).  I'd like to share a brief (or as brief as I can make it) overview of my years family camping.

Childhood Years
We started out going to Balsam Lake Provincial Park and getting a group camp site and everyone would tent camp.  It was so much fun as a kid.  Those weekends are some of my favourite ones from my childhood.  The camp site we used to get when I was a kid was surrounded by forest and lots of secluded spots, so we used to play in the woods and these secluded spots from the time we got up til the time we went to bed.

Granted, that was when we weren't down at the beach, which basically was most of the afternoon on Saturdays.  My dad used to throw my sister and I over and over again in the water until he got too tired to throw us! And then we always had a football or another type of ball that we threw back and forth in the water, usually the dads with the kids. The campground used to have a chip truck that we would always go to in the afternoon and get french fries or ice cream as our Saturday afternoon treat.

We also used to play a ton of games, kids and adults alike!  I remember playing hours of Dutch Blitz with 2 decks, meaning their were twice as many hands flying around!  Playing the classics of Uno, Yahtzee, Skip-bo etc. And then there was Wizard.  In this group, Wizard is a big deal, its the game that is played whenever this group got together, family camping or not.  I can remember the adults playing it late into the night (ok, some of that may have been stories I heard) and then I remember learning how to play and getting to join games!  I found this to be a big deal, as everyone always played and I wanted to be apart of it!

Then came the time when the kids started getting older and were able to have their own tents. Let me tell you, as a pre-teen, there is nothing more you want than having your own tent or sharing with a friend instead of your family! (no offence Mom, Dad or Keren!)

The worst memory of this is the vault toilet.  Have you ever smelt one of those?  Or tried to use one without breathing in or gagging?  Let me tell you, it's not easy and it's not fun.

Years of Change/Teen Years
I only have vague memories of my teen years family camping, as the years sort of smooched all together, I forget what happened when.  But I do remember that during this time I missed my first family camping *tear* and that while I was working at camp, my lifelong bud, Michael and I would either get picked up or train to and from family camping by a combination of Tim and Sabrina, my grandparents, and both our parents.  As you can see, this was very important to both of us!

During this time we had to start trying other campgrounds as, Balsam wouldn't let us camp on the group camp site anymore due to the new park warden following the rules (they need to have X amount of children for X amount of adults...psh...).
Other campgrounds I remember:
Emily Lake Provincial Park - All I remember is that it was like 15 minutes away from home, so when Mom forgot the lunch meat, Dad was able to drive home to get it and the beach SUCKED!  I'm sorry Emily Lake, but you are the last lake I want to swim in.
Sibbald Point Provincial Park - all I remember is that the group sites were almost right on top of each other, there was a large group of teens that came and blasted their music all day and night and I think this was when we had the fireban where the fire had to be put out by 9pm and "Fireman Doug" would put it out at the stroke of 9pm.  I also believe that policeman Doug was working so he would go to work and come back to camp.
Fenelon Falls Campground - this one wasn't too bad, but there was no beach, only a pool and the group campsite had no shade, so it was sun 24/7 (or until the sun went down).  We went there twice.

Finally after these not as fun experiences, we returned to Balsam on individual sites in the same area, as we all enjoyed Balsam the best and we could have water and electricity on each site.  Now this was the beginning of a the end of true family camping I would say (i.e. no hydro, no water, vault toilets and sleeping on the ground in tents - which I'll admit this year, I caved into).  Once we got our electricity and water, toasters, plugged in kettles and stereos were there, then my parents got one of those beds which raises them off the ground, then one couple got trailer, then my parents got a trailer - basically everyone got old and needed more comfort!  It has changed the dynamic a bit and gave me a reason to bug my parents, which was is always needed, I think.

Presqu'ile Provincial Park
Enter the Presqu'ile years.  Last year, my friend, Sabrina, and her family weren't going to be able to go family camping because they had to go to visit her in-laws in England for a family wedding, so we started talking and decided to plan a different weekend to go camping and look around for somewhere else to go.  We found Presqu'ile, which had group campsites!  We invited everyone who normally goes family camping and ended up having to family camping weekends!  Not everyone could make it, but out of those who did, we found Presqu'ile to bring back the fond memories of the group campsites, being able to bond better and let the kids run around while the adults hang out.  We decided that this would be our new home for now.  This weekend we had our first "official" family camping weekend there, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  All these memories were coming back and I felt like we were better able to enjoy each others company, which I think was the whole point from the beginning!

Now one of the best things about Presqu'ile is the "Presqu'ile Wanderer".  He likes to prowl at night to see what he can find, once he found a box of smore's fixings, which just kept bringing him back!  While some are scared of him, others stand up to him and scare him away!  Can you guess what he is?

The Presqu'ile Wanderer
(Note: not the actual one)

Adult Years

Finally, just a short note about going camping now that I'm grown up and married.  First thing, is that I love being able to having John come with me and join in on these weekends.  This group of friends have been like a family to me, so I enjoy seeing him interact and join the group, but also just having him see a glimpse into my past.  I feel like it helps us get to know each other better.

Also, it has been interesting to join the adult conversations which either bored me as a child, I was not around for or was not privy to.  I can see that some of these relationships have changed, but for the better, as I enjoy hearing some of the things or jokes I've never heard some of them say and be slightly shocked.  I'm seeing them less and less as so & so's mom or dad but as them for themselves, which I enjoy but also takes a little getting used to!  

All in all, family camping is one of my favourite times of the year and I look forward to doing it for another 20+ years!

Marshmellow Squares

The other week a made these very yummy marshmellow squares for some girlfriends and I.  It's one of John's grandmother's recipes.  If you know Grams, then you know her cooking and you know it is good.  This was one square of her's that as soon as we had it, we had to have the recipe and then it went into my ever growing pile of "going to make this one day" and there is sat for like a year until I decided to make them.  Let me tell you, they were soooo good.  Especially because it was fresh out of the oven and wonderfully gooey.

Just before going into the oven

Now my version of these squares were a little more doctored up as I sort of  eyeballed some of the measurements and the recipe called for mini-marshmellows and I only had large.  My suggestion - if you don't like marshmellow that much, then use the mini, as the large over takes the top of the squares.  Point in case here:

Right after coming out of the oven

 All in all, I think that they were a hit as the girls loved them, going back for seconds!

Side View

Marshmellow Squares Recipe a la Grams

Preheat oven 350"

1 1/2 cups Graham Crumbs
1/2 cup Butter

Mix crumbs and butter

1 1/2 cups of Coconut
1 1/2 cups of pecans
1 1/2 cups  semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups of  miniature marshmallows (2 cups if you want to make sure all of the pan  is covered OR just use 1 1/2 cups of large!)
1 can (300L) sweetened Condensed Milk

LAYER coconut, nuts, chocolate chips and marshmallows evenly over crumbs.

DRIZZLE condensed milk evenly over top.

BAKE for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool and cut into squares

Giant Cookie

There comes a time in every young wife's life when she says to herself "I want to make something special for my husband today".  For me, there was only one answer to this, a giant cookie.  I found a recipe on Pinterest  for a Giant Cookie, the only problem was that it was for a chocolate chip cookie, which John doesn't like (I know, shocking!), so I made a few changes and voila, a giant oatmeal raisin cookie (oatmeal raisin being John's favourite).

To start with, you need to cream white and brown sugar and butter together. Then add an egg, baking soda, cinnamon, flour, oats and flour and mix.


I found that after mixing everything, it was still a little dry, so I added more butter than what the original recipe called for.  I think that this was due to the oats.

Once everything is mixed well, place it on a 11x17 baking sheet and shape it into a 9-inch circle.  The original recipe called for it to be  cooked between 13-16 minutes, but I found it needed closer to 25 minutes, but that could be because I didn't flatten it enough.

And viola!  Giant Cookie :D










Giant Cookie Recipe
(This is based off my changes, click here for the original recipe)

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup flour
3 cups oatmeal
2 cups raisins


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugars and butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

Line a large (11X17-inch) baking pan with foil and press the cookie into a circle. I press my cookie into a 9-inch circle, about 1/4 to 3/8-inch thick. When it bakes, it spreads to about 11 inches, which fits perfectly onto a 12-inch round cardboard circle you can find at most craft stores.

Bake for 13-16 minutes (or more depending on thickness) until the cookie is lightly golden brown. Let the cookie cool completely on the baking pan – this helps the cookie stabilize and set so it can be easily lifted off the pan. Once cool, gently use the foil to lift the cookie off the pan.

I think he liked it!