How to make Cinnamon Apple Chips

I've been promising a lot of things around this space lately so I'm trying to deliver. Last week I promised a post on how to make cinnamon apple chips and so guess what I'm delivering today?!!

If you guessed "How to make cinnamon apples" you are a smartypants, so give yourself a gold star!

This is actual super duper simple to do, so no worries if you're no Rachel Ray or Betty Crocker. 

Gather your ingredients:

3 apples (I used gala)

Ball Fruit Fresh (can also use lemon juice)

Cinnamon

And supplies:

Apple corer

Mandolin Slicer (or a good knife)

Dehydrator (or oven)

Put some fruit fresh in a bowl of water. 

Slice your apples as thin or as thick as you like. 

Keeping in mind they will shrink when we dehydrate them. 

Then toss them in the bowl of fruit fresh (or lemon juice) to prevent browning.

Lay your apples out on parchment paper.

Sprinkle with cinnamon. A lot or a little depending on your preference.

Lay apples into single layers on your dehydrator trays. 

(See oven instructions below.)

Turn the dehydrator on.

After about 4 hours (give or take) your apples will look all crinkly and be ready to eat.

If you like the apples crunchy (like chips) leave them in the dehydrator longer. If you like them softer (so you can roll them up like me) take them out earlier.

And that my friends is all there is to it. 

Store in a container or a pretty little mason jar that we all love so dearly. 

**Oven instructions - Turn on your oven to 200º and put sliced apples on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in oven for 2-4 hours depending on the crispiness you like. Flip apples periodically (every hour or so) so they dry evenly.  

Let me know if you try them:)

P.S. They're pretty good for breakfast!

Weekend Recap and Lobsters

It's the most dreaded day of the week again, Monday! Actually my Monday's aren't too terrible. The work load is usually pretty light which is convenient since I'm always sleepy. Today is no exception. 

Seth was home for the weekend so I knew I was in for some type of manual labor. I'm pretty sure he has forgotten what it means to take it easy or relax on the weekends since that is the only time he is home to get anything done. Luckily, he didn't have anything too crazy in mind. 

I managed to sleep in until 9:30 Saturday which hardly ever happens anymore, so that was pretty nice. I woke up just in time to throw on some old clothes and ride into town, with Seth, to get some diesel for the skid loader and a cookie for breakfast. I know, healthy choices people! 

We came home and I decided, with a friendly nudge from my adorable husband, to finally stain our beck deck. It has only been two years-ish since we power-washed and bought the stain so I don't see what the big rush is, but it was a sunny day so I happily obliged. Happily only because I knew I could get my tan on at the same time. Plus I could jam out to Pandora. 

About an hour in to the staining, I decided that sunblock would probably be a good idea. Apparently an hour was a little too long to wait or else year old sunblock is not a good idea. Either way, my back is a lobster. A bright red, freshly boiled, lobster. 

See, I look like a lobster. 

But doesn't my deck look great?!

Quite the upgrade, if I may say so.

My husband decided to reward all my hard work/tan burn time with dinner and a movie. Steak and potatoes. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in The Internship, good stuff I tell ya. (I should probably note that my husband did yard work will I stained the deck. Don't want anyone to freak that my husband makes me do work while he does nothing.)

Sunday was uneventful and included a nap, my husband staying home an extra night and some buttery popcorn. A good day in my books. 

Heading home after work to take an apple cider vinegar bath. Supposedly it helps keeps your sunburn from peeling?? Not too optimistic over here. 

Linking up with Sami's Shenanigans. 

I Think...

...my dog was trying to dislocate my shoulder on our walk yesterday.

...allergies are the most ridiculously dumb thing in the world.

...whoever has season 3 of Downton Abbey needs to return it to the library stat. 

...I'm getting a little better at eating healthy.

...there is enough hair (mine) in my vacuum to make a wig. Gross, I know. 

...something died somewhere in, or around, my basement. It smells. 

...only getting to see my husband two weekends a month is getting old.

...traveling is the best way to spend my money. 

...my "to do" list will never get done.

...laundry is the best household chore. 

...I'm really in the mood to bake something. 

...I have an obsession with any and all paper products. 

..."I should have been a teacher" every year when summer arrives.

...people that walk super slow are annoying. 

...it's time for breakfast.

XOXO

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

My husband works out of town and spends a lot of hours on the job where he sometimes forgets to do things like eat breakfast. I decided to make him some breakfast burritos he can just pull out of the freezer and microwave. 

I searched for recipes online but honestly I decided to just use what I had on hand in order to not have to run to the store. Oh, and there was a blizzard outside and my car wasn't going anywhere even if I wanted it too:)

Without further ado I give you Breakfast Burritos: Freezer Style

Ingredients:

• Eggs - 6 or 7 
• Cheese - whatever kind you like
• Sausage - not pictured but I used a Farmland 16 oz roll
• Tortillas 
• Pepper - Any other spices you want is fine, I didn't use the salt even though it's pictured
• Green Pepper - 1/2 because mine were pretty big
• Red Pepper - 1/2 because mine were pretty big
• Onion - not pictured
• Salsa - Canned from my garden last summer, amazing!

Gather your ingredients, feel free to use whatever flavors and spices you love. 

Toss your sausage roll into a pan and start to brown it. 

Slice up your veggies while you have the sausage browning on the stove. 

Admire how yummy the sausage looks while cooking. 

Once the sausage is cooked put it in a bowl and let the grease cool a bit.  

No worries, I didn't burn it, my husband prefers his crispy plus the photos a little dark:)

Crack your eggs into a bowl. I added a bit of milk and then scrambled them all up. 

Now, you can take a little of the sausage grease and pour it on your puppy's dry dog food. Not all of it, he doesn't need a heart attack just a little fat to fill him out a bit. 

He will love you forever. Dispose of the rest of the grease as normal.

Next, you want to cook up those scrambled eggs. 

Make sure they are light and fluffy. 

Once the eggs are done it's time for the assembly. I lay out individual sheets of wax paper that I got at Costco. Microwaving the tortillas (I did one at a time) helps to make them softer so they fold easily without cracking.

First you want to sprinkle a little cheese on the warm tortilla. 

Add some sausage crumbles and about 1/3rd of cup of scrambled eggs.

Lay out some red and green peppers and sprinkle some onion on there.

Next you want to add some salsa to give it a little extra kick.

Then roll it on up. I left the ends open because the burritos where too stuffed to try to fold in. 

Now roll them up in the wax paper being sure to tuck the ends in so you don't make a mess. 

Make sure you label your bag before adding the burritos. It's kinda tricky if you don't;)

Stuff em all in the bag and toss them in the freezer and you're done!

I was able to make seven large burritos with the ingredients listed at the top. I even had extra guts of the burrito but ran out of tortillas.

My husband tried one of these for the first time the other day and texted me to say:

"Dang you're good. Those breakfast burritos are wonderful." 

He said he microwaved the frozen burrito for 2 minutes but I'm sure it varies depending on your microwave. 

I didn't actually try the burritos myself because it was Friday and I don't eat meat on Friday's during Lent and also I don't like eggs. I'm weird. I know. 

Let me know if you have any questions or if there's anything I left out:)