Apple-Crisp.com

I posted recently about the flop Apple Crisp my husband and I had when we used Gala Apples in our Apple Crisp.  The apples were tough and dry and overall it was just very disappointing.  We happen to like Apple Crisp enough that we were not about to give up (after all, we’ve made yummy ones in the past), but we decided we’d better try with some different apples.

Macintosh apples, now those are good baking apples!  I have heard many times that they are good for baking and not so much for eating.  So, when my sons and I went to the orchard last week we went directly for the Macintosh apples.  I like to go to Shaw Orchards which is only a few minutes from our house.  There is another orchard a bit closer, however, I am not nearly as fond of them with all their fruit flys flying around my face.

At the orchard my sons and I went ahead and bought the “seconds” apples.  I figured that would be okay considering we were cutting them up anyway and the price was good.  I had no problem with these apples and when I go again I will most likely buy seconds again for baking purposes.

Anyway, I thought I would share the recipe I used for the apple crisp.  I picked up this recipe at one of the orchards.  It is on a little pamphlet put out by the Pennsylvania Apple Marketing Board.

Classic Apple Crisp

5 medium apples, peeled and sliced

2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

Vanilla ice cream, Optional

Toss apple slices with lemon juice.  Arrange in lightly greased 9-inch square baking pan or medium casserole dish.  In medium bowl use pastry blender or fork to combine brown sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until crumbly.  Sprinkle over apples.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

This time the apples turned out just right.  They were soft and juicy to perfection!  The crisp topping was pretty good but my husband and I did find this recipe to be overpoweringly sweet.  I think I would cut the sugar in half (and I’m not usually one to skimp on sugar!!) and perhaps add some nuts and oatmeal to it.   We have more of those good Macintosh apples left so we will be giving it a try again and I’ll let you know how I modify the recipe and if it turns out well.

Homeschooling can be a rewarding challenge with frustrating moments for any parent who dares to take on the challenge. To see your child excel in certain areas and grasp a hold of knowledge is a special gift. Homeschoolers recognize that their kids are not all cut from the same cookie cutter. I homeschool my two kids and they are very different in how they study. The oldest child studies in her room with her books and DVD player. She sits at a desk and all her books are neatly stacked and everything is organized. There’s no questioning where this book is or what happened to that paper. She has it all under control as opposed to my youngest.

The youngest thinks that the living room, dining room, kitchen and my office are her domain. Books are spread everywhere from the floor to the kitchen table. She can’t tolerate sitting at a desk and doing school. It’s too confining for her. Instead she’s sitting on her head on the living room floor, sprawled out on the couch, under the kitchen table or wherever her little heart desires. She learns best when she can spread out and have freedom of movement. This can be annoying at times but I have learned that if that is what it takes for her to learn, then so be it.

I usually squirrel myself away in my office or bedroom. The kids know that I’m available to help them with any problems but their main school work is taught on DVD. Some days I wish I had CCTV with surveillance cameras in the living room and their room so that I could see what transpires with their school work when they’re not watching. I know they do it because I grade all their papers but I would love to see just how much attention they are paying to the DVD. I’ve seen these cameras available on The Home Automation web site. I also know that sometimes the oldest doesn’t watch a certain subject on the DVD because she already knows the lesson. She goes ahead and completes the work and turns it in.

Students have a variety of ways to learn and I think the traditional school setting of chair and desk inhibits and possibly hinders that learning process. I know for myself, if I was made to sit in a chair that doesn’t move and is attached to a desk, I’d go crazy. I need movement and my brain functions best when I can multitask. To sit and just listen to a lecture would be meaningless to me because I guarantee you that I will not hear a tenth of what was said. However, give me something else to do as well as listening and I will hear the entire lecture and be able to regurgitate the main points.

Parents, I encourage you to figure out how your child learns best. See if they need music playing while they study or do they need silence. Perhaps they need to stuff their mouths with food while learning or perhaps they just need to be wrapped up in a blanket. Whatever it is, figure it out and give your child the freedom he or she needs to learn well.

Home Automation has to be a wonderful thing!  Who wouldn’t want to be able to use a remote control to dim the lights in the home theater (aka. the living room)?  Or what about that antique lamp from grandma that has the switch way down on the cord behind the couch that you have to struggle with just to turn it on?  Wouldn’t it be nice to push a button on the wall instead of taking the risk of breaking it just to turn it on?

I have a little lamp with one of those little switches down on the cord (mines not an antique though).  My mom gave me the lamp when I started planning to get married.  It’s a real pretty, light pink rose with a night light bulb buried in the middle of it.  Very pretty!  The rose goes great with the roses in my bedroom.  The only problem with this lamp is that I can’t use it where I’d like to.  Why not?  That little switch.  It’s impossible to turn on that little switch when the cord has to go down behind my dresser.  So, what have I done with it?  Set it where I want it and not even bothered to plug it in.

With the help of X10 home automation it would not be hard for me to put this lamp into use.  From my understanding of the product, all I would need is a LM465 Lamp Module and a remote control or wall switch to control it.

The LM465 Lamp Module is simply a little box I would plug the lamp into and then plug the module into the normal wall electrical outlet.  There is no rewiring or special electrical work required, it all works with what I already have.  When I pull out the dresser to do this I’ll just turn on the lamp at the little switch and just leave it on because I’ll then be able to control it remotely.

Now, to control the lamp I have two different options.  I can choose to use an X10 remote control or an X10 Automated Switch to control my lamp. Just as with the Lamp Module, I can get these so they work remotely and require no rewiring.  (This is important to me, can you tell?)  With a remote control it will be just like using the TV remote, only I’m using it on my light.  A wall switch can be put where a current wall switch is or elsewhere.  In my case, I do not want to make any changes to my current light switch so I think I would choose the SS13A Slimline Switch which can be put anywhere in the room and adhered to any surface.  The nice thing with the switches and remotes is that they can often be used to control more than one item at a time like the lamp, the bathroom light and DVD player.