Sunday, September 19, 2010

Apple Picking & Recipes

Apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard, Charlottesville, VA
I love to pick apples and we’re lucky here in Charlottesville to have Carter Mountain Orchard so close! Just one mountain over from Monticello is the beautiful Carter’s Mountain Orchard where you can enjoy amazing views, delicious apple cider slushies and apple cider donuts—oh and you can pick apples too!

Carter Mountain Orchard
 
We picked Golden Delicous and Jonagold apples.

 
And now what to do with your apples!

 
Apple Pie with Butterscotch Crumble

Butterscotch Crumble Apple Pie
 
  • 4 cups of sliced and peeled apples 
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon 
  • ½ tsp nutmeg 
  • ½ tsp all spice 
  • ¼ cup flour 
  • ½ cup of sugar 
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
Mix it all up and put into uncooked pie crust.

Bake covered with aluminum foil at 375 for 20 minutes

 

Melt over hot water 1 cup of butterscotch morsels with a ¼ cup of butter, continue stirring until melted and then mix in ¾ a cup flour and a dash of salt until crumbled.



Butterscotch crumble
 
Crumble over pie and bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

 

 

 
Enjoy!

 

 

 
Baked Apple

 
Core an apple
Place in pan with 1/8 an inch of water.
Pour 1 tsp of cinnamon into middle of apple and then stuff with apples
Cover and bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

 

Guest Bathroom Redo!

before
After
Our guest bathroom as white and plain—and needed a little jazzing up!
Before
After
I painted the walls a dark chocolate color, added a new shower curtain (with the curved rod), new towels, and some decorations.

Before
After
Decoration idea for bathroom: Vase with wine corks (I stole this idea from my friend Amanda… and no we didn’t drink all of these—I asked one of the local wineries for their leftover corks.)

Before
After
Vase with corks
Painting: Find a flower or painting you like and do a similar painting (acrylic on a cheap canvas frame).

Painting


Polo at King Family Vineyards

Enjoy an incredible view during polo at King Family Vineyards.

The clear September sky melted with the green grass. The mountains stood present and picturesque. Horses neighed and people laughed. We turned an ordinary Sunday into a feature event with the help of King Family Vineyards and Roseland Polo.

Stomping the divots during polo match.
My parents came into town and my husband and I wanted to show them a good time. What better way than to sample some fabulous wines, in an incredibly scenic location while watching polo!


Polo at King Family Vineyards

The horses were tall, muscular and majestic. The crowd cheered, many of us not knowing all the rules, but we improvised.

Sampling wine before the polo match.
If you have a Sunday afternoon during the summer or early Fall, take a drive to King Family Vineyards. Park your car tailgate style, unpack some fold-up chairs, bring a sandwich (I recommend stopping at Bel Air Market on the way), do a wine tasting, buy a bottle and sink in to an enjoyable afternoon.
Wine tasting before polo at King Family Vineyards.

We preferred the 2007 Meritage (a Bordeaux style wine rich with tannins and full body taste) as we took action photos and shared cookies.

Cheer for your favorite team during polo.
Before you know it, the game will be over – but the memories last!

Have fun!