Sweet Shot Tuesday--Fall and Thanksgiving!

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it..." Psalm 24:1

Ok, I promised a few fall pictures from sunny South Carolina! The two shots of the leaves....mercy! I just wish that I could truly figure out how to enlarge these photos for you to get a better glimpse! But.....I will focus on the blog post at hand and not dwell on my limited computer skills. God amazes me with His beautiful colors! The last one is not one of my favorites! We are on a suspension bridge above a waterfall at Raven Cliff Falls....way far up,and I do NOT do heights! Yes, Hubby and the boys were making it swing with me on it prior to this shot! You see that I am the only one hanging on!

We arrived at the falls at noon, so the sun was perfectly overhead and gorgeous...but with not the best photo shooting opportunities. But, I was with my boys, and that's what mattered.

It's going to be a busy week and a half ahead, so I won't be posting again until after Thanksgiving....I know myself!!! We will be celebrating at our house this year with my side of the family. This will be the first Thanksgiving without Daddy, and he will be greatly missed. The peace that we all have with where he is gets us through each day. Praise the Lord! It's one of the many blessings that God has given us.

So, bloggyland friends, what are you most thankful for? I would love to hear. And, what are your plans for Thanksgiving? A precious friend of mine and her family are going to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless. How wonderful to be the hands of Christ!

Join me at Darcy's for Sweet Shot Tuesday for more great photos! And, Happy Thanksgiving, my sweet friends!

Hugs!

Tasty Tuesday--Apple Walnut Cake

Hey, y'all! I'm over at Jen's for Tasty Tuesday. When we celebrated the 4th of July, the sister of my friend Phebe made this FABULOUS apple cake! Delicious!! Since I had already stuffed myself with hamburgers and hotdogs and potato salad, etc., there wasn't much room left. But...it was amazing!

Since apples are finally in season--the prices are still sky high!--I wanted this recipe to share with my friends. So, here it is. I hope that y'all enjoy!!

Apple-Walnut Cake with Cider Sauce
(I made mine without cider sauce and made a few changes as I usually do when I bake a recipe. The following recipe is mine as I made it. I am including the cider sauce recipe although I did NOT use it.)

2 cups sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple cider ( I used apple cider vinegar - This gives it a unique flavor and texture along with the whole wheat flour)
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour ( I used 1 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1 1/2 cup white)
2 large Granny Smith apples (3 1/2 cups), peeled, core and sliced
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Cider Sauce
2 cups apple cider
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 10 inch tube pan with removable tube insert with nonstick spray. (I use what ever pan I feel like using or whatever is available at the given time and coat it with shortening and flour)

2. Whisk sugar, oil, apple cider, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until blended.

3. Stir in flour until blended. Stir in apples and walnuts.

4. Scrape mixture into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes. (I found the three different ovens in which I have baked this cake have varied in timing - shorter or longer. I recommended keeping your eye on it and test with a toothpick until it comes out clean. The change of ingredients I make also alters the baking time somewhat - especially the vinegar.)

5. Let cool in pan on wire rack 1 hour. Remove sides of pan. Cool completely before lifting cake off bottom of pan.

6. Cider Sauce: Whisk cider, brown sugar, cornstarch in a medium saucepan until blended. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Boil 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla; stir until butter melts. Let cool to warm or refrigerate until serving.


Sweet Blessings!