It's Almost Here...

Today I'm thankful for the fact that, with Thanksgiving less than forty-eight hours away, the holiday season is officially upon us and the familiar sights and sounds of my favorite time of year are everywhere.

{Maybe if I had a crane, I would be allowed to start decorating early...}

I cannot officially break out the decorations and Christmas music until after Thanksgiving dinner, but I can crank up the cheer on an olfactory level by whipping up some apple butter. The smell of warm apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg creates an atmosphere so totally festive that if the Grinch walked into my apartment right now, he would be so overcome with holiday cheer that he would immediately double Bob Cratchit's salary. I realize I'm mixing my Christmas classics, but I think I've made my point.

I'm making the apple butter in the Crock Pot, so it's ridiculously easy, but because I did not do anything else exciting today, I'm documenting it for you.

If you too would like to make your home smell like Autumn invited Christmas over for a rager, you will need five Granny Smith and five Pink Ladies.

Those would be apples, not to be confused with these pink ladies....

You will also need brown sugar (1 cup), honey (1/2 cup), apple cider (1/4 cup), cinnamon (1 tablespoon), cloves (1/2 teaspoon), and mace (1/8 teaspoon). 

This is the only mace I had, so I substituted some nutmeg and extra cinnamon.

{Thanks, Lauren. Good lookin' out.}

Peeling and chopping the apples is kind of a pain in the ass, but just focus on the delightful smells in your future. Dump the apples in the slow cooker.

Add everything else, and stir.

Cover, set slow cooker to low for ten hours, and relax. Or, if you're me, make lame attempt at Thanksgiving leaf garland, give up, and watch Oprah instead.

{Lame attempt at Thanksgiving leaf garland}

Off to bed now. Apple Butter: The Conclusion to premiere tomorrow....