The apple of my eye.

I continued my yearly tradition of stopping by the always bigger & better apple fest & tasting at the Portland Nursery over the weekend. Shortage of time and frankly, overwhelming lines, made my visit the quickest yet, but I definitely got what I came for: a variety of tart apples and firm pears, largely including my beloved McIntosh and 3 types of Asian pears. After a couple of grocery errands later in the day, project #1 and project #2 took off.

Project #1: Homemade Apple Liquor

Reason: Because DIY, class, and booze roll together in my life, apple puckers suck, and I’ve wanted to recreate the amber, apple liquor I liked so when I studied abroad in the Netherlands, too many years ago.

Step 1 includes vodka, brandy, apples, and patience.

Project #2: VWAM’S Apple Sage Sausages, turned Roast.

Reason: I’ve made the original recipe for Jayne’s  seitan sausages a couple of times. The flavor is incredible, and totally right for fall. I tend to make seitan sausages every couple of months, and haven’t made simmered, or baked seitan, in quite some time, so this project merged all the wheaty goodness. I made some changes to the original recipe, like using roasted apples instead of dried, doubled it, and baked it in broth with sliced garlic. The verdict? We’ll see, and so will the friend I gave a loaf to.

Pre-baked!! Apple Potato Sage Seitan Roast

Project #3: Apple, Asian Pear & Brandy Crumb Pie (adapted from the Apple Butterscotch Pie in American Vegan Kitchen).

Reason: I had fruit and a housewarming to go to! The dual fruits spent a few hours mingling in brandy & maple syrup before baking. Not only was I happy with the outcome of this, it again proved itself bus-ride-worthy. I love that in a pie.

Apple, Asian Pear & Brandy Pie