Weekend Getaway to Prescott & Vintage Aprons

This past weekend two of my best friends and I traveled to Prescott, AZ for a birthday getaway. They each had a birthday in May and mine is in June but our schedules didn't allow us to get together until last weekend. We always have a great time together!

Celebrating Friendship & Birthdays

Prescott is about two hours away from the Phoenix area and the temperatures in the summer can be about 20 degrees cooler. Needless to say we loved the cooler weather!

We all love to eat so finding the best places to eat in town was one of our missions. On Saturday night we went to the Raven right in the heart of the downtown area. They have a rooftop garden seating area where the live music from downstairs can be enjoyed on the rooftop. The food was fabulous and they serve microbrewed beer. I would definitely recommended this place to others. A visit to Whiskey Row topped off our evening.

 

On Sunday we were again in the downtown square and came across Grama's Bakery. I asked Grama if I could take her picture and she relucantly let me. As we visited she shared her story...she started the Bakery when she was 61 years old and has been baking in Prescott for 20 years. It was wonderful to sit and visit with such a gracious lady! Of course we couldn't just visit; we had to sample her confectionary creations. 

My choice, a Chocolate Crossiant. It was yummy!

So the second mission we had in Prescott was visiting all the Antique Shops. I felt like I had taken a step down Memory Lane! We saw something from just about every era. I loved looking at the old mixing bowls, tins and hand mixers. My friend enjoyed searching for vintage jewelry.

While visiting shop after shop I came across a pile of vintage aprons. I hadn't really thought that I might find vintage aprons but I did! I especially like the aprons that cover your full front. It is probably because I am not the cleanest cook...I always seem to splatter something around the kitchen when I'm cooking!   So here are photos of my two finds. I truly love them both.  

We so enjoyed our time together and we vowed we wouldn't let a whole year go by without finding time to get away again soon. 

So here's a question for you....do you collect anything vintage?

My First Cookbook and Apples, Apples, Apples!

I still have my very first cookbook! My Grandma Simmons gave it to me in 1966 for my sixth birthday. The cookbook/birthday card was made by Hallmark and the price on the back cover shows my Grandma paid 35 cents. Can't buy a card for that price now!

The cookbook is falling apart but you can tell I must have loved it because the pages are tattered and splattered with dried milk, chocolate spots and vanilla drips. When you open the book it was obvious I was also learning to color and write my name! Brings back lots of memories of learning to cook.


So the second part of this post.....Apples, Apples, Apples!
I recently went to dinner at the home of friends in Tempe. While taking a tour of their beautiful backyard I spied apple trees, not just apple trees, but trees full of apples! I was surprised to see apples in the late Spring/early Summer but with our crazy AZ weather this year I graciously accepted when they offered me a bag of apples.

I have three favorite things to make with apples; applesauce, apple pie and apple crisp. I decided to make apple crisp. Yum! One of my favorite cookbooks as an adult is still a Betty Crocker Cookbook that my Mom bought for me one Christmas. It also has many pages with ingredients splattered on the pages!

Apple Crisp

4 cups of cooking apples (tart, cooking apples work best)
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. oatmeal (quick cooking or old fashioned)
1/3 c. butter, softened
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of an 8 inch square pan or a pie plate with butter. Mix sliced apples with 1/4 c. brown sugar, spread in prepared pan. In medium bowl add remaining ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle over apples. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. Serve warm.


You can see I tripled the recipe and made one smaller and one larger so I would have plenty to share! You can serve your apple crisp plain, with whipping cream or with vanilla ice cream, yum! I  always like to find new ways to serve myself and my guests desserts. This time I used a martini glass to serve my Apple Crisp.

Can't wait until fall when more apples are in season to make apple pie and applesauce! What's your favorite apple recipe?

It started with a qoute.....

"I was thirty-two when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate."  ~ Julia Child