Family Recipe: Apple Torte

Apple Torte

Try a delicious cross between a cheesecake and apple pie!

Preheat oven to 350°
Crust:
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 Stick butter (softened)
1/2 tsp vanilla
Cut all crust ingredient together until well combined. It should resemble crumbs, but will stick together when pressed.
Press the crust into a springform pan (or pie dish) to form a solid layer

Cheese filling:
1 package softened cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Beat together until creamy and spread thin in an even layer on top of the crust.

Apple topping:
2 apples (peeled and cut into pieces)
1/3 cup sugar
1tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter (melted)
Combine until apples are coated and then spread or arrange apples on top of the cheese.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour

Final step... ENJOY!

Progress Aplenty

Progress Aplenty

Wow! It has been a crazy long time since we last spoke!  Sorry about that. 

In the meantime, I haven't stopped working... I have an awful lot to update on the To-Do list for my Bedroom.

Here is what it looked like the last time we spoke,

Patch/Paint Ceiling

Strip/Refinish Woodwork

Patch/Paint Walls

Sand/Refinish Floors

 

Here is where I actually am in the to-do scheme of things.

Patch/Paint Ceiling

Strip/Refinish Woodwork

Patch/Paint Walls

Sand/Refinish Floors

MOVE IN!

 

In some ways it feels so close, in others, I worry I will never get to that last step...

That could be because I have hit a bit of a snag in the "sanding" process for the floor.  The floors in this room are Maple, but they have seen decades of tenants and NEED some TLC. 

Now, I know I can't be trusted with a drum sander, it is way to easy to dig through to the first floor, so I thought to myself (and out loud to my family and friends) "I can just use a belt sander.  It is smaller and easier to control... sure it will take a little longer, but the results will be worth it..."

Nope.

After repeatedly gouging my floor in several places, because as it turns out, I can't be trusted with a belt sander either... I am now in the market for a contractor to do that part for me...

I have no problem admitting that everyone else was right.  Belt-sander=Bad Idea.

 

I will post pictures of my progress soon. 

Sorry to keep you all out of the loop for so long.

 

Happy Havenmaking!

 

Raise the Ceiling

The past and present of my bedroom ceiling!

Crazy that it looks so yellow in this picture... I have a lot to learn about lighting!

 

In my last post, I introduced you to my current-spare-future-master bedroom.  What a mess!  Like so much about this house, it has potential but needs extraordinary amounts of TLC. (akaWORK)

 

At the top of my checklist, and coincidentally the top of the room is... the ceiling.

Made of what appear to be cardboard tiles, the ceiling has seen better days... Belying the yellowish pic above, it is actually white, but the years have not been kind (maybe the pic isn't as far off as I might wish) 

Some of the seams are showing the brown underneath, there is the occasional water stain, hole, and oh yes, the amazing ripped up sections around where the fan was installed.

Not being in a position to rip out and replace this feature (And knowing from previous projects the mess that most likely lies beneath) I had the inspiration to paint it!  Enter my AWESOME little brother!  He took a day off to help me coat my ceiling with Behr Eggshell finish in Fountain Spout.

And it begins to take shape :)

 

Don't think of how it clashes with the nasty yellow, imagine looking up at the clear blue sky from the comfort of my memory foam!  (Besides, the Yellow is one of the next things to go ;)

 

The ToDo for the Bedroom now looks like this:

 

Patch/Paint Ceiling

Strip/Refinish Woodwork

Patch/Paint Walls

Sand/Refinish Floors

MOVE IN!

 

I promise I will share the full color scheme soon.

Boy does this feel like a victory!



Big Projects!

Finally, a project!

Something that has been consuming me for the better part of a year, is the spare bedroom in my house.

Technically, this room will become my "master" bedroom, but currently I think it only qualifies as a mess!  Here is the (rather intimidating) view from the kitchen...

 

As you can see, it is SCARY yellow, and currently unusable.

But it has lots of potential! 

We have a couple of reasons for wanting to move our bedroom in here.  There is only one window that faces east, think: wake up to the sun rise :)  Also, our current room has 2 windows.  One south-west so it gets the last 8 hours of sun in the summer and tends to be sweltering!  Also the new room's location in relation to our pellet stove (our sole source of heat) allows it to be a little warmer in winter.  Finally, it is because I have BIG PLANS to turn our current bedroom into a home office/guest room.

 

The Checklist for this room is:

Patch/Paint Ceiling

Strip/Refinish Woodwork

Patch/Paint Walls

Sand/Refinish Floors

MOVE IN!

And after some finishing touches, spend the rest of my time in this house Enjoying the fruit of my labor!

 

In some upcoming posts, I will share my progress.

It would be really nice to be able to move in, and move on to some other projects :)



Do you ever feel this relaxed?

 

This is Scotch.  Clearly he feels at home. 

My goal with all this work, and sharing this journey with you, is to be able to relax like he does.  He doesn't worry about how much is left to be done... He just sprawls out wherever he feels comfortable (be it a huge box in my kitchen, the couch, or the bathroom sink) and savors life!  Someday, in the not too distant future, I will learn to do that too :)

A Little About My Mission...

Hi, I'm Haley... 
Let's begin with a little bit about the reasons behind this blog...
For the last few years, I have been living in a multi-family house in New England, that I share with my husband, my 3 cats (yup that's too many, but they're cute... give me a break) and several of my in-laws (in their own apartments... not my spare bedroom or anything)  Not a terrible situation.  I know and trust my neighbors (I'm not just saying that, my in-laws are good people), My husband and I have MORE than enough room, and complete control over any renovations on our floor. 
Despite all that, I have not really been content here...
The house needs A LOT of work.  We have had some really big issues (read expensive) and it has been tenant property for close to a hundred years.  That being said, it also has enormous potential!  More on that later.

So here it is.... I am inviting you to join me on my journey of turning my house into a home, more than that, a haven!

I will be sharing my projects and progress, and maybe a reflection or two ;)
Please share any tips (I don't claim to be a professional, or even to really know what I am doing) or advice.  I am sure I could use it.

Thanks for reading, and I am looking forward to sharing this journey with you!