I’m not sure if I warned Big T that my house will always be full, but I think he’s figured it out by now. It’s the way I’ve always rolled. Last weekend, in addition to having four cats, a dog, and two awesome roommates, we added four more adults, my seven year old nephew, and a baby. Everyone came up for a trip to Apple Valley. MMmmmmmm, apple season…

We were going to be out all day and I never know if my family will be able to have things to eat, so on Thursday I made Apple Figgy Hand Pies for everyone to take from Isa Chandra’s new book:

Vegan Pie in the Sky

The first batch tasted delicious, but didn’t look as great as I felt they could:

They only lasted two days in our house, so I had to make a second batch and they turned out beautiful. I didn’t have time to take pictures, though. The hand pies wound up being perfect for a day trip because we could grab and eat without utensils.

In Apple Valley, you drive around and stop at different apple farms. You taste different types of apples and goodies at each place, and most farms have entertainment and craft booths. Here’s the kiddos taking a break to try some mini apples. Little T thought his nephew was hilarious:

For our picnic lunch I made a yummy chickpea spread.

Recipe:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and blended in the blender.
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tbls Soy Mayo
• Chopped pickles
• Chopped celery
• Salt and Pepper

After buying apples and trying everything from apple bbq sauce to apple salsa, the grown ups babies needed to take a rest at the park.

When they were done resting, we drove to a playground at the Old Schoolhouse in Oak Glen. These two had a blast.

They weren’t the only ones:

Ro is such a sweetheart, I love this picture of her:

We’d had a big day, but it wasn’t over. We were on our way to see a reenactment of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I’m sure I’ve already blown up your computer with these pictures, so I’ll wait and post those later this week. I hope you all had a nice Halloween!

P.S. Since the trip to Apple Valley, Little T freaks out and cries if we pass apples in the store without giving him one. I guess I’d rather have him throw fits over apples than Snickers Bars?