GOODNESS!

I haven't had an update in quite a while! Goodness, I have loads to say!

Well, I think it's official-- I loveeeee baking & cooking! I have cooked some fantastic foods & desserts in the last week & I am so excited to share with you!! :)

I made this FABULOUS pasta sauce last weekend using the slow cooker, yummmmy. Although I had to have it cook for 4 hours on high, boy was it hard to take little bites every once in a while! I'm so glad I waited-- yummy!

Also in the last week or so, I made a recipe from Rachael Ray called "Sausage, Pepper, Onion One Pot" which was sooooo good-- everyone loved it! The recipe calls for Chili Peppers, but I substituted that with an additional Red Bell Pepper... I enjoyed it better my way because it had a kick to it, but it wasn't crazy hot.

Also, we had a rain storm, followed by a beautiful double-rainbow! Here's my picture below-- soooo pretty! You can be jealous this is my backyard :)

So here's a list of what I made:

1) the "Butcher's Sauce"

2) Low-fat Carrot-cake cupcakes

3) Sausage, Onion & Pepper One Pot

4) Plum-Apple Cobbler

5) & now I have baking a Pumpkin-Apple Bread :)

Have a great day!

ROASTED APPLES!

YUMMMMY-- Roasted Apples were the PERFECT Fall treat this Friday afternoon :)

I definitely changed a bit in the recipe.

1) I didn't use Gala apples, I used the apples from our apple tree outside... Furthermore, I didn't "quarter" them like it says to, I cut them into little pieces for more yummy-ness :)
2) It calls for 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon. 1/8 teaspoon? I don't think so. I added 1/2 a teaspoon cinnamon...
3) The third batch, instead of 1/4 cup sugar, I filled in the 1/4 cup only 3/4 full... so 3/16th of a cup? less sugar is what I was going for...

Anyways, I put the apples in for 30 minutes, & when I went to "toss" them at 15minutes (halfway) some were mushy. Didn't even THINK to change the time given the smaller apples--oops!

However, batch #1 was so good that my mom & ate them all :) They were in for 15minutes, no tossing.

Batch #2 is pictured here... as you can see, less then quartered apples, more like slices... These were in for 10 minutes, no tossing.

Batch #3, I used the less sugar, which they come out good & they are better for you! :) These, were in for 10 minutes, no tossing, & less sugar
Pre-Oven:
Post Oven:


Happy Fall Friday! :)

Mmmmm Soup

I know I have mentioned a few times my love for the Fall season. But here's another: SOUP! Mmmmm I love soup. As my dad would put it, "you can eat soup all year round" why yes I could. I just loveeeeee soup. I really have no other way to put it. OKAY! So after bundling up in a casual Fall outfit complete with scarf to do my errands, I came home & thought to myself, I need something so great today for lunch. So I tried Progressive's Chicken Noodle Soup. DELICIOUS! Very meaty pieces with egg noodles & big pieces of cooked, but not mushy, carrot slices. The whole can only cost me 2 points. Woo hoo! :) I do have a recipe for some homestyle chicken noodle soup that I am planning on trying later, but I didn't get to the grocery store today so I have NO idea what I need. Since it's somewhat of a nice day today, I think I am going to go outside to grab some apples off the tree to make the roasted apples from the recipe I gave you yesterday. I hope it works with our kind of apple tree :) Stay tuned!

Song of the day: Tonight, Tonight by the Smashing Pumpkins. Nothing based on the lyrics, but the song in general. For my brother who I miss very much & was reminded of today when I saw a shirt that he owns. Love you brother bear!

Roasted Apples

IT'S FINISHED!!!! :) :) :) :) Recipe Book, Volume I: DONE!
I didn't realize how close I was to getting down until I looked around for more dessert recipes & there were none! I'm so very excited to have this done!! I love it! I only need to go get a couple more sheet protectors for two more pages & insert them & ta-da! :) Also tomorrow I am planning on going back to Oburg to Jo-Ann Fabrics to get a whole new recipe book! I believe they had red & navy left, so I will probably go with... ohhh I'm not sure. Probably both so I can expand my books in the future :) As I am looking at this, I am starting to think I want to change the order of them. Right now I have Drinks & Desserts in this one, & I was planning on doing Appetizers & Suppers in the next one. Buuuuuuttttt I'm thinking it'd be smarter/wiser/better to go with Drinks & Appetizers, then Suppers & Desserts?!

So my recipe for today. A quick, healthy-ish Fall snack:
Roasted Apples (serves 8)
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 apples, preferable Gala, cored & cut into quarters

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine sugar & cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add Apples & toss to coat. Spread apples in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, tossing halfway through, until tender but firm, 30 to 35 minutes.

Good Luck with that one! I personally would decrease the sugar & increase the cinnamon, but that's just me :) Happy Roasted Apples!

Recipe Book

How was everyone's labor day weekend? Mine was just great. Family came up on Saturday & it was just a wonderful time. Quick day trip for them though, so it was just a little bit of socializing & some lunch. I am so blessed to have a wonderful family & I just love spending time with them. Especially the little babies in my family :) I love watching them grow up, but sometimes I wish time would stop for just a few moments so that I could capture that moment forever. The family on Saturday was my Aunt Leesa, cousin Megan, her husband Fred & their daughter, Amelia. Amelia is about 7 1/2 months now & just a beauty already! Red hair & blue eyes & her smile lights up the room :)

Now I think it's officially fall... school has started & the college students are back. School always makes me want to go out & buy a bunch of newly sharpened pencils. I'm starting to take my days & try to be somewhat productive. I absolutely LOVE craft time! I have a few craft projects in my head, but some of yet to get started. My latest project is a homemade recipe book. In the last couple of years, I've collected recipes that I've torn or written from various magazines. Well, now I'm actually putting it all together. My mom, a scrapbooker herself, has tons of paper, decorations, etc. We went to the store & picked out my scrapbook & I'm almost done filling it!! :) :) :) Very exciting!! I think I am going to need a second scrapbook to fill with my "appetizers & supper" recipes, as the first one is "drinks & desserts" I might change it up though... go drinks & appetizers then supper & desserts. Don't worry, I'll be sharing some of my favorites on here!

Song of the Day: The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel

So long, sweet summer

Good Afternoon everybody! Happy Friday & also Happy Labor Day weekend.

Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of so many things in my mind. The students going back to school; the changing of leaves & the transition into the Fall, football season, applesauce, warm sweaters, finding blankets to put on your bed for the cooler nights.

Fall is my most favorite time of the year. Even though I enjoy all seasons, Fall is probably my favorite. The colors of the leaves changing is such a soft, warm reminder of nature's true beauty. I often laugh at myself during the Fall because I once had a very good friend, Whitney, say to me, (I was wearing a brown sweater & we were walking outside) "Your outfit plus your hair, you totally blend in with the leaves!" Ha, the things you remember.

I always get so excited when I see kids & their parents in stores, picking out new school supplies, or sometimes you get the kids who are so excited about their new backpack, they put it on & walk around with it throughout the store-- so sweet. During this time period, I tend to think of myself wrapped in the idea of school. Both many years ago as a child, & then pushing my life ahead, as a parent. One of my memories in particular includes my mom & me, going out to get my lunch pail. *Back in those days* (ha!) Our lunch boxes were plastic boxes, complete with a matching Thermos that fit inside. Anyway, mine was a bright pink, Rollerskating Barbie lunchbox-- so awesome. Coming from an older brother, I would usually have the boy hand-me-downs, also cool, but this Barbie lunchbox was mine, I picked it out, & it was one of the first things that I can remember that I didn't have to share. As I am older, I can now realize that this huge day of me going to school, such excitement, I'm sure I had no idea that my mom was upset that day-- her baby girl was going to kindergarten-- how funny to think about the contrast of emotions that day. Myself, beyond excited to be a big girl & starting school, & my mother, who shared those feelings with me, probably was also mixed with a sad, my baby girl isn't a baby anymore.

I often day dream of myself, older, with children of my own someday, picking out just the right folders, pencils, backpacks, checking off their list, one-by-one, to make sure we have all the right school supplies. Picking out some "back to school outfits" with my children. Its in moments like these, where I just can't wait to meet my husband, get married & have children just so I can relish in those sweet moments with them, even though I'm sure it will just all fly by.

Perhaps a little early, but so long, Summer! :)

...End of the Summer Cleaning?

Wow! A girl can really collect a lot of junk in 20+ years!

I have never thought of myself as a hoarder, but lately I have been watching TLC's Hoarding: Buried Alive; & I tell you what, it scares me! I have been cleaning out anything & everything, literally trashing 20% & putting probably about 30% into a give-away. I know that I am no where near a hoarder, but I just get so annoyed with all the stuff that I have sometimes! I've debated about just literally dumping all my stuff into the trash. (I have since decided against it.) So here I am, putting on some music & going through so much of my stuff that brings me back to so many memories of my life. There's such a warm feeling in my heart that reminds me of these memories, flooding into my head. Not only do I have a smile on my face, but I really remember that I am truly blessed with my life. At the same time, I get so disappointed when I put things in a give-away pile (or my brother's room in this case) because I think, "did you REALLY need to buy that?" & most of the time, the answer is no. I know you're probably thinking, "disappointed???" but my reasoning is simply instead of buying something that I wanted at the time, but probably didn't need at the time, I just am disappointed in my selfish-ness, when I could have put that money into something else; food/clothes/books/toys for the less fortunate. It really puts into perspective my needs vs wants. I am really trying to put a new spin on my life of giving gifts of experiences vs one of those, "here's-a-gift-because-I-didn't-know-what-to-get-you" gifts. You know the ones. We all do it. Picture Frames, Candles, Lotions, Etc. I'm really going to start trying to give people things they need, or experiences. Here's a gift-card to eat at this *Fabulous* restaurant or a bottle of a homemade wine. Just went off on a tangent. Oops :)