another pumpkin recipe

These are AMAZING.

This may be my favorite pumpkin recipe so far! The muffins are super moist, a little spicy, and the tartness of the apple with pumpkin is wonderful.

mmmmmmm......

Pumpkin Apple Spice Muffins

muffins:

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice**

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely chopped

toppings:

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice**

2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients in a big bowl and make a well in the center.

Mix the pumpkin, butter, and eggs in a seperate bowl and then pour into the dry mix. Stir just until moist.

Stir in the apple (be careful not to overmix) and spoon into muffin pan.

Mix together the sugar and spice and sprinkle over the muffins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Remove them from the pan immediately and let cool on racks.

Makes about 20 muffins.

**You can use equal parts of cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, and nutmeg instead of pie spice

I took these to a playdate brunch and they were a big hit, with the kiddos and the mommies!

(Once again, the pictures are terrible and don't do these justice but my kitchen has NO natural light)

pumpkin patch

It finally stopped raining long enough for us to make a quick trip to a local pumpkin patch. We didn't get to actually go out in the 'patch' and pick one out because the fields were so muddy due to almost a month of non-stop rain, but Maddox didn't know the difference. He just wanted to make sure he touched every single pumpkin...and I'm pretty sure he did.

He would touch one, stick out his tongue, squat down beside it, then move on to another and do this again. He was too cute!
And the tongue is out again! There were actually only like 2 or 3 pictures that his tongue wasn't poking out...I guess that is going to be his new thing for the week.

pumpkin oatmeal breakfast bites

These are perfect for a healthy breakfast on the go. I am always trying to find breakfast things that Maddox and I both like, so when I found this recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal Bites, I was super excited! They are really easy to make and are so good for you... not to mention it is yet another way I can use pumpkin!! I modified the recipe and added golden raisins and a tad bit more sugar but you could add nuts or chocolate chips and I am sure they would be wonderful!

(Sorry the picture is so bad, it really does not do these justice.)

Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bites

ingredients:

1 can pumpkin puree (15oz)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 t. vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. ginger

1/2 cup raisins (more or less depending on preference)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the pumpkin, sugars, applesauce, and vanilla in one bowl.

Mix the remaining inredients in a big bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well (this takes a while to make sure everything is really good and mixed together because it is so sticky)

Drop full tablespoon size clumps onto a greased cookie sheet. They don't spread when they cook so you can put as many a possible on one sheet.

Bake for about 15 min. or until done.

*This makes a LOT...I ususally end up with 30-35 bites, but they do freeze well.

trying to hold it together...

I have not talked to my husband in 2 days because they are in a blackout. I know that he is okay but I still worry. I need to hear his voice everyday, to know that he is safe and on the other side of the phone. It is an unbelievable comfort to know exactly what he is doing at that very moment.

I miss him more than I knew it was possible. I feel like so much of myself is missing...I am not whole without him. I envy friends whose husbands come home to them everyday, who sit down together for dinner, who share a couch while watching t.v, and who go to sleep in the same bed. This year apart has really made me appreciate Brandon and our relationship, and it has made me realize that there is nothing that I would not do, or withstand for us.

So yesterday when I received the heartbreaking news that his unit had lost another soldier, I broke down. It really hit too close to home this time. I cried until I was out of energy to cry and then did the only thing that I could think of to do...I made brownies and snuggled with our son.

When we are all a family again, I will never forget this year that we spent so far apart, and I know that it will make us stronger. I can only hope that it will make me a more understanding and supportive wife, and always remember the vows we took not so very long ago.

'Supermom' I am not

Maddox is officially done with "baby food". He has decided that he no longer likes mush of any sort and will only eat that yummy stuff that big people eat. From the beginning, I have made all of his baby food in my own kitchen. My friends tease that I am attempting to pass as a 'supermom' but now that I look back, I think I partly started doing it out of guilt brought on by my failed attempt (gasp) at breastfeeding.

The entire 8 months that we knew about Maddox before he actually arrived, I talked about the joys of breastfeeding and read pretty much every book ever published on the subject. My husband was just as excited as I was and even went to nursing classes with me. Lots of people warned me that I may have trouble and not to blame myself if I decided not to breastfeed, but of course I reassured them that I would be nursing my child, end of discussion. I had friends who stopped breastfeeding after several days or weeks and told me their accounts of what went wrong but truthfully, I just thought they didn't try hard enough or didn't REALLY want to do it (sorry guys).

Well, after about 7 weeks, I quit nursing. After 7 long weeks of tears, frustration, pain, and resentment, I had to quit...for my own sanity. I dreaded feeding him. He would nurse for sometimes up to an hour and then want to eat again 45 minutes later. He could never get the hang of latching on, I had mastisis twice, and to make matters worse my c-section incision became infected so I was constantly running a fever. Not to mention my husband left for Iraq the day after Maddox was born. ( This was not a good time for me to say the least.) I started to resent my own son and that was the point that I knew this had to stop. Although I know it was the best decision for us, I still feel guilty sometimes, so to ease the guilt I made all of Maddox's baby food. No jars for him ...okay maybe occasionally when I am exhausted he eats Earth's Best organic "Sweet potato and chicken dinner" but don't tell anyone :)

Making purees was really super easy, and we saved tons of money. I just steamed veggies and fruits and either mashed them up or put them in the blender. Then I froze them in ice cube trays so I could get out individual servings. Pureeing is easy, but as I said earlier, Maddox does not like them anymore. Needless to say, coming up with meals for him that are both healthy and edible for someone with only one tooth has become a challenge. These books have been soooo helpful!

Annabel Karmel is wonderful! She has tons of other books about superfoods for babies and toddler meal planners.

I love this book because it is really practical and the recipes are mostly quick and easy, which is essential when I have to cook 2 seperate meals for dinner.

I just want my kid to be healthy so if there are any little things that I can actually do to ensure that, I will. No, I do not yet don a cape and matching heels...but yes, at the end of the day, I want to feel like I am doing something good.

deep fried therapy

MMMmmmmmmmmm...

These are sooo good...or I guess I should say, WERE good.

I try not to visit this place often, for obvious health reasons, but occasionally, after an especially difficult day (or night), I convince myself that I deserve it. We can all use a little deep-fried, sugar induced euphoria sometimes!

the perfect autumn day

When I woke up this morning, shivering under the covers, I knew it was going to be a good day! We are having a cold front so of course I went through the house and opened every window and then bundled Maddox and myself up in sweaters and thick socks. I was actually able to enjoy my coffee without having to crank up the a/c.

We started the day off with generous helpings of delicious pumpkin pancakes. (I found this recipe at Life Every Day, thanks Megan!!) They were soooo yummy! I can't wait to make these for my husband...he and I share a deep love for pancakes.

After that, I decided we should head to the park so I could walk off the maple syrup. This was the first time we have been to the park since Maddox started walking so it was a whole new world to him! And it was his first time in the "big boy" swing. He was so serious about the whole experience, it was sooo cute...my baby is not really a baby anymore!!

fall crafting

I have never owned a wreath. Ever. Not even a sparkly Christmas one with poinsettias or shiny, miniature presents. There really is no reason I have never adorned my door with dead leaves, pinecones, or christmas tree scraps, I guess I just never thought about doing it. I mean, isn't that what moms and grandmas do?? Well, seeing as how I am now a member of the mommy club, why not go crazy :) Not to mention every time I make my weekly trip to Hobby Lobby, which is quite often the highlight of my week (did I mention I'm a mom now?), I feel strongly compelled to make crafty things like holiday centerpieces and swags (you know, those weird floral things that hang over doorways, fireplaces, etc.) and of course...wreaths.

So here is what I did. I started with just a natural dried vine wreath. I bought the cheapest one I could find since I planned to cover it anyway, plus I like the rustic look of its imperfections.

This is the "stuff" I used to cover it. I dug through the seasonal 1/2 off bins and found different colored faux berries, balls, twigs, a mum, acorns, and autumn leaves.

I hot glued them on and topped it off with ribbon. I made a bow and tied the ribbon around the wreath and left it loose in the back so I could use it as a hanger.

TA-DAA!!

It was surprisingly simple, the whole thing cost about $8 and I was able to make it during Maddox's nap (which was essential since he has entered the uber-clingy faze and doesn't allow me to do ANYTHING without him)

This little project really helped lift my spirits and jump-start the harvest season. Its still 85 degrees outside but at least my house is starting to smell and look like fall!

good news is good news!!

So I try not to get too excited when my husband gives me dates about him coming home from Iraq, just because whatever information they get is usually wrong, or it changes at the last minute. I have learned not to trust anything until it happens, that way I don't get my hopes up. Who am I kidding? I always get my hopes up even though I know it will change...but that is just the army life I suppose. But a few days ago Brandon called with news that he will (unless of course, something major happens) be home for Maddox's 1st birthday!!! He is actually scheduled to be home 2 weeks before the big day so even if he does get delayed, he should still make it home by then.

I have been praying and pretty much holding my breath that he would be home for our little guy's birthday ever since he walked out of the hospital the day after Maddox was born to get on a plane for Iraq. Not to menton that this also means that he will be home for Christmas...our first Christmas together as a family. Words can not express how happy I am to get this wonderful news and the peace I am feeling tonight as I write this. I can not wait until this long, LONG year is over and Brandon is back home with us again.

granola: take 2

I have to say that this time, the granola is pretty darn good. I made this batch for my mother while we were visiting with her, so the ingredients are a little different from what I would ususally put together for myself, but even so I couldn't stop eating it!

This time I used:

2 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon water

cinnamon (I just poured some in until it smelled like enough)

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup dried fruit-raisons and cranberries

I mixed all of the dry ingredients together in one bowl, except for the fruit. Then I mixed the wet ingredients in a small sauce pan and let simmer for 1 minute before pouring over the dry ingredients and mixed it all together. I spread the granola out on a greased cookie sheet and baked at 275 degrees for 30 minutes ( I stirred the mix halfway through) and then added the dried fruit and continued baking for another 10 minutes.

It turned out fabulous! Cooking at a lower temp for a longer time really gave the oats the perfect crunch. I am going to try this method again once I get home and add a few more things that I like.