Momma Deb's Oatmeal Cake

When I first started dating my now husband, Jason, he invited me over to his parents to celebrate his birthday. I remember asking what kind of cake he asked for and he said, "Oatmeal cake!"  I remember thinking, "What the crap?  That sounds terrible."  Little did I know it is far from terrible. It is the yummiest cake ever and it's become a staple in our home on Jason's birthday, and Father's Day. Jason's not a huge fan of desserts. He doesn't like rich things. I know...crazy!  This cake isn't too sweet or rich. It's perfect. The cake is moist and the icing is creamy, and buttery. It melts in your mouth. It is now my boys' favorite cake. My youngest is known for only eating the icing off of cake and cupcakes. He never eats the cake. But he does with this one. Yay!  It gets its name from Jason's mom, Deb, who I like to call Momma Deb. I'm glad she passed the recipe down to me.

Isn't it beautiful?! 

Momma Deb's Oatmeal Cake

1 c. Instant oatmeal

1 1/2 c. Boiling water

2 eggs

1 c. Brown sugar

1 c. Sugar

1/2 c. Shortening

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 1/2 c. Flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour your oatmeal in the bowl you're gonna mix your batter in. Pour boiling water over oatmeal and stir to combine. Let it sit for a few minutes to get it soft. Next add your eggs, brown sugar, white sugar, and shortening and cream it all together. Add all your dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour batter into 13x9 cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Icing

1 c. Milk

1/3 c. Flour

One stick of butter, softened

1 c. Sugar

In a sauce pan whisk together your milk and flour. Continue stirring until it's good and thick. A little thicker than glue. You're making a sort of roo. :) Take it off the heat and let it cool completely. While it's cooling I like to start beating my butter and sugar together. Next add in your roo and mix until it's nice and creamy. Pour it over cooled cake and serve.

Let me know if you give it a try. I would love to hear how much you love it. :)

:::happy monday:::

Tatertot Casserole

An easy go to meal for me when I don't really feel like cooking. Those nights seem to come more often than I would like them to.

Here's what you'll need..

Tatertot Casserole 

1 lb. ground beef

A regular sized bag of your favorite tatertots

1 can evaporated milk

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of mushroom

1 can corn

Shredded cheddar cheese (however much you like.)

Cook your hamburger. I like to season mine with salt, pepper, and garlic and onion powder. While that's cooking, mix together in a separate bowl your milk, soups, and corn. Whisk together until combined. When your hamburger is cooked through pour it in the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish, pour tatertots evenly over hamburger, pour your soup mix over that. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. When it's all done, top it with the shredded cheddar cheese and put it back in the oven until the cheese is all good and melty.  

Not the prettiest dish, but it's tasty. 

Enjoy!!

Crispy Kale Chips

I made these kale chips last year and loved them! I had bought a bunch of kale for my green smoothies and didn't really love how they made my smoothie taste a little too grassy. I did a google search and found this recipe from The Food Network. It looked simple enough and really turned out great!

First off, cut the ribs from each leaf of kale. I tore them into chip sized pieces and put them in my salad spinner.

After spinning them, put them on a cookie sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, then use your hands to toss them.

Bake at 275 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning them halfway through. I had a lot on my sheet so ended up baking for a few more minutes. The majority of them come out deliciously crispy. There were a few that were not completely crispy but that didn't bother me.

I don't know how well these keep because they are gone pretty quickly. Give them a try! They are a great snack and pretty nutritious too!

Have a happy Thursday!!!

Monica

Digi Day

Little Dreamer Designs has such a fun back to school kit for September. It's called Old School and was so fun to work with. I love when I can scrap a layout and really have fun doing it too.

Chalkboards are so in right now and that does not exclude the digital scrapbooking world. I love Michelle's chalkboard "paper" and her chalky stamps are sooo fun. I love the gold stars too. They just add the perfect detail. Of course my adorable Maggie makes this layout just perfect. :)

 

Pick up the kit at Little Dreamer Designs.

 

Happy Thursday!

 

Monica



Crock Pot Yogurt

I said I'd do it, and I did. I like when that happens. It was easy, I didn't die, and not only do I love the way it turned out, my kids do too! Score 1 for the mom. :)

My mom has made her own yogurt for years and I always looked at her bowl of rotten milk sitting on her counter with disgust. It seemed pretty hokie. I never actually tried it though (sorry mom). In my internet searching for whole foods recipes I came across this recipe and it intrigued me. I use a lot of yogurt at my house. Not only for eating plain but in smoothies and all sorts of other recipes. Yogurt is pricey, especially when you're purchasing the quality stuff. Well, to get away from the artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners I decided to give this a go.

I found this recipe at Bless This Mess. Her blog is a great resource in some whole foods recipes. :)

Crockpot Yogurt

1/2 gallon (8 cups) whole milk (I haven't tried a lower fat content yet, supposedly the yogurt is thinner.)

1/2 cup commercial plain yogurt that says “Live and Active Cultures” on the tub. I used Stoneyfield farms plain greek yogurt.

In a large crock pot pour in the milk.  Turn it on low for around 2 1/2 hours.  After that time has passed, unplug the crock pot and let it sit for 3 hours. After the 3 hours has passed stir in the 1/2 cup of  yogurt.  Replace the lid of the crock pot and cover with 2 big towels or a blanket. (I just used one big towel. My mom just uses a dish towel.) Let rest for 8 to 12 hours (Mine was longer, I wasn't getting up at 3 a.m. That's why I was worried I was going to get sick. It ended up being 17 hours).  In the morning you’ll have yogurt!  Put it in a quart sized mason jar and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. Mine filled up two jars with a small bowl leftover. It will thicken up in the fridge. Don't forget to save 1/2 cup of your yogurt for your next batch.

 

At this point I was worried about my safety. ;) It was cool to see the transformation though.

 

I filled two of these quart sized jars. So I ended up with a half gallon of yogurt for approximately $1.25. Not bad!

You can also let the yogurt strain in cheese cloth, in the fridge for a few hours and you’ll get a thicker Greek yogurt!

 

Awesome. So glad it worked out. It feels great serving a wholesome product to the kiddos. I sliced a banana in it and drizzled honey. They loved it. Personally, I think it has a milder flavor than some of the plain yogurts I've purchased from the store.

 

 

Have a great Monday!!

Tomatoes...Please Don't Go.

This year I've really enjoyed the garden tomato. I grew up loving them straight from the garden, freshly picked and warm from the sun. I couldn't wait for those plump green maters to turn juicy and red. Sometimes I would eat them in the garden straight from the vine. Especially, the cherry tomatoes. One for the bowl, two for me. Yum.

Unfortunately tomato season seems to take forever to get here and goes all too quick. My sisters-in-law bottle tomatoes and salsa. That's on my to do list for someday. For now, I just enjoy them while I can.

My friend Katie the Scrapbook Lady blogged in August about her favorite salad, the Caprese Salad. I had to try it immediately. I had some farmer's market tomatoes, basil, and I picked up some fresh mozz. How can three simple ingredients together be so unbelievably tasty? I drizzled mine with Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette. I've been in love ever since. So thank you Katie for introducing me to me new love. I'm just sad tomato season is just about over. *sniffles*

 

 

Better hurry and give this a try! Because you can't possibly make this with store bought tomatoes shipped from another country. It would never taste the same. :)

 

Happy Friday!

 

Love, Monica

Whole Foods Cooking

Hey all! After an extremely busy Summer the kids started back to school today and I've started to get our life back in order. I have an empty fridge and a really messy house. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed but I know with time I'll have some order again.

Something that has been on my mind lately is how our family eats. I don't feel like we are extremely unhealthy but we definitely have room for improvement. Mainly, I'd like to do more whole foods cooking and try to cut out more processed foods. Jillian Michaels as loud as she is, is one of my favorite fitness gurus. I love her philosophy of calories in/calories out. Simple as that. She also teaches the 80/20 philosophy. Meaning, 80% of your time eating "clean" and 20% of your time, living life. I'm not the type to say sugar is evil, hello, cupcake fan here. But I do think an 80/20 way of life is doable.

I'd like to occasionally post any websites or recipes that we find are helping us on our journey. In my "research" I found a website that has kind of guided me on my start to more whole foods cooking.

Melissa over at Bless This Mess has put together a two week "clean" eating plan. She also follows the 80/20 philosophy. I love her idea of just doing the very best you can for your family. I have used her Spring/Summer menu as a guideline. Check out her website and pin for future reference. It's a great resource. I am also planning on using her whole wheat bread recipe, granola, and crock pot yogurt. I'll let you know how they turn out. :)

I hope everyone had a great Summer!! Here comes Fall! I love Fall. I hope it decides to hang around for a bit. :)

And because every post needs a pic. :)

First Day! 2013-2014

Little Dreamer Designs - American Summer Kit

Hey all! Happy July! Holy cow summer is zipping by. I wanted you to know about the adorable kit at Little Dreamer Designs for July. It's called American Summer and is perfect for your Summer photos. It's main colors are red, white, and blue but it also has nautical and Americana elements to scrap lots of fun summer activities.

Adorable, right? Find it HERE.

 

 

I always try to take a photo of the flag at the 4th of July parade. I love how it turned out this year. The marine looked so sharp and I happened to capture him in between the kids with their hands on their hearts. I love the patriotic feel of a small town parade. I'm so grateful for this country and the freedoms we enjoy. I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July. :)

 

Love,

Monica

 

 

 

 

 

Digi Day

Little Dreamer Designs has the perfect kit to scrapbook all your Father's Day pics. It's called La Moustache and is fabulous!!!

Adorable, right?!!

This kit made me realize that I need more pics of my kiddos with their pops. I love the colors. They worked perfectly with my sunset photos. Pick it up HERE.

 

I hope everyone is enjoying your June!!! We traveled half way across the country last weekend and are already having a blast with family in Utah!

 

Party on people! Have a great day!

 



Digi Day

I just wanted to let you know that Little Dreamer Designs has a gorgeous kit this month. Just a reminder that her kits are purchased by a monthly subscription. I just love her designs.

 

Michelle created another beautiful kit. It was made to celebrate all the beautiful women in our lives. It is called She - A Tribute to Her. You can check it out Here.

 

This is my little B about 5 years ago. I love this picture of my little guy. Now he barely fits in my lap. *Sigh* Right now I'm in the trenches of motherhood, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Credits: Little Dreamer Designs-She, Splendid Fiins-Staple and Date Stamp

 

I hope everyone is enjoying their Spring. I know we are. We have a big Summer coming up and we're excited!!

PB&Js for the Freezer

I got a small freezer for my birthday. Who asks for a freezer for their birthday anyway? One clue, I'm getting old. ;) I've had fun finding recipies and building our food storage and trying to simplify my life using the freezer. I know Pinterest is full of freezer ideas but I wanted to share my favorite ideas with you.

 

When I'm in a pinch, I love being able to grab a sandwich out of the freezer for the kids. I can put them in their lunch bag in the morning and they are thawed and ready to eat by lunch time. These are similar to the Uncrustables brand you find in the stores. The great thing about these are they are so much cheaper and made at home. Win-win.

 

Supplies: Peanut Butter, Any Fruit preserve you want (we like grape or strawberry, homemade would be awesome), one loaf of bread (white or wheat), and a crust remover and sealer. I found mine a couple of years ago. I doubt you'll find this exact one at the store but you can find it on ebay. I know The Pampered Chef makes a really cute one too.

 First, one loaf of bread will make 12 sandwiches. That includes the end pieces. I usually do a half a loaf at a time. Spread each slice with peanut butter keeping it mostly in the center. Remember the crusts get cut off so they don't need PB. The reason both sides need PB is to decrease the chances that the jelly will soak through the bread and make it soggy. It makes a nice little pocket for the jelly to hang out.

 Next put the preserves on only half of the slices laid out. Again, keep it in the middle. Go ahead and sandwich the two sides together.

 

Next, use your cutter. On mine the white part cuts the crust off and the red part seals the edges.

 Here it is cut out. Don't throw away the crusts. You can process them into bread crumbs, they make a quick snack for the toddler tugging at your feet, and they are great for the birds or ducks. :)

 

Lastly, wrap each individual sandwich in saran wrap or individual baggies, then put them in a larger freezer bag.

 

Easy Peasy. Quick. Tasty.

 

Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

 

Love,

Monica



February Birthday Cake of the Month

For my birthday my sweet mother-in-law gave me a new subscription for The Food Network magazine. I had been without my beloved magazine for at least a year. Darn budget. But alas we have reacquainted. I love that mag. Because getting back to life after Christmas took me some time, I finally was able to sit down with my January mag.

Notice in the upper right hand corner. Yep, that's a cake. One of the reasons Erica and I have posted less frequently is the fact that we have both been dieting for the past year. Dieting and baking do NOT go hand in hand unfortunately.

 

Well, dieting does not take my love of baking away. I was excited to see this article and found myself at least a monthly post for you. Any excuse for me to bake a cake, right? No one in my house complained. I missed January so I'll get that one next year. But without further ado I introduce February's Birthday Cake of the Month!

 

Chocolate Blackout Cake

This cake is a chocolate lovers dream! It i a chocolate cake with a chocolate filling, frosted with a whipped ganache, then topped with ganache. Holy yum. I was content with one piece but I may have "tasted" the ganache a few times. Ganache is awesome. Chocolate+Cream= Awesome. 

A view of the inside. 

Pre-frosted layers.

 

Lucky for you, you can find this recipe on The Food Networks website. Now go make one but make sure to have some recipients to give some away to!

 

Happy Monday!

 

Love, Monica

Digi Day

Since my last Digi Day, things have changed in my digital world. After being part of the Jessica Sprague Creative Team for 3 years, the admin of the site decided to disband the team and let individual designers control their own teams. I was sad for it to end. The great thing is other doors have opened for me. I've joined two other teams and am excited to continue sharing my work.

 

Also, last year I started Project Life but didn't quite have my heart into it. I wanted to try again this year because I love the concept so much. So far, so good!!! I'm on week 8! I'm doing more a Project 52, week by week. The awesome thing, is I'm doing more of a hybrid style. So I'm dabbling a bit with paper and glue again. That has been a lot of fun. I will share more of that soon.

 

When the CT was disbanded everyone quickly jumped onto other teams. I kind of took my time. I needed the break and I needed to stand back and assess what I could handle. The opportunity came for me to join Little Dreamer Designs with Michelle Coleman. She has a subscription based product. You can subscribe month to month or a 6 month subscription. It is so reasonable priced and you get a super packed gorgeous kit. These things are huge!

 

February's kit is just gorgeous. Seriously. It's beautiful. I loved playing with it. You can still pick it up through the end of this month.

You Are Loved by Michelle Coleman

February 2013 Collection

 Gorgeous, right? You can find it HERE.

Here is my layout using this beautiful kit. I love the little details; stitches, glitter scatters, twine. I fell in love with the grey heart background. Her texture on the paper is just amazing. I'm a scrapping nerd, right? ;) This photo is one of my all time faves of Ben. I captured him in a giggle. Oh how he has grown.

 

Well, happy Thursday!! We are getting close to Spring people. It doesn't feel like it here, but it's around the corner right? ;)

 

Love,

Monica

Valentines Day Printable

I made this Valentines printable last year. I wanted to show you how cute it looks on my book shelf. I personally think it's one of the cuter printables out there. Ahem. :)

Anyway, you can still download it if you would like. Just remember to credit House 344 and please don't use it for financial gain.

Download it HERE.
(On my browser for some reason, when I click the link it comes up as an error. Just X out of the error box and in the upper left hand side click on the little downward arrow. It should download just fine.)

Hope you have an awesome Friday!

Love, Monica

Valentines Cuppies

Look what I did! I baked! I made the most gloriously delicious cupcakes. It could be because I've limited myself to one sweet per week and the taste of sugar in my mouth was just indescribable or it could be because this is just an awesome cupcake. I think it was a bit of both.

I've shared this recipe before but if you haven't made it, please do! This chocolate cupcake is my go to recipe. These are just as quick as a box cake but much much more tasty. I promise. :)

These weren't meant to be Valentines cupcakes hence the mismatch yellow liners and Valentines sprinkles. I found the cute cupcake liners at Michael's in their dollar section. The sprinkles were in my stash, I'm pretty sure they are Wilton. See how pretty these turned out?

One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the cocoa, flour, sugar, soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix till combined scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Scoop batter in liners and fill one-half to two-thirds full. (Be careful here!) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until top of cupcake springs back when lightly touched. Let cool completely before frosting. Makes approx. 18 cupcakes.

Note: Do Not overfill your liners on this recipe. They will over flow.

Source: Martha Stewart Cupcakes

For this cuppie I used Martha's Swiss Meringue Buttercream. If you've never tried this frosting before, you have to give it a try! It's so much smoother and much less annoyingly sweet than a regular buttercream. It does take a little more work but it's so worth it. I halved this recipe for one batch of One Bowl Chocolate cupcakes.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
5 large egg whites

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).

Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.

With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day.

Source: Martha Stewart Cupcakes

What I've Been Working On...

I know I have been missing in action. Life has really been overwhelming for me. I'm not going to go into any annoying details, I know we all have a lot on our plates. This blog started out as being a place for Erica and I to share the things we love and I'm pretty sure it will carry on as time, money, and mostly energy permits. :)

So, at the beginning of the year (can you believe we are in December!!!) Erica and I posted our New Years Resolutions for the world to see. In January I'll go more over my part in detail but one of my resolutions was to finish some major scrapbooking projects that really needed to be done. You can check out my full post HERE. I wrote that I needed to get three done. I finished my Project 365 awhile ago and I'm now on the brink of finishing Maggie's first year album. Woohoo! Let me remind you, she's 6 now. *sigh* But I have 3 more pages, 3!! I'm so glad cause I'm seriously running out of time. I'm forecasting being done today! :)

Here are my recent pages...

LivE Designs- Center of Attention Album Templates (Love these!!!), Splendid Fiins- Very Krafty Neutrals, Office Supplies (staples), Jodi Lee- Vintage Papers, Pink Paislee- Happy Now Elements, PortBeach Elements, Nancie Row Janitz- Vintage Blooms

 

Becky Higgins- Project Life Template B, Clementine Title Card, Glitz Designs- Yours Truly Full Kit (Love this gorgeous kit!!), Splendid Fiins- Office Supplies (My go to staples!), Fonts: Traveling Typewriter, CK Ali's Hand, JSHS Font from Motography, Bebas 

Becky Higgins- Project Life Template B, Blank grid journaling card, Clementine journaling card (re-colored), Glitz Designs- Yours Truly Full Kit, Splendid Fiins- Office Supplies, Fonts: Traveling Typewriter, CK Ali's Hand 

Becky Higgins- Project Life Template A, Glitz Designs- Cashmere Dame (papers and elements), Splendid Fiins- Feedsack Washi Tape and Greyed Out Washi Tape, Fonts: Traveling Typewriter, Clementine Sketch

Becky Higgins- Project Life Template A, Glitz Designs- Cashmere Dame (papers and elements), Splendid Fiins- Feedsack Washi Tape and Greyed Out Washi Tape, Fonts: Traveling Typewriter, Clementine Sketch 

Splendid Fiins- Go Big Template #4, Pink Paislee- Happy Now Paper Pack

Photo by Captured by Adrianne

Awesome, right?! If you noticed 4 of the 6 pages I used the Project Life format by Becky Higgins. I used the digital templates and some items from the Clementine kit. I am super excited about this because I was a bit overwhelmed about getting this project done, doing the designing of layouts,picking out a kit, taking the time, etc., you know the "traditional" way of scrapping. The whole Project Life method saved me. Thank goodness. Next year I have some new projects up my sleeve, all dealing with Project Life. I'm excited. :)

Well, here's to keeping resolutions! Even if they are last minute. ;) Anyone else scrambling to get some resolutions done? I doubt it. Tomorrow I start Christmas projects. Gotta love December!

Love, Monica :)

Pumpkin Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

Monica posted these awhile back.  I whipped them up for a party last weekend and they were absoltuely perfect.  Quite the hit!  Delish!

Well I found it. I found my perfect go to pumpkin cupcake. I'm excited because so far I've had only semi good luck when making a pumpkin cupcake. Last year I did the Martha Stewart Pumpkin cupcake and although it tasted good it had more the consistency of a muffin. Sorry Martha. This cupcake is light and fluffy and delicious. The frosting on the other hand is all Martha. This is my favorite cream cheese frosting. It is simple, basic, and perfect. It tops this cupcake perfectly.

I wanted to take pictures of my process but I was in a hurry. So you get the finished product and the recipe so you can tries these babies out at home.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cupcakes
4 eggs, slightly beaten

3/4 cup Oil
2 cups sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Corn Starch
4 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Blend the eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl; set aside. Stir together dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended. Scoop into lined muffin tins. Fill about 2/3 full. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 30 minutes or until center springs back when touched.

My oven cooks hot so these only took 20 minutes and they were perfect. Make sure you check on them earlier than 30 minutes. If you touch the top and it bounces back, they are done.

Martha Stewart Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. Butter (2 sticks) room temp.
12 oz. Cream Cheese room temp.
1 lb. (4 cups) powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Cream the butter and cream cheese together until they are light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Add vanilla and mix. Now get a spoon and taste. Heaven. :)

Source: Allrecipes.com, MarthaStewart.com

By the way...the cupcake topper was made using Photoshop Elements and Products from JessicaSprague.com. One more thing you can do with your digital stash. :)

Monica :)

Pumpkin Streusal Muffins

We are deep into Fall. The air is getting crisp and the colors are breathtaking. I love this time of year. With the cool air comes the need to get in my kitchen to bake. I've been looking for muffin recipes to stock up in the freezer. My son loves them for snack at school. Anyway, I found this little treasure. If you're looking for a Fallish pumpkiny muffin, here you go my friend. :) Pumpkin + Buttery Streusal, you can't go wrong.

Pumpkin Streusal Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose baking flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup canola oil (You can use applesauce!!)

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Streusal:

1/4 cup all-purpose baking flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup butter

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, pie spice and salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Coat muffin cups with cooking spray or use paper liners; fill three-fourths full with batter.

For topping, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar and pie spice; cut in shortening until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Source: Taste of Home

Have an aweome Monday!!

Love, Monica

Apple Pie Caramel Apples

I made these a couple of years ago for a Monday Match up post. Remember those Erica? Oh good times. Anyway, I figured they needed a post of their very own. They are just too dang good.

I learned this technique from my good friend Michelle. We used to make hundreds of them for a fund raiser for our Special Education class. They were a hit. I love the tart and sweet together. Yum! They are a perfect Fall treat and great for a party or for a family get together. My kids had a ball helping out and they taste so yummy. Give them a try!

Apple Pie Caramel Apples

5 Granny Smith Apples (the tartness of these balances perfectly with the sweet coating)

1 pkg. caramels

White Chocolate or White Almond Bark or White Candy Melts (any will work)

Cinnamon/Sugar Mixture

5 Popsicle Sticks

If you want to make a ton of these you can usually find a huge brick of caramel at food supply stores. Those in Utah can find them at Orson Gygi or Kitchen Kneads in West Jordan. Kraft also makes Caramel Bits in a bag by the chocolate chips. These are nice because there is no unwrapping of caramels. I bought a bag of wrapped caramel because they were cheaper and they had the sticks with them. Any of these work.

As far as the white coating, I have used the white candy melts with great success. They were thin enough to give the apple a nice coating. With these I had some white almond bark leftover so I used that. It was a little thick and even when I thinned it, it still gave the apple a pretty thick coating. No problem for me for a family treat, but I would want it a touch thinner if I was presenting them somewhere. I haven't tried the plain white chocolate. I'm sure it would work just fine too.

So, wash the apples really well and dry completely. It is best if your apples are at room temp. I took mine out of the fridge ready to get started and had to wait a few hours because they were "sweating". If you dip them while they are wet your caramel will just fall right off. Not good. Take the stems out and insert the sticks. Next, melt the caramel. I did mine in the microwave but you can do it on the stove top too. Dip your apples and coat thoroughly. Hold the apple over the bowl and let it drip. Place on a sprayed piece of parchment. This works the best, I promise. Do all your apples, reheating the caramel if needed. Let sit until completely set. For a nicer looking apple, use kitched shears to trim off any excess caramel on the bottom.

Next melt your white candy melts, also done in the microwave. Dip each apple the same as the caramel and immediately sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Let sit till set. We like to cut these in pieces. Enjoy!

Love,

Monica 

 

I am a Mormon

Hi all! I hope you all are having a great weekend. I've never been one to yell from the rooftop my religious preference but after today's conference, I thought maybe I should. Every six months our church does a general conference where our church leaders including our Prophet speaks words of inspiration to us. This morning Sister Ann Dibb spoke about taking a stance and living by it. She coined the phrase, "I am a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it."

I loved it! I thought it would make a great printable for my kids' bedroom and look good on our blog sidebar. I'm not the only one. I'm seeing them all over Pinterest and Instagram already. Here is my take on it.

This is an 8x10 jpg image. If you want it you can download from Google docs HERE. If you nab it please remember to give credit where credit is due and it may only be used for personal use. Speaking of, the background paper is by Dani Mogstad. Thanks so much!

I hope you enjoyed your conference weekend. I'm feeling uplifted and refreshed. Now onto face a new week!

Love,

Monica