Tempt My Tummy - Apple Gingerbread Crisp

I found a recipe of something similar made with canned apple pie filling but this is fall....and I have a ton of apples. I am a huge fan of "crisps" my first love being good old fashioned apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. I also found a killer peach crisp recipe that I posted about HERE. But this was over-the-top good. And easy. Enough said.

Gingerbread Apple Crisp

Gingerbread mix (14oz)
¾ cup water
¾ cup brown sugar (dark, if you have it)
½ cup butter
8 or more tart apples, pealed and thinly sliced

Topping: Mix ½ cup of the dry gingerbread mix with ¼ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup chilled butter. It will be crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375º. Mix the remaining gingerbread mix with ¾ cup water. Mix apples, ¼ cup melted butter, ½ cup brown sugar. In a 13x9 inch pan layer apple mixture, gingerbread batter, then topping. Bake 20 to 30 minutes.

I will make this several more times this season.

This post has also been linked to:

Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie

Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)

Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)

Enter my Grands! giveaway HERE. (includes $15 gift card!)
Enter my Betty Crocker Instant Potato giveaway HERE (includes beautiful bamboo bowl)
Enter my Fiber One Original giveaway HERE (includes food scale and on-the-go container)

Knock, Knock....Who's There?

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

Banana.

Banana, who?

Knock, knock......You get the picture.

I write notes to my girls in their lunchboxes each day but my friend Anne gave me this great idea. Write the note on their banana! Too cool. I wrote a joke, because that is what has been the big hit lately. Jokes in the lunchbox. I need more material. Anyone have a good joke?

This works for me!

Check out more Works For Me Wednesday posts at We are THAT family.

Enter my Grands! giveaway HERE. (includes $15 gift card!)
Enter my Betty Crocker Instant Potato giveaway HERE (includes beautiful bamboo bowl)
Enter my Fiber One Original giveaway HERE (includes food scale and on-the-go container)

Make Your Own Raw Fruit and Nut Bar - Apple Pie

I love Larabars; especially the Apple Pie and Peanut Butter Cookie ones.

I also love the ingredient lists.

Peanut Butter Cookie: Peanuts, Dates, Salt.

Apple Pie: Dates, Almonds, Unsweetened Apples, Walnuts, Raisins, Cinnamon.

I can do that!

And this evening I did (even though it looks rather odd).

My apple pie raw foods bar SaraBars:

4 dates

10 almonds

6 dried apples (wedges, less rings)

3 walnut halves

handful of raisins

about 1/2 tsp cinnamon

give or take

Process in food processor until uniform chunkiness. I know, not a scientific term, but if you have ever had a Larabar, you will know about when to stop. You could puree it to smithereens, which shouldn't effect the test, just the texture. Mine wasn't quite as mushy - probably could use another date. Although when I ate the rest the next day it was perfect! Play around with it. They are good and you can't really mess up much.

What's best is that my two year old tried it and liked it so I made little balls for her to much on.

I can't wait to experiment with different flavors! Did you see the list of flavors they have??

My Publix carries 5.....there are a TON I never knew existed.

This post has also been linked to:
Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff
Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy
Hearth and Soul at Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy
What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie
Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)
Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)

Enter my Grands! giveaway HERE. (includes $15 gift card!)Enter my Betty Crocker Instant Potato giveaway HERE (includes beautiful bamboo bowl)Enter my Fiber One Original giveaway HERE (includes food scale and on-the-go container)

Another PW Hit - Apple Dumplings

Wow - Sugar Rush!

I just love The Pioneer Woman and have been waiting to try her Apple Dumplings for a long time now. I christened my new, funky 9x9 Pyrex dish with them but only made half the recipe. I know me, and I know the leftovers would be calling me from the refrigerator. I did double the apples and put two slices in each wrap. Does that make them healthier? Isn't it all relative? Fine. I know these are very high fat and sugar. Definitely a treat!

Try them. And laugh a joyful laugh, because God delights in us and gave us sweet stuff to enjoy. Really, really sweet stuff.

My Little Ghosts

I've learned that you can't get a good picture on Halloween evening, so here's the advanced preview of my little pumpkins in their costumes. I am not a big fan of Halloween costumes but when I saw these dresses over at Sugar Bee, I knew I had to make them. I learned how to make frayed roses as well and made them into headbands that matched. Close ups on those later. I was able to knock these out in about 3 evenings. Sweet!

Parents, Go Read This!

Here is a great post, Raising “Others-Centered” Children, by my friend Anne. She has three daughters who are awesome kids. If you have children, please go read it. Let's raise our kids so they think of others first!

Pumpkin Spice Scones

Another pumpkin recipe that I couldn't pass up, a copycat of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Scones. Amazing. Moist. Bliss. Despite the long list of ingredients (lots of spices) and directions, they are easy to throw together. Make them today, eat one, freeze a couple and give the rest away. Share the joy. Tis the season? Right?

I just drop the scone dough by spoonfuls instead of making it into a nice round or rectangle to cut wedges. I'm all for the easy way (it tastes the same :).

Pumpkin Spice Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

7 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (all spice works too)

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

6 Tablespoons cold butter

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

3 Tablespoons half-and-half (or cream, milk, whatever)

1 large egg

Sugar Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons whole milk (cream, half and half, whatever)

Spiced Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons whole milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pinch ginger

1 pinch ground cloves

(I could drink this it's SO yummy)

Scone Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.

4. With a fork, pastry knife, or food processor (SO easy this way), cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter remain. Set aside.

5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk pumpkin, half and half, and egg.

6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

7. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide).

8. Use a large knife to slice the dough into three equal portions. Cut diagonally to produce 6 triangular slices of dough.

9. Place on prepared baking sheet from step 2.

10. Bake for 14–16 minutes until scones turn light brown.

11. Place on wire rack to cool.

Sugar Glaze directions:

1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoon milk together until smooth.

2. Brush glaze over the top of each cooled scone.

Spiced Glaze Directions:

1. As sugar glaze firms, combine the spiced icing ingredients.

2. Use whisk to drizzle over each scone and allow to dry before serving.

Makes 6 pumpkin scones.

This post has also been linked to:

Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy

Hearth and Soul at Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy

What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie

Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)

Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)

Enter my Grands! giveaway HERE. (includes $15 gift card!)
Enter my Betty Crocker Instant Potato giveaway HERE (includes beautiful bamboo bowl)
Enter my Fiber One Original giveaway HERE (includes food scale and on-the-go container)

Halloween - Cira 1976, 1978

My mom just sent these to me. I am Chewbacka and my brother, Darth Vader. We played with those masks forever. Awesome!

Don't you love the bunny costume? Reminds me of Ralphie in the Christmas Story. LOL - I can't imagine my brother was too happy about keeping his arms straight out all night. How did he carry his trick or treat bag?

I also have vivid memories of my brother dressing up as a devil and my mom putting coffee grounds on his face for a beard (which he did NOT like). I was happy I was an angel that year.

Memories!

Enter my Grands! giveaway HERE. (includes $15 gift card!)

Enter my Betty Crocker Instant Potato giveaway HERE (includes beautiful bamboo bowl)

Enter my Fiber One Original giveaway HERE (includes food scale and on-the-go container)

Cheerios Asks About Nurturing the Whole Child

When Cheerios asked me the question, “What have you learned from your mother about nourishing the whole child?”, it got me thinking about my nourishment philosophy.

When nourishing a child you must appeal to the whole child. While nourishment is far more than just the food we serve, here is what my mother taught me about how to use food to nourish the body and mind.

Make it good. No matter how healthy something is, if it’s not tasty, it will not be eaten. There are plenty of ways to make good-for-you foods enjoyable. Do not be afraid to use fats and sweeteners in moderation. When kids enjoy the taste of the food they are eating, their minds and bodies will be fulfilled and strengthened. We must be careful of passing our food hang-ups and feelings of food guilt to our children. We want them to have a healthy relationship with food and an occasional indulgence is just fine.

Make it fun. Kids love the kitchen. Not only did my mother teach me how to cook, she made me understand cooking is love. A family is nourished by cooking together and eating together. When my mother couldn’t cook, my dad jumped in. Our priority was home cooked meals eaten together. The best way to get children to eat nutritious food is to involve them in the planning and preparation. Not only is bonding in the kitchen a great way to spend time with your children, you are teaching them an important life skill, that sadly, many today do not have.

Make it a time of education. Giving children an understanding about how foods are used to take care of their growing bodies is valuable information. They might not always eat the way you teach them (no need for being too strict) but they will possess a base of information going forward. They need to know how to use food to keep them healthy. They should want to try new things because you modeled trying new things and encouraged them to do so. Proper eating does require education, although we rarely think of it as such. My family watches Food Network together and enjoys learning together this way. We see new things they want to try or learn new cooking techniques that keep them captivated and interested. It’s great to hear my kindergartner say a certain spice brings out the flavor of the dish. I may be raising future foodies.

Make it a time of exploration. Growing your own food gives good insight to where food comes from. Your child needs to understand it doesn’t just come from the grocery store. It can be as simple as a potted herb in a windowsill pot to a plot covering your backyard. Learning about different plants by caring for them fosters understanding, makes a connection and therefore contributes to a nurturing environment.

Make it memorable. Plenty of my family memories involve food. The smell of curried cauliflower at Thanksgiving dinner, candy cane cookies around the holidays, and bagel sandwiches from a vendor’s cart while selling produce at the farmer’s market early Saturday mornings are vivid in my mind. The sights, aromas, and tastes of foods shared with family are a big part of growing up nourished by these foods. I incorporate these into my own family and am always looking for ways to introduce new family traditions. My earliest memory is a little cloudy but involves my mom, the mall, and apple fritters. I must have been three or four. Is this where I get my intense love for baked goods? Maybe, but the memories are good ones and I wouldn’t want to be without them.

Nourishing children is much more complex than what we give them to eat. By giving them a firm foundation in the nourishing value of food, we can give them the basis for a healthy lifestyle. What a great gift to give to your children. I'll blame my mother. I got it from her!

What did you learn about nurturing from your mother?

Kid Friendly Friday Pirate Adventures

How is this for a cute little pirate? Complete with her parrot, treasure map bag of goodies, and a peg finger. Her little sissie wanted to be just like her so donned the patch and peg finger every chance she got :) She even made away with the parrot.

I am thinking of starting a Kid Friendly Friday carnival up again. I would post a linky so you can link up any of your kid friendly ideas. If you are interested leave a comment below (and leave a link that showcases your KID FRIENDLY activities).

Enter my Grands! giveaway HERE. (includes $15 gift card!)
Enter my Betty Crocker Instant Potato giveaway HERE (includes beautiful bamboo bowl)
Enter my Fiber One Original giveaway HERE (includes food scale and on-the-go container)

Thousand Word Thursday - Lovely Girls

Works for Me Wedding Gifts

Glass etching the name of the happy couple onto the bottom of a Pyrex dish. Pop in a few favorite recipes that work in a dish that size and you've got yourself a fun gift. Who doesn't like to see their name on bake ware? It works for short names....

And it works for LONG names.

And because I just cannot control myself - look out other Pyrex dishes, you're next.

I got the idea from Happy Valley Quilter and couldn't wait for someone to get married to be able to use it. Check out her tutorial HERE.

Works for Me! Check out more Works for Me Wednesday ideas at We are THAT family.

They Really ARE the Perfect CCC

Chocolate Chip Cookie, that is. I found this recipe on How Does She? and have to agree that it is the best CCC recipe that I have ever made. If you don't have a go-to CCC recipe you really should try them. The huge difference? MELTED butter. Go figure.

I used my cookie scoop again and it makes the perfect recipe look perfect too. Aren't I lucky? I even have a bag of frozen dough for later :)

If you have never froze cookie dough, you should try that as well. Scoop your dough onto cookie sheets and put in the freezer until hard (or you will have a huge ball of dough all stuck together and you won't quite know what to do with it). Throw them in a freezer bag and you are good to go. Nothing like pulling homemade dough from the freezer and having them baked in no time flat.
Homemade done easy!

Alphabet Pizza

Have you ever shaped your pizza dough in funky shapes? How about letters? Try it!

Do you Whrrl?

"In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response."So head over to her site, An Island Life and answer her question but while you are here you might as well answer mine:

Do you Whrrl?

So what the heck is Whrrl? I didn't know anything about it a few days ago, but when Ellen @ Thrifty & Chic Mom asked me to share a tutorial with her readers in Whrrl story format, I quickly found out. The premise of this social media is to check in at places you visit and then find societies of people that like the same thing. It gets you out of your social rut.

As I pick myself off the floor from laughing my behind off, I can tell you that I like my social rut and am not in any hurry to get out of it. My "Check In" history would look something like this.... @ Minivan coming home from karate... @ Publix grocery shopping... @ Dining Room Table playing play-dough... @ Minivan on way to play practice... @ Computer working on whatever is needed.... @ Bed, at the time lots of people are going out because I get up at 4.....

No, Whrrl for it's real purpose would not be useful to me but the story feature is a nice one. Go to Thrifty & Chic Mom today to check it out. My tutorial is how to make marshmallow fondant. My favorite cake making tool. :)

Fresh Apples

Delicious Days is Kraft’s new headquarters for all things seasonal. Watch featured videos to learn new recipes that really take advantage of fall’s unique vegetables – even picky eaters will dive right in! There are also tons of classic recipes that are sure crowd pleasers - your family will definitely be asking about your secret recipe stash when you serve them an apple crumble filled with fresh picked apples and fragrant cinnamon!

The site also features content the whole family will love. Check out fun games, budgeting ideas, and party planning must-haves. If you want to get creative in time for Halloween, Delicious Days also features fun recipes that are spookily delicious, like eyeball cupcakes and the Ghosts in the Graveyard cake, perfect for getting kids to help out in the kitchen! After these recipes, your house is sure to be haunted with delicious candy ghosts! J

While you’re at Delicious Days don’t forget to enter the AOL Home for the Holidays Sweepstakes* for a chance to win $2,500! It’s the perfect prize to get your family together in time for the holiday season.

Thousand Word Thursday

The Sisters Three

They all sleep together now in a big jumbled mess.

Like a litter of kittens one on top of the other.

I'm a Big Kid Now

My sisters gave me this crown after I stayed dry all day and began to wear pull ups.

Aren't I special??

If mommy has to read that potty book one more time I think she might flush it.

Check out more Wordless/Wordful Wednesday pictures at

5 Minutes of Mom, Parenting By Dummies, Experimental Mommy, Mrs. Cox's Slice o' Heaven& Mom Knows It All.

Raccoon Mask

Pretty cool raccoon mask, huh? I dig kindergarten.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I've been seeing this recipe all over blogland and had to try it. I'm a black coffee kind of girl so was a little hesitant that it would be too sweet. Wrong. So yummy. So much like fall. A great way to use up the pumpkin you opened for other recipes.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

makes 1-2 servings

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute - you can halve this amount

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1-2 shots espresso or 1/2 cup of strong brewed coffee ( I add a packet of instant coffee to my already brewed coffee)

Directions:In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy. If you don't have a blender, don't worry about it - just whisk the mixture really well with a wire whisk.

Pour into a large mug or two mugs. Add the espresso on top. Swoon.

Optional: Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.

This post has also been linked to:
Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff
Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy
Hearth and Soul at Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy
What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie
Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)
Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)

Kid Friendly Friday - Aa is for....

Aa is for.....This cute alligator opens up to show things that start with the letter A!

Blogging Support Group

"In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response."So head over to her site, An Island Life and answer her question but while you are here you might as well answer mine: How are you improving your blog?
I've been blogging for a few years now and often wonder why I do it. Some days I'm not sure. Other days I have so much to blog about and love to share my ideas with others. I have heard that in order for your blog to work you need a vision. I'm not positive I have that; so when I heard of Brandy Ellen's Blogging Support group, I jumped at the chance to support and learn from other bloggers.
Several bloggers of all levels have gotten together to form this group. I am excited to learn and excited to share. And I will be sure to pass on anything that I think may benefit you. Blogs participating in the Blogger Support Group

I Blame My Mother
Frugal Front Porch
Crayons in my Dryer
SheilaCakes
Everyday Eve
Life with Sharon
Mrs. Chattypants
MommaDJane: Climbing the Ladder to Success
Happily Blended
Moms Vacation Land

Fins Everywhere

Check out my latest cake HERE.

Pumpkin Waffles

I'm still on my pumpkin kick. Use your own waffle recipe (mine: boxed Krustez Belgium waffle mix) add a few tablespoons pumpkin puree and a few pinches pumpkin pie spice. Maple Syrup. Perfect combination.

Moss back in Minnesota!

ESPN is reporting that a trade has been completed sending star receiver Randy Moss back to the Minnesota Vikings from the New England Patriots. I'm sure all you you already know this :) but I'm just so excited. Favre throwing to Moss - weird.

The Twins are in the playoffs and play tonight! The down side is, they play the Yankees. And as Bigs used to tell us (when she was a wee one), when asked what was wrong with the Twins, "They can't beat the Ankees". Let's hope she's wrong.

More breaking news.....we are without a high chair for the first time in almost 8 years. Against my better judgment, we are moving Little Bit to a booster chair and Bigs into a normal chair. Everybody is happy (except for me the next time we eat spaghetti or anything remotely messy).

What a killer day!

Wordless Wednesday - Cowgirl at Rodeo Day

Check out more Wordless/Wordful Wednesday pictures at
5 Minutes of Mom, Sunny Day Today Mama, Parenting By Dummies, Experimental Mommy, Mrs. Cox's Slice o' Heaven& Mom Knows It All.

Tempt my Tummy - Pumpkin Whoopie Pie

If I started today and made one pumpkin recipe from now until Thanksgiving, I still wouldn't have enough days to try every one that I would like. No other season brings such a craving for particular foods. Fall brings pumpkin and apple and all sorts of recipes.

My first pumpkin recipe this year was a HUGE success. I've already bought the ingredients to make them again. This recipe comes from the Betty Crocker mini cookbooks you see in line at the grocery store. I never buy them but this one was sent to me from Betty Crocker (I can't remember why) and I marked 16 recipes to try right away! What a great little magazine. It's the one with Bakerella's Cake Pops on the cover. I made those last year and they were a big hit!

My first time using a scoop for cookies.....why, oh why, did it take me so long? See how pretty and uniform they are (and appropriately sized, I make some huge cookies).

So on to the recipe - PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES.

SO very wonderful. Easy to make. Taste terrific.

Gave them all away because I would have eaten every last one of them!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

cookies:

1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1 T all-purpose flour

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup softened butter

2 t cinnamon

1 egg

Filling:

2/3 cup marshmallow creme

1/3 cup softened butter

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 375. In a large bowl, stir together cookie mix and flour. Add remaining cookie ingredients; stir until a stiff dough forms.

2. Onto ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by 36 rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart. Lightly press tops with floured fingertips to flatten slightly.

3. Bake 8 to 0 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes, remove to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes

4. In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer until light and fluffy(I don't own one so used my stand mixer, same with the dough). For each whoopie pie, spread 2 teaspoons of filling on the bottom side of one cookie. Top with second cookie and gently press together. Store tightly covered in refrigerator. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

This didn't make quite enough filling for mine. Also, they are best when eaten at room temperature (not that I would turn away a cold one). If you store them in the refrigerator give them plenty of time to come to room temp before serving.

This post has also been linked to:

Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy

Hearth and Soul at Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy

Hon, What's for Dinner Wednesday

What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie

Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)

Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)