pink lady day

Wow, I missed a whole week on here! I have good reason, though. My mama came last Monday and stayed with us all week. I had not seen her in over three months. I am almost positive that we have never gone that long without seeing each other. So, I soaked up every single second of our time together. Ya'll, I love my mama.

We visited the apple orchard a few weeks ago, but the pink lady apples weren't ready yet, so I have been calling to make sure I was there the first day they were available. I really love me some pink lady apples. Friday was the day and I termed it, "Pink Lady Day." Truth be told, I squished the cheeks of each of my family members while squealing, "It's Pink Lady Day!" I know they loved it.

{I really think he is so handsome...even while up in a tree.}

{Someone wanted to be like Dad.}

{Someone else also wanted to be like Dad.}

{We went home with a bushel of apples. That is a whole lot of apples.}

{There are a couple of horses at the orchard that are more than happy to take an apple or two.}

There will be lots of apple products coming out of my kitchen in the coming week. Tonight we started things off with this apple crisp that I found on Pinterest. It is delicious! There is a good chance that I will have some of it for breakfast in the morning. Shhhh, don't tell anyone!

linking up with

surprise cookies

I know most people are already pinning away over on Pinterest. If you aren't, you should get started. It really has changed my world. I love the ease of pinning things I find interesting or projects I want to try. I also find myself actually trying new projects now. In the past, I had been able to remember a project or recipe, but rarely could find them. Not any more! I have tried several projects and recipes lately thanks to Pinterest. (My "I'm Hungry" board may be getting out of control.)

I pinned these cookies a fews days ago and then immediately set out to make them with the kids. By the way, what is it with me and baking on cloudy days? It is almost impossible to get a decent photo of food on a cloudy day.

Anyway, these very well may be my new favorite cookie (along with these, of course.)

And so that you can experience the bliss, here are the details:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

adapted from Liv Life

1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup granulated sugar (plus more for dipping)
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
¾ cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375º. Whisk together first four ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl beat together sugars, butter and ¼ cup of peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg, beating to combine. Stir in the flour mixture and stir to combine, blending well. Set dough aside.

Stir together the powdered sugar and remaining ¾ cup of peanut butter until smooth.

To put the cookies together, break off a generous tablespoon of chocolate cookie dough, flatten a bit with your hands and then place a smaller bit of the peanut butter mixture in the center of the chocolate dough. Wrap the chocolate dough around the peanut butter center, pressing to seal. Gently roll the cookie into a ball. Drop into a bowl of sugar and roll the cookie in the sugar. Place cookies on a silicone lined (or lightly greased) baking sheet 2 inches apart (I use parchment paper). Using the bottom of a glass, flatten each cookie to about a ½ inch thickness.

Bake at 375º for 7 to 9 minutes, or until set. Let stand on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then move to a wire rack.

An added bonus with this recipe is that I let Lucy use the bowl of sugar to practice writing her letters. Throw in a little kinesthetic learning while you bake!

{Gotta love the remnants of a temporary tattoo on her hand}

fig and ginger jam

What do you get when you mix figs and crystallized ginger and sugar? Pure deliciousness, people. I made this jam last year and knew that I had to make it as soon as our figs ripened. You can find the recipe here. I love that the recipe is super simple (it has only a few ingredients and cooks for about 30 minutes). The bonus is that you don't have to place the jars in a hot water bath! Each batch is small and can be kept in the fridge for six weeks. But there is no way it will make it that long in our house!

farm community

We arrived at my parents' a couple of days before we left for the beach. As I have mentioned before, they live in a rural area surrounded by farmland. One of the perks is having easy access to fruit and vegetables. Just up the road from their house is a large blueberry farm and the guy that owns it lets them come and pick all the blueberries they want for free.

We went one morning and ate blueberries right from the bushes (pesticide-free). Pure bliss. I hate to think of how many I ate! Actually, I don't hate too think of it because I was in heaven! We also had several bags to take with us.

{With her Sitti. She really does love that hat!}

{With his Papa. Note the "roll-up" sunglasses Larkin is wearing. Um, yeah.}

There were blueberries as far as the eye can see. It was glorious.

He also had corn as far as you could see in the opposite direction. I think corn is one of the most beautiful crops. I love to see the tops swishing in the wind.

There are peanuts planted on my family's land. One of my all-time favorite scents is that of "peanut dirt." For real, when you pull up peanuts from the ground the smell is intoxicating. I know it is just dirt, but it is amazing.

I love where I grew up. I love going home and soaking up all the things I took for granted as a child. Being surrounded by farmland is grounding. And I love the community that is woven through that farmland. It seems that every couple of days, my parents find a bag or box of fresh produce at their back door. Even when we returned from the beach, there was a basket of corn in the back of my daddy's truck. I love how everyone provides for each other while asking for nothing in return. That is community.

the must-make bread

A friend of mine shared this bread recipe with me several months ago. I could kick myself for having just now gotten around to using it. The recipe is from Mother Earth News and can be found here. It is by far the easiest bread I have ever made.

You spend a few minutes making the dough (without kneading!) and after letting it sit for a couple of hours, you can use it. The recipe makes a large amount, so you refrigerate the portion you do not use right away. When you want bread, you just cut off a hunk of dough and quickly shape it (without kneading!) and after it rests for a little while, you toss it in the oven. You can make several different breads from the recipe, including pizza crust and naan. And it is so simple! Michael says it is the best bread I have ever made.

And seriously, after the few minutes mixing on the first day, I love that I can bake a loaf of bread every day with hardly any preparation! What's not to love about that?

christmas revisited week :: what happened?

New rule around here: I will not say what/when I am going to post on this blog. It seems that every time I get a plan together for a particular post and then mention it here on the blog, something always comes up and I don't do it. Remember, when last week I was going to do a Christmas revisted week? (Probably not since I have lost so many readers due to my flippity floppity posting routine.) Well, I actually sat down and planned the week out in photos. I was proud of myself. Unfortunately, one of the smalls got sick and I somehow managed to get even further behind on household responsibilities.

For those of you who are still coming by the blog to visit, thank you. And since nothing blog-worthy has been occurring around here in the last week, I am going to make you look at a couple of more Christmas pictures. I could let them go, but some were quite fun for us and I want to share.

Of the utmost excitement was the fact that this was my first white Christmas. Growing up in the south did not lend itself to many encounters with snow. I think it snowed one time when I was growing up. And then it was only enough to dust the ground. So, we were all thrilled to wake up to snow on Christmas morning.

This week we got more snow and have been mostly house bound since Monday. On the up side, after a day and a half of back to back loads of laundry, I can finally say I have caught up...at least with laundry.

The week before Christmas, I bought some of these from Bake it Pretty. The actual store is only a short drive from home and well worth it. It is such a fun place to visit! The lollipops were a huge hit with the family. I think my grandpa looks splendid...

And my personal favorite...

swans and gingerbread men

You know how once in a while there is a project that just makes you giddy? Well this lovely swan has made me giddy. I ordered the pattern from Jen at The Fabled Needle. I fell in love with her photo of the project. I had to copy the color of felt and the way she displayed it. (I hope you don't mind, Jen!)

This swan is completely made by hand and it is by far the most fun I have had sewing in quite a while. I really can't give this project enough praise.

I mean, look at those eyes, and that sweet, sweet capelet. A capelet! I really want to make another as a gift. It is just that much fun!

In food news, our kitchen was a bit underused while we were all under the weather. We did manage to make ourselves a treat one day. Have you seen the new gingerbread marshmallows? Yep, gingerbread. Well, the kids and I made some Rice Krispie treats with those marshmallows and then cut them out using a gingerbread man cookie cutter. Get it? Ok, so it is not an earth shattering idea, but it was fun and yummy.

Lucy even made a gingerbread lady by hand. So sweet...
We are planning on making a gingerbread house from scratch in the next week. We have actually never made one. Anyone got any tips?

smallest small is five

We celebrated little L's fifth birthday last week. I can't believe how fast time flies. Seriously, my youngest is five? Goodness! We spent her birthday with just the four of us. We started out the day eating out for breakfast and then coming home for presents.

She loved the gift big L picked out for her...sponge rollers! Here she is giving him a hug because she was so happy.

With hair curled, we had a small party for her on Sunday afternoon. She wanted a Littlest Pet Shop cake, so I did the best I could...

I use the same cake recipe every year and it never fails me. Just enough sugar to put one into shock. And I had great image in my head of how to decorate the cake. The actual product wasn't quite as perfect, but she loved it! I was going to try to get a better photo but people started arriving and I had to put the camera down for a second. And then suddenly the lighting in the room was very sad. I was so disappointed that every photo from the party was blurry. Oh, well.

I think the one of the best parts of this birthday is that for days she would come up to me and grab me and say, "I am just SO happy!" What mother wouldn't want to hear that every day?

an apple a day

Why haven't I blogged in a week? We are up to our eyeballs in apples around here and I haven't been able to make my way to the computer. Well, that is not totally true. Michael's parents came last week and we went to a local apple orchard and had a blast. However, I think we overestimated how many apples we would need. It was just so much fun! Of course "riding" into the orchard was pretty cool for dad and the smallest small. Although, their ride out (downhill) was most spectacular.

The kids really loved picking the apples right from the trees and they loved sampling to see which variety they like best. The both agreed on that Pink Lady takes the prize.

We ended up with Pink Ladies, Winesaps and Cameos (of course). My mother-in-law was kind enough to wash all of the apples. I think this is such a pretty sight...

I put up ten pints of apple butter last week and made some dehydrated apple rings. Still on the agenda are apple jelly and apple pie. And since I have plenty of apples, I found a few other things I would like to try: apple cheddar scones, baked apple donuts, and apple cobbler cupcakes with pumpkin pie frosting. Who knows how many I will actually try, but don't they all look sooo good?

stuffed poblano peppers

This week I bought some poblano peppers for the first time. Actually, that is not true. My friend Cindy picked them up for me from the farmer's market and somehow I didn't have the cash on me to pay her back. Oops.

Anway, I had never cooked with poblano peppers before. In all truthfulness I had never eaten one either. I did a bit of research online to find a recipe. Feeling inspired, and not having all the ingredients to complete any of the recipes, I decided to just try something on my own. And I must say, I am extremely pleased with the outcome! I wish I had a better photo, but I forgot to take one while they were all so lovely in the dish. Man, they were delicious. I can't wait to make more! I hope my favorite vendor has some at the farmer's market today.

Ingredients

1 can enchilada sauce

4 poblano peppers

1 can great northern beans (these are a staple in our house)

1/2 cup corn meal

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese (plus more for sprinkling on top)

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Pour enchilada sauce in bottom of casserole dish.

3. Cut tops off of peppers, scrape out seeds and cut in half lengthwise.

4. Mix remaining ingredients together to create filling. Spoon into pepper halves and place in enchilada sauce.

5. Sprinkle extra cheese over the top.

6. Bake for 45 minutes.

strawberry fig preserves

My mama just visited us for a week and we had a great time. As usual, the time felt a little too short for my liking, but we made the most of it. One of the things we did was make strawberry fig preserves. Our fig tree is loaded with figs and I have been making all sorts of fig goodies (fig newtons, fig and ginger jam (this one in particular is ridiculously good), and figpote to name a few). It has been a lot of fun as this is my first year cooking with figs.

We recently had a storm that knocked a bunch of figs off the tree and unfortunately those have started to ferment and the ants, wasps, bumblebees and honey bees were swarming all over the ground as we tried to pick figs off the tree. The good news is that we are pretty sure they were all drunk on the fermented fig juice since they were not evenly remotely phased by us walking all around and over them. It was crazy! We did get plenty off the tree and there are so many more that aren't ripe yet. So, I see figs continuing to permeate my near future.

You probably can read the recipe that my mama brought to me, but I will type it out just in case. This recipe is very simple and quick.

Strawberry Fig Preserves

(makes about 7 half-pint jars)

3 cups mashed figs

3 cups sugar

2 small packages strawberry jello

1 package Sure Jell

1. Mix all the ingredients in a pot.

2. Cook over low to medium heat for about 10 minutes.

3. Spoon into prepared jars. (I wash my jars, place them on a cookie sheet and place them in an oven at 275 degrees until I am ready to use them. For my lids, I place them in water and bring to a boil and then turn off and leave them in the water until they are needed. I have had great success with them sealing using this method.)

Here are some photos from our process...

{Fresh figs washed and stems removed}

{Mashed figs. I prefer the hand squishing method. It brings me a similar joy to that of Amelie placing her hand in the sack of grain. Have I ever mentioned that is my favorite movie?}

{Mama measuring the sugar}

{All the ingredients layered in my measuring bowl}

{Beautiful preserves ready to eat!}

peanut butter ice cream

Wow, has a week already passed? Thanks for all the bag love! I am working on a tutorial and will have it up next week.

We have been so busy around here! We decided to finally tackle a bathroom redo and paint another room. And we did them both this weekend all while planning for a large gathering at our house this past Monday night. Crazy? Maybe. Rewarding? Absolutely. We have two more rooms to paint and then I can rest (and share pics).

In the meantime, I have really missed baking but the house gets unbearably hot if I so much as look at the oven. So, to sort of scratch the itch, I have been looking to oven-free desserts. I have an extra special one to share, but it will have to wait until next week as well. (The suspense! Perhaps I have been watching too much Poirot. Is that possible? Nah.)

Yesterday the kids and I not only decided it going to be a lazy day (the kind of day that ends by taking off the previous night's pajamas just to put clean ones on), but it was also time for some ice cream. We chose peanut butter because everyone in this house loves it.

{There are peanut butter cups involved. Enough said.}

{Here it is in all its glory.}

Peanut Butter Ice Cream
(for a 1.5 quart ice cream maker)

1 cup peanut butter (I used creamy)

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup milk

2 cups whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

scant 1 cup chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (I used two packages.)

1. Beat the peanut butter and sugar until smooth.

2. Add the milk and mix until blended.

3. Add the whipping cream and vanilla and mix until well blended.

4. Place in the refrigerator until chilled. (We left ours for about an hour)

5. Pour into your ice cream maker and let it mix until thickened (about 20 minutes).

5. Add the peanut butter cups and let it mix for five more minutes.

6. Place in a freezer safe container and freeze for a while if you like it to be firm or eat immediately if you like it very soft.

blueberry pie, uh-oh

Like many of you, I love to read Pioneer Woman. Last week she reposted a recipe for blueberry pie and seeing as how I had some on hand and had a gathering of old friends to prepare for, I couldn't resist making it.

This is the point where I confess that as much baking as I have done, I have never made my own pie crust. But I was feeling good about myself and my abilities. Let me just say that it nearly beat me. No matter how much rolling, or flour dusting, or flipping I did, every time I tried to place the crust in the pan it would tear into at least two pieces. For the bottom, this was not as big a deal, but I didn't want a Frankenstein top. So after a bit of brainstorming, I came up with the perfect solution (at least for me and my unpracticed hands). I decided to roll the top crust on top of freezer paper dusted with flour. That way, when it was time place it on top, I would be able to just lift the whole thing and flip it onto the pie and then peel away the freezer paper. And it worked!

I didn't have a single tear in the crust! Honestly people, up until the moment that it came off the paper in one piece, I had decided that there was an excellent chance that there would not be any homemade crusts in my near future. Or distant future. But, thanks to freezer paper, I changed my mind. How simple.

Oh, and the pie bakes up nicely, too!

This is where the story gets interesting. This may not be the best angle. My plan was to take photos of it one we cut into it. Well, we ate it late at night so I decided to wait until the next morning to take a photo of it in better light. The next morning, after I may or may not have had a slice for breakfast, I hurried outside to water the garden before the sun hit the leaves. While I was pulling a few weeds, I heard a crash in the kitchen. A few seconds later Larkin appeared at the door with the saddest face you have ever seen.

In an effort to preserve the pie that he so desperately wanted to sample (see bottom of post for why he was so desperate), he was going to place the plastic wrap back on it and it fell off the counter and all over the floor. And yes, I suppose that would have been a picture worth sharing (the true test of pie beauty is how pretty it can look scattered across a kitchen floor), but you see, I had to move in pretty quickly before this sweet girl decided to clean up for me...

Yes, she is an excellent dog, but even the best can't resist half a blueberry pie on the floor.

As for why Larkin was so desperate for pie, or any sweet for that matter, two days prior I discovered him and his sister after they had devoured over half a bag of mini marshmallows in one sitting. They were not allowed sweets for two days. Just before the pie incident, Larkin said, "I wish I had never eaten those marshmallows. I wish marshmallows didn't even exist!" I don't think we will have a problem with marshmallow binges any time soon.