Fall Lovin'

Over at Newlywife today sharing some fall ideas! 

Already getting into the mood with lots of pumpkin baking this week. The only pumpkin puree I had on hand for our community group dinner night was THREE pounds. Holy Puree! That's a whole lotta of it. Have 3 extra cups that I want to use up before it goes bad. So that would make pumpkin chocolate chip bars and pumpkin scones with a maple glaze, so far.

Have already started craft prep for some fall decor. Should really clean my house this weekend so I can feel less guilty about decorating it.

We're going on a 'leaf hunt' today with friends so we can do a craft with them.

Now, if only this hot weather would cool it off!

In other {unrelated} current events...

E had his very first structured class outside of Sunday school this week. SO exciting. He loved gymnastics and is looking forward to signing up.

I made another pallet art piece for a girlfriend's birthday. I was so so so nervous about using so much stenciling that it kinda gave me a heart-attack. It turned out better than I hoped and looks pretty good...if you don't get too close. The felt wine bottle bag was super fun and oh-so easy to make! Maybe I should sell those on etsy?!

T has his year check up. Fit as a fiddle. And so hard to contain!

E officially passed down his car to his brother. He attempted to show him "how it's done", but T wasnt game for playing student. Again with the containment issues. Or maybe that's just brother-invading-my-space issues. ;)

 We got our electrical issues fixed too!! Hooray! Microwave totally works as does the outlets and oven again. Simple solution too which was so kind to our pockets.

Only rough stuff about the week was E scratched his cornea big time {still a mystery as to how} and was in lots of pain most of the day. Dr. gave us some ointment and drops and said it should heal on its own. We are praying hard that this is the case and will know more at our follow-up appt. My parents were bummed he didn't get a "raider's" eye-patch to go with the treatments. Guess I could make him one, but then we'd would probably have to see/re-read Peter Pan to give him some context. ;) That kid is such a trooper though!! I was really amazed by his strength and bravery that day!

Sweet Treat

One of my favorite things is when new stores come into town. Especially the downtown area near our home. Not only is it a sign of hope for this dreadful economy, but it's almost always a promise for something fun. And since we walk downtown quite often, the transformation from empty store front to opened doors with fresh paint and crisp new decor is that much more enjoyable. It's like the anticipation and wonder adds the delight of something new. 

So when we saw two ladies talking outside this empty unit on the corner of our street, we got really excited. The unit use to be a complete dive with the remains of an old eatery and stored dirty lawn mowers for the business a few units down. It's very small. And had been empty for the three years we strolled pass it. Until this summer. The building was remodeled. A new lawn and flowers were planted. And a really cute bakery shop called Aunti Gluten's Bakery moved in.

So when the doors were opened, we stopped in on our way home from a Saturday's farmer's market. Pink & black decor covered the space perfectly. We met the two ladies: a mother & daughter team. We learned more about our new neighbors. The daughter went to culinary school and still works full-time as a flight attendant. They sell both whole and retail. We didn't buy anything then but enjoyed their company and got some yummy samples of their goodies.

Yesterday, I stopped by again and actually purchased a case of cupcakes for some dessert last night. I popped in with Ezra and my wallet. I ordered a toffee, coconut, and two red velvet cupcakes. Come to find out they still aren't set up for card payment, but take cash and checks. The mom insisted that I take the container and come back later to pay her. Seriously? She said she misses that "neighborhood closeness" from old and said she'd like to see Ezra again. Sure. After E's afternoon nap, we were back again with check in hand. We chatted a bit longer before we left for home. 

I'm no "specialty" type girl...I like all the fat, all the sugar, and all the diary. Perhaps it's bad to have the "go-big-or-go-home" mentality for sweets, but I want to enjoy them! And I'm thankful for a body that can process all those ingredients without painful consequences. So I wasn't sure if I would like not having all the wheat either. But they were fabulous. The cupcake itself was a bit dense and hardier but it didn't leave me with that super sugary hollow feeling. And the frosting! Oh, the frosting! To die for! W loved them too. Needless to say, it could potential pose a problem to now have a sweet little bakery on the corner of our street...

The Calzone Experiment

I'm not much of a baker. I know it's something I would enjoy but I haven't really gotten into it yet. During Christmas time, I love to bake but usually only get motivated by friends or family. So when I came across this really easy calzone recipe, I figured I couldn't mess it up too much. 

Spinach-Ricotta Calzones

makes 6

What You'll Need: 

1 pound frozen dough (TJ's has a great one, but I didn't have time this week so I just got some at Safeway. What would be ideal to me would be to make my own...a goal for another time!)

10 oz. frozen spinach

1 container (15oz) of ricotta cheese

1/4 t. minced garlic

1 t. dried basil leaves

2 eggs whites

1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

1 can (8oz) pizza sause

optional: 1 pound cooked ground beef

What you do:

Preheat oven to 375

Grease 2 cookie sheets

Then mix all ingredients (except dough & sauce) into a large bowl

Next divide dough into 6 equal parts**

Roll each into a 7-inch circle on lightly floured rolling pin

Top each half with mixture 

And carefully fold dough over filling

Pinch edge or press with fork to seal securely

Place calzones on cookie sheets

Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown

Cool for 5 minutes

While cooling, heat up sauce in pot & serve for dipping

**For the superb baker that I am, I used all 3 loaves of bread for my 6 calzones without realizing it. These puppies were HUGE as you can probably tell from the picture! I was stuffed after only eating half of mine. W was delightfully surprised that he was great after one. (normally he has a bottomless stomach) Next time, I will change that and put more seasoning in the mixture to add more kick. But this meal will definitely be in my rotation!

Traditional German Food

We finally enjoyed the most delicious German supper this past weekend!! Anne cooked Traditional Goulash and W helped with the process (hopefully, to be able to re-create it in the future). Since we don't have the type of noodles she used, Anne made everything from scratch! I made some yummy pumpkin spiced cake for dessert and the boys enjoyed some authentic German beer. We had a delightful feast with the Nitches and Gillettes! I'm still waiting for her to translate her recipe into English to it can go into our recipe binder.

Who Says Mondays are Manic?!

William & I made a pact to really spend the day together. We stayed inside & didn't touch electronics until 3pm...well I did pick up the phone once to see how a friend's interview went. And we just hung out. First, we pulled out our old (oh, yes, so old) pre-marital booklets that we had worked on. We reviewed our answers & did a few more of the activities in there. Then we baked! :) Together. And only wore Starbucks aprons too. :D We made Banana Walnut Bread & Wheat Herb loaves. So good. And we also found some ways to pass the time together (wink,wink) while the breads were baking. Such a lovely day indoors.

Here's our Banana Walnut Bread Recipe:
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup ground walnuts
1/3 cup butter
1&1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t lemon juice
1/4 t baking soda
1 egg
1&1/3 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1&1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In bowl, mix sugar, butter & lemon juice. Beat in egg. Combine flour, ground walnuts, baking powder & baking soda. Add to sugar mixture alternately with bananas, blending thoroughly after each addition. Stir in chopped walnuts. Pour batter into greased 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 mins or until golden brown.

**We added 2 t vanilla & 2 t cinnamon too just because...