Showing posts with label fall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fall. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

While I haven't had time yet to decorate for fall, I did have time to bake up a yummy fall treat...Apple Oatmeal Muffins.  These are so good that Mary requested that I make these for her preschool birthday celebration instead of cupcakes.


Not only are these muffins delicious, but they make your house smell soooo good.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. oats
1½ c. brown sugar, packed
½ c. butter, room temperature
1 c. buttermilk (or 1 c. milk + 1 tbsp. lemon juice, sit for 10 min)
¼ c. plain applesauce
1 egg
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. apple pie or pumpkin pie spice
1½ c. Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced

Topping:
⅓ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. brown sugar, packed
¼ c. rolled oats
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with papers.
2. To make the batter, in a medium size mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and spices. Whisk together until incorporated, set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, applesauce, and vanilla, mix on low until combined. With mixer on low speed, alternate buttermilk and dry ingredients, adding about ⅓ of each mixture at a time, until remaining ingredients are gone. Remove bowl from stand and fold in apples. Scoop mixture in to prepared muffin tin (fill just a tad bit over ¾ of the way).
4. To prepare the topping, in a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix until clumps begin to form. Sprinkle over each individual muffin. Place in oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The muffins should have a little spring to them and the topping should be golden brown and crunchy.
5. Remove and let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes approximately 18 muffins.
Adapted from Life {Made} Simple Apple Pie Muffins


I generally wouldn't add sprinkles to these muffins, but since they were for a four-year old's birthday, I guess that's OK!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Are You Feeling It?

It's starting to feel a lot like Fall!  Despite the hot days, the mornings and evenings are crisp and cool.  I love this time of year.  It's perfect running weather.  Which is a good thing because by the time you read this, my running shoes will be packed and I'll be heading to Breckenridge to run the Ragnar Relay.  Two hundrend miles of mountain running with 11 good friends.  I can't wait!
 
Aren't these flowers pretty?  The mother of one of Kayla's friends sent these to me as a "thank you" for driving her daughter to gymnastics.  What a fun and unexpected surprise.
 
 

Monday, October 10, 2011

She's Crafty

Actually I'm not crafty at all and really don't enjoy crafts.  I am too impatient and thus, my results are never as great as I expect.

But, for some reason fall makes me feel like jumping into the crafty world.  If I can make it with a glue gun, I'll attempt it!

I just had to share this cutie-pie at the pumpkin patch.

The weather was chilly here this weekend.  It was the perfect time to warm myself by the glow of my glue gun as I decided to make a yarn wreath.  I might be the last person in the world to make one of these, but they are so cute, that late is better than never.


Here's what I started with, a straw wreath and some yarn:

Next, start wrapping your yarn around the wreath form (leave the plastic on).  There's really no trick to this.  I would wrap the yarn around about ten times and then shove the yarn all together so none of the wreath from was showing.

Looks like hand modeling is not in my future!  That finger looks creepy.

Stick with the wrapping.  I won't lie....it takes a LONG time.  I used the entire roll (skein?) of gray yarn.

To get the white "X" effect, I took the yarn and wrapped it one way around and pinned it in place.  Then, I wrapped it the opposite way to cross the X's.

Next, comes the fun part.  Decide how you want to decorate the wreath.  I made felt flowers by following this tutorial.

I added a bat and a little "Boo" banner and it's done.


The bat's eyes are just pins.


I used pins to attach everything to the wreath.  Now, I can change out the embellishments for different seasons without having to re-wrap and entire wreath in yarn.  Next up, white, green and red flowers for Christmas.

I'm linking this piece to some of these great blogs:
Today's Creative Blog, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Bella Before and After, Primitive and Proper, Home Stories of A to Z, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Tip Junkie, Type A Decorating, http://sistersstuff.blogspot.com/, The Thrifty Home, Domestically Speaking, Primp,
A Diamond in the Stuff, Restore Interiors, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Beyond the Picket Fence, Fireflies and Jellybeans,My Simple Home Life,
Addicted 2 Decorating, Just a Girl, Remodelaholic, Miss Mustard Seed, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, Thrifty Decor Chick, Coastal Charm, Junker Newbie, Serenity Now