Apple Pie Smoothie

October, my very favorite month, came and went in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, September ended on a very sad note for me, as I lost my grandma - my beloved Yaya - on the 28th.  She was truly one of a kind, with the biggest heart and a beautiful spirit.

I feel lucky that we had so many years of wonderful memories with her, and I'm so happy she got to meet our little Minion before she passed. But it was very hard to say goodbye, and there are no words to describe how much she will be missed.

On a happier note, my "baby" girl is officially a threenager.  And in true Mini fashion, we had two food-filled celebrations - a great family party complete with a make-your-own-taco bar, and a donut-making party with her little friends.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

We also had a fabulous Halloween!  Which is amazing, because I feel like occasions & holidays are always very touch & go with young kids.

Actually, that's an understatement- when they don't completely suck, I consider that to be a great success.

But this Halloween totally exceeded my expectations. Mini had a blast being a fox....

...and while the Minion was cranky at points and clearly did not want to be a bat...

... he did rally at the end of the day, and was very cooperative for trick-or treating (which lasted for about 2 hours!)  So aside from the grumpy bat, we couldn't have asked for a better day.

For Mini, it was basically the best week ever.  One weekend was her birthday, and the next was Halloween.  Cake and treats and fox costumes galore, what could be better when you're 3?

I actually think she is taking after her momma in her love for Fall, which is totally fine with me!  I'm especially happy that she also seems to enjoy the Autumn flavors.  So we have been getting our fill of pumpkin pancakes and apple pie smoothies as we watch the leaves fall.

I like to make her smoothies a few times a week (or as she calls them, "smoovies") and along with yogurt and fruit, I usually throw in some kale or spinach... which are things she refuses to eat otherwise.

We were having salad recently at a family party, and she commented, "I don't like salad.  Except when it's in my smoovie."

Haha. As delicious as "salad smoothies" are, I decided it was time to switch things up and add some fall flavor to our smoovies, so the apple pie smoothie was born.  Mr. Vittles and I drink her leftovers, and he commented that it really does taste like apple pie! Straining it before drinking it is totally optional, but I'm personally not a fan of seeds and chunks in my smoothies.

Apple Pie Smoothie

• 3/4 C. apple cider
• 1/2 C. Greek yogurt
• 1/4 t. cinnamon
• 1 T. pumpkin (or mashed banana)
• pinch nutmeg
• pinch allspice
• 2 t. oatmeal
• 3-4 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender, and pulse until thoroughly blended.  If no chunks are desired, strain through a fine mesh sieve into a glass. Makes 1 serving (about 12 oz).

Original Recipe

Fall-Spiced Apple Crisp

As you guys know, Fall is my absolute favorite time of year.  So I am psyched that it's official as of this past Wednesday!

The weather has been gradually getting cooler, and Friday afternoon was the perfect time to take a couple hours off of work and celebrate Mr. Vittles' 35th birthday with the kids.

It was windy, so we decided to do some kite-flying in a nearby field...

...but lo and behold, the surrounding trees were knocking down all the wind!

So we went to our neighborhood beach instead, and the kite flew like a champ.

The Minion was not a huge fan of the wind (what is it about wind that takes babies' breath away??) but the Mini had fun flying the kite with her dad.

My favorite part of it all may have been that I was in a long-sleeved shirt and leggings.  I can hardly contain my excitement for the month of October!

Nonetheless, I was actually saving this recipe because I know there are plenty of Summer lovers out there who were holding on to the warm weather, and were just not ready for spices and apples yet.

It's all good, I don't judge.  Though I did originally make this apple crisp for a Labor Day barbecue at my dad's... so hopefully my family was ready for it!

That weekend the four of us went to an orchard, and caught the tail end of peach season as well as the very beginning of apple season.

Mini was also pretty smitten by the giant sunflowers they had for sale, so we got one of those as well.

I had honestly never been peach-picking before, but it was really fun and the peaches were awesome. However, while there is nothing better than sinking your teeth into a sweet, ripe peach, I must admit I'm not a big fan of peach desserts.

So since we had also picked some apples, I decided to get a jump on my fall baking.  I love apple crisp because it's a simpler alternative to apple pie (and one that happens to be easier to make gluten-free!)  I also love "pumpkin spice," so I decided to use nutmeg & cloves in addition to the traditional cinnamon.

Let the pumpkin-picking, leaf-crunching, sweater-and-boot-wearing season begin!

Fall-Spiced Apple Crisp

Filling:
6 C. peeled & thinly sliced apples (about 6 or 7 apples)
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/8 t. ground cloves
1 T. lemon juice

Topping:
3/4 C. old-fashioned oats
1/2 C. flour
2/3 C. brown sugar
6 T. butter, at room temperature
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. ground cloves
1/8 t. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease an 8x8 baking dish, and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix sugar with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until evenly distributed.  Place peeled & sliced apples in a large bowl, and toss with sugar mixture and lemon juice to coat.  Pour into prepared baking dish.

In the now-empty bowl that contained the apples, combine all topping ingredients (oats through nutmeg) and stir with your hands until consistency is like wet sand.

Sprinkle topping over apples in dish, and bake 50-60 minutes until apples are tender and topping is crisp.  Makes about 6-8 servings.

Recipe adapted from Chowhound.com

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

Fall is undoubtedly my favorite season. The cool, crisp air.... the leaves crunching under your feet... Halloween... and of course, the apples and pumpkins.

It's only natural that I would try to foster the same love of everything autumn in the Mini.

So we have been reading books about Halloween and Fall- mostly in an attempt to persuade her to put on her Halloween costume- but we inadvertently created a pumpkin-loving monster.

She points them out everywhere.  On walks, at the store, driving in the car.  "Mommy look! Punkins!"

So we thought bringing her to the pumpkin "patch" last weekend would be the greatest thing ever.  Better yet, they offer pumpkins at the orchard where we pick apples every year, so we figured we'd kill two birds with one stone.

At first it was great...

...but after about ten minutes of apple-picking, she was turning into Grumplestilksin.  It was no fun that Mommy kept trying to take pictures and wouldn't let her pick up the rotten apples on the ground, or run around with giant sticks.  So she refused to smile for any photos, and said she didn't want to pick out a pumpkin.

Although she did eventually come around a little, and tried to carry her pumpkin to the wagon.

But alas, it was too heavy.

Who knew the pumpkin patch would be a field of disappointments.

But the good news is, Mini has never met a pumpkin muffin she didn't like.  Even these gluten-free ones, which no one will even guess are missing wheat flour!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

• 2 C. Gluten-Free Flour Blend* (see below)
• 2/3 C. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 C. sugar
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t. ground ginger
• 1/8 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 t. ground cloves
• 6 T. butter, melted
• 3/4 C. canned pumpkin
• 1/3 C. buttermilk**
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 t. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place paper baking cups into 12-cup muffin pan cup, or grease cups. Set aside.

Combine flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.  Whisk to combine.

In smaller bowl, whisk butter, pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.  Stir into flour mixture just until moistened.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan & cool completely on wire rack.  Makes 12 + muffins.  Store muffins in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

*Gluten-Free Flour Blend: Combine 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Use appropriate amount for recipe; store remainder in air-tight container. Stir before using.

**If you don't have buttermilk, substitute 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to equal 1/3 cup.  Let stand 5 minutes

Recipe Adapted Slightly from Land O Lakes

Cranberry Spice Infused Vodka

Ok so how is it nearly Christmas already?

I know I always say how time is flying, but seriously... nothing makes the time go faster than taking care of a baby!

Which is kind of funny considering every day is like Groundhog Day.  Basically they sleep, eat, poop, repeat... and inevitably your day is centered around that.  Nothing new to the moms out there, but to anyone who doesn't have kids yet - yes, it's really true.  Of course there is some slight variation, but essentially every day is the same.

The first few weeks are SUPER rough (or at least they were for me) and you think "Oh I'm home from work, I should be doing so much stuff."  And then you do none of that stuff, because it's amazing how time consuming sleeping, eating, pooping & repeating can actually be!

However, life is starting to mellow out in the Vittles household and before I know it, I'll be back to work.  And probably crying that I won't see my little monkey all day... and that she's growing up & changing so fast. (Yes I know she's only 8 weeksold,  but when it's YOUR baby they really do change incredibly quickly).

Speaking of Miss Mara.... I do have to take a moment to brag about how stinkin' cute she is. Check out a few of her professional pictures I mentioned last post (by Sarah Fuller, of Purple Circle Photography):

2012 Sarah Fuller

2012 Sarah Fuller

2012 Sarah Fuller

FYI, my mother-in-law knit her that fabulous stocking (may as well brag about that, too, while I'm at it!)  And yes... it is actually big enough for her to fit in.  Santa will have his work cut out for him filling that bad boy!  Thanks Gigi :)

In any case... since things are calming down, I've had a chance to make some of my homemade gifts for friends & family.  My favorite this year is this Cranberry Spice Infused Vodka.

I'm not much of a drinker, but I'm still kind of a sucker for all those flavored liquors that seem to be cropping up at the store.  At Thanksgiving I saw a pumpkin spice liqueur that I wished I could drink (and now I could, but let's face it, Pumpkin Spice is spent til next year).

So when I saw an idea in Country Living magazine for infused vodka, I started searching for other interesting recipes.  I came across one for the Cranberry Spice on About.com, and changed it slightly to suit the containers I bought.  (If you're wondering, I bought 16 oz. swingtop glass 'flask' bottles, and made labels on my computer - the below recipe was enough to fill two bottles.)

Super fun for the holidays!


Cranberry Spice Infused Vodka

• 32 oz. vodka
• 1 1/2 C. fresh cranberries
• 8 whole cloves
• 1 whole nutmeg, cracked
• 1 whole vanilla bean, cut in half
• 1 1/2 sticks cinnamon, cracked
• 9 whole allspice berries, cracked

Place cranberries & spices in the bottom of a large pitcher or container (I used a large, widemouth mason jar with a lid) and pour vodka over them. Cover & let steep 3 days, then strain & discard berries/spices.  Place liquor in decorative containers, if desired.

Recipe Adapted from About.com

Apple Crumb Pie

***If you can find it in your hearts, please help the victims of Hurricane Sandy by making a donation to the Red Cross... every little bit helps!***

So if there's one thing I've learned recently, it's that your world can be turned upside down in a matter of weeks.

Just for kicks, let's look at a little timeline, shall we?

• Monday, October 22, 2012: First day of Maternity Leave (23 days prior to my due date)
• Thursday, October 25, 2012: Mara Melissa is born at 37 weeks at 2:44PM - 6 lb, 7 oz, 19 inches
• Saturday, October 27, 2012: We are discharged from the hospital at 12PM
• Monday, October 29, 2012: "Superstorm Sandy" hits the Jersey Shore - we lose power around 7PM
• Thursday, November 1, 2012:  Mara is admitted to the hospital with jaundice
• Friday, November 2, 2012: Mara is discharged from the hospital
• Saturday, November 3, 2012: We drive to my hometown of Point Pleasant Beach to see the damage, and return home that evening to find our power has been restored
• Monday, November 5, 2012: Mara has her first pediatrician visit and is now 6 lb 10 oz - the doctor is very happy with her progress
• Wednesday, November 7, 2012: Nor'easter brings 7 inches of snow to our area, and we lose power again

So essentially, I went from being giddy about my last day of work and making freezer meals & apple crumb pie to being a stressed-out vampire.

For those of you that are interested... let me take it back to the beginning.  Warning: I am a proud, new mama and I happen to have a lot of stories to tell at the moment - so for those of you just here for the apple crumb pie, I hear you, see recipe at the bottom ;)

Anywho... Thursday morning of October 25, I woke up very early with some pesky abdominal cramps.  I thought maybe I was finally experiencing those Braxton-Hicks contractions I kept hearing so much about.

But as the day wore on, the pain got worse & worse.  I tried to power through it, cleaning pretty much the entire house and doing other various chores on my to-do list (like paying the mortgage & watching a 30-minute mandatory work presentation online about taxpayer confidentiality- woo hoo!).  But eventually it got to the point where I could not concentrate on anything.  The only thing that gave me even the slightest relief was a hot shower.

I had an appointment with my OB practice at 2:30PM, but by noon I feared I would not make it til then.  The pains were severe & coming in waves, but not in any recognizable pattern.  I truly thought something might be wrong with the baby.  I called the doctor's office & asked if there was any way they could take me earlier, and they told me to come right then.

Luckily their office is less than 10 minutes away, so after a painful ride there and pacing laps outside the office waiting area, I was seen by an OB.  She did an exam and looked at me dumbfounded. "Honey, you are in LABOR. You're 6-7cm dilated and you need to get to the hospital right away.  How did you get here?"

I told her I drove, and she deduced that if I made it there, I could make it another 10 minutes to the hospital on my own.  So she called the hospital and off I went, calling to explain to Mr. Vittles on the way that I was... in labor?  And he better come to the hospital as soon as he could.  And ... "Ugggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  Sorry, contraction."

Unfortunately the area where he typically works is about an hour from our house, but I figured that was plenty of time.  From everything I'd heard about labor, I'd be in the hospital for quite a while before our daughter made her appearance.

Which was a good thing & a bad thing, because that meant I had a number of HOURS more of this pain?  Get real.  I was already dreaming of an epidural.

I pulled up to the valet at the hospital, stunned him with my contraction-bearing, grimacing silence, and he figured out pretty quickly that I needed a wheelchair up to the maternity ward.  When I got there (by this time it was about 1PM), I was greeted by nurses and another OB in the practice, Dr. Keelan.

From that point on things got a little blurry.  I got situated in my bed, got hooked up to an IV & fetal monitor, and they called the anesthesiologist.  When he arrived, he was taking his time, waiting "to get some of those fluids in me"- meanwhile my contractions were barely giving me time in between to breathe.  Getting impatient, the nurse pointed out to him that I was already more than 8cm dilated - labor was progressing quickly and there was no time to wait for the slow drip to enter my system.

"What! Why did you wait so long?" he asked, and she snapped "Because she just got here!"

Holding completely still for the number of minutes it took to actually do the procedure was perhaps the hardest part of the whole birth process for me... but 15 minutes later I was feeling great.

Until about 20 minutes after that when I was feeling ... pain again?

According to Dr. Keelan, that meant it was time to push.  At that point, Mr. Vittles had arrived, and also my stepdad Chris (who actually got there first because Mr. V called & told him he had to drive home from work).  I couldn't believe she was almost here already! What happened to the hot bath and massage & breathing techniques that my 'coach' and I learned in childbirth class?  The closest I had gotten to the bathtub that day was scrubbing it.  This was not the endless hours of labor that I had been anticipating.

But Dr. Keelan told me that how long this next part took was up to me - some women push for hours.

Hours? Oh no.

Thankfully, after 15 minutes of some determined pushing (not to mention faces & noises I never knew I could make) Mara Melissa was born!  Since everything went so quickly, our little angel looked pristine... not to mention she had a full head of hair.

We hadn't even settled on any names yet, so we got to work reviewing our mental lists.  One name they both had in common was Mara, so that seemed like a no-brainer.  Her middle name is after my husband's sister, Melissa (the cat-dancing extraordinaire).

While we were in the hospital, we kept hearing about this hurricane Sandy that was supposed to come up the eastern coast & make landfall in New Jersey within a few days.  After the problems Irene caused for us last summer, we started getting nervous.  If we lost power for days again, this time it would be cold - and more importantly, this time we would have a newborn.  We called around to area stores looking for a generator, but there were none to be had and no promise of any coming in.

By some miracle, my father-in-law found a lead on a new shipment coming to a Home Depot in Philly.  He got up early in the morning, drove all the way out there & waited on line.  From what I understand he was one of the last to actually get one off of the truck.  He truly saved the day as we would soon find out.

When we got home with Mara on Saturday, Mr. Vittles got right to work preparing for the storm.  Other  than spending a little time with Mara's many visitors, he barely rested that day or Sunday.  By Monday, we were nervous watching the forecast - unlike most hurricanes that come this far up the coast, this one was not projected to make a right turn out to sea - in fact, Sandy was making a beeline for our area.

By Monday night, it got extremely windy and our power went out that evening.  Mr. V got the generator going and we were able to power a decent bit of the house (most importantly at that point, the television so we could see what was going on).  Outside, a piece of siding blew off the house and a large tree branch crushed part of our fence.  We eventually moved down into the basement because we were afraid something might come through a living room window.

Not impressed with Superstorm Sandy

Neither one of us slept that night.  I was up with the baby most of the night anyway, but we were both pretty stressed.  The following morning, we turned the TV back on and saw what damage Sandy left in her wake.  My hometown of Point Pleasant Beach, NJ (just 10 minutes from where we live now) was devastated.  I read on Facebook that my stepdad and his wife had a foot and a half of water through their whole first floor.  They just spent so much time this past winter renovating the house, only to have their hard work ruined.

As the day wore on, the terrible stories and images kept coming.  People died from trees falling on their house, people's homes burned to the ground in massive fires that were unable to be put out (or sometimes, even accessed) by firefighters, and floods carried some people's homes right off the foundation.  To date, so many people still are without power, and many more are unable to even access their homes.

After day one, we also realized that we may not be able to get gas for a while, so we started rationing the cans of gas that we had.  We would turn up the heat, let the house get super warm, and then turn the generator off for a few hours.

On Thursday, Mara's one-week birthday, I promised my grandmother that Mr. V would check out her house in Point Pleasant Beach and report back any damage.  Before the storm, my aunt took her up to Harrison NY (where as I understand, they are still without power).  However, late that morning I noticed a yellowing in the corner of Mara's eyes.

We were supposed to see the pediatrician on the Monday following our discharge, however the doctor's office was closed due to the storm and had yet to reopen.  I called spoke to the doctor on call, and based on what I described she thought it was best that we went to the emergency room.

So back we went to the hospital.  They took her blood (after pricking my poor sweet girl FOUR times and her mommy having a sobbing fit) and her bilirubin levels were slightly elevated.  The pediatrician on duty explained that at those levels, they would normally just have us come back the next day for another blood test.  But she consulted with Mara's pediatrician, and given the situation with the storm they decided she should be admitted overnight to spend some time under the blue "bili-light" and be monitored.

Mr. V went home to turn the generator back on (we were trying to avoid losing all the food in our 2 refrigerators) and I got Mara settled in to her new digs.  Then he came back to the hospital, and I drove home to shower and pack a little bag.  There was only enough space for one of us to stay in the room, so I slept there overnight.  Mara had to be fed 2 oz every 2 hours- I was insistent on keeping up breast feeding if possible, but the doctor wanted her to spend as much time under the light as she could.  So I requested use of a pump and was able to feed her bottles under the light.

(Which, by the way, lit up the room like a UFO or something.  Good thing I was dead tired and slept in spite of it.  Mara didn't seem to mind though - she was nice & cozy and looked like she was tanning in her little eye mask!  I think we're gonna have a beach girl on our hands.)

'tanning' like a true Jersey Shore Girl

The next day, Mara was taken out of the light mid-morning and finally got to meet her pediatrician.  (Our doctor was away when Mara was born, so her partner saw her before we were discharged.)  The first thing the doctor did when she walked in was hug me.  That's when I knew I made the right choice in picking a pediatrician!

Mara's levels went down overnight and the jaundice had receded to just her face.  The doctor was happy with her progress, and said she could be discharged that afternoon.  Mr. Vittles came back to the hospital mid-morning, almost killed the woman at the front security desk for telling him to wait until 'visiting hours' due to the emergency storm situation (since when are parents considered visitors?).  Then he stayed with the munchkin while I made a run out to Target (one of the few places in the area that had power) to get myself a pump and some other much-needed supplies.

Mara was such a peanut when she was born that almost all the clothes we received as gifts were too big for her!  Luckily I had bought one set of onesies and shirts that were newborn-sized, but a little more variety would be nice.  It was so weird to be out and about by myself- after a week I was already so used to having a little person attached to me constantly!

We were discharged in the afternoon and hoped to return home to power, but no such luck.  However Mr. Vittles had found an open & stocked gas station about a half hour inland the night before, so we had refilled our tanks for the generator.

On Saturday we made it to my grandmother's house, and I was truly shocked by the level of devastation that many parts of my hometown had seen.  (And sadly, there are towns in far worse shape than Point Pleasant Beach in this area).

Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

The street that runs parallel to the beach was completely covered in sand by the storm.  Some of it had already been "plowed" and you could drive down the street, but other parts were still inaccessible by car.

Ocean Avenue, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ (cleared)

Most of the homes/businesses near either the beach, inlet, or any of the 3 lakes in town got water in them and peoples' ruined belongings were stacked along the sides of the road.

Luckily for my grandmother, her house is raised up over a crawl space - water did ruin both her car and her garage, but you can see the water line came within 2 inches of the first floor of her house.

you can see the water line between the top of her steps & bottom of door

She did not get water inside the house, it's completely dry.  In comparison, her next door neighbor's house is right at ground level and everything in their first floor was out at the curb.

When Mr. Vittles and I got home from our little excursion, we found that our power was restored.  It was such a relief that some aspect of life was about to return to normalcy!  We spent the next few days trying to get our house back in order, get into a routine, and most importantly enjoy some time together as a family.

Daddy & Mara

(Somewhere in the midst of all this I caught a terrible cold, almost lost my voice but I think I'm finally on the upswing!)  This past Monday, Miss Mara had her first official pediatrician appointment and we were happy to hear that all was well... she had even exceeded her birth weight by 3 oz!

(We were also happy to welcome our first trick-or-treaters that night in our new neighborhood, since Gov. Christie officially changed the date of Halloween in New Jersey this year to November 5!)

Today, our little munchkin has snoozed most of the day away. (Oh yeah, to our friends & family that keep begging to see Mara's eyeballs -- come to my house at 2AM!  She'll be happy to show you her peepers then).  Mr. Vittles took the day off, and we were back to watching The Weather Channel as inches of snow fall outside our window from the Nor'easter they've dubbed "Winter Storm Athena."

Except the snow is so wet and heavy that the power went out... again.  This time so did the satellite TV.  So it looks like we're back to partial power and the generator off & on schedule until further notice!

The past couple weeks have been crazy, stressful, heart-breaking, amazing, and awe-inspiring all at the same time.  But every day I am humbled by this new little life we've created.  And I know it will just keep getting better and better!

As for Mother Nature... lay off us, already!  I think this area has been through enough now.

Apple Crumb Pie

• 1 9" unbaked pie shell (either refrigerated, or your favorite recipe)
• 6 C. apples, peeled, cored, & thinly sliced
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 2 T. flour
• 2/3 C. sugar
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/8 t. cloves
• 1/8 t. allspice
• pinch salt

Crumb Topping:

• 1/2 C. (1 stick) butter, cut in tablespoons
• 1 C. flour
• 1/2 C. brown sugar
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/8 t. cloves
• 1/8 t. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Peel, core, and slice apples thinly.  Place in large bowl.  Sprinkle with lemon juice, and stir with rubber spatula to coat apples.

In separate small bowl, whisk cornstarch, flour, sugar, spices, and salt until combined.  Sprinkle mixture over apples, and stir to coat evenly.

Arrange apples in pie shell, mounding slightly in the middle.  Place entire pie dish onto a baking sheet to catch any drips or rogue crumbs.

In a medium bowl, combine all crumb topping ingredients.  Cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry blender or two knives.  (I actually start with a pastry blender, then I just use my hands to rub the ingredients between my fingers - I feel like everything gets mixed more evenly this way).

Sprinkle crumb mixture over top of pie evenly.  Bake 50-60 minutes until crumbs are browned.  Cool on rack at least 2 hours before cutting.

Adapted from Family Recipe

White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Latte

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving filled with food, family, friends, and fun!

There's not much time left for pumpkin recipes, so I had to get in one last thing.

If you have any leftover canned pumpkin puree from your pies (or pumpkin coconut tapioca!) this is the perfect use for it.

Plus you'll need the caffeine for all your Black Friday shopping!  (Or if you're working, like me, then you'll really need caffeine).

White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Latte

• 1/4 C. white chocolate chips
• 1/4 C. heavy cream
• 1 C. milk (any kind is fine)
• 2 t. pumpkin puree
• 1/8 t. cinnamon
• pinch cloves
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/4 t. vanilla extract
• 1 - 2 shots espresso (or very strong coffee)

In a microwave-safe measuring cup, heat white chocolate chips with heavy cream until melted (heat in 20-second intervals, stirring after each, until syrup forms).

In the meantime, heat milk in a medium saucepan with pumpkin and spices over medium-low to medium heat.  Bring to a simmer, and whisk in white chocolate mixture.  Remove from heat, and add vanilla.  Whisk until frothy.

Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve (there may be some pumpkin particles or lumps of white chocolate you want to strain out) and add espresso.  Serve immediately, with extra cinnamon on top if desired.  Makes two 6-oz. lattes, or one 12-oz latte (amounts are approximate).

Original Recipe

Spiced Sweet Potato Muffins

When I was a kid, you would never catch sweet potatoes (in any form) on my plate.

My mom always loved them, though, so I dunno ... maybe it eventually rubbed off on me?  But one day I decided they were pretty good, and the attraction has only grown from there.

As an adult, I just love them.

Mr. Vittles... not so much.

So I typically only get to have sweet potatoes when I'm out at restaurants.

But when my mother-in-law recently gave us some of her incredible pumpkin muffins, I got an idea.

Mr. Vittles rarely gets excited about food, however his mom's pumpkin muffins are one of his favorites.  (She also makes the recipe in the form of bread, which is a Thanksgiving staple in the family!)

So I was thinking... what if I made sweet potato muffins? They would probably taste similar to the pumpkin, and maybe Mr. V would finally understand my love for sweet potatoes.

Well... you know what they say about best laid plans.

The hubbster would only try one little bite and said "It's ok.  For having sweet potatoes in it."

I had to laugh.  To me, they tasted almost the same as his mom's.  "You can't even taste the sweet potato!" I protested.  But he insisted that he could tell.

Ugh.

I'm calling shenanigans.

It's all in his mind.

These are freakin' delicious.

But you let me know what you think.

Spiced Sweet Potato Muffins

• 1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C. whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1 1/4 C. sugar
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. ground allspice
• 1/4 t. ground ginger
• 1/8 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 t. ground cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C. oil
• 1/4 C. milk
• 1 C. cooked sweet potato puree
• 1 T. molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.  Set aside.

In large bowl, mix dry ingredients (flour through cloves).  In a separate medium bowl, whisk eggs with oil, milk, sweet potato, and molasses.  Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in wet.  Mix only until dry ingredients are moistened - do not overmix.

Fill each muffin cup 3/4 of the way full with batter (you may end up with a little leftover).  Bake 20-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean.  Cool 2-3 minutes in pan, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  Keeps up to one week in an airtight container.

Note: These are also awesome cut in half and browned in a toaster oven :) Yum!

Original Recipe

Apple Crumb Cake

Crumb cake was always a favorite treat in my mom's family.

My grandparents would get crumb cake sometimes on weekends when I stayed over their house, and we almost always had it when they rented a beach house at the Jersey Shore for a week in the summer.

The best crumb cake in our area is from a bakery called Mueller's.  It's not overly big or fancy, but on the rare occasion that I go in there, it still brings back happy childhood memories.

Plus I want to eat everything there.

In one sitting.

Is that wrong?

Another time we always had crumb cake was at my great-grandmother's house (a.k.a. "Gigi").  She and my great-aunt had a favorite bakery where they lived in Lyndhurst NJ, and Aunt Joyce would stock up on all sorts of treats there before our visits.

No matter how many times my mom told her "Don't go crazy," we knew Aunt Joyce would be hitting up Mazur's for some crumb cake at the very least.

Or... half the store, at most.

Honestly, I think Aunt Joyce was perfectly happy to have an excuse to buy loads of goodies at the bakery.  (Needless to say, she was pretty much the coolest great-aunt ever.)

In any event, crumb cake is a treat that will always have a place in my heart.

I got to thinking about it recently, but I'm pretty sure I can never make it as good as Mueller's or Mazur's, so I needed to put a twist on it.

We just went apple-picking last weekend and still have loads of apples, so it seemed like a natural combo.  I'd never actually had an apple crumb cake before, but really - apples... butter... sugar... what could go wrong?

And while the crumbs are still the best part, at least with this you have something to look forward to in the cake itself.

I might cut down on the sugar a bit if I make this again, as I thought it was a little sweet - but then again Mr. Vittles enjoyed the extra sugar.

Either way, for as easy as this was, it was pretty scrumptious.

I think Aunt Joyce would approve.

Apple Crumb Cake

Cake

• 3/4 C. sugar
• 1 C. flour + 2 T.
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. oil
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1 medium apple, peeled, cored & grated (about ½ C.)

Crumb Topping

• 1/2 c. flour
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. allspice
• 2 1/2 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Grease an 8x8 pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, and nutmeg until evenly distributed.  In a small bowl, whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla until combined and add to dry ingredients.  Mix well, then fold in grated apples. Pour into prepared pan and smooth evenly.

Prepare crumb topping: add first 5 crumb ingredients together in bowl, then add small amounts of melted butter, stirring with a fork or your fingers to combine into a crumbly mixture resembling wet sand.  Sprinkle crumbs on top of cake batter.  Bake 30-35 mins or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean with only a few dry crumbs attached.  Let cool on wire rack, then dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Recipe Adapted from Cooks.com

Pumpkin Caramel Snickerdoodles

Today is Mr. Vittles' birthday.

His favorite cake is very simple (angel food cake filled with chocolate whipped cream) so I tend to feel guilty if that's the only thing I make for him. 

Especially since he also wants to go out to dinner tonight!

So last night we had one of his favorite meals (steak with garlic mashed potatoes) and I decided to make these cookies.

He likes anything pumpkin (one year I made him a Pumpkin Spice cake) so I thought this recipe would be a no-brainer.

When I took the dough out of the refrigerator, I gave him a taste and he said "It's good.  I have to say I was a little worried when you said they were going to be pumpkin snickerdoodles."

I guess he thought the taste would be too strong? 

Luckily, it's very subtle.

Then about a third of the way through the batch, I had him try just a piece of one of the finished cookies.  He tried to take a bite out of the half, but all the caramel came out with it. 

I asked him what he thought, and he said "It's ok.  The caramel is kind of a pain in the #*$ though."

Really?

I know someone else that's kind of a pain in the @#$.

I'm so sorry that gooey caramel deliciousness was just too much trouble for you, Mr. Vittles.  

(We should all have such problems.)

But since it is his birthday, I decided I better make a batch of just plain ones.  And for the record, they were also very delicious. 

...even though I forgot to put cinnamon in the rolling sugar until the last batch.

Oops!

Anyway, if you think the caramel is too daunting, feel free to leave it out :)

Pumpkin Caramel Snickerdoodles

Dough:

• 3 C. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C. whole wheat pastry flour (you can just use all-purpose for all the flour if you prefer)
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 t. allspice
• 1/8 t. nutmeg
• 1 C. (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 C. granulated sugar
• 3/4 C. canned pumpkin puree
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 24 soft caramel candies (such as Kraft)

Coating for Rolling:

• 1/2 C. granulated sugar
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t. ground ginger
• 1/8 t. ground cloves
• 1/8 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t. allspice

Make Dough: In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.  Set aside. 

In large bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high until light & fluffy (2 or 3 minutes).   Add pumpkin puree, and beat until well-combined.  Add egg and vanilla, and beat until combined.

Scraping down sides as necessary, add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated.   Add remaining flour mixture and beat only until no streaks remain.  Do not overmix.  Cover and chill dough thoroughly, for at least an hour, until consistency is easy to roll without sticking to your hands.

When dough is almost done chilling, unwrap caramels and slice each one in half.  Set aside.

Make Coating:  Mix sugar with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice in a small bowl and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare baking sheet with parchment or non-stick spray.

Using a large cookie scoop or rounded tablespoon, scoop out dough into 6-8 balls (return bowl of unused dough to refrigerator.)  Break each ball in half and place caramel piece on one half of dough.  Top with other half and shape back into a ball (so the dough completely surrounds the caramel). 

Roll each ball in spiced sugar coating and place on prepared sheet (if you're like me & want an extra-crispy coating on the outside, you can re-roll all the balls again before baking.) 

Bake 11-13 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.  Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Store in airtight container up to 1 week.  Makes about 36-48 cookies. 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Recipe adapted from DLYN, and Caramel-Center inspiration from The Baker Chick

Pumpkin Cornbread

Today was a very emotional day for many people - not just in this country, but all across the globe.

I stopped by my grandmother's house (my stepdad's mom) for an early birthday celebration, and she has some friends visiting from the Netherlands.

When we arrived a little after noon, they were in the middle of watching the names being read at the ceremony held in New York City for the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Her friends had actually insisted on watching it.  In fact, her one friend Nelly says she has watched it every year since 2002, from Holland.  And a few days ago, they visited New York City to see Ground Zero in person.

My stepdad and I were initially a little surprised to hear this, but they pointed out that the world changed after 9/11... not just America.

That comment really struck me.

Before I left my house, I had been watching the ceremony too - particularly to see my high school friend Mary's sister, who had the honor of reading their father's name.

He was in the South tower when the second plane struck it, and he never came home.

I can't believe that was 10 years ago. 

On September 11, 2001, I was a college freshman at the New College of Florida, in my first few weeks of school.  I woke up a little early that morning, so I went on the internet before class.

That was the heyday of Instant Messenger, and a friend of mine from home messaged me, asking if I heard about the plane hitting the World Trade Center.

I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Your class is probably cancelled," he wrote, but I wasn't comprehending the seriousness of the situation.

Wasn't it just an accident?  Why would classes be cancelled?

But they were, and this was no accident.  I didn't have a television in my dorm room, so I spent the rest of the day either glued to the TV in the student lounge or on my laptop.

I frantically tried to reach my father, who didn't work in the WTC specifically but sometimes had business there.  Of course, cell phones weren't working, so it took me a while to find out he and my stepmom (they also had an apartment in NYC) were physically fine.

Emotionally... not so much.

And then I heard about Mary's dad.

At the age of 18, I had little experience with devastating news of this caliber.

My heart went out to her, but I didn't know what to do.  I didn't know how to talk to her.  I didn't know what to say.

Watching that ceremony this morning, the same awful feeling of helplessness came back to me.

Seeing children pay tribute to mothers and fathers that they never really even knew brought tears to my eyes.  And my heart broke again for all the people that lost their family members & friends so suddenly. 

I look at Mary now and think how much has changed in 10 years.  She finished college, got a good job, and has an amazing husband and an adorable baby boy who's about to be a year old in November.

Her oldest brother is also married, with two kids.  Her older sister and other brother are happy and successful.

Why their father had to be taken from them in such a senseless act is beyond me.

But if there is another 'side' or another life out there beyond our understanding (as I like to believe) then I know that he is watching them, smiling, so proud of everything his family has accomplished and become.

Mary & her son Bryce, February 2011

Last week, I promised you the fall-flavored cornbread recipe I made with my slow-cooker chicken chili.

I think it's a good choice for today when we could all use a little 'comfort'.

Pumpkin Cornbread

• 1 C. whole wheat pastry flour (regular all-purpose is also fine)
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 C. brown sugar
• 1 C. cornmeal
• 2 eggs
• 1 C. pumpkin purée
• 1/4 C. canola oil
• 1 T. molasses

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease an 8×8″ baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, brown sugar, and cornmeal.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and then stir in the pumpkin, oil, and molasses.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined, and then pour the batter into the pan, smoothing out the top as much as possible.

Bake 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm, with butter if desired.


Recipe Slightly Adapted from Sugarcrafter

Baked Mini Apple Cider Donuts

Ok so I finally got with the times and bought myself a donut pan. 

Not that it takes up much space, but with our smaller kitchen before I felt like I didn't need to keep adding 'one more thing.'  Especially a thing that's so specialized.

The angel on my shoulder would say "Silly Maggie... how often are you really going to make donuts? You don't need a pan for that."

But last week the same mind-controlling grocery store that was selling french toast lattes had a whole huge display of fun baking items - including mini donut pans.

I lingered by the display, and the angel piped up "I don't think tha-"...

Luckily the devil on my other shoulder interrupted and said, "Put a cork in it, Angel.  Mags, you've got a huge kitchen now - you need to buy that pan." 

And I did. 

But before we go any further, let's get a few things straight.

Fried donuts are delicious. They are decadent.  They are satisfyingly crunchy on the outside and soft and cakey on the inside.

They are FRIED IN OIL, for goodness sakes.  They better be all that and a side of fries.

These, however, are baked.

They are light and airy. 

And they are delicious in their own right - but if you are looking for fried, crunchy goodness, then look elsewhere!  You will not find it in this recipe!

Just because some batter is baked in the shape of a donut does not mean it will taste like one from your local donut shop, ok???

Phew!  I just want to make sure you understand what you're making before I get complaints that these don't taste like donuts.

Now back to our scheduled programming.

As you'll see in my recipe note below, the first two batches I made were just finished with powdered sugar & cinnamon.  They were light and sweet.  (Mr. Vittles commented that they didn't really taste like donuts, but gobbled them up nonetheless - if that gives you any indication of how good or bad they are.)

The last batch I put in the toaster oven to brown the tops, dipped them in melted butter, and then dipped in a mixture of granulated sugar & cinnamon.

Mr. V and I both preferred the second batch because they were more like fried (but still with far less calories - I melted 1 T. butter for the pan of 12, and didn't even use the whole amount).

And after that batch it just so happens our landlords also came over to take a look at the shower/leaky ceiling with their contractor, and commented on how 'amazing' it smelled in the house.

I explained that I had made donuts and (with the same warnings I gave you above) offered them some.

Not only did they have one each, they specifically asked a few minutes later if they could have more.

I'd call that a success :)

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

• 1 1/4 C. cake flour
• 1/2 C. granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• pinch cloves
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1 C. apple cider
• 1/2 C. buttermilk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 T. butter, melted
• extra cinnamon & powdered or granulated sugar, for finishing

Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease mini-donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Place apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, then simmer about 5-7 minutes until liquid is reduced by half.  Remove pan from heat & set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Add buttermilk, egg, reduced cider, and butter.  Stir until just combined.  Fill a plastic baggie with batter, then cut a small hole in the corner of the bag.  Pipe batter into each donut cup approximately one-half full.

Bake 4–6 minutes or until the top of the donuts spring back when touched. Let cool in pan for 4–5 minutes before removing.

Finish donuts with powdered/granulated sugar & cinnamon.*  Makes about 3 dozen.

*Note: I finished my donuts two ways - for the first 2 batches, I combined 1 C. powdered sugar with 1 t. cinnamon in a ziplock bag.  I then placed the donuts inside and shook the bag.  The resulting donuts were very light and spongy, and sweet.  For the last batch, I placed the donuts on a small rack, sprayed them with canola oil, then put them on a small pan & toasted them in the toaster oven until browned on top.  I then dipped the tops in melted butter, then dipped them in a mixture of granulated sugar and cinnamon.  The second batch was definitely crunchier and a bit more like fried donuts.

Recipe Adapted from Wilton

Spiced Coffee

Mr. Vittles and I just returned from a fabulous ski weekend in Lake Placid, New York with another couple.

 Kristen, Chris, Mr. V, and myself

Not that I actually did any skiing.  I spent most of my time shopping, spa-ing, and eating with Kristen (remember her delicious warm potato salad?) while our husbands went off to the mountain.

Normally I hate the cold & snow, but I must admit that the setting was so beautiful and serene.  Here is what our hotel, the Whiteface Lodge, looks like from the outside.

 ©2010 The Whiteface Lodge

Not to mention our suite was amazing and incredibly cozy.  This was exactly what our living room looked like:

©2010 The Whiteface Lodge

Seriously, I might have moved in if they let me.  And I have no doubts that it would have been a marvelous few weeks, before my life savings were drained and I was thrown out of the hotel... penniless, but thoroughly relaxed.

 the hotel's beautiful christmas tree

So in the spirit of winter fun and warm drinks sipped by the fire, I wanted to share this coffee with you.  Mr. V says its like mulled apple cider in coffee-form.  If you are not a fan of citrus, just leave out the orange zest.

Spiced Coffee

• 8 T. ground coffee (freshly ground is best)
• 2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1 t. ground nutmeg
• 1 t. ground cloves
• 1/4 t. freshly grated orange zest 

Fill coffee maker with enough water for 8 cups (using measurements on your pot, not a measuring cup).  Fill coffee filter with ground coffee, then add spices & zest.  Brew per manufacturer's instructions.  Yields 8 cups (the number of servings depends on how much you put in your mugs).

Recipe slightly adapted from Food Network's Anne Thorton