Fall, FINALLY!

I've been WAITING for yoga pants and sweatshirt weather and it is finally here!  Oh wait, no it isn't.  This finicky flip-flop weather is making KA-RAZY.  Last week the high (according to my car) was 49*, the next day it was 70* and by Monday, 78* - WHAT?  At least I've not put away my flips and shorts.

Anyhow, when it was actually fall-like last week, I made pumpkin scones - so delish!  I added dark cherries (from TJ's) instead of white chocolate chips and pecans.  I honestly believe they are magic scones as it turned Owen's frown upside down the morning I made them.  He was being a bit of a pill and rejecting all food (except for bananas of course) until I offered a pumpkin scone.  Maybe it was the sugar, but I am going to believe it was the pumpkin that soothed his little spirit!

Pumpkin Scones

From my dear friend Angela

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup solid packed pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional:
1/3 cup chopped white chocolate
1/4 cup chopped pecans
**I skipped these two and added 1/2 cup dried cherries.  For some bizzaro reason I just don't like chocolate for breakfast.  I know, crazy, right?

Instructions

Mix flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Cut butter into small pieces and cut into flour.  Mixture should look like course crumbs.  In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together (don't over-mix).  Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead gently 3-4 times (until it comes together), and then shape/pat dough into a circle about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Slice in half and then cut each half into 3 equal pie-shaped wedges.  Alternatively, roll out and cut with a biscuit cutter.  Brush with egg glaze (1 egg beaten with 1 T mil), and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake on cookie sheet at #75* for 20 minutes.

On top of the delish pumpkin scones, we went to the most ghetto pumpkin patch! 

There was a crazy creepy petting zoo with piggies, chickens, turkeys, goats and calves.  The piggies were certainly aggressive.

The turkeys were just about as big as O - I invited them to dinner but they declined...

Owen was not fooled by the saddle sitting on a bale of hay instead of a horse...

"I think I'll take this one.  I can carry it all by myself!"

Jeremy was hesitant to put O on the tetanus tractor...

Little Man is about 2.5 feet! 

Everybody Loves Meatballs!

So I've been making my own baby food, which is easy peasy - and so much cheaper!  But now that O has graduated to chunkier food, I sometimes struggle with what to feed him.  And every day is a new adventure: what he loved on Monday, he most assuredly WILL NOT love on Tuesday.  So making enough for several servings can totally backfire on me.  Thus the black beans and chicken that I busted out on Friday have been languishing in my fridge and will most likely form the base of my salad for lunch!

I've discovered that O goes nuts, I mean, SERIOUSLY NUTS, for turkey meatballs.  When he first started gobbling (haha) them down, he only had room in his cheeks, I mean stomach, for two.  Now, he can pack in about five.  I don't know where it fits as he is a skinny little man!  There is one draw back to feeding O meatballs every day: he smells like my dad after eating raw onions.  Seriously, little man had THE WORST breath - so we space it out a bit!

O is rocking a University of Michigan jersey - love it!

The best part about these meatballs are that they are pleasing to my pallet as well!  And Jeremy declared me the "best wife" because I suggested we make meatball subs for the baseball game - who knew he was so easy to please???

Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 pound ground turkey (preferably 93% lean)

Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, 1/ 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with a fork.  Stir int he onion, breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley.  Add the turkey and mix until combined.  Form the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls.

Bake at 400* for 20 minutes.  This is variable depending on the size of the meatballs.

Say it's your birthday?

It's my birthday too! Every birthday, my dad always, always, always says it's his birthday too.  Always. If it is your birthday, it's Bill's birthday too! Poor Daddy, his birthday falls on December 28th, so his birthday often gets mixed in with Christmas.

Anyfood, for every birthday, celebration, and any occasion requiring a cake, I request or make for myself the Nutmeg Sherry Cake. And if you have ever been around for any of those occasions, you've tried the cake and you know the love! One year, I celebrated my birthday in Texas with Jeremy and my sister baked the Nutmeg Sherry and mailed it! And for my 21st birthday, my mom baked it and sent it up with my sister. Seriously, this is THE CAKE.

Celebrating my 28th birthday in Austin, TX - Hook 'em!

This year was extra special because my man baked the cake!!  He did a PERFECT job, it was divine!!  Thank you for making me feel so special my love!

Nutmeg Sherry Cake

Ingredients
1 package Yellow Cake mix without pudding (I prefer Duncan Hines)
1 (3.5 oz) package of vanilla instant pudding
1 teaspoon nutmeg
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup sherry

Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons sherry


Instructions
Preheat oven to 350*.  Mix all cake ingredients on medium for one minute.  Then mix on high for five minutes.  Pour batter into a creased 12 cup Bundt pan.  Bake for 40-45 minutes - until a cake tester comes out clean.

For the icing:  mix the powered sugar and sherry until you have a runny icing.  I play with this, sometimes I add milk instead of an extra tablespoon of sherry.

It is delish for breakfast too :)

Thank for the best birthday yet my love!