Mom's Visit

Thursday morning I picked my mom up at the airport for a weekend visit and  we've had lots of fun since she got here! We shopped and went out to dinner with my bro and then Friday we got a tour of Seattle U and got lunch on campus before everyone came over to my apartment for dinner. I made pork chops cooked with apples and onions, mashed potatoes, baked apples, salad, and bread and it turned out pretty yummy. I love to cook from scratch, especially when there are lots of people to eat after its all done!

Serving up dinner.

Love him.

The whole crew. I love having 6 people around our table!

And of course, we can't forget dessert! I was torn between making pumpkin chocolate chip bars and pumpkin spice cake but everyone was leaning toward the chocolate chip bars. SO in order to make it a little more dessert-like I added cream cheese frosting. According to my dad, cream cheese frosting makes everything better, and I tend to agree! They turned out delicious and, after being refrigerated overnight, taste even better. 

On a slightly different note, while we were shopping this weekend my mom bought me a crock pot for my birthday!! I'm so excited to get started cooking things in it. I've been researching tons of healthy recipes to stick in it, so if you have any I'd love them. So many crock pot meals contain cream-of soups and packaged dip mixes, and I'd prefer not to add extra sodium or unnecessary preservatives to my meals. I'm thinking of trying a lamb stew on Monday night. We'll see how it goes!

Pumpkin Patch

Saturday was a chilly day to be out at the pumpkin patch, but we stayed dry (which was an answer to prayer!) - as soon as we left and pulled onto the road it started to rain, then hail! The corn maze was a bit of a disappointment, but we were there long enough to take a few pictures, pick out some good pumpkins, and eat some apple cider donuts! I was the most excited about the donuts since the donut machine was broken last year and we had to get kettle corn instead (soooo not the same, when you're expecting delicious donuts!) Overall it was a fun outing, followed up with some carving on Sunday. I always forget about how disgusting the inside of a pumpkin smells and how icky the seeds feel, but I know I'm still going to want to do it again next year. Funny how it works that way.

Also, tonight I was in a baking mood (again!) and made some banana bread and round 2 of the Halloween bark. This time I got the right kind of white chocolate that melted beautifully instead of getting chunky. SO we'll see how this one tastes compared to the last batch.

Sweet Potato Muffins

Yesterday I was shopping at Whole Foods and I came across canned sweet potato puree, which I had never seen before. Maybe this is a regular thing elsewhere, but I have only seen sweet potato puree in baby food jars and was very excited to get a whole can of it! I started thinking, "What can I do with this? Muffins? Pie? Casseroles?" Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite things ever, especially around Thanksgiving time :) So tonight I got down to business and started searching for a good muffin recipe. I couldn't find one that I love so I just sort of created my own and the result was amazing! Luke and Janelle were big fans even though they were a little skeptical at first. If they pass the boyfriend and roomie test you know they must be good. (Tomorrow we'll see if they pass the brother test!) For now, here's the recipe....

Using a hand mixer combine 3/4 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup vegetable oil

It looks a little crumbly, almost like brown snow. But keep going! It gets better! Next mix in 2 eggs.

 Here comes the part where you add the sweet potato puree. I used one 15 oz. can.

In a separate bowl combine 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2(ish) tsp. cinnamon ~ you can never have too much cinnamon! (I have a kiwi friend who would tend to disagree with that statement, but he'll never see this, hah)

Then stir to combine the two mixtures.

I made muffins this time, but I'm sure you could do a whole loaf of bread and just bake it for longer.

I didn't have enough chocolate chips or raisins to add a good amount to the whole batch, so after doing a tray of regular muffins I split the rest of the batter in half and did 6 of each. (I think those ones turned out best!)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 16-18 minutes. Keep an eye on them at the end and when a toothpick comes out clean you're good to go!

These will definitely become a regular fall treat! Maybe next time I'll add some marshmallows to the top...what's better than sweet potatoes and marshmallows?! Thank you Whole Foods for carrying this yummy can of orange goodness!

Sweet Potato Muffins

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 15oz can sweet potato puree
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins OR chocolate chips, optional

Using a hand mixer or whisk, blend together the sugars and oil. Add eggs until combined and then add sweet potatoes. In a separate bowl mix flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Slowly fold together the two bowls of mixture and then fold in raisins or chocolate chips if you desire. Pour into muffin cups or a loaf pan and then bake at 350- 16-18 minutes for muffins, probably closer to 50 minutes for a loaf.

company=cupcakes

Last night I was babysitting two boys from church, age 5 and 2 and it was so fun listening to all the things they had to say. The older boy told his mom, while at the grocery store a few days ago, that since I don't come over all the time that means I'm "company." And when you have company over that means you should have dessert after dinner. SO he succeeded in getting his mom to buy yellow cupcakes at the store. Can't disagree with that "company's coming over" logic now can ya? Also, the two year old boy was convinced that his mom and dad were out eating ice cream for dinner, no matter how much I tried to tell him they probably weren't eating ice cream he kept saying "ice cream! dinner!" and then laughing like he knows all the answers :)

My newest Halloween rearrangement.
Thanks, Luke :)

In other news, I'm going to the pumpkin patch today and am very excited! I've been praying all night that it doesn't rain on us while we're there. Then tonight we're carving the pumpkins and making a yummy dinner. It will be a very festive fall day and I can't wait!

Patience.

Come wash your hands, please. Use your words. Use your walking feet. Hold the railing, please. Use your words. Tell him you need space. Quiet voices inside. Use your words. {repeat repeat repeat repeat}

Did you hear what I said?

My job requires a lot of repeating myself! And it can easily wear a person out having to say the same things over and over again every day. Last week I was with the 3 1/2 year old class and we were walking back from the gym to their classroom upstairs. Usually they need to be reminded to hold the railing or use their inside voices, but this particular afternoon there were a few little boys who were having a hard time using their walking feet. They were wrestling and pulling each other on the rope, all while screaming of course. I asked them if they were going to be able to calm their bodies or if they needed some help. After a few warnings I told one of the boys he was going to lose the privilege of holding the rope and he sort of melted down at that point (in the middle of the stairs, of course making it difficult for everyone to walk around him). I told him how sad it was that he wasn't listening to my words and that he needed to move so his friends could get into the classroom. After he was pulled aside I asked him what he did that made me sad and he said he wasn't listening and he was playing on the stairs when he should have been walking. So he knew exactly what he was supposed to be doing, he was just having a hard time doing it.

While this whole dramatic scene was talking place there were two parents following behind me on their way to pick up their kids. They were talking to each other but loud enough that I could also hear. The mom was saying things like, "Wow, imagine the patience it takes to work here. I could never work here. She's so calm and that kid isn't listening at all..." This made me laugh and I wanted to tell her, "you can't even imagine what an average day sounds like around here!"

Since I heard that comment I've been even more intentional with having patience with the children. I never know who will be listening- a parent, another teacher, or even just the other kids. They pick up on your tone instantly and when a teacher is yelling the kids get agitated with each other really quickly. Sometimes its exhausting trying to keep your cool and repeat yourself calmly, but I know that its the best way to handle the situations. God has blessed me with the gift of patience and has placed me at this child care so I can continue training myself to be patient in tough situations.

And if you have a hard time with patience, I recommend the patience song... :)

pumpkin pumpkin pumpkin

The past few days have really started to feel like fall in Seattle and I'm loving every second of it. I never thought I would see the day that I was celebrating the sun not shining. It's been cloudy all week and we're supposed to have up to 4 inches of rain this weekend! I'm so excited I could squeal :) All that to say, fall is probably my favorite season. And fall means pumpkin EVERYTHING ~ muffins, bread, lattes, cheesecakes, cookies, etc. Thank you pinterest for supplying me with a lifetime supply of pumpkin recipes!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Pumpkin Pie Biscotti

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Pumpkin Mousse Brownie Triffle

Two ingredient pumpkin cake

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate

Pumpkin Fudge

Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin Spice Thumbprint Cookies

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

Pumpkin Pie Crepes

Pumpkin Better Than.... Cake

Pumpkin Spice Latte Pancakes

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

Perfect Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Cinnamon Cupcakes with Pumpkin Pie Frosting

And last but not least, who doesn't love a good pumpkin spice latte??

My 3 favorite "F" words...

Family. Friends. Food :)

Tonight my brother and his girlfriend came over for dinner and it was so fun! I love to cook and its always so much more rewarding when I can share the final product with people I love and care about. I decided I would make something from Pinterest, to further work on my goal of actually making the things I pin, and I landed on a Cowboy Casserole found here. I mean, helloooooo it's got tator tots on the top! What could be better? It didn't look super appetizing all piled on the plate, but it was a hit- especially with Luke and Bob. We sat around the table chatting for a while and then dug into dessert that Cassie and Bob brought- harvest plum walnut crumble pie from high 5 pie and it was incredible! I'd take pie over cake any day and this one was so yummy. I don't think I've ever had plums in a pie before, but I'm a fan!

I love that my bro is going to school just a few miles away and I get to see him so often. We always connect Sundays at church and if it works in our busy schedules we'll hang out during the week too. Not all siblings get this opportunity to spend time together (or even like spending time together) and I feel so blessed by the relationship that we have. I loved hanging out as a foursome too- no extra family members or friends, just some siblings spending time together. Can't wait for more times like tonight in the future!