fall is here

At the beginning of every season I'm always excited for something. When it's spring time I'm excited to see more of the sun and all the beautiful flowers blooming everywhere. When summer comes around I can't wait to wear flip flops and lay out in the sun endlessly reading books. When winter comes...well, I love Christmas so winter is good because of that (however, by the end of January I'm at a loss for things to like about winter). And then there is fall. My favorite of all the seasons. What's not to love about fall? Cooler weather. Boots. Leaves. Scarves. PSL. Fireplace. Thankfulness. Candles. Oh and pumpkin {everything}.

Right now my house smells so lovely ~ coffee beans in my kitchen table centerpiece, new apple ale candle, and pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal bars baking in the oven. Any time I can use pumpkin, molasses, and fall spices in the same recipe I am a very happy girl! My parents are coming to Seattle tomorrow and the whole family will be here for dinner so I'm breaking out the crock pot again to make a pot roast. Crock pot cooking isn't all that fun when only one person is eating (or I end up with a million freezer meals of the same thing!). I can't wait to have people here to cook for and to eat with. My home feels empty with just one or two people. I crave a crowd.

I blame my mother for this feeling I have. Growing up there were always people in our home- after school, coming over for dinner, holiday meals- everyone came to our house for these things. It wasn't until middle school that I started to realize it wasn't normal to have people over for dinner three or four (or more) times a week. Feeding people is both my mom's love language and her spiritual gift, and I feel that I have inherited these things as well. Making someone a home-cooked meal or bringing treats to work is my way of blessing those around me (and also feeling blessed myself). Why not make someone's day a little bit better if I have the time and ability to?

"...Remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35b

This season of life.

Let's start this post by saying my apartment smells gloriously like peanut butter because I just made a double batch of these peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! Oh.my.word. SO good!

Life has been busy and calm all at the same time lately. And since a picture says a thousand words, I'm going to let my pictures speak for me.

My best friend got married!! Everything was absolutely beautiful- the bride, the ceremony, the marriage, and of course the bridal party ;)

So thankful for my daddy. 

The roomie graduated from SPU (oh, and she's TEACHING there in the fall) Ridiculously proud of this girl!

Mom and Dad came for a visit in June. It was great to spend time with them in Seattle.

I've been loving the Magnolia Farmer's Market just a mile or so away from my house. A few weeks ago I bought fresh raspberries and made yummy jam. Farmers market fresh homemade jam...makes me feel like the pioneer woman. haha

4th of July weekend was full of food, family, and friends in California. I'm SO glad I got to see these two wonderful women while I was home!

Flying back to Seattle from the Long Beach Airport. Seriously, my favorite airport ever.

Celebrating a new baby!! Loved showering this family and sharing this journey with them as they anticipate the arrival of their little girl. 

Another celebration! But this time for a birthday...half a century right, Meg? ;)

Less then a dozen pictures and so many important people in my life! Seriously, these are the people who have helped to shape me into the person that I am today. They have laughed with me, cried with me, and been there for me no matter what is happening in my life. I am truly blessed by the people I call friends and love being able to celebrate their weddings, babies, birthdays, and more.

It seems like everyone I know is getting engaged, married, having a baby, buying a house, or doing something else exciting and life changing. What am I doing you ask? Welp, I'm still trying to figure that out. I've been researching grad schools in California to get a Master's in Teaching and a teaching credential...So that's the current plan for next year-ish. I'm really excited about the idea of moving back to California and becoming a teacher there, but it also terrifies me. Seattle has finally started to feel like home and where I thought I would be for a while... and now I'm looking at changing ALL of that.

But isn't that what life is about? Get comfortable and bam! life changes! Through all these changes and unknowns I know that one thing stays the same. God is faithful. He will not leave me or forsake me. I know that his plans are bigger and better than anything I could come up with by myself. I am thankful for this confidence because I couldn't imagine going through life without knowing that there is a God who has taken care of everything for me. No matter where the future takes me, I am thankful for each season that the Lord provides.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Sweet Cinnamon Cherry Granola

Despite the fact that I completely loathe, abhor, and despise yogurt in all forms, I really like granola. The problem is that the two are normally assumed to go together, kind of like peanut butter and jelly. So it's sometimes difficult to find a good granola that can stand on it's own as a cereal.

Enter, The Kitchen is My Playground. I was browsing different granola options on pinterest and came across this blog with lots of yummy looking granola recipes.

Like any recipe that I attempt, I ended up changing it a bit, but that's the best part of granola right?

The original recipe for Chai Granola can be found here.

This is what I did:
Sweet Cinnamon Cherry Granola
3 c. old-fashioned oats
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/3 c. shredded coconut
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 c. honey
1/3 c. canola oil 
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. dried cherries

1.  In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, coconut, and pecans.  Stir in cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

2.  Place honey, oil, and vanilla in a small bowl; stir to combine. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture; mix together until oats are evenly coated with the honey mixture.

3.   Spread granola mixture onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes.

4.  Remove from oven and stir in dried cherries. Let cool completely. Store tightly covered.

I've had this for breakfast, with a bit of almond milk, every day this week and I'm addicted! It has the perfect balance of sweet and spice, a good crunch, and its filled with things I love. I can't wait to try making more variations of granola. Once again I am thankful for new recipes!

Cookies and a Cabinet Mount

So I saw this recipe on Facebook (not Pinterest, shocking right?) and thought I would give it a try (and, of course, alter it a bit). They were advertised as cookies, but I don't know if I would necessarily call them that. Maybe more like granola bar bites? I think they would be good for breakfast with a cup of coffee, but maybe not for dessert...

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

3 mashed bananas

1/3 c. applesauce

1/4 c. almond milk

2 c. oats

1/2 c. raisins

1/2 c. chopped pecans

1/4 c. cranberries

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients and scoop onto a cookie sheet. Use your fingers to press the cookies down, otherwise they will just bake as a ball and won't flatten out. Bake for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees until they look like this:

Only 57 calories per cookie. Not bad!

On another note, I finally got a kitchen cabinet mount for my iPad! It was in the clearance bin at Target for $20 so I bought it and I'm so excited to use it while I cook. I had it up today and it was incredibly helpful. It can be adjusted to different size tablets, so anyone who uses their tablet for recipes or music or anything in the kitchen...buy one!!

Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest

Bored during a commercial break? Pinterest. Waiting for someone? Pinterest. Kiddos napping at work with nothing else to do? Pinterest. Long evenings home alone? Pinterest. Need a recipe? Pinterest. Nothing new on Facebook? Pinterest.

Whatever would I do without the Pinterest app on my phone?

Probably have a lot more time to do other things and feel a lot better about myself. ha!

I was reading an article recently about how so much social media stuff is making people depressed about their own lives. Which makes sense for anyone who has ever been on pinterest....the dream weddings, clothes, homes, craft projects, meals, and more that are all perfect. Or so it seems. They don't show the whole picture: the mess of the kitchen after making that meal, the money it took to create that wedding, the hours spent at thrift stores to find the perfect item to upcycle into something crafty, etc, etc.

I have to keep reminding myself of these things. NOTHING is perfect. Why am I comparing myself to people and things that are only portraying the good {perfect} parts of their life, job, family, etc.? Sometimes I have to intentionally not be around any source of internet access and, ya know, actually read a book or talk to someone face to face without technology distracting us to remind myself that my life is full of blessings.

All that to say, it's fun to go on Pinterest and get new ideas for things, but I try to remember not to take it too seriously....otherwise I'll just get jealous and sad and lonely. And that's no good! SO tonight's pinterest trials are as follows:

#1 Vinegar/Orange cleaning spray.

You can find this on a million different websites and pinned all over the place, and I finally decided to try it since the kiddos ate oranges at work today. I had a whole bunch of orange peels and didn't have to eat tons of oranges to get them. Score! You're supposed to let this sit for two weeks (say a prayer I remember to get this out of the closet then...) and then pour in a spray bottle and clean away. Some websites advised mixing water in with this mixture, so we'll have to see how potent it ends up.

#2 Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

So many good things in one small bite! After work I whipped these up to take to an Alumnae Falconette Board meeting tonight and they were a big hit. SO easy to make, the recipe can be found at averie cooks. I used white chocolate chips instead of the butterscotch chips and I think they were just as yummy. 

All in all, I don't think Pinterest or social media of any kind is bad, as long as I can remember to keep everything in the proper perspective. Should I spend all my time browsing things that I wish my life was like? No, because that's not healthy. Is it okay to browse every once in a while and try new things? Yes, absolutely. 

Thanks, Pinterest, for inspiring me and helping me out when I'm stumped about a food/craft/decorating idea.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Things I love about Sunday:

• My ritual of listening to worship music on Pandora while I get ready in the morning
• The sound of an excited "Hi Miss Emily!"
• Catching up with people after a busy week
• Singing with the kids
• Chatting with a puppet about Jesus and things we can learn from Him
• Problem solving when something doesn't run smoothly
• Sitting in the back of the church foyer chatting with a mom and their baby who doesn't want to be in the nursery (or quietly sit through the service)
• Seeing happy kids leaving KidTown, excited to come back again
• Taking naps on the couch

Things I love about THIS Sunday:

• The comfort of gray skies and rain that is still coming down, making the earth a lovely shade of green
• New curriculum to teach the K-3 kids
• Lunch with my brother at Orrapin on Queen Anne
• Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookies
• Laying on the couch and reading my newest book, Just a Minute by Wess Stafford

Praising the Lord for all that is good and right on this Sabbath day.

"I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.' Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure." 

Psalm 16:2,9

Lemon Bars

Tonight is one of my favorite nights on TV- Oscar's night! I'm so excited to watch. I wanted to make something different for a sweet treat and found a variety of easy recipes for lemon bars on pinterest. Some used lemon curd, some lemon creme pie filling, some added water, but I just stuck with two basic ingredients: angel food cake mix and a can of lemon pie filling. That's right, easiest dessert ever!

Ta-da! Once it's cool you can sprinkle with powdered sugar and then cut into squares.

I've never used angel food cake mix before, but it is very powdery! As I was mixing the dry ingredients were flying everywhere. When I was done my kitchen looked like I was installing drywall. Again though, let me reiterate how easy this sweet treat is. Once the TWO ingredients are combined, pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for about 25 minutes at 350, until it browns around the edges and pulls away from the side of the pan.

Don't be expecting traditional lemon bars, since there is no crust or cream cheese or anything else you may find in a bakery lemon bar. But they are very light and delicious! Almost like a lemon sponge cake, lighter than pound cake but heavier than angel food cake. I am going to have to share them otherwise I will eat every single one... Look out NQACC, the break room will have some yummy treats tomorrow.

And for dinner, currently in the oven....Cheesy Chicken Tator Tot Casserole. Thanks to The Country Cook. Can't wait to try this tator tot creation and watch the Academy Awards!

What do you do on a 3 day weekend?

My weekend started out Friday night by going to see my brother and his improv  group at Seattle U. They really are quite hilarious. I was thinking of staying home because I was so tired from a busy week at work, but I'm glad I went to see him! Then Saturday was my super productive day. I cleaned EVERYTHING- bathroom, kitchen, living room, bedroom, did laundry, changed sheets, put clothes away, dusted, vacuumed, and more. It felt so good to get everything cleaned up (and now I don't want to touch or use anything that would mess it all up!) The rest of the weekend included church, clearing up the DVR by finally watching the Grammy's and a few other shows, reading (Sticky Faith by Kara Powell and Chap Clark and Love Times Three by the Dargers), shopping, and sleeping! Saturday afternoon I turned to pinterest as I thought of what I should make for dinner and this is the result...

Recipe #1 Crock Pot Shredded Chicken

While this post is about the most recent weekend, I actually made this chicken last weekend. It turned out SO well. The recipe can be found here. It was super easy to just throw it all in the crockpot and let it cook for a few hours. When it was done I shredded it up and bagged it for lunches and put a few in the freezer.

Recipe #2 Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Now anyone who knows me knows that I rarely follow a recipe exactly step by step. (I've inherited that trait from my mom. Love you, mom!) We'll start with the fact that I didn't do this in the crock pot, I did it in a soup pot on the back of the stove. I also omitted the bell pepper (because I don't like them) and used the shredded chicken I had put in the freezer last weekend. The real recipe can be found here. I also made the honey jalapeño cornbread, found at the same site. This dinner got a big thumbs up from Luke and I've got leftovers in the fridge and freezer to take for lunches this week!

Recipe #3 M&M Samoa Blondies

Naturally, when I start to make dinner my mind jumps to what I'm going to make for dessert. So I head to pinterest and look in my cupboard for what I can create out of the ingredients I have. I found coconut in the freezer and thought I remembered a recipe for samoa blondies on pinterest. SO good! Samoas are some of my favorite girl scout cookies and these cookie bars have a very similar taste. The recipe can be found at Six Sisters' Stuff (one of my favorite places to find new recipes!)

I really love to cook and bake and I love sharing the things I make with others. Pinterest is a great place to find new recipes to try and I find myself trying at least one new recipe a week, sometimes more. I'm thankful for friends and family who are always willing to help me eat the things I create. 

I'm especially thankful for this guy who always eats everything I make! This was taken on Thursday night before we went out for Valentine's Day at BluWater Bistro. I am a blessed girl :)

The Best Sugar Cookies EVER

I love to bake and am constantly trying new recipes, but when it comes to making holiday cookies I always turn to my favorite sugar cookie recipe. I try others, but they are never as good as this one! This past week I made a huge batch of heart shaped cookies for Valentine's Day and I'm already thinking about the Easter cookies to come in a few weeks! Maybe I need to order some new cookie cutters.... :)

Sugar Cookies
1 lb. softened butter (no wonder they're so good, right?)
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 T. milk
2 T. almond extract (or vanilla, but the almond is what makes them special)
6 c. flour
1 T. baking powder

      Start by blending butter and sugar with a mixer (stand or hand will work just fine). Next add liquids- eggs, milk, and almond extract and blend until combined. Lastly blend in the flour and baking powder. It gets a little tough on a hand mixer when you get all 6 cups of flour in there, but you can always finish mixing with a spatula or even by using your hands.

      Once the dough is mixed (it will be a bit crumbly), flour your surface, drop a big scoop of dough down, and roll to desired thickness. I usually keep them on the thicker side so they will stay soft cookies as opposed to thin crunchy cookies. Cut out shapes and place them on a baking sheet (I use parchment so they don't stick or get as brown on the bottom). Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes or until they look set- one step before they turn brown! Take them out of the oven and let them sit for a minute before transferring to a cooling rack. They will stay good for about a week in a air tight container (although mine NEVER last that long) or you can store them in the freezer for eating at a later date (or eating frozen, yum!).

If I don't plan on frosting the cookies (or dipping them in chocolate- a real crowd pleaser, by  the way!) I will cover them with sprinkles before baking to make them a bit more festive. Because everything is always better with sprinkles right? I'm a three year old at heart :)

A few pinteresting recipes

A while ago I made a promise to myself that I would actually try more of the recipes that I post on pinterest (instead of just pinning them and letting them sit there!). The past two days I've tried two different recipes, both of which were very successful with my taste-testing crew.



Recipe #1 Monster Cookie Bars

Peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chips, reese's pieces (instead of m&ms)...what's not to like?? The recipe can be found at the Domesticated Duchess. Everyone has LOVED these. I can't get Luke to stop eating them :) Whenever I tell someone what is in them he always adds that they are 60% sin...haha.





Recipe #2 Slow Cooker Kielbasa & White Bean Stew

The recipe says to cook it for 8-10 hours on low but I didn't get it started until about 2 this afternoon. Instead of dry white beans I used canned and cooked it all on high for about 4 1/2 hours. I added a little flour/butter mixture to thicken it a bit and it turned out very yummy! Everyone gave it 2 thumbs up! Found at Kalyn's Kitchen.

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.

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??