Fall Hauls!

Hello Sweets,

The weekend is over :( for y'all anyways lol!  You know me being off work and such makes everyday a weekend, which gets old real fast.  It seems like a lovely idea to lead the life of a cat ;) but in reality it gets boring quick, unless you're a cat then it's okay lol.  Today was a very productive day for me :)  I started my day off right by going to church, it was nice to see my pastor again although he asked where I had been :/ (I know bad girl)  It was okay though, they are well aware of my health issues and were just happy to see me again :)  Then Heather and I finally caught up!!  I told you I felt good about today lol, we completely lost track of time and were chatting for 2 1/2 hours.  We did a fun little trade, I gave her baked goods and she gave me board games win win!!

When I finally did make it home I realized, "hey what about the muffins I was going to make?".  So I looked at a couple different recipes and decided I was going to make my own.  I did that because I couldn't find something close enough to what I wanted, later this week I may make my spicy pear muffins because they are super yummy!  Now that it's getting chilly outside I am all about warm spices and fall hauls :)  Anyone who lives/lived in Ontario knows what September brings, an abundance of apples and pears!!  Two of my very favorite fruits, especially to bake with ;)

Spicy Apple and Pear Muffins

Ingredients

1/2C apple, diced

1/2C pear, diced

1/3C applesauce

3/4C milk (if you use skim it make the recipe fat free!)

1/2tsp salt

1 1/2tsp baking powder

1/3C sugar

1 3/4C all-purpose flour

1/4tsp ground ginger

1/2tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp allspice

(I pre-seasoned the fruit a little before with extra)

 

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 375F, greasing a muffin tin.  Mix together in a large bowl; sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.

 

2)  Add the flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and applesauce to the sugar mixture.  Do not over beat.

 

3)  Stir in the diced apples and pears.

 

4)  Spoon batter into the greased muffin cups.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly pressed.

 

5)  Serve after muffins have cooled a bit, about 20 minutes.

 

 

(I did a double batch, that's why there's so many)

Right now my whole house smells like delicious fall baking, the smell is very close to apple pie :)  These muffins are smaller and dense, but you definitely only need one to curb your hunger.  I like the combination of the apples and pears together, they mesh really well and each bring there own dynamic to the muffin.  The apple is a little more tart so the pear gives it a little sweetness, I personally prefer fruit muffins because I like the moistness they give.

I know this post is a little short but my shoulder is all of a sudden screaming at me :(  Guess that's all I can give y'all tonight, but hey something is better than nothing right?  Until next time....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxoxo

Something Crisp to make the Crisp Nights Warmer

Hello Sweets,

I hope everyone had a productive Tuesday :)  I spent the afternoon with my grandparents, which is always nice, and then came home to prep for my day trip tomorrow.  Well, and of course bake something delicious! I bet you are all wondering where I'm off to for my day trip tomorrow.  I will be travelling to Toronto to see a neurosurgeon, ya not quite what you probably had in mind.  I'm looking forward to meeting this doctor, he comes highly recommended, but more importantly, to hopefully get some direction on how to manage my migraines.  I would be even more impressed if he can see where the problem is coming from.  I'll give you guys an update tomorrow.  Since I will be travelling most of the day tomorrow I won't be baking anything, but I'll have to get lunch from somewhere so perhaps I'll talk about that too!

Are you dying to know what my hearty fall treat is?  I decided to make a yummy old fashion apple crisp, with a Canuckette twist of course ;) (the twist is the cranberries and pecans).  It was very random why I chose to make the crisp; I was wandering the produce section in the grocery store looking for a new vegetable to try, when I came upon the large display of apples, all shiny and piled high.  I decided I would pick up a few and figure out what to make with them later, so of course I went home and put on my researching hat.  There are a million things you can make with apples, but as soon as I came across some apple crisp recipes, I remembered I have an old family recipe that needed to be used.  The more I thought about it, the more my mouth watered, and that was sign enough for me to know it was what was being made lol.  Let us get to this yummy recipe :)

Canuckette's Old Family Apple Crisp

Ingredients

2C tart apples, peeled and sliced (approx 3 medium)

1/2C dried cranberries

3/4C brown sugar, packed

1/2C all-purpose flour

1/2C old fashion oats (you can use quick oats)

1 Tsp cinnamon

1/2Tsp allspice

1/3C butter, cold

1/4C pecans, chopped

Directions:

1)  Place apples and cranberries in a greased 8" square baking pan.

2)  In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and allspice.

3)  Cut in butter until soft and crumbly, then add pecans.  Sprinkle over apples and cranberries.

4)  Bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes or until the apples are tender.  Of course enjoy!

It is so yummy!

This recipe is so simple and yummy, the hardest part is peeling the apples lol, but it is all worth while once completed.  The flavors of the apples and cranberries together scream fall to my taste buds, and satisfy the dessert craving without being overloaded with strong sugary flavors.  It is definitely a recipe for any level of baker, and you'll be very proud of your final product (I know I am).  Do you have a favorite fall dessert?  For those of you wondering, I did not use all four apples, I only used three and cut up the other for a snack :p

Having the day off tomorrow from the kitchen makes me feel both sad and okay, on the one hand I have to focus on my health tomorrow in hopes of answers, and on the other hand, I won't be creating tomorrow :(  But it does give me time to think about what I would like to do for Thursday, and I am thinking something along the line of simplicity (clearly I am already thinking of something lol), however it is going to be kept a secret.  

I always expect that telling the story of my health to each doctor would get easier, but it never does.  I always end up getting emotional, which makes me worry about what the doctors will think.  Nathan always tells me I'm one of the strongest woman he knows, and that anyone else in my shoes would have crumbled under the pressure.  It is very sweet of him, and I now believe it as well, but it still doesn't take away the nervousness I get each night before an important appointment.  Best thing for me to do tonight is to my range of motion exercises (exercising helps me relax), and leave it in God's hands, as there is nothing I can do other than tell my story.  Anyways that's enough talk about stresses lol. I will fill you all in on the outcome from my appointment tomorrow, and I will tell you all about my Toronto experience (there is always something lol).  Until next time.........

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo