What happens when you leave your camera laying out…

I was going through my pictures to get ready to upload them and found this one of AJ.  Pretty cute, I have to say!

AJ took this one himself.  KJ is very big on saying cheese right now.  Not bad for a three year old photographer!

Just thought I would share a few moments of random bliss in my life!

Thanks for stopping by!

“Healthier” Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

My son is in love with pumpkin bread.  I decided to make some pumpkin muffins for him while he was at school and was a little sickened by the ingredients my cookbook; 3 cups sugar, 4 eggs, 1 cup of oil, etc.  So I decided to play around with my own recipe.

15 oz. pumpkin puree

2 eggs

2/3 c milk

2/3 c granulated sugar

1/2 c packed brown sugar

6 oz. apple sauce

1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 c flour

Chocolate chips

I beat together the eggs, pumpkin puree, applesauce, and sugars.  Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until smooth.  Add milk, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.  Slowly add the flour and mix until combined.  Add the baking powder and baking soda.   Add your desired amount of chocolate chips.  Pour into a prepared muffin pan and bake in a 350^* oven for 12-15 minutes. Yields approx. 32 muffins.

I used almost a whole bag of chocolate chips, but think that maybe half a bag would be better next time.  I individually wrapped some of the muffins in saran wrap and placed them in a freezer bag to be frozen and enjoyed later.

             

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Falling For You

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s time to start breaking out love-inspired art!
             
Here is my newest work! I used an old picture frame I had from a Thanksgiving craft and my Silhouette to cut out the elements. 
    
Check back soon as I hopefully get this entry table ready for Valentine’s Day!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

Homemade Minestrone Soup

Inspired by the recent cover of All You magazine and our first cold and snowy day, I decided to try and make homemade minestrone soup.  I’m also trying to get back on board with freezer cooking.  We’ve had a lot of nights of “free for all” recently. 

For my recipe, I used the following:

8 cups of chicken broth

3 carrots, finely sliced

3 stalks of celery, finely sliced

2 cans of Italian-style stewed tomatoes

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Italian seasoning to taste

2 cans cannellini beans

Kale

1 cup of pasta for now, 1 cup for later.

I put the broth, carrots, celery, tomatoes, paste and Italian seasoning in the crockpot on high for 6 hours.  I then added the two cans of cannellini beans.  I then pulled out half of the mixture to freeze for later.  Add the kale and the pasta to the crockpot mixture and reduce the heat to low.  Cook for approx. 20 minutes or until the pasta is soft.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add your kale to your freezer portion.  Cool and store in a freezer Ziploc bag.

I like to put mine on a cookie sheet in the freezer in case of any leaking.  To prepare your freezer portion, take the bag out of the freezer the night before.  Once defrosted, place into a large pot.  Add 1 cup of pasta and cook until soup is warm and pasta is soft.  I always like to have extra chicken broth on hand in case you need a little more broth for your soup.

 

Thanks for stopping by!