Trunk or Treat party!

On Tuesday night was our Ward Trunk or Treat party. The kids had a fun time. I took a few pictures before we headed out. Callie was Strawberry Shortcake and Preston was Superman. Callie loved her pink hair. She wouldn't stop talking about it and Preston hated his costume. I had to bribe him to make sure he didn't take it off.

Monkey bread

I love to make this for breakfast and made it for Callie's school for a parents meeting. I forgot how good it is. Excuse the picture, it fell apart because I was trying to hurry and didn't let it completely cool.

Monkey Bread

2 Cans refridgerated biscuits (Pillsbury is what I used)
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Mix sugar and cinnamon together and put into ziploc plastic bag. Put biscuit pieces into bag and shake until all are coated. Dump mixutre into a greased bundt pan and pour melted butter over the whole thing. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Let cool and pour onto plate or eat it out of the bundt pan.

Cornbread Cake

I love to eat cornbread with a good bowl of chili. I have done away with my old recipe. My friend gave me this recipe and it is so moist and yummy.

Cornbread Cake

2 cups bisquick mix
3 tbs. cornmeal
3/4 melted butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Mix all the wet together and add the dry ingredients. Don't over mix. Pour batter into 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cut up into squares.

Peanut Butter Cheese Fudge

Yesterday we had Taster's Table where you bring your favorite fall dish. I really wanted to bring fudge but didn't have all the ingredients. I watched this recipe on Paula Dean a long time ago and thought gross. But I had all the ingredients and read the reviews and everyone gave it 5 stars. And surprisingly it is really yummy. You have to give it a try. I am telling you I was very skeptical at first too. It is very moist and has great peanut butter flavor.

Peanut butter cheese fudge
Ingredients
• 1/2 pound sliced easy-melt cheese (recommended: Velveeta)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 2 (16-ounce) boxes confectioners' sugar
Directions
Lightly spray the bottom of a 9 by 2-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt cheese and butter together, then add peanut butter and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla and nuts.
Empty confectioners' sugar into a large bowl and pour cheese mixture over sugar. Stir until completely mixed. Candy will be very stiff.
Using your hands, remove candy from the bowl and press evenly and firmly into the pan. Because of the amount of butter in this recipe, pat top of candy with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Place the pan in refrigerator until candy is firm. To serve, cut into squares.

Bees!! Ahh!!

The middle picture is of Callie's class in the pumpkin patch. The other picture is on the hay ride and of the hive of bees. The bees were terrible the whole time we were there. I was so nervous that the kids would get stung or me and I am allergic. Afterwards we went to eat lunch at a picnic table and we had to leave because they were so many.

Pumpkin Patch Photos

They really enjoyed petting the black cat and chasing it. I am not sure the cat liked it.

Green Spot Farms Pumpkin Patch

Today we went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch. It was fun. The kids really liked it. They gave us a tour of their farm. They learned about bees and how they make honey. They were able to feed goats and walk through a maze. We walked into an actual pumpkin patch and picked out our own pumpkins and then proceeded on a bumpy hay ride. I was able to get some cute pics of the kids. They even found a black cat that followed us all over the farm.

Cheese and green chile quiche

This recipe is from our good friend Kami Wallace. I made it for my friends baby shower and some people wanted the recipe. You don't have to add the bacon or sausage or chilies but it makes all the difference. Sorry, no picture.

6 eggs , slightly beaten
6 oz. evaporated milk(can use regular milk)
2 sm cans chopped green chilies, drained
1/2 pound grated monterey jack cheese
1/2 pound grated cheddar
cooked bacon or sausage
salt and pepper to taste

Mix eggs and milk together, then add chilies and cheese. Add salt and pepper and cooked sausage or bacon. Mix together. Pour into 9 x 13 dish. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Check before 40 min. Every oven is different. You want it slightly browned on top. Insert knife in middle and make sure it comes out clean.

Fresh Strawberry Cake

My sister has a food blog she and some other women from her ward post good recipes they make at luncheons they have or just because. It is called bellavistacooking.blogspot.com. This recipe is from one of my sister's friend. I made it last night and it was so good. Taylor loved it and he is a tough critic.

1 pkg. white cake mix
1/2 c. water
1 pkg. strawberry jello
2 heaping Tbsp. flour
3/4 c. vegetable oil
2 C. fresh strawberries or 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen strawberries
4 eggs

Mix dry ingredients together. Add water, eggs, oil and berries. Reserving 3 Tablespoons of berries for the icing. Beat 3 min. at moderate speed. Bake in 9 x 13 for 35 min or until done. Do not overbake.

Icing
1/2 C. soft margarine
1 Ib. pkg. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. thawed strawberries
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt.

Beat until smooth. After iced, refrigerate. Does make a lot of frosting.

26 weeks pregnant

I was thinking that I haven't taken any pictures of how pregnant I am getting. Here are a couple pics of me and the growing belly.

Baby Shower!

A couple friends of mine and I threw our friend a Halloween themed baby shower. She is having a girl but wanted to do the Halloween idea. It turned out really cute. We all pulled whatever decorations we had and I bought a few things and the table turned out so cute. Just wanted to show you how it looked. For brunch we had cinnamon rolls, sausage, egg and quiche, fruit and dip, and yummmy muffins. The food was quite tasty.

She wants to wear her new boots everyday

I bought Callie some boots for this fall and she asks to wear them all the time. Well we don't live in Minnesota. It has still been in the 90s here lately. But the second weekend in October we did see the low 60s. So she did get to wear them once. She looked so grown up in her sweater dress and suede boots. Too Cute!

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

This recipe I found when I was watching Barefoot Contessa on the Foodnetwork. It is very yummy. It is very moist because of the sour cream.

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 extra large eggs, at room temperature(I only had large eggs and it worked fine)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt(I used regular)
2 half-pints fresh blueberrie, picked through for stems (you could use frozen too, just thaw in fridge)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans. I would use the liners because mine got stuck.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk. In a seperate bowl, sift together, the four, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries and with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed. Fill each cup liner just over the top and bake for 20-25 minutes. You may have to adjust your time less or more.

Callie learned to tie her shoes.

Callie was sitting on the floor the other day waiting for us to leave to go somewhere. Taylor had his tennis shoes laying on the floor and she put them on and started to try to tie the laces. Sure enough she figured it out. I was very impressed.

Preschool Field Trip to Oak Glen Apple Orchards

Last week Callie's preschool went to Oak Glen Apple Orchards. They got to learn how apples are grown and the different kinds of apples. We got to sample all the colors of apples. They took us on a tour to show us how they sort apples. They can leave the apples for 6 months if stored cold enough. Then a boy's parents in Callie's class own a restaurant up in Oak Glen and everyone had apple pie and apple cider. Yum! Here are some fun pictures from the field trip.

Preschool Field Trip to Oak Glen Apple Orchards