autumn

It was a lovely day here in Edmonton yesterday - so warm, which seems out of the ordinary now that we've seem some pretty chilly days! It's hard getting this family up and about before 10am, especially since G has his first really long nap in the morning, and because he's been waking up at 6:00am the past few days, he (and I!) really need that quiet time...

But we did get out to the grocery store and for a walk which was better than nothing. I love shopping at this time of year because I love Halloween and decorating for fall. I'm not so inspired to actually get my house in the season, but I sure love looking, and for us it's more about the food of fall. We start gettting the slow cooker out more for stews, soups, and chicken dishes, and yesterday I made my first apple Brown Betty of the season. It was delicious, and I got to use the apple peeler/slicer I got for Christmas last year. You need to get one, especially if you do any kind of baking with apples (and if you have kids - Hailey got a kick out of turning the handle and watching the peel come right off!)



I have found a recipe for pumpkin scones which I'm going to try next - if you have not tried the ones at Cobs bakery yet, get there now. They are definitely a guilty pleasure this time of year. I also found a little recipe to make a pumpkin spice infused coffee. The recipe was written and made for what looks like a French press coffee maker, but I've made it a few times in my regular drip coffee maker, and it has been such a treat, especially in the afternoon when I need a pick-me-up. And to tell you the truth, I almost prefer this to a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte...don't tell anyone. You can use the regular premade pumpkin spice, but I just made some up using these measurements:

1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I have store bought...)
1 tbsp ground ginger
3 tbsp cinnamon

This makes way more than you actually need for your coffee so keep the extra in a small mason jar. I put about one teaspoon of the mix right in my filter and stir my grounds up with it. Seriously...it's a treat.

I made these sweet potato fries a few weeks ago, and they were so good! You would think the cinnamon would make them more of a sweet treat, but there's no sugar added to them so they just have a delicious flavor.

Here's a question to you: what do you make for lunch? Or do you even have lunch? This is my most challenging meal - I get stuck in ruts and have a hard time thinking of new foods my picky kids will eat.

 Thanks! Happy Sunday...and happy baking...

They have to be standing on the same chair at the same time now...