What does Christmas REALLY mean???

Posted by: Amanda

A new, fun post that details our baking and snow-bound adventures is coming shortly, but in the meantime, consider this some food for thought. It made a huge impact on us - so much that we decided to rethink the way in which we celebrate Christmas from now on.

Love Like Jesus,
Amanda & family

Blueberry Streusel and a Trip to the Zoo

Posted by: Amanda

Ok - I have to be honest. This post is way less about the blueberry streusel (which was delicious, don't get me wrong...), and way more about our fantastic trip to the Peoria Zoo. Poor streusel. But, here it is anyhow:

Now on to the good stuff!

Gabe was convinced that I NEEDED to style his hair "spiky for the 'szoo'" (not kidding - in Gabers-land, there is totally an 's' in zoo.

...and Madison was all decked out and ready to go. No, really - she asked to sit in the car and wait at least 20 minutes before we were going to leave!

Both kids wanted to see how they measured up against some of the largest birds ever.

First, Lana just wasn't sure about those lions. She contemplated for quite some time. With her finger in her mouth. (...ok. She always has her finger in her mouth.)

But, she warmed up to them; in fact, it was all she could do to contain herself!

She wanted out of that stroller so badly!

So, you see, sometimes it just isn't about the desserts. They're great, don't get me wrong.

But, sometimes other sweet things take precendence.

...and I thank God every day that I know that to be true.

:)

Creating Memories

Posted by: Amanda

This year, Halloween day was one that was full of memory-making events. We decided to create a new family tradition, beginning now: we set aside the entire day to "family things" - you know, take them to the apple orchard, carve pumpkins, bake fall goodies, and (of course), trick-or-treat!

Madison and Gabe LIVED in their costumes on Halloween day!

...and Gabe really lived up to the role of the grizzly lion (or "yi-unn", as he would say).

We did our fair share of baking that day. The mini pumpkin pies (left) turned out fabulously (see the pumpkin-shaped pie crust?!), and the raspberry cheesecake thumbprint cookies turned out to be absolutely delish (courtesy of Megan at Megan's Munchies)!

By the end of the day, Lana just couldn't take it anymore. She just had to sleep. On her pretty little right hand. :)

Ok - so this is a candle that I had burning that day on my kitchen table. And the text on it really hits home. And I wanted to play with my camera. Came out nicely, and it seemed to wrap up the day on a sweet note.

Hope your Halloween was as sweet as ours,

Amanda

Crazy Good. Seriously.

Posted by: Amanda

I couldn't wait to get my hands in the batter for these chai apple cider cupcakes. They were delicious - perhaps one of the BEST fall recipes I've had to date. Really. No joke. Delish.

An absolutely to-die-for mix of chai tea (one of my all-time favorites), apple cider, moist spice cake, and cinnamon cream cheese frosting....

As Megan would say, "Holy Yum!"

Want the recipe? You can find it here: http://megansmunchies.com/chai-apple-cider-spice-cupcakes/.

First Birthdays and Mommy Tears

Posted by: Amanda

Today marked the day for Lana's first birthday party! Though her official birthday isn't until tomorrow, we held the celebrations today so that everyone had a chance to attend. We had a wonderful time - lots of laughter, lots of "awww"'s, lots of love, and (yes...) a few bittersweet mommy tears. You understand, moms, don't you?! ...and for those of you to-be-mommas, you'll understand soon, too. Trust me!

Deep Dish Pizza and Cherry Danish to boot!

Posted by: Amanda

Are you hungry yet?

My kids and I made a "from scratch" (from a pizza kit box, really!) deep-dish pizza last night for dinner, and boy, was it delish! I added a touch of garlic and cilantro to the top of the cheese for a little kick. So, are you hungry yet???

What about now?

Then, I got creative. REALLY creative. Mainly because I didn't have anything else to do. And because I needed something sweet after that super-yummy pizza. Let me tell you - one can of crescent rolls and one can of cherry pie filling later, I was happy! I mean, who doesn't love homemade cherry danishes???

Seriously, if you're not hungry yet, you might want to get that checked. :)

See you soon for more!

Dulce de Leche made incredibly easy

Posted by: Amanda

Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries in the world of baking (for me, at least!) was how to make a primo dulce de leche topping. You know - without screwing it up, without burning it, without making it taste terrible, etc., etc. How the heck does this stuff work?!

Well... Ashley from one of my favorite blogs, Not Without Salt, answered this question ever so nicely! Take a look - you'll never be afraid of dulce de leche again!

http://notwithoutsalt.com/2009/09/12/dulce-de-leche/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22995353@N08/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Per the kids' request....

Posted by: Amanda

Baking for my family is probably one of my most favorite things to do - especially on Sundays. There's just something about coming home from church and having help (sometimes too much help) in the kitchen. Especially in the fall. I love it - love it, love it, love it.

My kids begged and begged me to make a cake this weekend. Madison wanted "chocolate chocolate with chocolate", and Gabe just wanted "cake with strawberries." And Lana... well, she simply just wants to eat it - no matter what it is. So, the compromise was made, and this delicious strawberry upside-down cake was born. Quite delish, I must say... and I think my kids agreed.

Fall fun with the kids!

Posted by: Amanda

After a fun-filled afternoon at the zoo with the kiddos, we thought we'd top things off with a cookie decorating session! Madison requested "chocolate cookies" (of course!), so we made up a batch of chocolate sugar cookies (http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/chocolate-sugar-cookies-57582.aspx), and the kids exercised their creative side!

They were SO excited to get in there and start decorating that they could barely contain themselves!

Gabe contemplated his design for quite some time and then proceeded to attack the poor little cookies with GOBS of red sprinkles.

Madison was very deliberate in her decorating, making sure that each cookie had some of everything: coconut, marshmallows, sprinkles, and chocolate chips.

...and the end result was FABULOUS! They enjoyed their cookies with a glass of milk right before bedtime.

Vera Bradley-inspired cake

Posted by: Amanda

This double-chocolate fudge cake was created for a recent bachelorette party - filled with cookies and cream icing and made to mimic the bachelorette's favorite handbag line. Professional pictures to come soon!

Winnie the Pooh... and baby too!

Posted by: Amanda

This cake was made for a Winnie the Pooh-themed baby shower and was comprised of confetti cake with strawberry buttercream filling. The fondant was homemade to match baby's nursery colors, and the topper can be used as decor for baby's room. Professional photos taken by Sarah Buhl, owner of Buhl Photography & Design (http://www.buhlphotography.com/).

Lemon Creme Cupcakes!

Posted by: Amanda

Smooth, creamy white cake with a hint of lemon topped with made-from-scratch lemon cream-cheese icing and adorned with one single raspberry candy. Need I say more?!

Bridal Shower Cake

Posted by: Amanda

This double-chocolate raspberry cake was adorned with homemade marshmallow fondant in the bride's wedding colors and a fairy topper bought by the bride's best friend. The cupcakes were white chocolate vanilla with raspberry filling. Professional photos taken by Sarah Buhl, owner of Buhl Photography & Design(http://www.buhlphotography.com/).

Pastries, please!

Posted by: Amanda

I got this recipe from kraftfoods.com, and it turned out to be one of the best breakfasts I've ever made (and tasted)! These little cream cheese clouds were amazing, and pretty too! The details: buttermilk biscuits, cinnamon sugar, butter, and melted cream cheese in the middle. All around - absolutely delicious!

A new use for bananas...

Posted by: Amanda

Last night, my husband mentioned that we had 3 bananas that had to be used before they turned brown. "Maybe the kids could eat them," he said. Maybe they could, but how boring is that?! The truth is, they did eat the bananas - but in this delicious banana sour cream cake with homemade cream cheese icing, coconut, and cinnamon topping! A whole new use for bananas!

Peanut butter cookies, anyone?

Posted by: Amanda

Peanut butter bombs with drizzled chocolate made for an anniversary - the husband's fave!

Ok, ok, so I had one. Or two. But, who could blame me?!

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