Pumpkin Season!

Since pumpkin season has almost come to an end Munchkin and I decided we better try out some recipes!  Saturday morning pancakes seemed like the best idea...

*small pumpkin is just a prop and was not used in the baking of these goodies

Here is the pancake recipe we based ours off of.. 

Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

Super-fluffy, tall, yet moist pumpkin pancakes. Yes, you can have it all in a pumpkin pancake!

yield: ABOUT 12 5-INCH PANCAKES

 

prep time: 10 MINUTES

 

cook time: 10 MINUTES

 

total time: 20 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups buttermilk (or 2 tablespoons vinegar + enough whole milk or 2% milk to equal 2 cups)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (here's a handy dandy tutorial on making your own)
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly + more for cooking, if desired
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend*
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Butter and maple syrup for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. To a large bowl, add the buttermilk. If using the vinegar plus milk option, let sit for about 10 minutes to allow the milk to turn to buttermilk.
2. Add the pumpkin, eggs, butter, and vanilla and stir with a whisk to combine.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.
4. Pour the dry ingredients over the wet and mix just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
5. Let batter rest for about 5 minutes.
6. Heat a non-stick griddle to 325 degrees or set large frying pan over medium heat. Melt a little butter on the cooking surface, spreading it evenly, if desired (if the surface is non-stick, you may not need to do this). Using a 1/3 cup measure (or, my pancake scooping weapon of choice, a trigger-handled ice cream scoop), pour the batter onto the griddle or into the frying pan. The pancakes are ready to flip when they look a little dry around the edges and start to form little bubbles, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown and completely cooked through, 1 to 2 more minutes.
7. Serve topped with butter and maple syrup, if desired.

* Or you can substitute the following if you don't have pumpkin pie spice blend on hand:

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

She loved adding the spices, and they were just for us so we weren't real good about measuring

Sometimes its hard to find ways for a toddler to help when your cooking with heat.  I am always right there with her, and sometimes I will give her a pan, spatula, and put it on a cold burner so she thinks shes cooking too (hey it's just like a make believe kitchen set).

They were pretty tasty I have to say, and Munchie enjoyed taking them for her breakfast all week.

The next day was a beautiful fall weather so we decided to go for a hike at the nature preserve.  It was a blast since Alex is finally old enough to walk most of it (she road on Dad's shoulder for the really steep hills).  She had a blast climbing on logs, seeing the animals, reading the maps, and of course trying to pick up all the sticks and leaves she possibly could.

Homemade Applesauce

One of my favorite parts of fall is homemade applesauce!  Here is a little picture walk of Munchkin and I trying out our new apple peeler...

Mussels or Hotdogs

      Sometime we must face reality and realize that toddlers just will not eat everything.  Tonight the adults were going to have a nice dinner of mussels, and instead of driving myself crazy while trying to get Munchkin to eat them as well, she's having a hotdog...

However, as it always goes, she wanted nothing to do with the hotdog (which is usually her favorite food), and instead ate half of my mussels!

Whose child is this?

      (Please don't mind the messy hair)

You really just never know what they will eat, but if I would have made hotdogs for all of us tonight instead we never would have known our two-year-old likes mussels. Sometimes we just need to take the risk and have a backup plan. 

Halloween Pinterest Fail...

Alright, I know we've all been there, but I'm getting a little sick of these pinterest fails! Munchkin had a Halloween party at her babysitters, and I always like to go along with the theme in my treat selection, as well as, make it toddler friendly (no cupcakes/ messy, huge amounts of sugar); therefore I thought these would be perfect... Pretzel Spiders!

Just look at this excited and hopeful face...

This seemed very simple...

• Lay out eight pretzel "legs"
• Place a Hershey kiss in the middle
• Bake until chocolate melts to pretzels

Munchie was excited to unwrap the chocolate, and I think  I actually caught her slipping more pretzels into her mouth than kisses.

Well... after checking, checking, and rechecking the oven the chocolate just wasn't melting enough to stick to the pretzels.  It finally looked melted after about 15 minutes, but when I lifted them up this is what I got...

A GOOEY PILE IF PRETZELS!

PLANS B:

           I finally gave up on Pinterest, and went back to the drawing board.  I already had a sugar cookie mix, and I thought the pretzels would actually stick in the dough.  It was getting close to dinner time, and I needed to get this done.

Munchie loved sticking in the legs, and chocolate chip eyes!

I was right!!!  They are not the prettiest spiders, but at least they stuck together (and they were pretty tasty)!



The Halloween party was a success, and I also brought some orange juice to make up for my sorry looking spiders.

Speaking of Pinterest... I don't know if Halloween has always been this way, but I feel like it is just a big competition of which parent can come up with a better costume.  As Justin and I started discussing costume ideas about a month ago we came up with many ideas for both buying and making something for our little one to wear.  Then it struck us!  Over the summer my very good friends from Germany gave me an authentic German dress that was exactly Munchkin's size (It actually belonged to and was worn by a girl I used to babysit for). I immediately ran to the bedroom and tried it on her, and when she came out to model we both knew she would make the cutest little German girl ever (too bad the costume judges didn't agree)...

She was called everything from Hiedi, to a Dutch Girl, to a French maid, and even Little Bo Peep

Alex and her friend Lucy all ready for the Cider Time Parade in New Bremen (at my parent's house)

No matter what she had a great time dressing up, and could not believe that every time she opened her little bag someone would put candy in it.  By the end of everything she was a tuckered little German girl.

Small Accomplishment

We love spending time with friends, and Munchkin has so much fun with little ones her age!

Alex and her friend Ellen at the Troy Bicentennial Parade.  These two are almost exactly a year apart.

Munchkin and Lucy...BFFs (2 months apart).  Lucy's mom and I have been best friends since before I can remember, and it's so much fun watching our daughters grow up together.

When you and your spouse have a toddler and two full time jobs sometimes all we can hope for are small accomplishments.  By the time we get home from the sitter I am usually so tired the easy thing would be to turn on Mickey and veg (which we do sometimes), but Munchkin and I try really hard to do at least one fun thing together when we get home.  Today we had lots of fun outside on one of the last nice days we have left this fall.

Fun with stickers

Practice writing with finger paint

a little digging in the garden

THEN IT WAS TIME TO COOK...

I'm not really sure why I thought this whole stool thing was a good idea, but now every time I enter the kitchen I immediately hear her stool scooting across the floor.  Last night was another stir-fry night, and her favorite... Andouille Sausage!  

Prep work is great with a toddler! there are so many things they can help with before you actually get into dealing too much with the heat.

I discovered this great toddler kitchen tool I already had in the back of my drawer.  A plastic lettuce chopping knife is great for her.  It is no sharper than a plastic butter knife, but it is big enough for her to help me chop vegetables.



She's also great at separating the onions to go in the pan (something I hate because it always makes me cry).  the onions don't seen to bother her as much as me; however, she did learn the hard way not to get her hands near her eyes while handling them (oops).


Another great toddler job... washing mushrooms.

She finally got fed up with the knife and resorted to ripping the sausage with her fingers...

DADDY GOT HOME JUST AT THE RIGHT TIME TO HELP HER OUT





Mom finished the cooking part while Daddy and Munchkin spent a little time together...

Sometimes these night are the best.

"Pretzel Chicken" With A Toddler...

Sometimes cooking with a toddler can be a little tricky and at times just plain disasterous, but I have to admit tonight's recipe was actually fun. I recommend "pretzel chicken" (name created by munchkin) to anyone cooking with thier toddler, and who doesn't mind a bit of a mess. 

Here is the recipes adapted from sallysbakingaddiction.com...

"Pretzel Chicken"

1 lb. chicken breast

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs 

Thin pretzels 

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Beat chicken breast to flatten, and then cut into "nuggets". 

Munchkin loved hitting the chicken (even though she didn't make much progress). 

Next, put the flour in one bowl with a little salt and pepper (I usually find it easiest to use shallow bowls). Fill the second bowl with your eggs. 

Okay, so by now I'm sure you're probably wondering why my two-year-old is wearing an apron with no shirt (or if you have a toddler you may not need to ask). Munchkin wants to do everything on her own, and "help" in any way she can; Therefore, when she saw that the dog bowl was empty she announced, "oh! Vienna needs water!"  Of course since I was just starting get dinner ingredients out I told her to go for it (she can usually get her own water in a cup out of the fridge door). The next thing I knew she was yelling and my kitchen floor was soaked. When she finally pulled the dog bowl away her shirt was also soaked, and thus, brings us to the reason why she is wearing an apron while topless. 

Anyway... Back to dinner.

This recipe called for "thin pretzels" and I found these garlic Parmesan ones that munchkin and I both enjoyed for a bit before we even started dinner. 

However, we eventually needed to get to work which meant these pretzels must be crushed. 

Lastly, we made a little assembly line and munchkin was at the beginning dunking the chicken chunks in flour, and then handing it to me to dip in the eggs, roll in the pretzels, and place on a greased pan.  (This is the messy part!)

Finally, our chicken was ready to go in the oven for about 15 minutes, and get flipped halfway through.  

Dad got home just in time to clean munchkin up, but not before she rubbed her entire upper body all over the remaining flour on the table. 

I thought they were pretty tasty, and along with our nuggets we had scalloped potatoes and homemade apple cider. 

Munchkin Approved!!

By the way... Don't be fooled by this grocery shopping angel. After about 10 minutes her actions become very devilish, and it is these actions that is making it almost impossible to take her with me right now. (Drama+ independence = my toddler)

Summer and Chicken Tacos

Yes, I realize summer is over, but I also just realized I didn't post this one. Just a little overview of our summer fun... 

Munchkin and I made chicken tacos (easy dinner). First, we sautéed bell peppers and onions in a little olive oil until they were cooked (onions were clear). 

After grilling the chicken (any kind you like) on the George Foreman we diced it up and threw it in with the peppers and onions.  

Munchkin help put everything in the skillet and stir...

And for toppings...

Cheese

Lettuce

We also grilled some fresh green beans (we like them grilled and a little crispy still). 

Munchkin still eats most of her food deconstructed (tacos would fall to pieces in her hands). She enjoyed sprinkling her own cheese, and she LOVES tortillas. 

When she saw our tacos she decided she wanted her own so she ripped off a little piece of tortilla, and folded some chicken into it before putting the whole thing in her mouth. She calls it a "baby taco". 

SUMMER!

Fun at the splash park...

It took her a while to get the nerve to run through the water, but once she made some friends who helped her along she loved it. 

Playing badminton with her uncles and cousins...

(She's the short one)

Dad and I took her to Youngs Dairy...

Piggies

Sittin on a tractor

Learning to putt

On the jumpy

We had a blast going to story time at the Tipp City Library this summer. They have a great program, instructor, and families. 

Munchkin loved the parachute!

Most mornings we walked around Duke park with Great Grandma and Grandpa (towards to end of the walk she always talked them into letting her escape her stroller). 

Tiny Tots Gym class

Dad and Munchkin at the Columbus Zoo

As you can tell we had an amazingly busy summer, and while it is hard to get back in the swing of our school year routine at least we have great memories. 

Life has been pretty busy since school started. Hopefully things will calm down soon and I can write more.