Tastes Like Fall

There is a huge apple festival this weekend, just over the state line. We aren't going, but the coverage on the news reminds me that fall is nearly here and apples are in season. I know that Jessica often makes a trip in the fall to the Georgia mountains to get apples and she usually brings us back apple butter.

We love apple butter, whether it's from an orchard in the mountains or it's a jar of Smuckers from the grocery store. It's all good. When Little Sister is here, she gets a few "grandmother privileges." One is to eat breakfast while watching Doc McStuffins. (That does not happen at her house.) A not-too-messy breakfast for her is a plate of toasted Pepperidge Farm cinnamon bread, cut into sticks, served along with a tiny cup of apple butter for dipping.

Quite some time ago, I printed out this recipe and lo and behold, I found it this week. Even though the recipe has been printed out and in my stack of recipes for almost a year, this was the first time I've made it. Oh my goodness, the house smelled so good! And the muffins were delicious. I asked Daddy-O, "What's the verdict?" after he had his first one. He said, "Let me see. I think I need a couple more before I say." That's his sneaky way of saying "These are really really good."

Think about making these for lunchbox treats. (Mini muffins?) And for breakfast. We almost made coffee to go with them, but figured we might not sleep since I had baked these muffins after supper. I might sprinkle a little sugar over the tops before baking when I make these again. Just to be different.

APPLE BUTTER MUFFINS
     —from Eat At Home

2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter (that's 4 tablespoons)
1 cup apple butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or use paper liners.
Stir flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, melt butter in microwave. With a fork or whisk, stir apple butter, milk and egg into melted butter until well combined.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir with a spoon just until moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes.


When I was at Mommy's last week, we were talking about making pumpkin bread, one of her favorites. She said she often measured out the dry ingredients for a second batch while she had everything out—a cup of sugar in the bowl, a cup of sugar in a bag for later, etc. Then the next time, she only had to add the wet ingredients. I think this recipe definitely would be a candidate for her method.

Grandmother tip:  I was well into making this recipe when I discovered there was no milk in the refrigerator. Bummer. But I did have a can of evaporated milk in the pantry. Mix evaporated milk with water in equal amounts. And it works fine for baking. Now, I need to replace that can, or I really WILL be out of milk.

Lost And Found

I was absolutely positive that I had started a little white baby hat months ago. I had made myself a "starter kit." Sometimes I find out with short notice that a daughter is in need of a baby hat for a friend. So I figured if I had one already cast on and ready to knit, I'd be ahead of the game. And a white hat—a gender neutral color. I was totally ready.

Until I wasn't. When I found out that the next baby is due in a few weeks, I was feeling smug because I knew there was my "starter kit," ready for me to pick up and finish. When I went to get it, I couldn't find it. No white baby hat. I did some serious searching through my knitting stuff.

Then I did some deeper digging through more obscure places I might have stashed it. I actually pulled out every bag I had with a work-in-progress (or a yarn/pattern combo) in it and opened them all. I even wrote down what was in each bag...pattern name, yarn color, needle size...and made a list so that I would know what was here. No white baby hat. I looked through the empty project bags, hoping I had mixed up the empties with the work-in-progress ones. I did find a pair of prescription sunglasses that I had "lost" at the Georgia knitting retreat back in the spring. Kind of made the search worthwhile. But still, no white baby hat.

After I looked through purses and suitcases, I pulled those bags out again and lined them up in the floor with every one of them open so that I could see them all at once. No white baby hat. I waited a week, thinking it would miraculously appear. That does happen sometime.

Then I waited one more week (I didn't want to give up too quickly) before deciding that maybe I hallucinated about casting on the little hat. Maybe I only thought that would be a brilliant idea but I never really did it. So I did give up and ordered white yarn. And although, there's plenty of yarn here, I didn't have any white. That was actually the color requested for this baby. I knew I needed to start this little hat.

The new white yarn arrived this week and I cast on yesterday. Took this quick little project to the library knitting group yesterday and worked on a few rounds there. One of the younger knitters finished her first sock while we were knitting. I promised her that I would look through my stash of yarn here at home and bring her some sock yarn for another pair. I have plenty enough to share. So when I came home, I headed straight to my yarn bins, before I forgot, to see what Holly might like.

And you know what I found, don't you? Yep. There is was. Right smack in front of me. There was ONE bin on the cubbies where I store yarn that didn't have yarn in it. It held some random bags. The cute gray and red bag on top had the pre-started white baby hat. Why that bin was never pulled out, I can't tell you. The second white hat will not go to waste, though. I always am needing one more baby gift.

But REALLY? I had told Daddy-O while I looked that the sure way to find that hat was to buy the yarn again. I was joking. And then, maybe I wasn't.

Feeding The Farmer

More than once I've been asked "What do you do on the farm?" And my standard reply is, "I feed the farmer." No, I don't drive a tractor. I don't help fix fences. I have manned the gate in the cattle pen when Daddy-O was cutting cows, but that was ages ago. There are many women, including some of our neighbors, who are handy with the farm equipment. I'm just not one of them.

So I thought before I lost the right to say I feed the farmer (and my place on the farm,) I'd better get something on the table. I was gone for nearly two weeks. Then he was busy all weekend helping with the 4H livestock show. The kitchen here has been "resting." It was time to crank up the oven again.

This is a favorite pasta dish that we haven't had in a while. Sometimes I look back through the recipe index on my blog and find recipes that have slipped out of the regular rotation. This one's back to stay.

BAKED BOWTIES with TOMATOES AND MOZZERALLA

3 cups (9 oz.)  uncooked bowtie or penne pasta (measure--don't use more than it says)

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained (with basil, garlic & oregano this time)

2 cups Alfredo pasta sauce (I used Classico Four Cheese)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 

2 handfuls baby spinach

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with PAM. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat tomatoes to boiling. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for  6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is partially evaporated.

Put Alfredo sauce into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 90-seconds. Stir in shredded cheese. Heat another 30-seconds and stir until cheese melts. 

Stir in spinach into hot tomatoes just to wilt it and then mix the tomato-spinach mixture into the alfredo sauce.

Put pasta in the baking dish and pour sauce over it. Stir gently to mix it all.

Bake uncovered, about 30 minutes, or until hot in center.

This is an all-time favorite for supper. It's also a great dish to take to someone. It's a simple dish. No strong flavors. It falls in the comfort food category. I have taken it baked and ready to eat. And I have taken it ready for them to bake, so that it's hot when they want to eat. Take this, along with a salad and maybe a dessert and they'll love you forever. 

It still makes me smile when I remember a friend who stopped me at church a couple of weeks after I had dropped this meal off at their house after he'd had been sick. He gave me a hug and told me, "If I wasn't already married, I'd marry you!" He was totally teasing me (his grandchildren are the age of my daughters,) but I'm pretty sure he liked the pasta.

Kidding Around (Sorry, I Couldn't Resist!)

Daddy-O was busy all weekend with the 4H Junior Livestock Show. As a member of the cattlemen's association that puts on the show, he worked for days. I was still trying to get things back on track at home after 10 days away, but I couldn't resist stopping by the show barn for an hour or so to see what was going on. I was there during the goat show. 100 goats were entered this year. I missed the beef cows, dairy cows, the chickens and the rabbits. Daddy-O auctioned off the chickens after that judging. Yes, he's also an auctioneer.

I sat through many dance recitals and choral programs and community theater productions as my girls pursued their interests as they were growing up. I have many friends whose children were athletes and they never missed a ballgame. And there are the band parents, who work hard keeping high school bands funded and active.

But you might not think about the parents and grandparents who sit through cattle shows and goat shows and rabbit shows. This is a family endeavor, as the children learn about raising their animals, learn showmanship skills, learn breed characteristics and learn how to groom the animals for show. It's serious business.

The goat judge came from a neighboring state. He put the kids (both human and goat) through their paces and then patiently explained how and why he chose the winners. That's how these 4Hers learn.

I watched some very nervous 6, 7, and 8-year-olds, lined up to enter the show ring, getting words of encouragement from parents and siblings. But you could see the anxiety on their faces. To march into the ring with an animal that might or might not behave well with the whole world watching is no easy task. It's like any other performance—music, dance, gymnastics—but with the added element of an animal with a mind of its own. Even though these animals are well trained, there is always the possibility of something unexpected happening. And for some unlucky youngster, it always does.

Photo courtesy of Daddy-O

Remember, we all are dependent on farming for our food. Ever see the bumper sticker that says, "No Farmers No Food"? Think about it.  It makes me happy to see that so many young people want to learn about farming. I know not all of them will go into farming as adults, but I hope some of them do. We like to eat and we need farmers to do that.

Don't be like the child who was asked what we would do without farmers and replied, "We would just buy our food at the store."

School Daze

I feel Mary Poppin-ish when I'm at Mommy's house. (But Mary Poppins without her magic bag.) We sing and dance. We play. I write "silly stories" for Little Sister to practice her sight word reading. I just help out wherever I'm needed. To be honest, I do a lot of reading books, playing with little folks, and wiping hands and faces. On my last day here, Little Sister insisted that we do ballet. She and Baby Girl and I sat in the floor and Little Sister led us through her ballet class exercises. It is possible that I will not be able to move today.

I also do the high school pick up in the afternoons. Schools here started three weeks ago. At least the car lines have settled down by now. Mommy gets to skip this for a few days. One less time a day to get the little ones in and out of car seats.

Now that Little Sister is in kindergarten full-time, Mommy is packing lunch for her every day. Big Sister packs her own lunches. Since I was here a little longer than most visits, I baked banana bread for lunch treats. They love this recipe. This time I used 5-inch loaf pans. Small slices will be easier to pack. And 2 or 3 loaves can go into the freezer to stretch out the Mimi-baked goodies. Assuming Baby Girl doesn't get her wish to eat it three times a day.

Pinterest has raised the bar for school lunches these days. More planning for good nutrition. Visually appealing. Both good things. But I'm glad I'm the grandmama and not the mama who is not doing this every day! It looks like it won't be long before Baby Girl can be in charge of baking for school lunches. And I'll be out of a job.

This recipe has been posted here several times before. But it is so good and so easy. Not much more trouble than a mix of some sort (and I do use those sometimes) and you know exactly what is in this. No preservatives. No chemicals with long names. Just five basic ingredients. You'll feel good about sending this in your child's lunch. Or, baking it for yourself. Or, to give to a neighbor. It's really good for breakfast with a cup of coffee.

BANANA BREAD

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups self-rising flour
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat. Alternately add flour and bananas (start and end with the flour.) Stir in nuts if using. Pour into greased 9-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Wrap in foil and let the loaf "ripen" for a day before slicing. (Have no clue why this makes it better, but trust me, it does. It is much more moist.)

This can also be baked in smaller pans by adjusting baking time. Keep a close watch to see when it's browned and check with a toothpick.

      Two 8-inch loaf pans—Bake for about 50-55 minutes. 
      Four 5-inch baking pans—Reduce baking time to about 40-45 minutes.

Just A Blur

I have been the "extra hands" here for over a week at Mommy's house. I thought I would do one more helpful thing while Mommy had gone to take Little Sister to ballet class. It's almost time for Baby Girl to start her preschool and the teachers need a photo of Baby Girl. I thought while just the two of us were home alone, getting a picture would be easy. Not.

You see how helpful my pictures were. This child is perpetual motion. Never still. Just a blur.  She is a busy bee. (Have to share—instead of "honey bees," she calls them "honey buns.")

Good luck, Mommy. I give up.

Fire Alarm Pajamas

I need better pajamas. Last weekend Daddy-O came down to visit while I'm doing an extended grandmother stay here at Mommy's. I spent Saturday night with him at a nearby hotel. By 8:30, I was tucked in bed and, to be honest, had fallen asleep while watching the Olympics. About 15 minutes later, I was rudely awakened by an obnoxious noise.

It took me a minute to realize it was the fire alarm. We put on shoes and grabbed our phones and remembered to take the room key cards. We stumbled out into the hall as others were exiting their rooms.

The lady in the room just down from us looked at the motley crew from the 4th floor and said, "This is just sad. It's not even nine o'clock and we're all in our pajamas." About the time we started down the exit stairs, the alarm stopped and people turned around and headed back up.

Then it sounded again. We decided to just walk on down the stairs to check out what happened. Turned out that a children's birthday party was happening in the breakfast area and they had lit a sparkler candle on the cake that set off the alarm. What a memorable party! (It would have been more memorable if the fire truck had actually shown up, but the hotel desk got that cancelled quickly.)

Since we were already downstairs, in our pajamas no less, we bought ice cream from the snack bar at the desk. It was all good. We were happy it was a false alarm. We were happy it wasn't 2:00 AM. We were happy they sold Ben & Jerry's in the lobby.

The lady who was first down the steps was the one we met when they turned around to come back up. She looked amazingly put-together for an emergency exit. And there I was in an old T-shirt and pj pants. Of course, if I get new emergency fire alarm appropriate pajamas, that's probably not the ones I would be wearing when the next alarm goes off.