DIY Bat Pumpkins

For the last couple of years, Jake and I have made these little bats with mini pumpkins but then we had to remake them every year.  This year, I decided to use the little fake pumpkins from dollar tree.

 

This was such a good idea because now I won't have to make them year after year, plus it is way easier to stick a toothpick in a styrofoam pumpkin than a real one.

I started out by spray painting the pumpkins black (technically Josh did this so I wouldn't be breathing in the spray paint fumes).

Once they were dry, Jake and I taped toothpicks onto the back of the foam wings we had saved from last year and stuck them into our pumpkins. 

 

Then we used white glue to stick some googly eyes onto the front.  We used the same toothpick method to attach the little ears. 

Finally I used a paint pen to draw on the little fangs.

Other than drying time, this project took about 10 minutes.  I used a 50% off coupon to buy the spray paint and the pumpkins were from dollar tree so this whole project was about $7, plus I still have a lot of spray paint to use on another project in the future.

I'm linking up with Flashback Friday, Weekend Social, Retro Pin Party, Whimsy Wednesday,  Moonlight & Mason Jars,  Real Family Fun,  Create it Thursday, Thrifty Thursday, Pin Junkie, Link Party Palooza, Less Laundry More Linking, Show Stopper Saturday, Best of the Weekend, Snickerdoodle Sunday, Sunday Linky, Mad Skills Party, and Marvelous Monday.

What I Wore Wednesday - FALL!!!!

We finally had a few days of fall weather and I couldn't have been happier.  Of course, as I type this, the forecast for tomorrow is 88 but at least there is hope that fall is coming.  This is an outfit that I wore several times last fall when I wasn't pregnant, and while I am missing my favorite skinny jeans (they are a lighter wash), these maternity skinnies I'm borrowing from my sister filled in nicely.

Scarves are my favorite way to accessorize.  They add that little something extra to an outfit but are super easy for those of us who are somewhat challenged at accessorizing.  Somehow the leopard scarf disguises the fact that I am basically wearing jeans and a t-shirt.  In addition to their ability to spice up an outfit, scarves add warmth without adding bulk, and seriously who wants to add bulk?  All of the Halloween candy (not to mention my 32 week baby bump) does a fine job of that without me adding to it with my clothes.

Let's talk about this jacket.  It is cut like a blazer but it's a knit, so it is super comfortable.  Also, the pockets are trimmed in leather which adds another layer of interest.  Add in some black leather boots and I am ready for fall.

Blazer - Banana Republic - old

Scarf - Forever 21 - old

V Neck - Target - love these

Maternity Legging Jeans - GAP - old

Boots - Cathy Jean - similar here

I'm linking up with Style Sessions, What I Wore Wednesday, and I Feel Pretty.

Mixed Berry Yogurt Muffins

On one of our last "home days" before school Jake and I made some muffins to enjoy when we were back to school.  We made these Oatmeal Raisin Muffins to satisfy my little health nut.  Then I wanted something a little bit sweeter so we mixed up a batch of Mixed Berry Yogurt Muffins.

Since this was our second batch of muffins I wanted them to be super quick so I cheated a little and started out with Bisquick's Heart Smart baking mix.  As I mentioned I was in the mood for something sweet so in with the Bisquick went some delicious brown sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon.

For those of you not on the Greek yogurt bandwagon yet, I seriously don't ever use sour cream anymore.  If you get the fat free Greek yogurt it is still nice and thick like full fat sour cream, and tastes pretty much identical if you ask me, but you have just saved yourself all sorts of fat.  Win!

So, I combined some fat free Greek yogurt with an egg and some vanilla.  Once they were mixed together really well I added the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until they are just combined.  I thought the batter looked too dry so I added 1/4 cup of milk to moisten it up.

You can use any berries in these muffins.  Fresh, frozen, mixed, all one variety, whatever you feel like or happen to have in the house.  I had some frozen mixed berries from Trader Joe's that had blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries.  That all sounded pretty much perfect so in they went.  Just fold them in.  Do not thaw your frozen berries first or it will discolor your batter.

Then take your ice cream scoop and scoop the batter into the paper lined muffin tin and bake them at 375 for 15-18 minutes.

These puff up to have a beautiful dome and are really light and delicious.  Eat them warm, but not the second they come out of the oven because the berries will be HOT!  I do not know that from experience, I just heard it someone.  I am always patient and never burn my tongue on my food because it smells so good and I just can't wait to try it.

This batch only makes 12 so you can probably eat them all in a couple of days, but if not, they freeze well.  Just microwave for 15-20 seconds and you are ready to enjoy them any day of the week.

Mixed Berry Yogurt Muffins
Adapted from Food.com's Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12 Muffins 

• 2 cups Bisquick Heart Smart baking mix
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbls. to 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries (still frozen)

1. Preaheat oven to 400 and line muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl combine Bisquick, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
3. In a smaller bowl combine the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.  If the batter looks too dry add a little milk.
5. Fold in the frozen berries.
6. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the lined muffin tin, then bake for 15-18 minutes.
7. Let cool slightly before eating.

I'm linking up with Tasteful Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday,  Real Family Fun, Whimsy Wednesday, Thrifty Thursday, Less Laundry More Linking, Pin Junkie, Moonlight & Mason Jars, Link Party Palooza, and  Pin it Thursday.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

A while back I made these Oatmeal & Fig Butter Cookies.

They were so good and did not last long in our house, but they also made me start craving good old oatmeal raisin cookies.   Since I'm pregnant, and have about zero willpower, I decided to make some.

I used the same base recipe as last time (the Joy of Cooking with added spices) and then mixed in some raisins.  They certainly hit the spot.  Yum, yum!

If you can't decide between these two versions of oatmeal cookie heaven, you can make the dough up until the last step where you add in the raisins or fig butter.  Then take half of the dough out and put it in a separate bowl.  Add a 1/4 cup of fig butter to the dough in the mixer and then a little less than a 1/2 cup of raisins to the dough in the separate bowl.  Then scoop and bake them all and have yourself a little oatmeal cookie party.  Mmmmmm!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Adapted from the Joy of Cooking Quick Oatmeal Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tbls. milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. cardamom
• 1 cup uncooked quick cook oats
• 3/4 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream butter.  Then add sugar and brown sugar and cream well.
3. Beat in egg, vanilla, and milk.
4. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom and add to the butter mixture.
5. When beaten smooth add oats and mix until well combined.
6. Stir in the raisins until combined.
7. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookies about 2 to 2 1/2 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.
8. Let cool about 3 minutes on the cookie sheet, then slide the parchment paper onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

I'm linking up with Tasty Thursdays, Link Party Palooza, Best of the Weekend,  Weekend Potluck, Show Stopper Saturday, Show Us How You Rock, Sweet & Savoury Sundays, Sunday Linky, Marvelous Monday, and Inspiration Monday.

What I Wore Wednesday - Striped Maternity Maxi

I know that I have said that you don't really need maternity maxi dresses, and I stand by that statement.  My regular maxis continue to serve me well.  That being said, this maxi was on sale at Gap Maternity and I had a 40% off coupon code so it only ended up costing me about $20.   For that price I decided to give it a try.

I wasn't sure I was going to keep it, but once I tried it on there was no way it was going back.  It is cotton, but it is the softest, lightest cotton ever!  It is super comfortable and now that I'm 7 months pregnant, comfort is even more important to me than ever.

If I'm completely honest, I only wore these sandals for a little while.  They are super cute but don't provide a lot of support and since I've been having problems with my foot I swapped in my rainbows.  Speaking of rainbows, if you have never worn their flip-flops, run out and buy a pair.  They are so wonderful.  They conform to your feet, last forever, and if you go to their store they have their factory seconds for a lot cheaper even though I can't tell what makes them "seconds".  Just remember you have to break them in, you don't buy them conformed to your feet.  Once you have worn them for a bit, they will be the most comfortable flip-flops you can possibly imagine.

Sorry for my little ramble, I just really love my rainbows.  Anyway, this outfit was perfect for another scorching October day (in the low 90s).  I love the way that a dress is so easy to throw on, but always makes you look a little more pulled together.

The weather report is calling for cooler weather this week and I'm super excited to hopefully bust out a sweater!  My fingers are crossed that for the next What I Wore Wednesday I'll have an actual fall outfit to post.

Dress - GAP Maternity

Sandals - Target 

I'm linking up with Style Sessions, What I Wore Wednesday, and I Feel Pretty.

Vermouth Chicken

Over the last couple of years I made a concerted effort to get out of my dinner rut and try new recipes.  This has been great, but it also made me forget about some really wonderful meals that I used to make often and my family really loves.  This chicken is one of those.  It's a recipe I got from my mom, I think she clipped it out of a newspaper when I was a kid so it is definitely not a new recipe.  I cut down on the bouillon because I don't like things too salty and I used boneless skinless breast tenders because they are easy.  My mom always used bone-in chicken because it is more flavorful.

Recently I needed a quick and easy dinner recipe and saw the bottle of vermouth in the cupboard.  As soon as I saw it I knew exactly what we were having for dinner.  Luckily this recipe is made with items that I almost always have on hand.  The alcohol cooks out so don't worry about serving this to kids (or pregnant mamas).

When I went to make dinner I realized that I had forgotten to defrost the chicken, whoops!  Luckily I have the Costco size bag of frozen tenders which defrost quickly.  Mine were still a little frozen when I put them in the oven but they still cooked perfectly. 

Start out by putting a stick of butter, some chopped fresh parsley, dried basil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, a chicken bouillon cube, some vermouth, and minced garlic in a small saucepan over low heat.  Stir occasionally until the butter is melted.   At this point your kitchen will smell delicious and if you are anything like me, you will be seriously tempted to drink the sauce.  I forgot to take pictures of this step, sorry.

Put the chicken in a glass baking dish coated with cooking spray.  I used my toaster oven so I wouldn't heat up my house so I used two 8 x 8 pans.  Normally, I use a 9 x 13 pan.   Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, basting with the sauce every 10 minutes or so.  Keep in mind that oven temperatures vary so check your chicken and make sure it is cooked through.

This chicken is so moist and delicious!  I always serve it with either brown rice or orzo and then spoon some of the sauce over it.  This night we had green beans that I put sauce on too.   Seriously, make this tonight.  You will thank me!

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Vermouth Chicken

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
• 1 stick butter
• 2 tbls. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbls. dried, or 2 tbls. fresh, basil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 bouillon cube
• 1/2 cup dry vermouth 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

1. Combine butter, parsley, basil, lemon juice, paprika, bouillon, vermouth, and garlic in a saucepan.  Heat over low heat until butter melts.
2. Put chicken in a big glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray, pour sauce on top.
3. Put in 350 degree oven.
4. Bake about 30 minutes, or until done, basting with sauce every 10 minutes.

I'm linking up with Retro Repin, Marvelous Monday,  Mad Skills Party, Tasteful Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Two Cup Tuesday, Made By Me, Creative Wednesdays, Whimsy Wednesdays, Wake Up Wednesday, Wonderful Food Wednesday, Less Laundry More Linking, Pin it Thursday,  Pin Junkie,  Tasty Thursdays, Link Party Palooza, Best of the Weekend, Weekend Potluck, Show Stopper Saturday, Show Us How You Rock, Sweet & Savoury Sundays, and Sunday Linky.

Caramelized Pear & Spiced Crumb Heaven

A couple of weeks ago I made these Pumpkin Spice Crumb Bars from Crunchy Creamy Sweet.  I changed up the spices a little in the crust and they were really good.  The crust was out of this world and had me dreaming about different fillings I could use with the crumb topping/base.   As I've mentioned before, I love pretty much any cooked fruit dessert.  Now that it is officially fall, I decided something with pears or apples was in order.  Having recently pinned Kleinworth & Co's caramelized pear pie filling, pears it was.

The first thing you want to do is to spray a square metal baking dish with baking spray (not just regular cooking spray) and then stick the pan in the freezer.  I don't know why, but this helps the bars come out super easily.  I got this tip from a lady at Williams-Sonoma once and it has never failed me.

Peel, core, and roughly chop some pears (I used Bartlett).  Put them in a medium saucepan and toss with a little bit of lemon juice.  Cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.

While the pears are cooking, mix up some brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and cardamom.  Then melt some butter and add it to the dry ingredients.  Once it is well mixed, set a little less than half aside and press the rest into the baking dish.

By now your pears should be softened.  Mix up some brown sugar, corn starch, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and cardamom.  Then stir the sugar and spice mixture into the pears and cook for another couple of minutes.

Pour the pear mixture onto the crust in your baking dish and spread it out so it covers the crust completely.  Then take the crust dough you set aside and sprinkle it all over the top of the pears as evenly as you can.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.  At this point, you have two options, which is why I really struggled with what to name this delicious treat.   I finally decided on Caramelized Pear & Spiced Crumb Heaven because fall flavored heaven is exactly what you will get.

If you are impatient and the smell of delicious pears and warm spices has you dying for a delicious fall treat, cut a piece and then use a spoon to scoop it into a bowl.  Top with some vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce if you want, and honestly, why wouldn't you?  Then enjoy it like you would a crisp, except with twice as much delicious crumb topping because you have the bottom layer as well.

Option two, is for those of you with patience (or leftovers).  Let it cool to room temperature.  Then cover and refrigerate.  Once it is totally cold you will be able to cut it into bars and enjoy them like that.

Both are equally scrumptious and it really just depends on your patience level and what you are in the mood for.  No matter how you decide to enjoy them, you will be rewarded with a delicious treat filled with the sweet taste of pears and the warm flavors of the pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Caramelized Pear & Spiced Crumb Heaven (or bars)
Adapted from Pumpkin Spice Crumb Bars & Caramelized Pear Pie Filling

For the crust:

• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom

For the pear filling:

• 3 pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 tbls. lemon juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbls. corn starch
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom

1. Spray an 8 x 8 metal baking pan with baking spray and put in the freezer.  Preheat oven to 375.
2. Toss the pears with the lemon juice in a medium saucepan and saute, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together all crust ingredients except for butter.  Then stir in butter until well combined.  Set aside 3/4 cup of crust dough and press the rest into the prepared baking pan.
4. Combine the brown sugar, corn starch, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and cardamom.  Add it to the pears and stir until they are well coated.  Cook for an additional two minutes.  Then pour onto the crust.
5. Take the reserved crust dough and sprinkle it over the top of the pears, covering it as evenly as you can.
6. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.  
7. Serve warm with ice cream and caramel or cool to room temperature then refrigerate until cold and cut into bars.

I'm linking up with Flashback Friday, Linkapalooza, Best of the Weekend, Pin Junkie, Weekend Potluck, Naptime Creations, Show Stopper Saturday, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Sunday Linky, Sweet & Savoury Sundays, Marvelous Mondays, Inspiration Monday, Busy Monday, Craftastic Monday, and Monday Funday.