Monday, October 12, 2009

Fall Favorites 2009

I'm loving the little things right now......simple fall projects with the younger kids while Carter is at school.

First? Pumpkin painting. Every pumpkin that arrives at our house gets a good washing before finding its home. Yes, even the ones that go outside. Cleaning them removes some of the funk that naturally latches on in the patch that could cause them to rot sooner than expected. Plus, the rinse makes them shine a bit. We use mild soap and warm water. Scrub, rinse and dry.

Jack and Lainey worked on a handful of the baby pie pumpkins.....some for our mantle and one brought to Caroline at the hospital.

Notice their darling aprons, too. $12.00 each! Get yours here. We LOVE ours and already have one purchased for Maci Kaye for Christmas!

Most of their pumpkins end up a lovely shade of baby poop green due to over mixing. Totally fine with it. How boring to be perfect!

Hard working kiddos.




And, second, cooler temps always encourage me to bake more than normal with the kids. Here we are making simple blonde brownies. Added orange and black M&M's to give them a Halloween feel. And, it should be noted that Jack cracks ALL eggs in this house. If he hears two bowls clink together or the utensil drawer open, he comes running into the kitchen, "Cooking, Case?"

Guess who loves to measure the salt in his hand?


Recipe:

1 stick butter or margarine (4 ounces), room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
pinch salt

Cream together the butter and brown sugar; beat in egg. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Spread batter in a greased and floured 7- X 11-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. These brown very quickly, so be sure to start checking at the 20 minute mark.

Everyone got a turn with the mixer.

Always exciting in our house!

I really like cooking with our children. I enjoy it as much as they do. Such a great opportunity for sharing and fun and showing our love for each other.

9 comments:

Jodee said...

I love the personalized aprons! We recently painted pumpkins, which was a big hit! My kids love to help in the kitchen too!

Hope you have a great weekend!

donatelli98 said...

You are such a good mom - Chatty baked cookies with me the the other week and loved it! I love seeing all the pics you take baking, I wish I had that much patience with my girls!

starnes family said...

Oh, I lose my patience. Don't misunderstand me!!!! I do. Plenty of times. But, I keep trying. That's all we can do!

Life in Beverly Hills said...

Great pictures! Looks like a wonderful time. Really gets me in the mood for Fall and decorating for Halloween! Thanks for the great ideas!

Dee Stephens said...

Where is a picture of the finished product? bummer..
love those aprons.. wish I had a little one to buy one for.
Brad's brother wouldn't dare let me put an apron on Reeders! (so retarded!)

Heather said...

The cutest aprons I have ever seen!!! Oh my lands! Never mind the pumpkins! Just kidding! So glad about Caroline going home today! Yay!

I wish I had know the tip about washing the pumpkins. I have little ones that are already rotting. yuck!

Carrie Darney said...

Ryan thinks I'm insane for washing the pumpkins before putting them outside. You taught me that little trick last year! makes a difference!!

Monica said...

Your children are just precious. It brightens my day to read through your posts!

SASS said...

Yummy! I bet they love baking with you.
I'm impressed Jack knows how to crack an egg!