Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
• 
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease six muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Stir together 1 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, baking powder and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix in oil, egg and milk. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling to the top of the cup.
3. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix together with fork and sprinkle over unbaked muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com Click Here to view the direct page. They are a little crisp, because I put them in for 5 minutes over what it said. Usually that is what I have to do for recipes in my oven. Next time I will make them at 20-25 minutes instead of 30 minutes. They still tasted delicious though.

Penne Pasta Bake

This is one of our favorites.

Ingrediants:

1 box of Penne Pasta

1 Jar of Spaghettie Sauce

1 roll of Turkey Sausage

1-2 cups shredded cheese

various spices such as Oregano, Cilantro, Garlic, Pepper ect

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook pasta according to box directions

Cook Turkey Sasuage

Mix sauce, pasta and sausage in a baking dish

add in spices and cheese

Bake for 15-25 minutes to heat and melt cheese

This is a recipe by me :)

December Birthdays

My oldest son turned 10 on December 16th and my daughter turned 5 on December 27th. The top picture is my daughter on her b-day. We went to a restaurant and the bottom is my ten year old with one of his little brothers.

Baby is Here

Logan Robert was born on November 26, 2010 at 9:50 Am.

He weighted 8lbs 10 oz and 21 1/4 inches.

We are so excited and blessed

Like Water for Chocolate

I just finished Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Espuival for my December book club. Published in 1989 and was also made into a motion picture in 1992. This story centers around a character named Tita whom is the youngest daughter and her family in Mexico which includes her mama Elena and sisters Gertrudis, Rosaura and their help Chencha and Nacha.

Tita falls in love at a young age but finds out that the family tradition forbids the youngest daughter from marrying so that she can care for her mother. Her mother's stubborn nature does not intend to back down on this particular tradition. She expresses herself through her delicious Mexican dishes in the kitchen where the family cook Nacha raised her.

I found this book refreshing and a bit different from my usual reads. It used food as a great form of expression and passion and how it is a part of our daily lives. Which when you think about it food is a great form of creativity, love, mood buster and sustenance all in one. Sometimes it can also leave a bitter or foul taste in one's mouth as well depending on the preparation and time put into it. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the love of cooking or eating for that matter.

Our 5 year Anniversary

Last Thursday was our 5th wedding anniversary. On October 14, 2005 we got married at our local courthouse. Yes, I was pregnant with our first child together and due with her in December. We decided to have a church wedding with a reception later. So, about 6 months later (April 29th, 2006) we had a nice church wedding. We celebrate our October Anniversary and about 2 years and one day later we had our second child together.

Both days turned out to be beautiful and special. I will never forget either day. Our church wedding was shared with many special people. Some of which recently passed away. Two uncles and an aunt on my dad's side recently passed away this year. One passed away this summer and two this fall about 3 weeks apart. It is sad time for all of us, but I will cherish our church wedding day because it is the last time we were all together at the same time. We had a wonderful time together. I have some great pictures in my album to ponder over and remember them.

We had a great anniversary despite our losses and had a nice dinner out just the two of us. I hope to have many more years together and feel blessed to have my husband and to have shared our special day with our loved ones.

October birthday and Pumpkin Decorating

In the top picture my daughter and youngest son are making masterpieces out of a couple of pumpkins with markers. The bottom picture is my youngest b-day party. He just turned 3, he didn't want to sit in front of the cake so his sister did. He loves Mickey Mouse so we did a Mickey Mouse theme. He had a bit of a cranky day and was overwhelmed but he did have some fun moments :) What is cute about this picture is that they look in awe of their big brother. A picture is worth a thousand words ;)