Adventures in Fall cooking

I have noticed a pattern when it comes to cooking.  All summer long I avoid it like to plague.  I've realized that I don't really craved baked goods in the summer, probably because its 100 degrees and the thought of turning my oven on makes me cry.  So all summer long we snack, eat salads, and occasionally order pizza.  But then Fall hits, the weather cools down, we get back into our school schedule, and my oven starts calling to me.  And just like every year, I get the cooking bug. So out come the soup and stew recipes and once again my house smells yummy (most of the time) in the afternoon. 

This weekend Brad is gone hunting.  Which means I have to take over the "fun" parent role.  So whats more fun on a cold Saturday morning than making some Blueberry muffins?  Only you need more than the few tablespoons of blueberries, which is what I discovered we have this morning.  Whoops.  So, since I was being the "fun" parent, I suggested be make lots of different types of muffins.  We decided on chocolate, chocolate chip, lemon, pumpkin, apple, and of course blueberry.  I have to admit, it was more fun than I thought it would be.  I scooped the batter while the kids added the mix-ins.  First we made mini-muffins (side note: those mini muffin tins are the best invention ever. Kuddos to whoever thought of it).  Then when we realized how much batter was left, we graduated to big muffins (I didn't want to be there all day).  And the verdict: Hunter liked the chocolate and chocolate chip and Madde liked the lemon and blueberry.  The only ones left are the pumpkin, so I'm assuming no one liked those.  Over all a very fun adventure.

We started tasting before I took the picture.  (Sorry - not a very good food photographer)

We have a rough relationship with school lunches.  My kids don't like any cold portable food, so they are stuck with sandwiches, which they remind me on a frequent basis they do not like.  I've tried homemade (ie healthy) muffins, granola and power bars with limited success.  Then a few weeks ago, my brilliant sister blogged about pizza rolls. I thought she meant tiny pizza pockets, until I read the post and saw her brilliance.  They were pizzas shaped like cinnamon rolls.  Brilliant!  This is why, I have attempted several times to make pizza pockets, but I can't get in enough toppings to make them taste right with my wheat dough.  But a roll, I can fit way more toppings in those and they taste just fine with my wheat dough.  So, are they healthy enough for me to send in lunch - yes, are they yummy enough for my kids to eat - double yes!  She also mentioned a bonus tip: if you make them in muffin tins, it helps the rolls keep their shape.  Once again, my sister is brilliant.  So, if any of you have crazy picky, pizza loving kids - go spread the great news.

So we have done a few things that don't involve food - very little but a few.  We had our church Halloween party this weekend.  Madde was Tinkerbell.  I attempted to make the costume - I should know better. Atleast with a cute kid and enough glitter any mistake can be covered up.  Hunter went as Buzz Lightyear. Once again, I made his costume, but the stinker would wear the belt or the pants - just the shirt.  He also wouldn't allow his picture to be taken, so I guess it doesn't matter.  Dayton was supposed to be a spider.  We call him "Dayter bugs" so we thought we'd go with the bug theme. Plus a spider gives him 4 legs to chew to his hearts content. With Brad gone, I didn't have time to finish his costume - here's hoping its done before Halloween.

We also went to the pumpkin patch this weekend (did I mention how exhausting this "fun" parent gig is?).  It's this adorable fundraiser, that's close to my house and has all these fun carnival type games.  As a bonus its free. So, to show my support I always let the kids pick up a few pumpkins - so long as they can carry it themselves.  It's so fun.  They love the games (particularly the rubber duck races cause they get to pump the handle) and are very serious about picking out the perfect pumpkin.  It was a great day til the rain drove us home, but hey we are now the proud owner of 3 very cute and somewhat little pumpkins.  We usually go back with Brad to get our big carving pumpkin.  Two days of fun, can't beat it.



I hope everyone is having a great food-filled Fall and fun Halloween adventures.