Autumn Apple Muffins

I miss seasons.

Don't get me wrong,

Phoenix does have it's own

ebb and flow of weather.

The heat is breaking now, 

and the air is 

cooler in the mornings

reminding me why I love living 

here, at least 9 months out of the year.

But, 

I still miss seasons.

I miss waking up one morning 

and noticing a snap to the air

that announces the passing of 

summer into autumn.

Thoughts of autumn bring with 

them thoughts of apple picking.

The typical cool weather

part of the world ritual that 

announces to all the change 

in the season.

So,

in celebration of cooler weather

I decided to bake some apple muffins

this morning while the weather was still

cool.


The muffin has a 
spice cake kind of texture 
and flavor.
With big chunks of apple and 
crunchy nuts these muffins 
are a nice hearty snack.

Autumn Apple Muffins

• 1 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cup chopped apple
• 1 cup walnut pieces

• Preheat oven to 350 and grease or line muffins tins
• Combine dry ingredients and mix well
• Combine Oil, sugar, egg and vanilla beat until well combined
• Add dry mixture to wet mixture and mix well. This mixture will be very stiff and thick. Do not panic! The moisture the apples give off during cooking will make the muffins nice and fluffy, promise.
• Mix in walnuts and apples, stir to combine well.
• Fill muffin tins about 3/4 the way full
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean

Tip: For extra sweetness you can sprinkle a little brown sugar on the tops before you put them in the over to bake. It makes for an almost struesel like topping.

Guest Posting at A Little Etsy Love

I have been very privileged 

to be asked to guest post

at 

A Little Etsy Love

Head on over 

and

take a look at the 

tutorial for Scrabble Tile Pendants

there.

While you're at it take a look

at the great giveaways they have!

Banana Nut Muffins

I hate bananas.

OK, that's harsh,

but I really can't say that I 

enjoy munching on one straight out

of the peel.

So, 

bananas in my house tend to 

go black pretty fast.

Oddly, 

I love banana muffins.

So the bananas never go to waste.

Here's the recipe I have perfected over the 

years of trying recipe after recipe.

These muffins are sweet and full of nuts,

perfect first thing in the morning with a

big cup of coffee!

Kitty's Banana Nut Muffins

• 4 big bananas (black)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mash bananas in a big bowl with sugar(brown and white), butter vanilla and egg. 
• In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
• Add dry ingredients to banana mash mixture and stir gently to combine.
• Add walnuts and chocolate chips.
• Grease muffin tins well (or use muffin cups).Fill muffin tins 3/4 full
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the tin for about 20 minutes, run a knife around the edges and remove.

Tip: I use an ice cream scoop to fill my muffin tins. One scoop per tin seems to be the perfect amount and it cuts down on the mess!

If you do not use the chocolate chips I suggest you add 1/4 cup of brown sugar without the chocolate the muffin is a little less sweet.

Farm Fresh

I was recently the recipient 

of several dozen farm fresh eggs.

How lovely!

But wait...

your eyes are not playing tricks on you,

and it isn't a bad camera shot,

those eggs really are faintly

blue!

The blue eggs really do come from chickens,

apparently a very special breed

called Araucana

picture from Wikipedia

That look like this!

Oh yes, you did see right.
I didn't get just chicken eggs,

I also now have several dozen

quail eggs!

Not sure what to do with these little guys.

The Mr. suggested deviled quail eggs!

Ha ha funny guy, mini deviled eggs.

I'll let you know what I come up with.

Ikea Plant Marker Deal

Ikea Socker Plant Marker

$1.99 2/pkg

A very cute and colorful way to identify plants

or to remind yourself what seeds you put down 

and where in your garden.

I found the Navy and Pink plant markers

on clearance at my local

Ikea yesterday for

25 cents a package!

I grabbed 4 packages for a buck!

My dear friend who is moving 

will be receiving these lovelies in

a gardening basket I'm putting together for her.

You can write on them with a pencil,

chalkboard marker, or a Sharpie if you want

it to be permanent.

These cute little markers are made from

a pretty heavy grade metal

and are powder finished so they will resist rusting.

This makes them perfect for garden use.

Let's hope I get a few squash this year!

If you have an Ikea near you

head over and grab a few!

I'm in the Garden

The heat in Phoenix seems to 

be breaking,

FINALLY!

The temperatures are starting

to only hit 100 degrees 

and 

that means it's time to start 

planting my garden

I know it must seem strange to any of you

who live in areas that actually get snow,

but here in AZ the summer is brutal 

and 

generally anything in the garden is

cooked.

That's what happened to my Basil.

Thankfully it's recovering from 

this summer's brutal heat.

So Fall begins garden season here,

and I am no exception.

I have dreams of a garden that I can pick

fresh vegetables from all winter long.

So, 

I decided to go with what the

locals generally plant,

squash, and beans.

I also decided to try okra which does well

in warm climates.

Last year the Mr. made this garden for me.

We dug up an area that has some shade,

dumped in a ton of soil 

and he bricked it in.

He even got me a trellis for the 

beans to climb.

It doesn't look like much now,

but hopefully soon there

will be a bunch of little green plants.

I also stoned in a small patch 

up against the gate wall.

Yes that little shrubby thing is 

actually supposed to be there,

it's a rosemary plant.

I'm hoping to have some primrose 

and native wildflowers growing

there soon.

 Stay tuned and I'll have garden updates!

Are you out in the garden?

What are you doing?

Picnic Planning!

One of my dear friends is moving!

I'm so excited because this brings

her much closer to me.

Also,

because I'm one of those weird people

who LOVE to help people move.

There is something fun to me

about helping someone settle down into 

a new home.

I also know that on a moving day there

is no way anyone is going to want to cook.

That's why I try to pack a

"Moving Day Picnic"

Basically I pack up a cooler full of yummy

items that are quick and easy to eat, 

and require NO heating up.

My friend LOVES cucumber sandwiches,

so naturally they are on the menu.

Look at how fancy these are!

I think I will stick to the plainer kind.

Here's how I make easy cucumber sandwiches...

What you need:

1 pkg of chive flavored cream cheese (Philly is my Fav)

1 loaf of soft white bread

1 English cucumber

- Thinly slice the cucumber,

- Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on bread

- Arrange cucumber slices on one slice of bread with cream cheese and top with another slice of bread and cream cheese.

- Cut the crusts off the sandwich and cut in triangles

These sandwiches are very delicate 

and refreshing.

Perfect on a hot day

while moving boxes around!

Stay tuned,

I'll be sharing the menu 

for my

"Moving Day Picnic"

World's Easiest Choker

Did you like the burnt

ribbon flower choker?

If you did,

and

you want to know how to make one

for yourself

here is how you do it.

Things you need:

~ Crochet thread Size 10 in Black (or your favorite color)

~ Steel crochet hook 2.75mm

~ 2 medium sized jump rings

~ Lobster Clasp

~ Extension chain 

~ Flowers or other embelishments

Step 1:

Chain stitch until you get a piece that 1/2 inch smaller than your neck. You don't want the chain ends to touch.

For me it was approximately 130 chain stitches.

Step 2:

Single crochet in the second stitch from the hook and then in every chain stitch.

Chain 1 and turn.

Step 3:

Extended single crochet in every SC

(Extended Single Crochet: Insert hook in stitch as for SC, yarn over, draw up loop, yarn over and pull through 1 loop on hook, yarn over again and pull through both loops on hook) 

Chain 1 and turn

Step 4:

Extended single crochet into every stitch

Chain 1 and turn

Step 5:

Single crochet into every stitch.

Finish off.

This is how the band will look

Instead of blocking, 

I just ran a steam iron over the band.

Finishing:

Sew the jump rings to either end of the band.

Join the lobster claw to one jump ring 

and the extension chain to the other jump ring.

I took the extension chain off 

an old broken necklace

Sew flowers into place

And wear!

Making Flowers with Fire

I found this tutorial

for making burnt ribbon

flowers

Source: mayarts.com via Kitty on Pinterest

I just loved the look of these flowers 
So, I gave them a try.


Warning!
This is NOT
a child friendly craft
as it involves open flames.


I used a synthetic satin-like material 
I found in the odds and ends bin at some
fabric shop that has been collecting dust.

I also found some wide silver ribbon 

and gave that a try too.

When "burning" your fabric

be careful of the melty ends,

they are very hot and stick to the skin!

Now that I have a bunch of flowers 

I naturally needed something to do with them.

I crocheted a choker, 

sewed the flowers into place,

and added a lobster clasp and

extension chain.

Voila!

Instant pretty!

How to Make a Glass Pendant: Part 2

Now that our pendants have cured overnight

we are ready to finish them.

This is what you will need:

~Make sure your scissors are sharp! 

~You can use fine grit sandpaper instead of a nail file.

~Again make sure your craft knife is sharp, otherwise you will have a mess.

Step 1:

Trim away the excess paper.

Try and cut it as close to the glass piece as you can.

This will save you 

Step 2:

Use your craft knife to trim the edge 

flush to the pendant.

(Yes my "knife" is really a scalpel,

use what ever works, right?)

Step 3:

Smooth the rough edges with the nail file.

Make sure all edges are nice and even

or else your pendant will have rough edges.

Your pendant should look like

this when you are done.

Nice even edges that are smooth

and not hanging over the edge of 

the glass.

Step 4:

Apply your glaze to the back of the pendant.

Make sure to cover all the paper,

get the edges too.

This will seal your paper.

Your pendant should have a nice,

thick even coat when you are done.

Now let this cure.

Step 5:

Get your bail.

These can be bought online at a 

number of vendors.

(I get both my bails and my glass

from my friends at

Sun & Moon Craft Kits )

Apply your glue to the back

(textured) side of the bail.

I like to use these pen style applicators,

way less mess.

Position on the back of your pendant

glue side down and press firmly.

I let these dry over night to be sure 

they are cured.

After they have cured again over night.

Add a chain and wear!

I hope you 

found this little

"How To" 

helpful!

Now go and make yourself some pretties!