Weekend in Reveiw Vol.#6- Thanksgiving & my 100th post!

I can't even believe that Thanksgiving has already come and gone! We are now on the heels of December!! The holiday season has rushed upon us yet again! It's so crazy how this time of year always creeps up on us before we know it!

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving with family and/or friends. I know I sure did! It was quiet and really gave me time to reflect on what matters most in life- family. I came up with the menu this year; from appetizers to dessert and prepared the whole meal myself for the first time (with some guidance from mom of course). It was really fun and felt rewarding to sit at the table on Thursday afternoon, knowing how much hard work and love I put into everything that was there. I must say that the turkey, dressing and everything else came out pretty delicious (for a first timer). Everyone was proud, including me!

I'm also proud to announce that I've FINALLY made it to my 100th post! It's a little sad to say that it's taken me a couple years to make such a benchmark on my blog, but in another way, it's definitely something to celebrate- a sign of great progress (especially within the last couple months). Since taking the Blogging Your Way e-course by Holly Becker of Decor8, I've kept up with my posts much more often and feel that I've come a long way in such a short time! I highly recommend this course to anyone who has a blog and wants to learn new ways to improve it or if your someone who is interested in starting a blog, but haven't taken the plunge just yet! There are so many helpful lessons, filled with invaluable information and resources! So if you are the slightest bit interested, I suggest you check it out! *wink*

Thanks for stopping in and reading my 100th post! I appreciate YOU, the readers who take the time to visit and add feedback which is always welcome! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! xo



Photos taken by; Wahkuna

Fall in the City

Its officially Fall in the city and I'm loving every minute of it. The weather is not too hot and not too cold, it's just right :-). Humid days are now few and far between and the two block walk from Penn Station to the office is much more comfortable. Leaves are changing color, the boots are coming out and pumpkin coffee is back at Starbucks, these are signs of the change in season.

There are many things I love about this season, but one of the main things is how apples are ripe for the pickin' and there's so many things you can make with them! Since I was a little girl, apple pie has been a fall staple in the family. It was my grandfather's favorite and he always relied on my mom to make it from scratch. She's what I call the Apple Pie Pro, she even makes her own crust, its delicious! So naturally I learned to make this tasty treat and for me, it's never really fall until I've made my first pie of the season!

Unfortunately life has been so hectic lately, that I haven't had much time for baking, but I did manage to sneak in a little Apple Crisp yesterday in honor of the season and Football Sunday. What I like about apple crisp is that it only takes 1/2 the work of an apple pie, still smells the same and contains all the yummy flavors. It's almost like apple pie cheating...who knew it would be so sweet!

So with all of this talk of yummy goodness, I'd like to share my tried and true recipe for Apple Crisp. It's simple, quick and tasty, so there's no excuse, you MUST try it!

*this is a picture of only half a recipe baked in an 8x8 pan*

Apple Crisp II

(All Recipes "Tried & True Favorites" cookbook www.allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

10 cups thinly sliced apples

1 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup water

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13" pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.

3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

4. Back at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Serve warm

Suggested toppings- Vanilla Ice Cream (preferably Vanilla Bean *smile*) or a dollop of Cool Whip.

(I apologize for the picture, but we were so excited to dig in, that I forgot to take a picture of the whole crisp once it came out of the oven!! Ooops!) Enjoy!

What are your favorite fall recipes? I would love to hear about them, I'm always looking for new recipes to try!