In the Kitchen: Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies

I'm not a huge fan of marshmallow in it's 'natural' state and marshmallow creme holds a close second to that so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about these little guys.  As I read the recipe I saw that 

the filling calls for marshmallow creme.  

ick.  

(The funny thing is that I had a full jar in my pantry...I have no idea why considering I don't use it. hmmm.)

But guess what?  If you mix it with butter and powdered sugar it's amazing!!!  ha!

I found this particular recipe on Julie's blog, Joy's Hope,  and she found it on Pinterest.  

(She has 3 super cute girls, a new baby boy and a story I can unfortunately relate to.  If you read Joy's story, you'll 

understand what I mean. Anyway, her family lives in the same area we did before we moved, so I feel a 

certain kinship to her  for those reasons, although I don't know her personally.  Corny, I know, but hey...)

They are THE BOMB!!  They have the lightest pumpkin flavor and that filling....oh my goodness.  I don't even need a stinkin' whoopie pie to eat it!  Just give me the dang spoon already!!

I used a whoopie pie pan and as good as they are at holding the round shape, they leave little to be desired in the process of getting the dough flat.  I sprayed the bottom of a measuring cup to help press down the top a little bit, but they still were a little poofy.  Not a big deal, really, just something that I came across....

Anyway, here's the recipe:

Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies

COOKIES

One pouch sugar cookie mix. 

1 tbsp flour

1/2 c canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/3 butter, softened

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 egg

FILLING

2/3 c marshmallow creme

1/3 c butter, softened

2/3 c powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375*

1. In a medium bowl, stir together cookie mix and flour.  Add remaining ingredients.  Mix well.

2. Scoop (I use a cookie scoop, but 1-2 tablespoons should fill the cup 2/3 of the way...or a tad more) into pan.  If using a regular cookie sheet, drop 2 inches apart.

3. Bake 8-10 minutes.

4. While baking, mix filling with an electric mixer.

5. Wait for cookies to cool completely before adding filling and assembling.  I rolled ours in some fall-ish  sprinkly balls and also some mini semi sweet chocolate chips.  So good either way!!  

ENJOY!!!!!

Paint & pie

I'm doing it.  I'm painting my great grandma's hutch.  Old White.  With a duck egg-ish blue inside (not Annie Sloan's Duck Egg, but a very close 'oops' paint I found.

I also bought some cute vintagey strawberry hooks to put on the wall to the right.  On those I'm gonna hang some of my great grandma's aprons. 

(to the right is the laundry 'room/closet, so I can't center the hutch)

Also, I had coffee and homemade peach pie for lunch.  

SOOOOO GOOD!

I have been up to my eyeballs in peaches and I just couldn't can another jar, so I decided to make peach pie.  I can't believe how easy it is...I had enough to make two more so they're in the freezer waiting to be baked.  Can't wait.....

In the Kitchen: Roasted Potato and Green Bean Salad

I don't remember whereI found this recipe, but it's so yummy! The ingredients are simple, but have good flavor and texture when it's all done. You simply quarter the potatoes and onions and cut (or snap, depending on your time frame...I remember snapping green beans with my great aunt a long time ago :) ) the green beans to a size your family appreciates, unless you like grumblings at the table about how big the pieces are. 

One reason I love this is because the potatoes are soft, the green beans are crisp and the onions, oh my, the onions!, they are perfect.  Their tanginess (I would say sweetness, but that was vetoed last night at the table) is just wonderful!!!

After it has done its time in the oven, toss it in the dressing (while still hot) and try not to eat too much of it before it finds its way to the plate!

I personally think this goes with all kinds of main dishes, but last night we had it with rice pilaf and stuffed salmon (from Costco, and I must say that although I'm not a big fan of seafood, this was really good! The pieces were huge though, so we cut them in half and still had enough on our plates.)

Anyway, if you're into dishes like this, I suggest you try it and soon!!

Roasted Potato and Green Bean Salad

Preheat oven to 425*

2 lbs. red potatoes, quartered

1 large red onion, quartered

1 lb. green beans, cut to desired length 

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. mustard

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1. Put potatoes and onions in a large roasting pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. or more if necessary and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes.

2. After 30 minutes, toss in green beans (you may decide to add a touch more olive oil and s&p, I always do). Roast 20 - 25 minutes longer (depending how small you cut the potatoes, it may need more time).

3. Prepare the dressing.  In a large bowl (I use a Stearlite bowl that has a snap on lid so I can shake it upside down and all around) whisk together 2 tbsp. olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and  worcestershire until smooth.  I've found that adding a little more of any of these is pretty harmless, so it won't be ruined if you like more or less of any of these ingredients.  When the veggies are done, simply put them into the bowl with the dressing and make sure everything gets covered.

ENJOY!

This can be eaten hot or cold, but preferably hot.

Dear Blogs and Pinterest,

You both make me feel so bad.  

For all the pictures I didn't take.  

For all the pictures I do take that don't compare to the ones I see in your worlds.  

For all the crafts I don't make.  For being lame in the sewing department.  

For not making a huge deal out of every single thing that happens in my life...

even when I know it is a huge deal.

For keeping me up way past my bedtime. 

And so many other things...

But I would like to thank you for all the interesting people I have 'met'. 

And all the beauty they bring to my everyday life.

It's truly amazing the things I can see with just the tap of a few buttons.

~Kori 

Lesson learned.

Don't double a jelly/jam/soft spread recipe.  Apparently the ingredients don't cook the same and your final product will be liquid.  Not a fun thing to find out after what seemed like marathon chopping.  And processing.  And waiting.   For seemingly nothing.

BUT!  I remembered that I have this book and although I've only ever glanced at it, it sure came in handy yesterday!!

It's quite helpful and full of tons of 'recipes'.  Lucky for me there's a troubleshooting section and a cure for runny jelly!!  It involves recooking all your previously processed jelly with more sugar, lemon juice (even if the original recipe didn't call for it) and pectin (there are separate cures for liquid or powder variety pectins).

Thankfully all my jars of jelly set up this time and I can enjoy some today!  :p

I thoroughly recommend this book...there is so much info in it!!

New toy.

We did it.  We bought one of these!  It had been something we've talked about for a while now (even before we had even gone camping as a family) and always put it off thinking we'd never use it or whatever excuses we could think of.

I think part of our apprehension lied in where we were living.   Don't get me wrong, California has some amazing camping to offer (Sequoia National Forest being my favorite what with the giant redwoods and all, but as a grown-up, I am TERRIFIED of the mountain roads!!) and not only in the mountains...there is a whole coastline of gorgeous beaches to see.  Somehow though, it didn't seem like we were gonna camp at any of those places.

So here in Washington, we have so many options within an hour of our house!  In CA everything was hours away (and that was just the time it was supposed to take.  Not the time it really takes with all the traffic.  

Anyway, I can't wait to get it (it's getting ready for us at the dealer) so I can cute it up!!  We were lucky enough to find one that had plain fabric on the dinette and sofa (not like the crazy tonal patterns so many of them have...those are just not me!).  The fabric and walls are a very calm light chocolate milk color that I think will go with lots of colors.  If I was talented, I could recover them however I wanted to, but alas, I am not.  :(

I have always loved this (click on the green caravan in the top corner....I couldn't link up the post for some reason).  Obviously her decor is great for what she uses it for, but I love all the bright colors and the vintage feel.  Ours doesn't have that vintage look at all, but that doesn't mean I can't do up the inside with a nod in that direction, right?  There's also tons of inspiration on Pinterest!  As if I need a new reason to spend waste more time there.  : /

I want to put new window treatments, add some bright throws and pillows, put something fun on the walls, a cute runner on the floor and some cute bedding.  I already have lots of cute bright kitchen stuff to put in there.  Some lights strung on the awning, bright Adirondack chairs, astroturf....I can't wait!!! 

Of course I'm also excited to camp in it too...  :)

To Be Or Not To Be?

Guilty, that is.

On July 29 I went to Seattle to visit my BFF and her hubby (and get out away from my bajillion mile long to-do list!) and have some fun since my boys were headed to Canada for an ice hockey camp.  (They were meeting up at the camp with a family from Canada that we met here in WA last year when we were looking at Spokane as our new home base.)  The boys were very excited to get to do this together!  Their oldest son (they have three boys) and our son Guerin hit it off like they had known each other their whole lives and loved each other like brothers.  The other boys are included in the love fest too, but the way Guerin and A.J. clicked is pretty awesome.  We parents hit it off, too.  :)

Anyway, the camp was a Monday-Friday gig and then they were going to camp from Saturday until maybe Wednesday (tomorrow).  Originally I said I'd drive up and meet them, but you know how that goes.  

I didn't do it.  oops.

But it's not totally my choice/fault!  Not to be a TMIer, but I started my period.  Not conducive to a good time while camping and hitting the lake.  Then while planting a few things the other day,  I bent over and then couldn't get up.

OMG. How old am I getting??  That was three days ago and I still have to ease myself into a full upright position.  At least I feel like I'm upright.  I'm probably leaning just enough to look like a weirdo and don't realize it.  Maybe I just look like I'm in a hurry.  :)  Yep.  That's it...I'm in a hurry.

I've had two phone calls from my husband asking me if I'm coming to meet them.  And two times I've declined.  Graciously, but still.  :)   I feel like he thinks I just might be making stuff up to get out of it. It wouldn't be true, though!  Really.  It's been so long since I've seen them and now he tells me they'll be back Thursday night or Friday morning!!  Jeez!

Needless to say I've been having quite the time here all alone!!   Seriously, the first two days I did nothing but lay on the couch and eat cereal.  Cookie Crisp and Cinnamon Toast Crunch! Apparently I have a nine year old palette and an 89 year old body!!  And watched all the TV I wanted.  Surfed the net, fell in love with Pinterest...thank goodness I've had this time to browse at my leisure!  Definitely when they come back I won't have that luxury.   Went to bed at ridiculous hours and did just whatever the heck I wanted!!

I did (eventually) do grown-up things:  laundry, walked the dog, found some stuff for the entry-way (it's been oddly 'decorated' for all this time, but now it's lookin' good), made granola cereal for husband, put away some stuff that had been lingering, cleaning and the like.  yada, yada, yada.

I still feel that mom/wife guilt though.  Do you feel that too?  That no matter what/ how much you do around the house that it's never enough?  My husband doesn't keep score (not by any means), but I do.  Shameful, I know.  Mostly I compete against myself.  Sometimes he gets thrown in for good measure when I get tired of beating myself up.  ;)  Also shameful.

Since I turned down tonight's second offer of camping, I feel like I need to kick butt on the rest of my list.  Not looking forward to it, but I guess now is a good a time as any to get back into the swing of things....right after I eat my dinner of German chocolate cake!!  Oh yeah!  ;)