Date Night

A couple of kind souls took pity on me and my husband and offered to babysit for us tonight.  Nights out are usually few and far between for us without family nearby so we're pretty excited.  I'm hoping that the cupcakes I made will convey my gratitude. 

I saw Giada DeLaurentiis make this cake on her show ages ago and I've loved it from the first time I tried it.  I decided to make cupcakes this time instead of a layer cake. Its simple since it just uses a store-bought mix, but the deliciousness lies in the mascarpone cheese frosting. Its topped with a chocolate-sugar topping.  I omitted the hazlenut brittle in the frosting this time.

I hope they enjoy the snack ... and maybe I'll try just one. 

I hope everyone out there enjoys their last weekend of summer!

Pretty Pies

When I was in Maine, everything was blueberries and lobsters.  I'm not a fan of lobster but I love blueberries.  My husband had to have some blueberry pie so he ordered it one day and I took a bite.  What a delicous miracle!  I'd never had it before ... I know, I'm clearly sheltered ... but what a delicious surprise it was especially with Maine wild blueberries.  So, I found frozen Maine wild blueberries and made a pie today.  The recipe I followed said to make a lattice crust for the top. 

(source)

Next thing I knew, I was looking at all these really pretty pies ...

(source)

This is great ... but, seriously, I really don't have time for that.

(source)

I absolutely love this one!

(source)

Patriotic pie!

(source)

Mine isn't nearly as beautiful ...

... but I really made this pie for my wonderful husband who has been so supportive and understanding lately and I'm quite sure he couldn't care less what it looks like.  I haven't tried it yet, but remembering the bite I had in Maine, I think I may have some trouble resisting eating the entire thing!

Rainy Days ...

I've posted before about how much I love rainy days. I know most people hate them, but I find something peaceful and comforting in the overcast skies and cold air while retreating inside a cozy home. The world just seems quieter. Last night as I was getting ready for bed, the house dark and everyone asleep but me, I listened to the rain pounding the roof. It made me so grateful for my home, my family ... and my cozy warm bed!

This morning I awoke to more rain. I pieced together a couple of recipes to make these and it was a delicious breakfast success - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones. It seems that I've been baking more than decorating these days. I suppose Fall is really about food for me. The recipe is below.


I haven't done much lately and that's a good thing. Sometimes I just like to slow down. Yesterday, I was on the sofa, lights off, with my two girls on either side and a bowl of popcorn in my lap. What could be better? After they went down for a nap, I went out for a little while. First, to the bookstore which I haven't done in ages. Then, in search of a rain jacket. I was unsuccessful with the rain jacket, but I returned with this sweater ...

I love the antique silver rhinestone buttons on it. I'm wearing it today to meet my old fellow MBA friends for lunch.

My little ones were squealing and laughing with Daddy just before their naps. What a sweet sound! I wish I could take a nap, but its nearly time for me to head out ... I hope you had a nice weekend ... even if you had rain!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg

DIRECTIONS
1.Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmet. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in chocolate chips.
3.In a small bowl, whisk pumpkin puree and egg until smooth.
4.Using a fork, stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
5. How you shape these is personal preference. I like to make 6 round scones by hand. You can also roll the dough out and make 6 triangles or use a large biscuit cutter.
6. Place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 16 to 19 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature. These are great all by themselves, but would also be fantastic with a little Devon Cream.

Maple Pumpkin Bread

I made 2 loaves of Maple Pumpkin Bread this morning. Its my favorite fall recipe. My parents bring me the Grade B Maple Syrup on their trips to their cabin in Vermont. Its absolutely delicious.


Unfortunately, I can't even taste it! The ones I made are for my daughter's preschool class tomorrow. I wanted to make more, but I ran out of flour. Its a cold and rainy day outside but I did manage to get more flour. Now I have to choose between making more pumpkin bread or trying a new recipe - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Decisions, decisions ...

EDIT: I went with the cookies. WOW, they are good! They're really cake-like so a little lighter than the usual cookie.

You can't go wrong with either recipe!

I'm going to try Caramel Apple Pork Chops for dinner. Its definitely fall in my house!

I've got the Blues ...

I painted my kitchen chairs blue.


... after being inspired by this picture from Lavender Fields.

It brings such great color into the room. I'm not used to it yet so every time I walk by, I think "Wow". I know most people (myself included) would normally chose neutral furniture, white, black, wood tones, etc. but this makes me smile. Here's how they looked before ...


Now, I really need to find a chandelier. I'm going to look around a little on my next trip to Delaware and if I don't find anything, I'm just going to buy new. I'm tired of the empty space above the table! I also wish I could find white chair pads. Why is white so impossible to find?? I may have to break down and buy the blah-brown that they seem to have everywhere.


Also, I don't often post recipes, but after our blueberry picking on Saturday, I found this highly rated recipe on Allrecipes for blueberry pancakes. You have to wait an hour before cooking them, but as the reviews say, its well worth it. They're so fluffy and light as air! I think next time I might add a bit more sugar, but they were delicious enough that I thought someone out there might be interested.

Photo Credit

They tasted as good as they look. Yum!

See more make-overs at Between Naps on the Porch!