My Favourite Cake on A Friday

          Do you know what goes really well with this disgusting weather we have been having lately? Cake- knitting- hibernating. Which is exactly what I have been doing- Miss Lo and I baked this super yummy spicy applesauce cake yesterday and it was gone by 9 a.m. this morning- yeah it's just that good! When combined with a good cuppa tea and some yummy yarn on the sticks this cake brings a much needed level of comfort to my life.

The Goods

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup chilled applesauce
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup Golden raisins

*optional add in a handful of chopped walnuts

The Deal

- pre heat oven to 350 degrees
- grease an 8 x8 pan and set aside
- cream together butter and sugar
- add in applesauce, mix well
- stir in flour and baking soda along with spices
- add raisins (and nuts at this time)
- pour batter into greased pan and bake about 40 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
- enjoy on it's own as we did here or top with fresh whipped Maple cream- yummo!

        Friends it is Friday again- this week has felt a little bit unreal- we are all trying to settle back into our routines- admittedly a bit at odd angles with our regular life after travelling. I think some tender feelings combined with this rainy weather we will be snuggling up inside for the majority of our weekend. I'm going to use this indoor time to keep organizing and preparing for fairer days when we are rarely home- I wonder is this the reverse of making hay while the sun shines! At any rate now is the time to get our home better sorted, make some yummy soups and maybe watch another marathon of The Long Way Round! Friends I hope your feet stay dry and your hearts stay warm- much love and Happy Friday!

In The Studio With The Littles

     
      I realized I have not shared what the Littles have been working on lately in our studio- AKA the living room! Yup this week we spread out a bit more- threw down the old plastic shower curtain liner and got creative. Since coming home with a box of apples magically procured by Opa a few weeks ago we have been eating a lot of apples, talking about apples, smelling apples and now painting apples- yes for the first time ever the Littles each tackled a "still life" painting.

        I totally dig the Little's spacial awareness- love how each object has lots of room all by it's self to just exist- how a bowl of fifteen apples becomes a bowl of four apples when observed through their eyes!

       Oh and those toes- with just a hint of orange paint- this is the stance of a serious painter- working on a really, really serious piece! Did I mention how much I love that my kids love to paint? Total proud Momma bragging moment here!

     Since these wee ones of ours have gotten more into painting and art I have felt stirrings of my own desire to create in paint again- something that has been put on the back burner for ever so long! Seeing the excitement in the Little's eyes- being excited about colour and shape- no pretension- just art for art's sake- yeah I can dig it!

     Friends it is Friday again- I'm thinking that in between trips to the Farmer's Market and the fabric store, buying sandals for my wee ones and jeans for the Mr.- you could possibly find me fondling tubes of paint at Opus- caressing the brushes and straightening out the cradle panel section (because no one ever cleans up that isle)! I think a few new colours and a blank canvas are just what I need to get started again- and maybe some Pouring Medium! Hope your own weekend is filled to the brim with sunshine and creativity!

P.S. The Boy just wanted me to let you all know that the picture of him painting in the middle is actually Pineapples that he is painting- not apples- cause Pineapples are yellow and apples are read dontcha know!

In My Kitchen

Apple Crisp

The Goods:

4-6 small/ medium apples peeled and diced into cubes
1 cup blueberries
1 hand full of chopped walnuts

topping:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup butter

The Deal:

-peel and coarsely cube apples until they fill the bottom of a casserole dish- about 2 inches high- mix in blue berries and walnuts.
- for the topping mix all dry ingredients into one bowl- cut in butter until you have a pebbly consistency
- sprinkle topping on top of fruit, place into a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes- serves six.

      This fall weather as got me feeling all snugly and cozy lately and this is the perfect fall recipe to tuck into. Inspired by the apple crisp that my mom used to make all the time when we were growing up our own Littles love this dish just as much as my sister and I did when we were young. Full of healthy apples and blue berries this is the perfect treat for breakfast when topped with Greek yogurt or an afternoon snack with a drizzle of milk. Topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce this makes a decedent yet healthy dessert.

     It has been my experience as a mom that when the weather is miserable and the day becomes an inside day little people get restless and dare I say it "bored". Apple Crisp is the perfect way to make the day special and your house smell delish! This is a great gateway recipe to get kids involved in food preparation- picking out the apples, watching as you peel them, playing with the curly whirly peels, making the topping, setting the timer and "checking" on dessert through the window in the stove- Littles love to help out in the kitchen!

Pinned It- Did It

    I love Pinterest- I "pin" a lot of stuff often- I have all ready discussed this addiction here - but lets refresh- I like to Pin and often! I came across this cute little project the other day and thought that our littles would love this- anything to do with paint they are in- throw in some glue even better! This project is super short and simple- just the project to do with a half hour to spare before lunch. To start with I cut out a very simple tree top and trunk- which the littles then glued to a piece of back paper.

    The use of a few corks as stamps for leaves and apples was a fun change of pace - creating unusual shapes and patterns while at the same time being really easy for the kids to grasp. The original project on Pinterest was a fall project with yellows,oranges and reds- but I was feeling inspired by all the apple orchards we had been surrounded by all weekend. A discussion on apple trees and growing followed by a snack of sliced apples after lunch rounded out our apple project!

   This was a cute and easy project that bridged the gap between outside time and lunch time- it helped everyone unwind a bit and also got them excited about eating their apples after lunch! The use of corks in lieu of traditional painting tools is a valuable  experience as kids can learn to be flexible and to value surprise at the outcome of their work. Corks are just one type of alternative mark making tool- what other tools have you used to create fun and interesting marks? I would love if everyone shared!

ps- feel free to follow me on Pinterest! Just click the red Pinterest button to the right of the screen!