There is a lot of baking happening next week, and I’ve been testing out a few new recipes too. I can’t wait to get started cooking for Thanksgiving though, it has become my very favorite holiday.
I have a little sneak peek photo to share…
Easy breadmaker coffee-cake. I think this would be perfect for Christmas breakfast.
Last week Miss Agnes was in charge of snacks for her preschool. I needed something healthy to make, and I wanted to use what I had on hand at home. We decided on Oatmeal Muffins for the kiddos.
I doubled the batch. It made enough for the class, and for the teachers too. Everyone liked them too.
So while I was baking, I got to thinking about the Christmas party at preschool next month. I’ve been trying my best to stay ahead of the holidays this year, so maybe I won’t be so stressed when they finally arrive.
I need to have twenty-one little gifts for the kids. I also need to make three gifts for the teachers. I decided on crocheted scarves for the teachers, and handmade ornaments for the kids.
I crocheted twenty-one little granny-stars in assorted colors. I think they will do the trick for the little preschool gifts, and they were very budget friendly too.
I think I spent the entire month in the kitchen. I forgot to get some pictures of the goodies though. I do have a few to share, and I’m out of flour again…
I’ve been testing out a few recipes for Thanksgiving pies. This is the filling for my Black & Blue Pie.
I’ve got the pie crust down. This Black & Blue pie was crazy delicious!
The color of the finished pie filling is lovely too. This pie was sweet, with just a little bite of tart. Thanks to my gardening buddy for surprising me with a big batch of homegrown blackberries.
I’ve dubbed these the Breadstick Dinner Rolls. I use the same dough that I make into pizza rolls, and breadsticks, I just roll the dough into balls instead. These bake up beautifully, and they store well in the fridge too. The family liked them so much, that I have to make a double batch every time.
I found an Angel Food cake pan at my favorite antique shop. I made an Angel Food cake to celebrate. The kids didn’t care for it, but I loved it. Angel Food cake is sweet and delicious.
More Breadstick Dinner Roll dough ready to be rolled.
Lately I’ve been working on making as much as I can from scratch. I was making a big batch of Chili, so I sorted through light red kidney beans, and dark red beans. I soaked them, and then cooked them in the Crock Pot. They were delicious, and very cost effective too.
Of course a big pot of Chili calls for Homemade Cornbread. I made some muffins, since I was serving guests.
In October we celebrated Agnes’ and James’ birthdays. I made lots of homemade treats for Agnes’ birthday party. These were Vanilla Cupcakes complete with Homemade Vanilla Buttercream.
On every birthday Agnes makes her request for homemade Milk Chocolate Brownies. These are made from scratch, and they are rich. I also made a batch of Iced Cake Mix cookies too.
We made some pink and purple wedding mints too. I flavored these with Vanilla instead of mint. They taste just like yummy icing.
I had a bit of cake batter left over, so I baked a little round. I used a biscuit cutter to cut out five circles, and I made little mini layer cakes for Agnes’ birthday cake. She loved the little cake that was just for her.
All of the family was sticking around for dinner, so I made a big batch of Cakerdoodles for dessert.
A few days later it was time to celebrate James’ birthday. I made him a Chocolate Bundt Cake (from scratch), and I made a second one to take to my neighbor too. I forgot to take pictures, but the cakes were crazy tasty!
A little closer to Halloween, and I needed treats for both of the boy’s classrooms. Dylan’s party was first thing in the morning, and Thade’s was in the afternoon. Thade and I racked our brains on what was healthy to bring, but hungry 5th graders would eat too. He decided that Banana muffins would do the trick. I made a double batch from scratch, and not a single one of them came home. He said they were gone and everyone wanted more. I’ll have to quadruple the batch next time for the kiddos.
Dylan knew exactly what he wanted to bring, and the super sweet room mom approved.
I whipped up a double batch of Cinnamon Rolls.
I iced them with homemade Vanilla Buttercream frosting. They were a big hit!
November is here, and I have already been busy in the kitchen. I’ve got the Thanksgiving menu and desserts planned, I can’t wait to celebrate and give thanks. Time to get back to it.
I meant to have this up earlier, but November snuck up on me. I’m already looking forward to Thanksgiving, and lots of dessert making. The weather is chilly and cool, and perfect for Autumn dishes. I’m still taking a little help in the kitchen with a few take-out nights, and I’m also keeping the menu simple during Thanksgiving.
Time to make some shopping lists, and get to it.
Holy moly there has been a whole lot of baking going on!