Pumpkins, Ponderings, and Apple Crisp

I just had to share a few recent pictures since the last time I shared with you guys I wasn't able to.  A couple weeks ago, we went down to the quaint, little pumpkin patch "down the road", The Penny Pumpkin Patch.  We look forward to picking out pumpkins every year, and since moving back to my hometown this spot has been our place to go!  It's a fun family tradition.

This sweet place is in a tiny community named Penny which is basically in the middle of nowhere, but isn't that the best place for a pumpkin patch to be?!  If you head out of town, it's somewhere between the horse farms, soybean fields, and all the smoking tobacco barns. 

Speaking of, I have to share with you a snippet of my country life.  I have never used tobacco a minute in my life, but we live in in the middle tobacco farm country.  Every fall when the harvested tobacco smokes in the barns, it is simply the quintessential smell of early autumn in the country!  If you open your windows on a brisk late September morning and smell the woodsy campfire type scent wafting in, it's a sign that the new season is at hand. I'm sure it must be funny to think about if you're not familiar with the scent or the country way of life, but for most of the people around here it's a familiar, endearing scent that welcomes fall to Kentucky! 

The love of my life!

Whenever we're at the patch I love seeing our kids run free around the pumpkins, their heart so excited their legs can hardly keep up!  We let them pick out one of their favorite pumpkins to take home.  Our daughter takes her task very seriously, where as our son just likes to mostly run and climb on whatever is around.  (With a very energetic 5 and 6 years old every single errand is an adventure, to say the least!!) I decided on a beautiful deep orange trio of pumpkins that came stacked up and ready to adorn our front porch!

I had to steal a picture of me with my beautiful little girl as she is bursting with excitement to be picking out her 2016 pumpkin! 

Just look at those dark brown eyes you could get lost in... and those eyelashes!  She's a cutie!! 

God knows and see her little heart.  I pray that I'm meeting her needs as a mommy should. Parenting has been one of the biggest leaps of faith from the very start.  It is a day by day, hour by hour reminder that I need daily help from the Lord.  I love our children with all my being, but I imperfectly guide them while trusting God's grace to cover us in the process. 

More than anything, I want to raise adults who love God with their whole being

and love people... out loud! 

Simple goal as it is, ultimately it will be their decision to make.  

My nickel parenting advice? 

Faith. (in God) 

Trust. (In God)

Prayer. (With each breath.)

Love (The best you can.)

Repeat.

Back home we set out the pumpkin bounty on the front and back porch and the mums I bought at the grocery. I admire the little acorns we have by the millions around our porch.  The giant oak trees loom overhead and shower our place with acorns. 

I happen to like things like that. :)

Inside I've began to set a cozy scene with the fire in the fireplace!  Most mornings are chilly enough to turn it on as I sip a quick cup of coffee during the week or my 2-3 cups I linger over on the weekends! I have bits of fall décor peeking out here and there!  I've since added more from the time this picture was taken, but it's real life here. This mama doesn't have time to stage photos these days, yet I don't want that to keep me from sharing my home with you! 

So, I've had requests for some of the recipes of things I've been making in the kitchen. and I don't want to let my cozy followers down!...

 I'm letting you all in on a delicious and easy recipe I've been making for years and years every fall!  It's a classic apple crisp recipe with dried cranberries and cinnamon. I like to bake crumbles and crisps in the fall months filled with warm and chewy fruit and topped with a crumbly oat topping! This one is a snap to put together. It's a perfect dessert with some cold milk or a decadent breakfast with a steamy cup of coffee!  Fresh out of the oven with some vanilla ice cream for us!

Cinnamon-Apple Berry Crumble

6 cups of sliced and peeled apples (about 6 medium)

1 c. dried cranberries

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

3/4 c. oats, quick cook or old fashioned if you want more texture

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Ice cream if you want it extra delicious!

Heat oven to preheat at 375 F.  In a large bowl mix apples, cranberries, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Spoon into an ungreased 11x7 baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix remaining ingredients with a fork until crumbly.  Spoon over the fruit mixture.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until apples are tender, juice bubbles and topping is golden brown!  Serve warm with ice cream!

Note: I'm sure you could make this with fresh cranberries if you add some extra sugar and cook it a little longer.

Moments Like This!

"Taste and see that the Lord is Good! 

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"

Psalm 34:8

I just have to share this moment with you all. 

The morning is just gorgeous, as God really is showing off His amazing creativity in the form of the fall colors dazzling the trees on our property. 

I have the sliding door opened enough to allow the refreshing breeze in so I can smell the scent of fall tobacco barns smoking here in rural Kentucky and hear the sounds of the leaves rustling and my children playing with all their might outside!

The crow in the distance.  Our kitty's meow.  The wind shaking the tree tops as the changes of season feels so tangible this time of year as it's whisking itself in and out and all around!  Summer seems to literally blow out and winter eventually blows in before settling.

I didn't "stage" these pictures, but instead wanted you to see a glimpse of what I'm surrounded by right now as I sip coffee at the computer.  There's library books stacked on the coffee table and throws left here and there.  A homemade pink crown resting in all it's royalty as it's princess is busy chasing her brother in the leaves.



I can glance around the room to see sweet faces and be reminded of the blessing of children God has miraculously given us through means of adoption and an obedient heart!  Here in the den we watch Dr. Quinn curled up on our biggest couch every night.  The same couch we all seem to still scrunch together on in the slow mornings we share together most weekends.  Of course we plant ourselves under our favorite soft blankets with a myriad of books or toys at any given time!

The kids have no school on Fridays (all the sleep deprived moms say, Amen!), so we're able to sleep in longer and lazily wake up at our own pace. 

I can't honestly paint a perfect picture here because as much as I would love to say we all wake up with happy hearts and smiles every day, that's just not always the case!!  We're real people and there are times of chaos and crazy emotions in our home over favorite clothes being washed instead of ready to wear, sibling rivalry over who brushes their teeth faster, or the fact we ran out of orange juice.  You all get it! ;)

It's all the more reason to be thankful for the peaceful times!  Like this very moment that is (not necessarily quiet) but peaceful nonetheless, and I can feel joy in my family! 

I trust God for joy in my life everyday, but there are certain moments where I can actually feel it like the warmth of my coffee cup in my hands!

My heart is overflowing like this sunshine pouring into the room, with the favor of the Lord and His goodness in my life.  Mornings naturally seem to be my time for reflection and talking to the Lord, if only for a moment.   Even if I'm in the middle of laundry, making the bed, or responding to email... I seem to be taken aback with what He has for us in the new day.  It helps to fuel my wanting to give Him and my family the very best of me! 

How are you inspired?  Do you tend to have a time of day when your soul slows down to see the glory God has given you in nature or in the people placed in your circle?  Let's make time to taste and see that the Lord is good, and to recognize the gifts He has given us!

Happy Fall

Making homemade apple pie with Jonathon apples on this gorgeous October 1st.  My hands and kitchen are a mess but it's so worth it!

Just wanted to pop in and say "hi!!!" To all my friends here.  

                   Happy fall y'all!

*Best Loved* Slow-Cooked Apple Butter

Welcome to a recipe that pretty much sums up the kind of food I love, the rich flavors of the season, the way I want my house to smell, and the homemade coziness I want my blog to convey .....  

Homemade slow cooked apple butter.  

This stuff is wonderful!!!  I'm a country girl at heart, and I grew up in a house in the country with apple trees.  Picking the good ripe apples, throwing the fallen ones over for the cows to eat, and climbing the apple trees were just a part of my growing up!  Apples with cinnamon is a familiar scent, because mom baked so many apple crisps and crumbles and pies in the fall and now I do the same!  There is something about the smell of cooking apples with spice takes me away to a picturesque and safe place in my soul. :)

I love the taste of creamy apple butter, so when I found this recipe I knew I had to attempt making it.  I published this recipe 2 years ago at Inspired By Family, and I'm excited that I'm finally getting around to bringing it to my blog.

This was my first attempt at making this spread homemade, and it turned out more delicious than expected!  Making it in the slow cooker allowed the process to be a bit more relaxed than other canning I've done, and it also filled the house with a cozy aroma!  This homemade apple butter is an excellent gift for family or something good to eat on all winter long with a flaky biscuit and a steamy cup of coffee.  

Slow Cooked Apple Butter

Recipe from Cooking with K

1/2-1 cups Water or Apple Cider

8-10 Whole Apples (I used Gala) washed, cored, and chopped

1-2 cups Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoons Ground Cloves

1/8 teaspoons Allspice

1/8 teaspoons Nutmeg

1/2 teaspoons Salt

 Chop all of the apple, only leaving the core.  I left the peel on for just a bit of texture and fiber.

Place apples in the slow cooker and add sugar and spices.  Stir to combine. 

Add the water or cider. 

(If using cider, you may not want to add as much sugar as you would with water.)

Set cooker on high and bring to a bubble. 

Then turn down to low and cook for 6-8 hours, stirring every couple of hours.  If it needs to cook down even more, leave the lid propped open for a while.

The apple butter is done when it has a very deep color, apples are cooked to pieces, and it has thickened. 

Use a hand blender or food processor to cream it all together until smooth.  I had success using a hand blender right in the pot.  Easy and nothing extra to clean.

To can apple butter, you will need to buy jars and sterilize them in a boiling water bath or put in your dishwasher on "sterilize" setting.

To sterilize in a water bath, you will need to place a kitchen towel in the bottom of a sauce pot and fill halfway with water.  Turn jars upside down in the cold water and bring to a boil.  Boil over medium heat for 15 minutes.  Sterilize the jar lids, rings, and the end of your kitchen tongs in another pot the same way.  Never touch the inside of a jar or lid with your bare hands.  Use a tong for the lids and kitchen towel for the jars. 

Fill the jars to 1/2 inch from the top and take the end of a towel and dip in boiling water.  Wipe the rim of the jar very clean.  Place the lid onto the jar straight out of the water it was sterilized in, being careful not to touch it.  Take the tongs and get a ring.  You can place the ring with your hands to secure the jar.

When all of the jars are filled, place filled jars in a deep saucepan and boil over medium heat for 15 minutes.  Makes about 4 pints.

Remove and let cool on the counter over night. You know the jars have sealed with you hear the popping coming from the lids becoming vacuum tight once removed from the boiling water.  Store the jars of apple butter in the pantry, but if for some reason a jar doesn't seal properly, store in the fridge and use first. 

It won't last long!

Classic Banana Nut Muffins with Vanilla Bean- Cinnamon Glaze

Chilly mornings outside call for a cozy fireplace and a hot breakfast to warm the body and soul!  Banana-nut muffins are one of those classic recipes that smell divine, taste delicious, and call you back to your Grandma's kitchen table.  My muffins are topped with an easy vanilla bean-cinnamon glaze that makes them a real treat!  I use vanilla bean paste which is one of my favorite things ever!  You can find it in specialty food stores or order it online.  It's certainly worth the hassle to find, but if you don't any real vanilla extract is delicious too.  

A batch of these muffins are perfect on a November day to serve to your family after raking leaves or accompany your afternoon coffee while you're starting your Christmas list!  There really isn't a time when fresh baked muffins wouldn't be delicious!  

I hope you'll find time to revel in this festive season of Thanksgiving hush before the holiday bustle really begins!

Banana Nut Muffins 

From: Keeping Good Company Cookbook

3 c. All purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. Butter, melted

1 c. Milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 c. Very Ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 c. Walnuts, chopped (pecans are delicious too)

Vanilla Bean- Cinnamon Glaze:

(I "eye balled" this recipe, so I don't have exact proportions here.. Sorry but that's how I tend cook sometimes, but here is a good idea of what I did. Delicious!)

1-2 Tbsp. Butter, softened

1/2. Tsp. vanilla bean paste (or extract)

Dash cinnamon

1 c. Powdered sugar, sifted 

1-2 Tbsp. Milk

Stir butter, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Add the sugar and gradually milk until the right smooth consistency you want.  It is a glaze, so you still want it a little runny.  Heat in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds and stir until smooth.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine all the dry ingredients.  Combine all the wet ingredients, except bananas.  Fold the wet ingredients gently into the dry until carefully mixed.  Next fold in the bananas and nuts until just blended.  

Scoop into greased muffin tins (if using paper liners, still spray with baking spray) and fill about 2/3 full with batter.  Makes about 18 muffins.  Bake for 16-18 minutes.  

Let cool for about 10 minutes before carefully spreading on the glaze.  It will drop down the sides, but that's okay!

Enjoy while warm and freeze leftovers, if you have any, for a fast breakfast treat.

Who else is loving the leaf piles these days?!!

Have a sweet day!

Thank You for 5 Years!!!

This week celebrates 5 years of recipes from The Cozy Little Kitchen!

It's hard to believe 5 years have passed since I first started my humble adventure here with so much excitement but little knowledge of how to blog!  We lived in a charming carriage house style apartment owned by our dear friends.  It was very cozy with a small kitchen so I knew my blog title had to incorporate those very things. 

Now, we own a 1940s cape cod cottage!  I still have a cozy little kitchen, but much bigger than before!  

I love my cheery yellow kitchen with antique plates on the wall, aprons hung, and jars filled with coffee and candy scattered around.  It's a galley style with a sunny window, original baseboards and a new school house style light!  I find it's the prettiest in the glow of candles because it takes me back to a simpler time...

...as I hope this blog does for you!

Friends, thank you so much for reading my recipes, my life stories, and my heart because that's exactly what I share here. Although life has become less organized as a mom of two busy kids, I plan on writing and sharing with you as long as I can!  Please join me into my 6th year here at The Cozy Little Kitchen and at my newer family blog, Bringing Home Baby C.

May you always leave here with a bit of refreshment from God and inspiration to not only cook more but enjoy it, too!

Happy November!  I am so thankful to God for you all!!!

~Leslie

A Hayride Favorite! Sweet & Salty Haystacks

Today is a chilly cloudy day!  It's so Autumn like with my windows open and a candle burning away on the mantle.  I just love this type of day!  Drinking coffee, staying in pjs (for most of the day, yes) and watching a movie with the kids amongst ironing and laundry.

Right now my first pot of chili of the season is simmering away in the Dutch oven, and it smells divine!  

We've been cutting back on excessive desserts, but this particular day seems to be asking for a cozy treat to surprise my family with!  I just remembered an old favorite that's quick to make and never fails to please.

One of my favorite fall time treats, and the only candy I make for this time of year are haystacks!!!  Aww... What a classic easy recipe with flavors of butterscotch, peanuts, and chow mein noodles that somehow evolve into a little mound of goodness!  

I'm not sure exactly why I think if them as an Autumnal goody except I think of butterscotch and caramel this time of year with their rich flavors, and I used to make big batches of haystacks every year for family hayrides. They are perfect to munch on while singing in a hay covered wagon in the country!   I just needed to bring this recipe back and introduce them to our children.

So craving these I decided to whip up a batch using what I had in the cabinets.  I don't keep chow mein noodles on hand, so I though I would dive into my favorite combination of salty and sweet instead. Thus adding buttery crushed ritz crackers and salty (goldfish) pretzels!  

Glorious sweet golden mixture is this, but I really think the salty crackers and pretzels set this apart from the original.  It's the easiest "candy" treat in the world to make, and so within 10 minutes I have a pan of haystack beauties.  Crunchy haystacks waiting to cool by the open window as the chilly air invades my cozy home.  This is truly my kind of day!  Please excuse me while I enjoy one, and you should do the same!

Sweet & Salty Haystacks

1 c. Butterscotch chips

1/2 c. Peanut butter

Melt these together in a double boiler or carefully in intervals in the microwave.

1/2 c. Peanuts

1 c. Crushed ritz crackers (1/2 a sleeve)

1 c. Pretzels (I had goldfish:)

Stir these three ingredients into the melted butterscotch and peanut butter mixture.  

Spoon out onto wax paper and allow to cool and set until firm...  Wait if you can!

Savor the moment of the perfect first bite!

Classic Autumn Apple Crumble

I'm sitting a quiet home while my family sleeps in this morning, and the peace is almost too wonderful to handle!  (I love knowing my husband and children are here.)  The window is cracked enough for the cool fall-like temperature to sweep inside our home on this early September morning.  I actually have a soft robe on over my pjs and my coffee in hand as I reflect on my life.

Fall is near!  Autumn's warm and cozy tastes and smells and colors that wrap you like a Grandma's warm embrace is almost at our door step, and I couldn't be happier!  Yesterday was simply gorgeous!  The sky was blue and the air crisp, lacking any Southern humidity at all!  

After spending a special day with my lovely grandparents and cousins, we retreated home for naps.  Well, the rest of my crew did.  I gathered the ingredients and baked up a surprise treat of the season's first apple crumble!

Chopped apples with cinnamon topped with a buttery, brown sugary oat crunch sprinkled over the top and baked till bubbly and crisp on the edges.  I had leftover German roasted pecans from a recent baseball game we attended so I added those to take this rustic dessert to the next level!  I also tossed in some golden raisins since I had them.  

What a way to usher in the fall season but with a warm cozy apple crumble fresh from the oven.  Top it with ice cream or eat it simply with milk or a cup of coffee!  Anyway you choose with be a delicious start to this beautiful season!  

Classic Apple Crumble

Filling:

4-5 medium apples (I used Granny Smith and Gala)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1-2 Tbsp. Brown sugar

Topping:

1c. Oats

1c. brown sugar

1/2c. Flour

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Apple pie spice

1/2 c. Butter

Dash of salt

1/2 c. Pecans, chopped-optional

Peel and dice apples into about 1 inch pieces.  Toss with cinnamon and sugar and pour mixture into a 2 quart dish or pie plate.

In a large bowl, mix together oats, sugar, flour, and spices.  "Cut" in the butter until blended into course crumbs.  Stir in pecans.  Pour the crumble over the apples and bake at 350 degrees F. for 35-40 minutes.  Serve warm!

Easy Homemade Cookie Butter Frosting!

Candy corn, sprinkles and cupcakes for a chilly, wet October day.  Life is sweet!

First I'm happy to share that finally (!) just this week, the trees have really become brilliant in color, and the leaves seem to delicately sprinkle from the sky, creating a carpet of many colors in our yard! This beauty is a gift from our Creator!  I'm loving every day of it.

Yesterday, I wanted to make a fun treat that the children could help with, something I could top with festive sprinkles that would be delicious in the way of the fall season!  The kids love cupcakes!  I already had a box yellow cake mix ... perfect!!  They helped me mix up the batter by pouring in ingredients and stirring, even though we used the stand mixer.  My little helpers had a ball in the kitchen!  The park--in all it's jungle-gym glory--wouldn't make them as happy as they are when making dessert with Mommy! :D

The yellow cupcakes baked so moist and tender.  I used extra large eggs which just work best in baking, and we mixed the batter... A lot!  I think those things helped to produce a really fluffy cupcake.  Not to mention, box mixes can make fantastic, easy cakes!

However, I did want to make a decadent homemade frosting to top our cupcakes with.  While the kids napped, I decided to whip the frosting together and do "my magic" to surprise them with some finished ones when they got up!  I was about to make my go-to rich chocolate frosting which is a classic with yellow cake, but I wanted to be adventurous and try out something new!  

Mr. Cozy and I absolutely love Biscoff cookie butter, and he has mentioned to me before about making another dessert using that.  Last year I made some outrageously good mini cookie trifles and topped them with cookie butter whipped cream.  It was certainly a winning recipe that I happened to make on the fly.  Don't you just love those sudden ideas!

(FYI: Cookie butter isn't butter at all, but a sweet cinnamon-gingerbready tasting spread that is wonderful alone, on graham crackers, or in recipes like this!  If you've ever had a classic Biscoff cookie, you know what (Biscoff) cookie butter tastes like.)

So I decided to make Cookie Butter Frosting!!!  I can't take credit for the recipe, but I'm so glad I found it on Pinterest.  It's really easy to make, has only 4 ingredients, has the perfect consistency, and it is delicious! The cookie butter frosting tasted perfect on yellow cupcakes, but it would look beautiful piled high on chocolate cupcakes, too!   Hmm..... 

Please. You have to try cookie butter frosting to jazz up your own box cupcakes or any other special cookie or cake!  

Happy Fall Baking Y'all!!!

Homemade Cookie Butter Frosting

Adapted from Dinner Dishes and Dessert

1 c. Butter (2 sticks)

1 c. Cookie Butter, such as Biscoff (mine was Trader Joes)

4 c. Powdered Sugar

4 Tbsp. Half n half

With an electric mixer, beat together butter and cookie butter.  Mix until blended.  Turn down the mixer to low, add the milk, and slowly add the sugar.  Add a little more more milk or sugar if you need to get a different consistency.  Turn the mixer up and beat until no lumps remain.

Frost onto cooled cupcakes.  Refrigerate cupcakes if you're making them for the next day.

Will be more than enough frosting for 24 cupcakes. :)

Apple Pie & Autumn Days

I Love Autumn!!!

There is something so comforting about fall's sights, smells and, of course, tastes. 

 

 

You know what I mean ... the crisp blue sky and the colors in nature going from summer's green to rusts, golds, plums, and blazing red.  

 

The smell of leaves on the ground (you know what I'm talking about) takes me back to my early childhood.  Jumping in huge piles of freshly raked leaves with my little brother is a favorite memory of mine!  My children are loving the beautiful colored leaves on the ground and collecting them along with acorns for a little fall "display" on our porch!  Precious.

It's pumpkin patch time, and we all go as a family for the very first time!! Here we are riding out to the patch together on a wagon!

 

What a dream come true for us...  Something I've looked forward to for many years! 

 The children's eyes lit up, as did my heart when they ran through the patch finding their perfect pumpkin!!

 

Back at home, get out the comfy throws and add an extra blanket to the bed for chilly nights in our upstairs attic-like master bedroom.  Blankets are my friends in cold weather, just ask my husband! 

 

This time of year our homes begin to smell like Grandma's house with vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin fragrances wafting in and out of rooms.  

 

We bring out our cozy recipes that simmer long and slow and start baking desserts that are really our favorite, like pumpkin spice muffins and pecan pie. 

 

And apple pie!  

 

 

Windows are opened again during the day to air out and cool off, and fireplaces are ablaze at night and early morning.  

 

Rainy days that bring in cold fronts give an additional excuse to light our candles and brew afternoon coffee... Such as this particular day last Saturday.  A perfect day!

The children were resting, and Mr. Cozy and I had an impromptu date in our living room!  I made Nana's (perfect) apple pie to really give us a taste of the season.  He made amazing coffee with extra fluffy foam on top.  He topped it off with a dusting of Pennsylvania maple sugar that Papa gave us as a yummy gift. Oh my!!

Melt in your mouth apple pie, perfect coffee, rainy afternoon, candles and sharing it all with the love of my life!.... What could be better?!

My new book, Women Living Well!!!  

When my blog "friend" Courtney Joseph just released her first book, I had to preorder it.  I was thrilled it came in on a rainy weekend so I could really dig in and read!!  

And oh, how it's a good read!

Courtney loves Jesus with all her heart, and she has an amazing online ministry (Women Living Well).  She is so lovely in spirit and genuinely enjoys all things home & family as I do, but she is also very real and relatable!  When I read this book, I feel as though she's talking to me in my own home, as a friend does.  This book is encouraging to read and the more I do the more I want to serve my family and draw closer to the Lord.  She and I have never met, but we certainly could be close friends!

(There are a few of you whom I feel the very same way about:)

Y'all really need to try out Nana's apple pie recipe (delicious!) and also this book if you haven't yet!   

My life has even more facets now, but I still like to keep pleasures simple, and I draw the rest I need from God's love and grace.  He is the only constant in our changing lives, and the return of Autumn reminds me of that. :)

 

If you love apple desserts like we do, you must check out my Caramel Apple Cake and Best Apple Crisp!  

 

 Linking up with friends at: