Apple Banana Cupcakes!

I came across a cupcake recipe that I made and absolutely loved... Apple Banana Cupcakes! This might sound like a strange combination but I thought I would try it anyway and they were fantastic! Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
2/3 Cup shortening
1 1/4 Cups white sugar
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 Cup buttermilk
1 Cup ripe bananas, mashed
2 Apples, peeled, cored and shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour 24 muffin cups or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set Aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Then stir in the vanilla and buttermilk.

3. Beat in the flour mixture just until it is incorporated. Fold in the mashed bananas and shredded apples. Fill each muffin cup half way.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

These were some of the best cupcakes I have ever made, so yummy, perfect for fall.

Just as a side note, if you eat these with apple cider or hot tea they taste even better! I hope you try the recipe. It's a little bit difficult but well worth the time.

I am going to be trying a few new cupcake recipes over the next couple of weeks so expect more yummy recipes to come!

Until Next Time

- xoxo

Ice Cream in a Bag and Homemade Apple Chips!

What I'm going to post about today are two new things that I tried over the weekend.

The first thing is Ice Cream in a Bag! This is really tasty and only takes around 10 minutes!

This is what you're going to need!

1 Cup of half and half
2 Tablespoons of sugar
1/2 Teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 Cup of course salt
Ice cubes
1 Pint-sized plastic baggie
1 Gallon-size plastic baggie

So what you're going to do add the half and half, sugar and vanilla into the pint-sized baggie and mix it.

Next you're going to fill the gallon-sized baggie about half way with ice cubes and sprinkle the course salt on top of the ice cubes. Then place the pint-sized baggie into the gallon-sized baggie.

Now shake the bag until the mixture turns to a solid ice cream. This will take anywhere from 3-8 minutes.

Finally, take the pint-sized bag of ice cream out and rinse it to get all of the salt off the bag. Now open the bag and eat it!

This was really yummy! I think the next time I make it I'm going to put in some coconut extract or maybe some orange peel!

So the next thing I'm going to write about are apple chips! These are super simple and super yummy.

What You'll Need:
2 Apples (I used a red delicious and a honey crisp)
2 Tablespoons of sugar
1 Teaspoon of cinnamon (I used a little bit more because I love apples and cinnamon!)
Non-stick baking spray

First, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Then, mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Now, you're going to core the apples. If you've never done this before it might be a little bit difficult. I had never cored an apple before so here is what I did. First I cut off the bottom of the apple, then I cut around the core and pushed it out! That's it!

You are going to cut the apple into slices, the easiest way to do this is by using a mandolin. They need to be cut about 2 mm thick. This can also be done with a knife if you don't have a mandolin.

Place some parchment paper on a baking sheet, spray some of the non-stick spray onto the parchment paper. Now arrange the apple slices in a single layer. Once all of the apples are lined up sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top of the apples.

Finally, bake in the oven for about 2 hours. My apples took a little bit longer, I had to bake mine for about 2 and a half hours. You really want to look for the apples crisping.

Now eat them! They are so yummy!! You're going to love them!

I hope you try these out at home for yourself because they are both really simple and really delicious!

Until Next Time!
-xoxo

All About Plaid!

Today I am going to be talking about my all time favorite thing for fall...Plaid! I normally write about two or three things per post but I really feel as if plaid is something that should get its own post.

Okay, so I know a lot of people who stray away from plaids but I happen to love them. Plaids are a staple in my wardrobe. I think that most people who I know who stray away from plaids do so because they associate them with farmers and other people like that, but really, it has become appropriate for all of us non-farmers to wear plaid!

Plaids are making a comeback, finding themselves on runways this season!

So you might be asking yourself, how do I wear plaid? Well, I normally wear plaid with jeans and boots (either a flat black boot or the Ugg type of boots).  For me wearing plaid is all about it looking effortless and comfortable. Plaid is so easy to wear that anyone, any shape and any size can pull it off.

Whenever I go shopping with friends and they ask about buying a piece that is plaid I always tell them to go for it! Plaid shirts are great for Autumn weather, they look cute one everyone and just really are a great way to ease yourself into the Fall season.

Another item that is plaid that I really like is the plaid dress. This might seem odd to some of you but you really have to give it a chance.  Most women, in most cases that I have seen who wear plaid dresses tend to look like they are 12 years old, and none of us want that, right? So here are some tips on how to wear a plaid dress.

To wear a plaid dress appropriately it would be a good idea to accessorize, wear a belt or a solid colored scarf for example. Accessories like these are going to downplay the plaid and make you look more age appropriate.  Another way to wear a plaid dress is to buy it in a more sophisticated cut and pairing it with tights and a nice pair of pumps. There are examples of both of these in the pictures below.

So I've talked about shirts and dresses and now I want to talk about plaid accessories! These can be a great way yo ease yourself into plaid if you aren'e someone who is comfortable with prints.

The very first thing that I would suggest you go out and get right now (regardless of if you love print or not) is a plaid scarf. I am really in love with the plaid scarf. During the cooler seasons I wear scarfs almost every day and I have a few of them that are plaid. 

This in my opinion is the easiest way to wear plaid. There are so many ways to wear scarves and they flatter everyone, no matter your body type.

So another accessory that I love are purses. I have been seeing plaid purses everywhere lately, and they are so cute and so easy to find.  My personal favorite is Coach, their plaids are just beautiful and in so many colors.

Another way to add plaid to your wardrobe is by buying shoes that have hints of plaid in them. I love this because you can wear a solid colored dress and then wear these shoes and add your print on your feet.

The last and final way to add plaid to your outfit is by getting it on your nails. This may sound odd but it looks very understated and beautiful if it's done the right way.

One last note, this is a plaid DON'T. Please do not ever wear more than one plaid item at a time. It really doesn't look good and you just look like you got swallowed by your grandmas quilt. So for example, do not wear a plaid dress and plaid shoes. Another example, never wear a plaid shirt and a plaid scarf, you get...right?

I really hope that this has inspired you to love plaid! Or at the very least, try it on and maybe start with baby steps, like a scarf or a purse. Just remember to have fun with it and remember my rules!

Until Next Time!

- xoxo

I've Been Gone, But I'm Back! Some New Items for Autumn!

So I haven't blogged in quite some time, sorry for my absence. But I'm back now and, and I'm going to try and write at least one post a week, maybe more depending on how much time I have.

So today I am going to write about two things, both pertaining to Autumn, the absolute best season of the year!

The first thing that I want to write about is one my favorite things about Fall, Apple Cider. It's one of my favorite drinks during the colder months. I live in Virginia so the weather has steadily been dropping over the past week or so. So if you are like me and love to drink apps cider, try this recipe!

4 Cups of apple cider
2 Tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of real maple syrup
1-1/4 Cinnamon sticks
4 Whole cloves
4 Whole allspice berries
5/8 orange peel, cut into strips
5/8 lemon peel, cut into strips

Here are the instructions:

1. Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan.

2. Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.

3. Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.

4. Remove the cider from the hear. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big  cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving if desired.

It's perfect for those cooler days, I even like to substitute it for my morning coffee sometimes!

The other thing that I want to write about is Halloween candy. I got an email from Godiva Chocolatier and they just put out their Halloween treats! I say that if you are going to candy on Halloween (as an adult and who doesn't want to eat chocolate!), it might as well taste and great and what's better than Godiva chocolate.

Godiva has a lot of chocolatey treats for Halloween, the first being Milk Chocolate Mummies! Aren't they cute?!

The second item that I think looks so delicious are the Assorted Halloween Chocolate Lollipops! The lollipops include a pumpkin, a ghost, a skull and a bat. They are so festive for Halloween!

The last thing from Godiva that I want to mention are the Pumpkin Patch Truffles! These truffles are filled with creamy pumpkin-spice ganache wrapped in milk chocolate. YUM!

I think that about wraps up this post! I'll try and post again next week, enjoy the long weekend! Happy Columbus Day!

Until Next Time

- xoxo