Homemade Apple Fritter Bites

You might have seen our Apple Sauce Recipe we made last week after our annual apple picking trip. Well, we still have apples left over! In an effort to use the apples to make something absolutely delicious, I decided to test a small batch of Apple Fritter bites to see what the general consensus was - I will definitely be making them again!

APPLE FRITTER BITES

makes about a dozen

vegetable oil

3/4 cups flour

1/8 granulated sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/3 cup milk

1 egg beaten

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. butter, melted

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, & cubed

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Heat oil in pan or fryer to 350F. I used a non-stick pan and about 1/4 inch of oil. Mix dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon) and set aside. In another bowl, add eggs lightly beaten. Add vanilla and milk to the eggs and lightly whisk together. Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, fold it gently until not quite combined, then add in melted butter and mix. Fold in cubed, peeled apples into the batter.

Add 1 tablespoon of batter into the heated oil. Once golden brown remove from the oil and set on paper towel to drain. 

Dip, or drizzle, fritters into the glaze while still warm.

Our Week In Review

a few pictures from this past week including a trip to Ben & Jerry's, visiting daddy at work, our 4th wedding anniversary, Mema and Pop-Pop babysitting for the weekend, sleeping past 6am, Avery going to temple for the first time, staining a dining room table, making a towel rack, mod podging Avery's stool and putting my brother to work sanding a Jenga.

TWO!!

We are a few weeks late but I am still in disbelief that we have a two year old! Although not surprising, Avery decided to hit the terrible two's with full force. Everyone keeps telling me that three is worse and if that is the case, we are in for some serious trouble (and in need of lots of wine).

This year we decided to split up his party instead of having one big one. We were lucky to be able to grab a spot for his party at the farm he loves - Muscoot Farm. Since the party was from 10am - 12pm we decided to do brunch style food. We picked up bagels that morning and brought pastries, fruit and other snacks for the kids. We also brought juices and water and called it a day.

We had tables set up under the trees, access to roam the farm to look at all the animals and a private hayride around the farm. We certainly lucked out with a gorgeous day! It was simple and relaxed and everyone had such a great time.

We decided to have Avery's family party at our house which dually served as his 2nd birthday and a house warming since a lot of our family hasn't been up to see our new house. Avery has been big into baseball this summer so we had a Yankee themed party. Thanks to my awesome mother-in-law for providing the fun table cloths and baseball napkins, my sister for making such a great tie-dyed baseball cake, and for everyone else's help in setting up.

This party took a little more effort since we did more cooking than picking up bagels.  The spread included sausage and peppers, hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches, corn pudding, tomato, cucumber and pasta salads and chicken and waffles. Everything was delicious!

The night before his birthday, Keith and I spend some time decorating the living room with balloons of his favorite characters (Lightning McQueen, who he calls Mater, and Buzz Lightyear), streamers, party hats and noise makers. He was in shock when we walked down the stairs repeatedly saying "Wow!" He was so excited to receive his first bike and continually wants to "ride with the big boys." 

Time is passing so quickly... we must be having fun. What a difference a year makes!

Happy birthday Avery Knox! Mommy and daddy love you so much! We are beyond thrilled with the little man your are turning into. So smart and witty, you are always keeping us on our toes. You are the greatest light we could have ever imagined and we admire watching you learn and grow - although I wish I could keep you little forever!

Homemade Apple Sauce

Fall is my absolute favorite cooking season even though Keith is the chef in the house (No really... He actually went to culinary school).  Between baking, the weather, football and football food, fall is our favorite season.  We really enjoy all of the farm activities that Westchester, NY provides to us.

This weekend, we decided to go apple picking.  There is a great orchard about 15 minutes from our house called Harvest Moon. Each weekend during the season, they have a festival which includes live music, food vendors, hayrides, horse back rides, bounce houses, games, farm animals and much more. Avery, my dad and brother even indulged in a few delicious turkey legs!

Now for the apple sauce! After we came home from the farm, we got to work cooking up a nice big batch.

Here's the recipe:

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 30 min

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: approx 12

- 10-15 apples

- 2 cups water

- 1 cup brown sugar, packed

- 1 cinnamon stick

- 2 teaspoons brown sugar

- Juice of 1 lemon

I started by peeling 10-15 medium sized apples and then coring them. If you don't have a apple corer, you can just cut the meat of the apple off the core. Cut the apples into cubes and toss them into a slow cooker, or a large pot. Add all ingredients and begin to slow cook. Since our slow cooker has recently broken, I threw everything into a pot and put the heat on a low setting for about 30-45 minutes. Periodically whisk the apple mixture until the apples break down.

Once the apples break down, scoop the mixture into mason jars and put in the refrigerator to cool. Once cool, serve and enjoy!

For our small family of three I often freeze some of the apple sauce to save for another time - if it's not all gone before then!

Avery's Art Project

I have been wanting to work with Avery for some time now to create artwork for his room. Since moving in, a year ago, we haven't focused on putting up pictures and artwork and I really want his room to be his own space - somewhere he can go for inspiration. This project is great for nearly any age. I had so much fun with him that I want to make one of my own! Here's the details...

Below are the materials you will need:

• Canvas boards - whichever size you prefer, and however many you want to make
• Painters Tape -  We used two different widths 
• Foam brush
• Acrylic paint - Be sure to use a variation of colors

I was able to start the beginning stages without Avery, so I did the prep work the night before we painted. I started with taking different widths of painters tape and running them in different directions across the canvas. Be sure to gently press the edges (I used my fingernail) to be sure they stick to the canvas. You want to make sure the paint doesn't bleed through and and leave you with funky lines. I also painted the entire board with white acrylic paint as another guard against bleeding paint.

Once the paint dries (approx. 1 hour), it was Avery's turn! We started with the darkest color first using the foam brush.

After that, we implemented a lighter blue to give the colors some contrast. I even added a little white to lighten it up a bit and to make them stand apart even more.

We took a snack break in between the second and third colors. When he wanted to paint again we focused mostly on the third color and this time decided to use his hands. I wanted to make sure almost all of the white canvas was covered so we would distinctly be able to see the white lines. He had such a blast with this part!

Let it dry a good 1 - 2 hours before peeling off the tape to reveal your child's masterpiece!

He was so proud of his artwork and kept pointing to them saying "I did it!" Made me so happy. 

Giveaway: myCharge

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This is a sponsored post from myCharge.

From the Mouth of Babes

Our little comedian in the making continuously has us laughing and while the main purpose is to document our funny conversations and his antics, we also want to share with our friends and family. We will be sure to update periodically. Enjoy!


Sonia: I overcooked the pasta
Avery: Aye, Aye, Aye. No comer (spanish for eat)
Sonia: It's okay Avery. I will cook more. It will be ready in 10 minutes.
Avery: (rolls eyes) No comer

________________________

Mommy, I love you! (with the biggest grin and his cheek to his shoulder) - Avery

________________________

Daddy: Avery, get your lovies so we can go bye bye
Avery: Oh yeah
Daddy: Do you have them?
Avery: Yes (hands are empty)
Daddy: Where are they?
Avery: I don't know (shoulder shrug)

___________________________

Keith: Avery, did you have pizza tonight?
Avery: Yes (with a big lisp)
Keith: How was it?
Avery: Eh (with a shoulder shrug and a head tilt)

___________________________

Mommy: Avery, you drive me crazy
Avert: I know! (with a shoulder shrug and a grin)