Cinnamon Yum Yums | Recipe

Hello!

I hope you are enjoying your holiday season and preparing for Christmas! I love this season for the extra music and baking. In terms of music, if you're looking for some new Christmas music, our church is putting together an Advent Album. My hubby and I are in one of the church bands and have really enjoyed playing and singing with these folks! Find the free downloads here: http://terranovachurch.org/advent/

Along with plenty of singing, I've been doing a little baking recently. I'm still in the midst of interview season for Pediatric Residency, but I had a dream about these Cinnamon Yum Yums that my mom makes every year, so naturally I asked my sister to send (text) me the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

5T sugar

2 cups flour

1t vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Cream together sugar and butter
3. Add flour and vanilla extract. Mix well.
4. Form into balls, pressing slightly, placed on cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-18 minutes.
6. While still warm, roll in 1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

I can't believe I've never made these before. Talk about delicious and easy!

Enjoy this family recipe! Let me know how you like these cookies!

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Apple Adventures | Part 3: The Pie

Well, this is the culmination of my Apple Adventure Trilogy (Part 1, Part 2). Obviously we're ending with the best part.

The Pie.

I have never made a pie completely from scratch. Usually, I buy the pre-made crust, which I love. This time, however, I had added the culinary endeavor to my Bucket List, so I was really left with no other option.

I was nervous. There was a lot on the line. First Homemade Pie Ever.

My husband knew what I was planning on doing and he thoroughly encouraged my creative efforts. The thing is, Andrew will eat just about anything, so I did have some confidence going into this.

I started by perusing Pinterest. I really should get the family recipes from my Great-Aunt Nancé because her pies at Thanksgiving are seriously the best. The Best. Anyway, onto my own pie adventure.

I ended up using this recipe for the crust, and it was super easy. It turned out AMAZING. Flakey, shortbready, and delicious.

I used this recipe for the filling. I "doctored" it up a bit - adding a little more cinnamon and nutmeg.

It turned out great! I'd say my first homemade pie completely from scratch was a success. And so would my hubby. Thankful for the great crust and filling recipe from Gimme Some Oven!

This pie would be a delicious addition to your holiday parties!

Linking up at

Alderberry Hill::The Crumby Mummy::At the Picket Fence::Life of Meg::Be Betsy::Whistle&Ivy::In Him We Live::The Winthrop Chronicles::Twirl & Take a Bow::With A Blast::Carolyn's Homework::Clean & Scentsible::My Girlish Whims::Savvy Southern Style::Whimsy Wednesdays::Someday Crafts::Posed Perfection::Live Laugh Rowe::Inspiration Gallery::French Country Cottage::The Shabby Nest::Anything Goes::Diana Rambles::A Night Owl::It's Overflowing::DIY Sunday Showcase::Twigg Studios::Monday Funday::Sunday Showcase::Made From Pinterest

Apple Adventures | Part 2: The Apple Sauce

Hello and Happy Wednesday! 

I'm on my way to California for a few more pediatric residency interviews. I'm so looking forward to getting warm in the California sun, catching up with some old friends, and learning more about the fantastic pediatric programs!

This is the second post of three in my Apple Adventures trilogy. See Part 1 here.

I have never made apple sauce before, and for some reason, I assumed it was a difficult process. I was wrong. All it took was an apple peeler, a crock pot, some cinnamon & nutmeg, a tiny bit of brown sugar and water, and a whisk/blender. 

Oh, and some patience as the apartment starts smelling like heaven.

It turns out, making apple sauce is sort of like making mashed potatoes. A med school friend said he just "cooked down the apples in minimal water then added brown sugar and a little bit of cinnamon to taste." I figured I could handle that. 

In case you, too, would like to enjoy the thrill of making your own apple sauce, here's what I did:

1. Peel and core several apples (I used about 8)
2. Cut apples into chunks (they don't need to be tiny - maybe about 1-2 inch cubes or so)
3. Place apple chunks into a crock pot. Add about 1/3 cup water
4. Add about a teaspoon of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of nutmeg (Add more or less depending on your taste preferences)
5. Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar depending on the tartness of your apples and how sweet you like your apple sauce
6. Turn the crock pot on to high, cover with the lid. I suggest checking on it after about an hour to see if you need to add more water or if you want to mash up some of the apple chunks. Continue to let cook until you are satisfied with the softness of your apples.
7. Let cool and mash the apples with a fork or whisk. If you want really smooth apple sauce, you can put the cooled mixture into a blender and blend until smooth, which really only takes a couple of pulses. (Trust me, any more than a couple of pulses and you will end up with baby food. Which is perfectly acceptable if that's what you were going for.)

There really was no actual recipe that I used - it was mostly just taste-testing. I just tasted the sauce as I went and added some more cinnamon or nutmeg as needed. I also put a sprinkle of cinnamon on top right before I ate it. 

Delicious.

That's one more item off our Bucket List!

During our Apple Picking Adventure, we ended up with quite a few apples, so I made apple sauce, apple pie, and pork tenderloin with apples. It turns out there are a ton of apple recipes. Do you have any amazing recipes to share?

Linking up at

Alderberry Hill::The Crumby Mummy::At the Picket Fence::Life of Meg::Be Betsy::Whistle&Ivy::In Him We Live::The Winthrop Chronicles::Twirl & Take a Bow::With A Blast::Carolyn's Homework::Clean & Scentsible::My Girlish Whims::Savvy Southern Style::Whimsy Wednesdays::Someday Crafts::Posed Perfection::Live Laugh Rowe::Inspiration Gallery::French Country Cottage::The Shabby Nest::Anything Goes::Diana Rambles::A Night Owl::It's Overflowing::DIY Sunday Showcase::Twigg Studios::Monday Funday::Sunday Showcase::Made From Pinterest