Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie

I've been sitting on this recipe for over a year and with organic apples at 88 cents a lb I stocked up and decided to finally bake a pie. I don't know what's gotten into me but I feel like being in the kitchen all the time now. Because I've been bed ridden for over a week? Cause I can't run I have to keep on my feet? Anyway, it's great to keep my blog hoppin' though right. As my neighbor would say, "don't read Nicole's blog, if your hungry"!
Once you see the pictures of this pie, you will want to make it....It's hands down one of the best pie's I've ever had!

Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie
Print
Ingredients:
1 Pastry Pie Crust
1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Tbs Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Salt
6 cups peeled, sliced apples
1/2 Cup pecans (optional)
1/4 c Caramel Topping

Crumb Topping:
1 Cup Brown Sugar packed
1/2 C Flour
1/2 C Rolled Oats
1/2 cup butter
Mix all ingredients together until crumbled

In Large bowl combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and apples. Gently toss apples until coated. Put in pie shell.
Sprinkle on crumb topping. Put on cookie sheet. Cover edges of pie with foil. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Remove foil bake an additional 25 minutes. Remove and add pecans, Cool and add caramel topping.
Serve Warm!

Enjoy

xoxo
-N

Easy Blackberry Cobbler

I got fresh Blackberries at the store for 99 cents...which is pretty cheap here! I bought 4 containers and of course forgot about them. The hubs ate through 2 of them, throwing the fuzzy ones away. Whenever I buy Blackberries I really have the intentions of eating them to get my daily fruit intake. I never do, I always end up craving cobbler!
I asked Rog to make me a cobbler, he never bakes and he's actually really great in the kitchen. Poor guy hasn't had a day off in I don't know how long (over a month?) so when it didn't get made over the weekend I knew I had to do it on my own...But I gave him plenty of shit for it!

Blackberry Cobbler
Print
Ingredients:
  2 1/2 cups Blackberries
  1 Cup Sugar
  1 Cup Flour
  2 tsp baking powder
  1/2 tsp Salt
  1 Cup Milk
  1/2 c melted butter

In medium bowl mix blackberries and sugar, let stand 20 minutes.
In Lg bowl stir in flour, b. powder, salt and milk. Stir in melted butter. Spread in a square pan.
Spoon in blackberries.
Bake at 375 for 45 to 55 minutes.
Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

YUMMY!

xoxo
-N

recipe from bettycrocker.com

Running {dreams} put on Hold

Once again my running has been put on hold. Back at the end of October I was dancing..not very well. Dancing to Justin Bebier with the kids and another couple in their living room. You might be asking your self would she do this sober? Well,wonder no more the answer is NO!
 First I only dance under the influence, and I would never willingly dance to the Beb's!

With that said, I rolled my ankle dancing that night. Pretty bad my ankle swelled twice it's size and turned black and blue. It was actually black and blue for 3 weeks. I iced it and elevated it for some time and it just seemed like it wasn't getting any better.

I ran several times these past few weeks ignoring the shooting pains in my foot. I did this because I convinced myself that I just needed to regain the strength in the muscles after babying it for so long.
Well, once I was done running/walking this morning I left the gym in a bit of pain. I drove straight to the Dr.'s.

Of course I was sweaty and stinky but didn't realize I haven't shaved my legs or put lotion on them for a good 2 weeks (day before my surgery)...Embarrassing much.

Got through that just for them to put me in that ugly blue open toed shoe looking Velcro crap!
YUP...I get to walk in a post op shoe for the next 3-4 weeks!!!
I have a fracture in my left foot! At least it isn't broken right.
This is exactly why I didn't want to go to the Dr.'s they always put you in the ugly shoe!
I'm sucking it up just so that I can run again and that's the only reason why!

xoxo
-N

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Marshmallow filling

We did a friendsgiving this year with our neighbor friends a couple Sunday's ago instead of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. We did this because our husbands worked on the holidays plus we are like family now since we have known each other for 6 1/2 years.
 They love our kids like they were there own and that's something special in a kids life that only comes around maybe once.
I remember when I was a kid and my next door neighbor was awesome, I spent so much time with them, I loved them. I grew up to babysit there kids and now I just keep in touch with them on facebook. But I'll never forget them!
Anyway instead of the traditional Pumpkin Pie, my husband asked me to whip up some pumpkin whoopie pies instead, cause he just loves my last batch of Old Fashioned Whoopie Pies. It's like his new obsession or something. And he say, "whip up" like it's a 5 minute drive thru window order. This isn't McDonald's buddy.
But I did it anyway and of course anything you make with Pumpkin turns out A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!

Yes, they are as good as they look. Make them and you'll know what I'm talking about!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Marshmallow Filling
Recipe

Ingredients:

Filling:

  1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

  17-ounce jar marshmallow creme

  2 teaspoons maple extract (optional..I left this out *wish I didn't)

Cake Cookies:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground cloves
6 TBS (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1  15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Preparation

Filling

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add marshmallow creme and maple extract; beat until blended and smooth.

Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Cookies:

    Sift first 7 ingredients into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in another large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in oil. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin. Add dry ingredients in 2 additions alternately with milk in 1 addition, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Cover and chill batter 1 hour.

Preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; spray lightly with nonstick spray. Spoon batter onto baking sheet to form cakes (about 3 level tablespoons each; about 12 per baking sheet), spacing apart. Let stand 10 minutes.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool cakes completely on baking sheets on rack. Using metal spatula, remove cakes from parchment.  (High Altitude: Bake directly on sheet, 9 minutes)

Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling on flat side of 1 cake. Top with another cake, flat side down. Repeat with remaining cakes and filling.

Can be made 8 hours ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.

Anyone else make a wonderful Whoppie Pie? Let me know if you make this one and how you like it!

xoxo

-N

Courtesy Recipe here

December Goals

Yup it's December! I love December for several reasons but mainly because of Christmas.This year I get to do holiday's on my own and I'm super excited about that. But I'll keep to the main point of this post...my goals.Here's a November recap first.

Personal:
Surgery
Workout at least 2 times per week until healed completely
Finish Bible Study

Kitchen:
Pumpkin Donuts
Pumpkin Cupcakes again!....Made Pumpkin Whoopie pies instead

Kids:
Teach them to be more thankful for what they have (this may take a while)

Books:
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Bible...For 1 year

December

Personal:
Start slowly back into running/working out
Try and control my road rage
Attend church every Sunday this month plus Xmas eve

Kitchen:
Make my 1st full Christmas dinner myself
Christmas cookies

Kids:
To be thankful (especially when they get clothes for Christmas)
Start a new Tradition for the holiday's

Books:
A Reliable Wife
Living Closer to God

Does anyone else have any goals they want to accomplish before the end of the year?


xoxo
-N

Hot Pants by Zaggora

I was one of the lucky bloggers to get picked to review the new Hot Pants from Zaggora. I didn't know what they were to be honest. My guess was something to wear while working out, which I like to do. I felt like this would be perfect for me.

Here's what the flyer says:

Specially engineered using Celu-Lite technology, HotPants use your natural body heat to get results.

What they do
  They work hard to reduce your body fat and the visible appearance of cellulite. Lose 2 jean sizes in 2 weeks- No crazy workout, no nutty regime.

HotPants achieve this by increasing your perspiration by up to 80%. So you can get a 60 minute workout in just 30 minutes or wear them at home, out and about or even while you sleep!

Whenever you wear them, you'll feel them working for you. Simply zip into them and go!

Maximise Results:
*The more you wear them when you are active, the more they will work
*Whilst they use your natural body heat, activity raises your body temperature, heating up the HotPants
*Any form of physical exercise will do the trick, gym, running, yoga, even hoovering with them on at home.

I got a notice on my door that I had a package at the post office. I was excited! I got there and I was handed a big plastic bag with HOT PANTS written in yellow bold on it. A tad embarrassing.
I got home and read all about them. I got pretty excited, until I picked up the pants and saw the longest high waisted, large butt area of these shorts! Then I noticed the huge HOT PANTS in bright yellow on the front leg! Like you can't make the logo where you can hide it? Can't the logo be Zaggora instead of Hot Pants?!
I put them aside and decided I would wear them to bed that night.
I have never slept so horrible!
The waist was tighter then I had expected( I ordered a Large) and the elastic waistband was pretty uncomfortable. In the middle of the night I rolled the waist over so they came to my hips. I could feel my legs warm, but didn't feel like I was sweating. That part didn't bother me at all. But the waist bugged me enough that I had to take them off.
I didn't pick them up again until last week. I put the shorts on and then put on my running pants, didn't look to bad. They made me look smaller and more smooth. They did make an annoying swishing sound when I walked. They were big on me in a lot of areas but tighter in the waist. I put myself in a infrared body wrap on Cellulite treatment. I thought it would make it work double time. I did the wrap for about 25 minutes or so. I never felt like I was too hot, this is pretty nice about the shorts.
I kept the pants on for a few hours while I was at work.  I liked them they were comfortable....except for the waist line! It was hard for me to bend over, there just wasn't enough give. And for that I have not worn the pants since.
I refuse to get a different size because the pants are made for women with small waist, big hips and thighs and long legs. I am neither.
I'm sure these pants work good, but until the waist line is made with a better material I won't wear them. These shorts are just not my thing. I think they are on a roll with the idea but a few things just need to be tweaked.
We were asked to do the 2 week challenge, I won't be doing that either but you can go to facebook and look up the results on there page.

These shorts also keep the sweat trapped inside, you will need to wash them after each workout but they cannot be machine washed. The material is also unable to be dried in a dryer, how are people wearing these for 2 weeks straight??

Anyone else have the HotPants? What do you think?
Want to order a pair of your own? Visit www.zaggoras.com  I don't find there website to be much help in finding out more about the product either.

xoxo
-N

November Book List

 Good in Bed I've now read twice. It was great the first time around. Good book, I don't plan on reading it a third time.

The Girl with the dragon Tattoo was amazing! I couldn't put it down, I plan on reading the rest of the series. And watching the movies!

Who doesn't love Patrick Swayze? This was a random library pick, it was on the front table and it looked small enough to read in a day or two. I didn't find this book to be all that good. It's bits and pieces of old interviews smashed together to make it seem like a biography.