Happy Thanksgiving and A Cheeky Etsy Christmas

I know, I know, today is Thanksgiving and all I have on my brain is Christmas! Thanksgiving is nice and all but for me all it really end up being is a time marker before Christmas. Sorry ancestors, I know I should be more into this whole thing, but alas, the allure of red, green, gold, silver, Santa and reindeer is just far more appealing!

*Fun Thanksgiving Fact: One of my direct ancestors came to America on the first Voyage of The Mayflower. I'm super, extra American! This means none of the food I eat today contains calories! Yay!

Anyway, back to Christmas...

Last year I was in such a frenzy getting all my holiday orders out I had little time to stop and smell the Eggnog ( actually, I've never tried Eggnog and probably never will). I only recently was able to browse Etsy a little for fun gifts and you know Etsy never has a shortage of fun, unique and quirky gifts for some of your especially strange loved ones!

I always find a whole buncha stuff that is adorable but not really anyone to gift it to. So, I will show you what has caught my eye and maybe YOU will have someone thats perfect for it! I mean I was thinking about getting my Dad these adorable glasses with the pink heart decal on them but he already bought them for himself! Jeez Dad!

Anyway, here are my finds!

1. Nerdy Heart Glasses by Steppie : If these aren't the cutest thing in the world I don't know what is!

2. Custom Vintage Image of Your Pet by HotDigitalDog : This is hysterical, I need one for every dog I've ever owned!

3. William Shakespeare Shower Curtain by Custom Shower Curtains : I laughed out loud when I found this!

4. "Thats What She Said" Print by RighteousLens : Ummm, I LOVE "The Office", need I say more?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Another Blast From The Past...

I kept digging through pictures after my last couple fabulous throwback picture finds and found this...and pretty much haven't been able to stop giggling about it for the past 5 mins. It's an excellently perfect 80's Sears Photo Center style family portrait of my parents and baby me!

It cracks me up! I hardly recognize my father in this picture, but my Mom hasn't changed much at all :) I pretty much look the same, I still wear that red jumper from time to time...

It's quite possible that I'm just a little punchy today, and will laugh at almost anything as I haven't gotten much sleep the past week. I've been a busy bee, not only with orders but with helping my Mommy bake things for tomorrows Thanksgiving gorge! I made a Cheesecake, Pumpkin Muffins, and some Cranberry Apple and Walnut Relish....Mmmm! I even spent some time in my jewelry studio, and it's only 3pm! Why am I being so productive? I need to cut it out! :)

Well, that's all for me today! I'm pooped and it's puppy nap time around these parts, and I'm thinking I just might join in! I'm sure I'll find time to blog tomorrow when I a bored to tears being forced to watch football :)

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Recipe Vault: Melt In Your Mouth Pumpkin Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar Streusel

"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie." ~Jim Davis

Autumn is in full swing here in Upstate New York. Which means, the colors are vibrant, the air is crisp, and my family is baking Pumpkin Apple Muffins! Last weekend, my Mom and I baked the first batch, and it was pretty much gone in 36 hours! Pumpkin Apple Muffins are a tradition in my family as soon as Autumn gets it's foot in the door, we all LOVE them, we even have them on Thanksgiving. They are moist, flavorful and comforting. I'm hard pressed to find something more comforting and delicious than a fresh Pumpkin Apple muffin, still warm from the over. Mmmm! I'm drooling just thinking about it! But OK OK, enough with the chit chat, let's get to the good stuff, the recipe!

For Pumpkin Apple Muffins you will need....

2 1/2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
1 Cup Solid Packed Pumpkin ( Be careful not to use Pumpkin Pie Filling!)
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Cups Peeled Chopped Apples ( We use fresh Macs or Granny Smith Apples)

In a medium bowl, combine the first five ingredients and set aside

. In a large bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, and oil. Next, add the dry ingrediants into the wet ingredient bowl by sifting the dry ingredients into the large bowl (don't take shortcuts! It's worth the extra 30 seconds), stir until just moistened.

Next, fold in chopped apples (we chop them into about 1/4-1/2" cubes). Be sure not to over stir! Spoon batter into greased or lined muffin tins, filling 3/4 full. We like to use an ice cream scoop for this. Now your ready to set the muffins aside and make the streusel topping! Yum!

For the Cinnamon Sugar Streusel Topping you will need...

1/4 Cups Sugar
4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and mix together well. Cut in the 4 tablespoons of butter, until the mixture is crumbly. Once the crumbly texture is achieved your ready to sprinkle over the tops of each muffin. Bake in a 350 degree over for 35-40 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean :)

NOTE: For more figure friendly muffins, skip the streusel, I do this from time to time, equally as delicious just a little less decadent!

Finally, let the muffins cool a bit before taking them out and putting them on a cooling rack, otherwise they might fall apart, and we don't want that! Enjoy with your coffee for breakfast, a mid-day snack, or as a yummy dessert! You might find you need to make a couple batches to share with your friends, because these babies don't last long!

Enjoy all! Happy Baking!