Autumn Apple Pizza Party

Tonight was Apple Pizza night at our house. This is a tradition I started with my daughter’s when they were in pre-school. Now I am doing it with my youngest Grand children, one of which is in Kindergarten and the other will be in pre-school next year.

I can’t take credit for the recipe as it was given to me by my oldest daughter’s pre-school teacher after our trip to the Apple Farm. I really wanted to go and pick the apples this year but circumstances in my recent job situation kept this from happening. Heck there is always next year!

What makes it so much fun is that the kids can participate in the making and the eating.

The recipe is super easy and I made a couple of improvements that simplify it even more.

Here’s all you’ll need:

• 3  baking apples your choice
• 2  Tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2  heaping Tablespoons cinnamon sugar
• 1  7.5 oz. can of Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuit mix
• Mild shredded cheddar cheese

Pre heat your oven to 450 degrees.

I used three Gala apples peeled, cored and sliced sliver thin. Place them in a microwave safe bowl, add butter and cinnamon sugar. Microwave for about 2 minutes or until apples are tender but not too mushy. Set this aside while you prepare the “crust”.

Gently stretch the dough in your hands until it is about 4 inches in diameter then place on an ungreased cookie sheet. You will need to stretch it a bit more leaving a rim around the edge.  Don’t be too upset if the shapes resemble aliens or amoebas the first time around.  We invited a friend to help us and his turned out looking like a pirate skull (we made him eat his own LOL).

Pierce the bottoms with a fork about a half a dozen times then place in the oven near the top and cook for 5 minutes. Next place apples on top of partially baked crusts making sure they are not too juicy. Then top off with the cheddar cheese and finish baking for another 5 minutes.

Don’t be surprised if your family decides they cannot wait until fall to eat this treat. I used to have some of these ready when the kids got home from school as a special treat.

I’d love to hear how your family enjoys these treats and if you have any additions or changes of your own.

Felt Play Food - Pumpkin Pie -

It’s official! Autumn is here and it just happens to be one of my favorite seasons. The air smells amazing,filled with so many different layers of aromas. I love the scent of burning leaves and the way it smells after a rain and how the wet leaves have that earthy smell.
The only autumn perfume I’m not too thrilled with is the dead skunk odor. Have you ever noticed how many more dead skunks there are in the fall?  I should look this up on National Geographic or something.  Do you think there is some kind of secret skunk ritual in the fall? Maybe it is some kind of rite of passage that only skunks are aware of like the skunks that make it across 6 lanes of rush hour traffic get the girl skunk or something. If anyone has an answer to this phenomenon I’d be really interested in knowing.
Anyway I digress. Just for fun I thought I would share my favorite pumpkin pie recipe – well it’s sort of a recipe - it’s actually felt play food for children or it can be a decorative piece for grown-ups.

These little pie slices are high in fiber and 100% fat free. I whipped up a bunch of these for a craft fair that my daughter and I participated in and I had a LOT of fun making them.
I chose wool felt for the pumpkin part because I wanted the color to be as accurate as possible. We have a local craft store called Erica’s and she has an amazing selection of all wool felt. You will find in future projects that I often use the wool because of the amazing colors that are available.
I found the “crust”  and the “filling” at JoAnn Fabrics as well as the “whipped cream”. These are felt made from recycled plastic bottles. I love using environmentally friendly or repurposed materials whenever possible.
Get your *FREE* pattern here.
If anyone makes this I would love to see pictures of your version of this yummy fall treat!!

Pumpkin Scarecrow Soft Doll

This will be a quick one as I am headed off to work. I was going through some older photos and had completely forgotten about this soft doll I created one Fall.

If anyone is interested I would be happy to post the pattern I made for him or perhaps I can make up a kit. Just let me know.

When the weather turns chilly I think of Autumn colors and Halloween being just around the corner. My family and I have some outings planned and I will be sharing photos and recipes VERY soon.