Ok, so I get that you’re probably sick of hearing me gush about Autumn but truly, I can’t help it.  Everything is roasted pumpkin-maple-something-or-other scented and just stepping outside presents a dazzling array of colors.  Trees are richly dressed in such vibrant foliage that would put even a highly pigmented 50-buck eyeshadow to shame.  This, you don’t even have to pay for!

It makes my heart so happy to see such sunny golden yellow.

I spent my weekend with a very handsome Mr. Jack.

Jack and I are bffs now, you see

Short of an apple pie in one hand and a chai latte in the other, this day was perfect.

…and french onion soup just made it that much better.

I hope that y’all enjoyed your weekend!

I love you all!!

{Your Squishy Monster}

Since I can no longer go trick or treating, this was my version of festive October fun.  I always had homemade costumes as a kid and went as a princess several times.  What would you dress up as?

{Gala Apples}

{Stayman Winesap}

Apple Cider Donuts

 

Prep time

60 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• 10.5 g yeast
• 1⅓ c apple cider
• 60 g melted unsalted butter
• ½ c whole milk
• 84.5 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 470 g flour
• ½ ts fine salt
• 1 ts baking powder
• ½ ts baking soda
• ½ ts cinnamon
• ⅛ ts nutmeg
• ⅛ ts allspice
• ⅛ ts cloves
• Oil or shortening for frying

Glaze

• 3 c powdered sugar
• ½ c apple cider

Instructions

1. Gently warm your apple cider but make sure it’s not hot or it will kill your yeast. Sprinkle in your yeast. (Mine read at about 105)
2. In a mixer, tip in all the following: butter, milk, sugar, and eggs. Mix to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, weigh out and sift your flour, salt, baking powder/soda, and spices.
4. In 3 or 4 separate additions, combine your flour mixture with your wet mixture.
5. Cover with a towel and allow your dough to rest for 60 minutes in a warm/draft free place. (A cold oven or pantry works fine).
6. Afterwards, on a lightly floured surface, knead your dough for about 5 minutes. You want to make sure you don’t add in too much flour or your finished product will be tough and dry.
7. Roll out your dough to about a ¼-1/2 ” thickness and cut out donut shapes.
8. Heat up your oil to 350-375 and fry in batches. Allow to cook 1-2 minutes on each side.
9. Scoop with a slotted spoon and allow to drain and slightly cool.
10. To make the glaze, whisk together the sugar and cider. Submerge each side of your donut into the glaze and sit on a cooling rack to set.
11. These are best eaten the day of.

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I cannot be held accountable for how many you eat.  I will happily serve as your guinea pig and tell you this much: you can eat 9 and not die

Doughnuts & Donuts,

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

Yesterday saw the entire family together to celebrate Daddy’s birthday–a rare moment in time when all of us could come together in a single room and not be in cities, states, or oceans apart.  I’d say it was a smashing success!

My Autumn themed dinner party included (from left to right) Roasted Maple Glazed Butternut Squash, Chicken Saltimbocca with sautéed herb Mushrooms, and Wild Rice in Mushroom Broth and grilled Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Honey Balsamic Glaze + Fried Sage, just for fun.

Here’s a single close up of a savory dish before a demanding pot threatened to overflow and guests began to arrive and whisked me away from the task at hand:

I also regret not getting a shot of the cake

Daddy’s Dessert Bar + Homemade Banner ^.^

A closer shot of Pumpkin Macarons, Oreo Pops, Miniature Apple Pies, Gingerbread Cupcakes and Pumpkin Dip + Ginger Spice Cookies.

An even closer shot–who knew lattice work for the scaled down version would be so tedious?  I felt like the Giant of Lilliput assembling treats for its inhabitants.

Albeit, it’s unconventional but my brother’s got him a 22 rifle to add to his collection.  You can’t see it, but it’s Daddy grinning ear to ear and looking mighty dapper (I might add) in his new Columbia jacket that his favorite daughter got him

My favorite moments?  In our house, we have a long standing tradition of sharing a wish we have for the person giving us a gift.  Those moments are always special.  Another?  When Daddy takes the birthday cake I took the pains to make picture perfect (with the full intention of snapping a shot of) and slices it every which way so that everyone got the tallest (and skinniest) bar/stack ever, lol–the entire cake menacingly wobbled as he made the slices smaller and smaller but you know, it’s Daddy’s birthday so he gets a pass =)

After dinner, we hiked, took pictures, and laughed at ourselves, knowing that this would be the very last time we’d all be together as a family for at least another year or two.  It’s all very bittersweet you see, but couldn’t have ended on a better note.

I hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend and was able to spend quality time with their loved ones.

…for parting is such sweet sorrow…

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

Tomorrow marks the arrival of Autumn which is my absolute favorite time of the year!  Needless to say, there will be a liberal use of exclamation marks in this post.  Autumn means warm and spicy liquids, toppling over with mounds of whipped cream, flushed cheeks, fuzzy mittens, and a dazzling array of bold foliage on display.  One of my favorite Autumn-y beverages is a steaming swirl of spicy chai in frothy milk so I figured why not make it into a cupcake to celebrate the arrival of Autumn?–yaaaaay!!!

Chai Cupcakes

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• ½ c unbleached cake flour
• ½ ts baking soda
• ½ ts baking powder
• ¼ ts fine salt
• ½ ts ground cinnamon
• ¼ ts ground cardamom
• ¼ ts ground ginger
• ¼ ts ground nutmeg
• ¼ ts ground cloves
• 1 grind of black pepper
• ¼ c granulated sugar
• ¼ c brown sugar
• 2 tb softened butter
• 2 tb apple sauce*
• 1 room temperature egg
• ¼ c warm buttermilk
• 3 chai tea bags
• ½ ts apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Sift all of your dry ingredients into your first bowl (excluding your spices).
2. In a separate cup, steep your tea bags for at least 5 minutes. Scoot in all of your spices and let it sit.
3. In your third bowl, cream together your sugars and butter. Slowly stream in your egg.
4. Still working with your third bowl, spoon in your apple sauce (if you’re using it) and also slip in your spiced tea mixture. Next, dribble in your apple cider vinegar.
5. Lastly, you want to marry your first bowl with your third bowl–sprinkle in your dry mixture in about 3 separate additions, taking care not to over mix.
6. Bake at 350 for 17-22 minutes for standard size cupcakes.
7. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

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Love & Warm & Spicy Kisses,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

Chai Cupcakes

 

Save Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• ½ c unbleached Cake Flour
• ½ ts Baking Soda
• ½ ts Baking Powder
• ¼ ts fine Salt
• ½ ts ground Cinnamon
• ¼ ts ground Cardamom
• ¼ ts ground Ginger
• ¼ ts ground Nutmeg
• ¼ ts ground Cloves
• 1 grind of Black Pepper
• ¼ c granulated Sugar
• ¼ c Brown Sugar
• 2 tb softened Butter
• 2 tb Apple Sauce*
• 1 room temperature Egg
• ¼ c warm Buttermilk
• 3 Chai Tea Bags
• ½ ts Apple Cider Vinegar

Instructions

1. Sift all of your dry ingredients into your first bowl (excluding your spices).
2. In a separate cup, steep your tea bags for at least 5 minutes. Scoot in all of your spices and let it sit.
3. In your third bowl, cream together your Sugars and Butter. Slowly stream in your Egg.
4. Still working with your third bowl, spoon in your Apple Sauce (if you’re using it) and also slip in your spiced tea mixture. Next, dribble in your Apple Cider Vinegar.
5. Lastly, you want to marry your first bowl with your third bowl–sprinkle in your dry mixture in about 3 separate additions, taking care not to over mix.
6. Bake at 350 for 17-22 minutes for standard size Cupcakes.
7. Cool and frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Notes

*you can omit the Apple Sauce and use ¼ c soft Butter instead. Also, it’s best to grind your own, whole spices in a spice grinder (it makes for a beautifully spiced cake).

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You can top with Buttercream, or my favorite thing to top everything with!  Cream Cheese Frosting.

Dust with Pumpkin Spice or Cinnamon, take a HUGE bite!! (or 3, 6, 12…) and you’re ringing in Autumn the right way, I assure you

Love & Warm & Spicy Kisses,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

The house I walked past today.

The beautiful leaves scattered on the ground

and more stunning visuals from my walk

I go bananas over PUMPKIN!  (can one go pumpkins over pumpkins)?  Hm…

Anyways, I can personally contest to a bad scone experience-or a few rather.  It’s not pleasant.  It’s my personal belief that scones should be moist, tender, & soft.  The contrary is seen in a lot of scones, be it coffee shops, bakeries, etc.  It’s my personal promise that if you can master these, it’ll be love at first bite.  The type of experience that will hook you as a loyal lover of this almighty triangle of warm goodness for.ever. period.

Pumpkin Spice Scones

 

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ts baking powder
• ½ ts salt
• ⅛ ts cream of tarter
• 1 stick soft butter

Wet ingredients:

• ½ cup full fat sour cream
• ½ ts baking soda
• 1 egg
• 2.5 oz straight up pumpkin puree (not filling) + 1 ts pumpkin spice

Scone topping

• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tb pumpkin spice (or cinnamon if you don’t have it)
• ½ stick of butter

Instructions

1. In your first bowl, sift together all of your dry ingredients.
2. Use a pastry cutter to cut in your soft butter or use your stand mixer and blend it in.
3. In your second bowl, combine your sour cream, baking powder and egg. Allow it to fluff up and bubble.
4. Slide your second bowl into your first bowl.
5. Blend this together.
6. Add in your spiced pumpkin puree. (Do not overwork your dough)
7. Flour your working surface well and dump out your dough.
8. Try to keep it moving around as often as possible and bring it to a rough disc shape.
9. Cut it in half and cut each half into three triangles.
10. Lay your scones on a well greased baking dish.
11. To make the topping, take a fork and mash the pumpkin spice + soft butter together.
12. Take spoonfuls of this topping mixture and spread it over your Scones.
13. Bake at 350 for 17-22 minutes.

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I enjoyed mine with 2 cups of PG tips.
The next day, I had them with milk.
The third day, there were none left

My parents recently went apple pickin’.  They returned with 5 BOXES stuffed with beautiful Fuji’s.  This was “gotta use these up in a variety of creative ways stab #1.”

It sounds difficult, looks impressive but a great way to fool your family and friends.

When I was 9, I swore I would never ever make pie crust, pastry dough, puff pastry, phyllo…or what have you.  Oh, if I could travel back 17 years, I would tell lil ole Angie about this bad boy: 3 ingredient pastry dough–get outta here!

Apple Tart

 

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 2 sticks of softened, unsalted butter
• 8 oz of softened cream cheese
• 2 cups flour + 1 ts fine salt

For the filling:

• 2 granny smith + 2 fuji’s sliced (reserve some thin slices for the top)
• 2 tb melted butter
• 2 tb sugar + 1 ts cinnamon
• ¼ ts of freshly grated nutmeg
• Juice from1/2 a lemon
• Sugar in the raw

Instructions

1. For the dough, blend your butter and cream cheese and slowly add in your flour + Salt.
2. Press onto the bottom of your tart pan.
3. Blind bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes (you can insert a sheet of foil/parchment on top of the crust and fill the cavity with pie weights or beans if you’d like, I did).
4. For the filling, take your apples and drizzle on the butter, spices, and lemon. Bake in a separate baking dish for about 20 minutes or so. Mash into chunky bits and fill your prepared crust.
5. Top with pretty slices of apples, sprinkle liberally with raw sugar and bake at 350 for 15 minutes (and hit it with the broiler at the last minute for an extra 5 minutes–keep your eye on it)!

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Annnyways, I can personally contest to a bad Scone experience-or a few rather.  It’s not pleasant.  It’s my personal belief that Scones should be moist, tender, & soft.  The contrary is seen in a lot of Scones, be it coffee shops, bakeries, etc.  It’s my personal promise that if you can master these, it’ll be love at first bite.  The type of experience that will hook you as a loyal lover of this almighty triangle of warm goodness for.ever. period.

Watch this video on YouTube Embedded with WP YouTube Lyte.

I enjoyed mine with 2 cups of PG tips.
The next day, I had them with Milk.
The third day, there were none left

It sounds difficult, looks impressive but a GREAT way to fool your family and friends.

Watch this video on YouTube Embedded with WP YouTube Lyte.

When I was 9, I swore I would never ever make pie crust, pastry dough, puff pastry, phyllo…or what have you.  Oh, if I could travel back 17 years, I would tell lil ole Angie about this bad boy: 3 ingredient pastry dough–get outta here!

Yea, there’s a lot of butter in this, but I promise, I’ve seen more (hell, I’ve consumed more).  Don’t freak out!  Butter is the Ambrosia for Humans, no?  Anyways, if you share this, you won’t feel too terrible =D