A New York City Christmas

New York City for Christmas

Since I am posting our Christmas travels in May, you can tell how insane life has been. I seriously can not believe May is almost over. Where is this year going?! Anyways, 

this has always been a dream of mine to visit NYC for Christmas and my amazing husband made it possible. It was beautiful and cold and absolutely perfect. It's never to late to be dreaming about Christmas time. Heck at this point, I guess we can start thinking about this year's christmas! 

Enjoy the pictures :)

I'll Be Back

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I have posted and there's a reason for that. Two things have taken over my life. The first is a job that I am beyond thankful for. I am a nurse at the amazing hospital Memorial Hermann on the women's and children's unit. I forgot how tiring it is to be a nurse but I am loving every moment of it. 

The second thing that has me a little preoccupied is this face: 

Meet Oliver Fitzpatrick Robinson 

He is a sweet, curious, playful, and snuggly handful of a pup. His mother is a King Charles spaniel and his father is a miniature poodle so naturally that makes him a cavapoo. We had been looking for the right breed for a pet and when I stumbled upon this breeder I knew it was exactly right for us. 

I mean who doesn't want their own personal teddy bear?!

I am already one of those pet owners who wants to take him everywhere, showing him off, and since my friends are probably tired of photos, I figure what better than posting on here. So sorry in advance for the puppy overload. 

I promise once I get to balancing a new job with long hours and a puppy who requires even more attention I will start posting again! 

Spiced Apple Cider Cinnamon Baked Donuts

I love donuts but rarely eat them. Not because they are really any worse than most desserts but for some reason in my mind I think of them that way. Well for Thanksgiving, Russell and I have a tradition of running the Turkey Trot together and this year we did the 10k. Perfect excuse to now bake and eat insanely delicious homemade donuts. These are probably some of the best donuts I have ever had. Exactly how I like them. Sweet but not too sweet, warm, and literally melts in your mouth. Plus the cider and cloves make your house smell like a Christmas wonderland. These donuts are also paired best with a warm Starbucks coffee :) Hope you enjoy! 

Ingredients:

For the Donut

• 2 cups Apple Cider
• 2 Whole Cloves
• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 large Egg
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons Apple Sauce, naturally sweetened- no sugar added
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• 3 tablespoons Butter, melted
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Start by simmering the apple cider with the 2 cloves in a small saucepan over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until the apple cider reduces down to 1/2 cup. Remove the cloves from the concentrate and pour the cider into a container and refrigerate while you prepare the donut batter. 
2. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Spray a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. 
4. In a medium bowl, combine the egg, melted butter, and brown sugar, whisk until smooth. Then, add in the apple sauce, vanilla, buttermilk, and the apple cider concentrate. 
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. It's okay if a few small lumps remain.
6. Pour the batter by the teaspoon into the prepared pan about 3/4 of the way full. Make sure to not overfill. 
7. Bake donuts about 10-12 minutes. 

For the cinnamon sugar coating:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon together. 
2. Dip the tops of each donut hole into the melted butter then coat with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Repeat with all the donuts. 

Donuts taste best the same day but can be stored up to 2 days if tightly wrapped and kept at room temperature.

Thank you littlespicejar for this amazing and somewhat healthier donut recipe!
 Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Glory Muffins

It's October! And by October I mean pumpkin time. Pumpkin is one of my favorite things in the entire world. So when Russell came home this time he knew he would be baking something with pumpkin in it and he did not disappoint. These are perfect pumpkin muffins with just a little bit of sweetness on top. You can of course add however much streusel on top you would personally like! I have devoured these this past week. They go perfectly with my coffee in the morning and just makes my day sweet as soon as I wake up. 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Butter, softened
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 2/3 cup Canned Pumpkin
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp Molasses
• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Streusel Topping

• 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 3 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp Cold Butter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, and molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt; gradually add to pumpkin mixture just until blended. 
2. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full.
3. For topping- combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. 
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffin comes out clean. 
5. Cool in pam for 5 minutes before removing. 

Hello best and favorite time of the year. Happy Halloween everyone!