Awhile ago I tried this great recipe for pumpkin scones from Tasty Kitchen. In fact I think I may have heard of it from Heather. They're so good!

Pumpkin Scones

Added by Shugary Sweets on September 13, 2011 in Biscuits and Scones, Breads

Prep Time 15 MinutesCook Time 15 Minutes

Servings 36

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• FOR THE SCONE
• 1 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree
• ⅓ cups Heavy Cream
• 2 whole Eggs
• 4-¼ cups Flour
• ¾ cups Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Ground Ginger
• ½ teaspoons Ground Cloves
• ¾ teaspoons Nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• ¾ cups Butter, Cold, Cut In Cubes
• FOR THE SUGAR GLAZE:
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• FOR THE CINNAMON GLAZE:
• 1-½ cup Powdered Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoons Allspice
• 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream (may Need Up To 3 Tablespoons)

Preparation Instructions

For the scones: In a small bowl, mix the pumpkin, heavy cream and eggs with a whisk. Set aside.
In mixer bowl, using paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and spices. Add in cold butter cubes and mix until crumbly. Slowly add in pumpkin mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
Divide dough in half, and form the dough into a 12×5 inch rectangle. If it’s too sticky, using your hands, mix in enough flour so it is easier to shape.
Cut dough into triangles by making three vertical cuts (you should now have 3 rectangles. Cut each of the rectangles by making an X, I use a pizza cutter. Then make ONE horizontal cut across the center. You should have 18 triangles. (See my blog for a picture if you need a visual)
Place each triangle onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for about 13-15 minutes. Repeat with the other half of dough.
Cool on rack. Make sugar glaze by whisking the sugar with heavy cream. Using a brush, paint the tops of each scone with the glaze.
To make the cinnamon glaze, whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a Ziploc bag and cut the corner off. Drizzle the glaze over all the scones. Allow to dry (about 15 minutes). Eat and enjoy!

Shellac removal

I wish someone had told me that removing my shellac manicure was going to be a challenge...
I went to the salon and enjoyed my hour of pampering. The gal told me it would last longer but didn't say how long. A friend told me 2 week. Wow! I was so excited it would last so long. I never get manicures because the polish chips off in 2 days. After about a week, I began to wonder how it was going to come off at all. This same friend said she goes to the salon to have hers soaked off. So I got online to find out what exactly I had had put on my nails.
The best step by step I read was from The Pioneer Woman. She soaked her nails in actone and had pictures showing the process. Then I read the comments which were filled with people saying actone was poison and would ruin my nails and shellac would also make my nails a mess for weeks. Uh oh. My nails are already brittle and weird, I do not need more problems! And soaking my nails in poison, especially when I'm pregnant doesn't seem smart.
So I trimmed my nails and decided I would just be growing them out. Thankfully prenatal vitamins make them grow like crazy so it shouldn't be too bad. But then the bottom started peeling and catching on everything. So I decided to do some light soaking in just regular nail polish remover. Here's what I did...

1. I used regular nail polish to soak my nails for 8-10 mins. I tried to keep out as much of my fingers as possible to avoid my skin getting too dry.
2. Then I used that metal scrappie thing to scrap the shellac off my nails. They still looked awful and had chunks of polish on them when I was done.
3. So I pulled out this nail kit I got in PA from a very convincing nail lady at the mall. First time I've ever been thankful for this! I used the handy file/buffer to buff off the remaining polish.
4. Then I used some cuticle oil and hand lotion to save my skin. I've done this step a couple more times over the following week.

I suppose they look like their normal selves now. As dry and peeling as ever. I hate my nails. I think I might get a shellac manicure again. But I won't get it while I'm pregnant and only for a special occasion. And I seriously think you should get a disclaimer or at least an informational brochure when you leave the salon!!

Pull apart Pizza

I recently tried this great recipe for Pull Apart Pizza from Six Sisters Stuff. They have great kid and family friendly recipes. As Millie grows older I am really concerned that she learn to be a good eater. My parents made us eat everything and now I love almost everything and am willing to try almost anything. I find myself give Millie the same basic food all the time. So I started recipe hunting. Millie tends to be a little apprehensive about new things.. food, shoes, swimming lessons, big slides. I knew I had to find something that had aspects of her favorite foods. She loves cheese and ketchup in particular these days. So this recipe totally jumped out at me!
I would say it turned out pretty well. Millie still isn't sure she loves it but she will eat it. I call that success. :) I did have to cook it a good 20 mins longer than called for but my oven tends to do that. And baking it longer made the outside edges really dark but otherwise the middle wasn't done. I also froze about half of it and it's re-heated well.

Pepperoni Pizza Pull-Apart Bread (a.k.a. Monkey Bread)
Adapted from: Copy-Kat Recipes
Ingredients:
-3 cans refrigerated biscuits (each cans should have 10 biscuits)
-1 (24-26 oz) jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (we love Prego Traditional)
-1 (6-8 oz) package of pepperoni
-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
-Other favorite pizza toppings: green peppers, olives, onions, cooked ham, cooked sausage, etc

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open canned biscuits and cut into quarters and place into a large bowl. Pour spaghetti sauce on top of biscuit pieces and add Italian seasoning. Mix all together. Then add about 3/4 of the pepperoni pieces (reserving 1/4 to put on top) and 1 cup of cheese and stir well. Pour the pizza pieces into a greased 9x13" baking dish (check out my cute helper! She did the stirring and the dumping into the bowl). Sprinkle remaining cheese, pepperoni, and other toppings on the top of pizza. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the biscuits are fully cooked. They will be slightly firm when you press down on them.

Shellac nails

I can't believe it! On Saturday, I used my Living Social deal to get a mani and pedi. I got a shellac french mani. I never get manicures. Never. One time I went in to a salon to get a french manicure for a special occasion and they wouldn't do it. They said my nails were too short and brittle. Thanks. Just take my money people.
So I never get manicures because they chip immediately, and so it's not worth the money. But my shellac nails are still perfect. Perfect! It's been 5 days!
Yippee! I love it and totally recommend it.

Worst blogger. Ever.

I am so bad at this. It's just so hard to decide what to write about so I don't at all. I'm so aware that whatever I share is out there for anyone to see. I'm not so sure I want to share my family or my personal thoughts with everyone and their dog.
And I don't have an amazing hobby or at home business I can talk about.
I take horrible pictures too. And that seems to be important because I know I'm less likely to keep reading a blog without nice pictures.
I don't want to just link to and share other peoples projects even though I enjoy reading boots and browsing Pinterest.
And I always want to change my layout or design. There are so many cute options! So I get caught up more in that than actual posting.
When it comes down to it, I do have opinions about life. Lots of them. But I just don't think so highly of myself to think that everyone should listen to them. And maybe I'm a little afraid of mean comments too. Believing in right and wrong isn't very popular or worldly these days.

So hi. Maybe I'll post again in another 6 months. :)

NYC Food Tour

 This fall we took a trip to NYC. Earlier this year, Southwest had an amazing sale and we took advantage! Our NYC trip pretty much revolved around food. We made one of our resturant reservations before we made our hotel reservation! :) My sweet hubby is a total foodie and I love to enjoy all his picks. He always picks the best places and proves me wrong when I'm skeptical.

Clinton Street Bakery
   This was the only day we made it out for breakfast and it was fantastic! I am not exactly a morning person. So between my slow going and trying to figure out the subway on our first day, we had breakfast at about 11am. I started with a super chocolatey mug of hot chocolate. It started raining-- link and I was already cold so this hot chocolate was the perfect remedy. And is was so rich! I love me some chocolate so this thick and creamy beverage was right up my alley. For the main.course I ordered their famous pancakes. Best. Ever. Even better than Cracker Barrel. Now I know this is hardly a fair comparison but I really like the nice crispy buttermilk outside and soft inside of Cracker Barrel pancakes. J ordered a delicious omelet and bottomless coffee. 

Babbo

   We had to call a month in advance to get in here! This is one of Chef Mario Batalli's 5-star returants. And they take reservations only a month ahead. J called exactly a month before our trip and after an hour of redialing, got thru and we had to rsvp at either 5:30pm or 8:30pm. So we had to eat at 5:30pm. But it worked out well because we also took in a Broadway show--link that night. This is the most expensive and the best meal I've ever eaten! We had Warm Lamb’s Tongue Vinaigrette, Pig Foot “Milanese”, Goose Liver Ravioli, Black Spaghetti, Grilled Pork Chop, and Olive Oil Geliato.

Russ & Daughters
    Bagel
Scheshwan Gourmet
  Chinese
Shake Shack

   Burgers and chocolate shake
Katz's Deli

   Pastrami sandwich
Totto Ramen
   Ramen.. to die for.
I think I'm going to have to seriously consider going on a diet now.

Celebrating Halloween?

I have long been conflicted about celebrating Halloween. I grew up not participating in Halloween in any way. I am perfectly fine with that and do not feel like I missed out at all. It was rather easy, in fact. We lived in the country and so no one came knocking on our door anyhow. Now my family and I live in town and I find there are more aspects to consider about Halloween. We have neighbors that are going to come knocking on our door whether we have our light on or not, I realized when we first moved in. That year I wasn't prepared and had to give out candy bars to our new neighbors. :) oops! Though I don't like Halloween, I do love to give. (It's one of my favorite things about Christmas.) So even before we had kids, we decided that we would definitely turn on our light and hand out candy and be friendly. We needed the opportunity to see our neighbors more! Now that we have a child of our own, the questions only grow. This year we will be handing out candy and if Millie would like to dress up, she can. I always loved dressing up as a kid. Halloween or not, imagination and dressing up is always encouraged at our house!
I will always be opposed to the dark, sinful aspects of Halloween. And for now, we choose not to go trick or treating.
Do you trick or treat? Do your kids? Did you as a kid?

Here are a couple articles from Focus on the Family president Jim Daly I've read recently on the subject..

Halloween and Christianity
Halloween: Trick or Treat or Abstain?
He makes some very good observations and the comments are also quite interesting, good and entertaining. :)