Washington apple cake with cream cheese frosting...

Apple season is in full effect, and if you need a great fall dessert, I have just the one! My Aunt Sher made this cake for us years ago. We all demanded the recipe, and it has been a family favorite ever since. The perfect fall cake...with a few substitutions to make it healthier! The best baking apples? Mckintosh, Braeburn, or Roma are my faves. I also got a great tip from the produce lady at Central Market...choose at least two varieties of apples when y0u are baking, and mix them together. It adds more variety to each bite! Enjoy!

Washington Apple Cake
5-6 Mckintosh, Braeburn or Roma apples
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil (or substitute unsweetened applesauce)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour (can use 1/2 whole wheat flour)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz package cream cheese
4 Tbs melted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice apples (about 4 cups), and layer in a buttered 9 x 13 pan. Beat eggs and add sugar and oil. Beat until creamy. Mix dry ingredients, and add to egg mixture. Blend in vanilla, beat thoroughly. Stir in nuts. pour batter over apples. Bake 1 hour. Cool completely.

Mix cream cheese, melted butter, and 2 cups powdered sugar. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Spread over cake when cool.

Spooooooky! Fun things to do with software this Halloween!

Halloween is almost here, and I thought I would share some fun things to do on the internet to spookify yourself and your family this Halloween!

First, our all time favorite is jibjab.com. You can custom make a video of your family and share it with friends. Here is ours this year!

Turgeon Halloween Rap


I love to get on picnik.com and mess around with photos. Every holiday they have featured edits, and their Halloween ones are super fun. I know it's spooky to make your kid into a zombie....but Grace was loving it!





This July, I got a text late at night from my cousin Rick.....a picture he had taken while we were all at our cabin, sitting around the bonfire. He sounded really freaked out, and asked if I could see what he was seeing in the photograph. You could see an eerie female shadow, standing a few feet from where we were sitting. I was genuinely spooked, and emailed the pic to the rest of my family. We were all speculating who the image may be, someone's reflection? A ghost? For the rest of the summer, we sat around that bonfire, spinning stories about the freaky woman.....that is until Rick finally admitted on Labor Day that it was the Ghost Capture app on the iphone.....seriously? All summer he let us believe the cabin was haunted. My sister in law could hardly sleep out there. Anyway, I'm glad it was an app, and not the spirit of Hood Canal...download the app for free and have a little fun of your own!


Is that not spooky? Happy Halloween!

Baked oatmeal...healthy, and your kids will love it!

I love baking, I think I have established that...the last couple of years my obsession has been real down home baking...using tons of Barefoot Contessa and Paula Deen recipes, with full on pounds of butter and full fat ingredients. I once saw this super health guru on Oprah that said, dessert is great, as long as you bake it yourself and stay away from the store bought, preservative laden desserts. I kind of took that and ran with it. Although it's still my favorite way to bake, I got to thinking...maybe the guy meant in moderation...hmmmm...ya think? I also have since watched Super Size Me, and Food Inc, and have picked up a new obsession...finding kid favorites and making them at home using healthy ingredients. Homemade granola bars, homemade mac and cheese, things I can sneak my own ingredients into, but that taste good, so my kids will ask for them. I also struggle with finding the time to make a big, healthy breakfast during the mad dash that happens to get out the door, and cereal or toast seem to be the only thing handy. I love breakfast I can make the night before, so the kids can help themselves, and I don't feel like "loser mom" for sending them out the door with a granola bar. My sister introduced this recipe to me quite a few years ago, and between my mom(the serious Martha Stewart of the family) my sister and I, someone is always baking this up. Every one of my kids love it...they eat it for breakfast and for snacks until it's gone. I make it on a Sunday night, so breakfast is already done for the next couple of days. It's also great cold, so you can pack it for lunch or a snack. You can add any fruit of your choice, although I have tried many, pears seem to be the best. I also love to add blueberries to pack in some antioxidants. I sprinkle flax seed on top before baking, and spoon vanilla yogurt over it right before serving. A great way to get fiber, fruit, omegas, and calcium into your kid's diet. Enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal

2 1/2 cups rolled pats (use old fashioned, not quick oats)
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup steel cut oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups milk
1 egg beaten
1/3 applesauce
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar (you can use less sugar and it still tastes great)
2 cups chopped fresh or frozen fruit or berries (I do 1/2 chopped pears and 1/2 frozen blueberries)
a small handful ground flaxseed (optional)
vanilla yogurt (can use Greek to make it more healthy)


Mix oats, oat bran, steel cut oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Set aside. Mix wet ingredients with the sugars in another bowl, except fruit. Mix both together and pour into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle lightly with flaxseed. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Pull out and stir in fruit. Bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve vanilla yogurt over the top or on the side.

Cozy up to fall...

Moving through my stages of grief, that summer has really ended...(anger, resentment, bargaining, depression, asking why God? Why?) I have finally come to...acceptance...and even....embracing! I will embrace fall and all I have learned to love about this season. The baking, the crisp sunny days, flannel sheets, Halloween, crock pot dinners, Thanksgiving, firing up the fireplace, and last but not least, furry boot and sweater season. Twice a year I go through my closet, and each of my kids closets and do a major clean out session. In the fall, I pack up all the summer clothes and flip flops, and bag everything I know I won't wear again, or that won't fit the kids next summer, and give it away. It's kind of fun getting out the warm sweaters, boots, and jackets, and taking stock of what we need as winter gets closer. I am slowly learning that less is more. I used to be a quantity lover....if I found a cheap hoody, I would get one in every color, because, hey, it's only 30 bucks! My closet was bursting with things that were newish, some with tags still on...but still I only wore a few items...I felt guilty, so what did I do? Shopped of course. As the economy changed, as did our finances, I was forced to shop less and less, and really think about the things I needed. I decided to go through my closet and give away about half my clothes, and it felt really good. Life just felt more simple. I actually spend a little more on items I will love and have for a few years, but buy way less over all. A couple great pairs of boots, a few really nice jeans, a great coat, a couple of cozy, soft sweaters, a nice classic handbag...then go cheaper on the trendier stuff...and pass it on as soon as you are "over it!" Your closet will thank you, and believe it or not, so will your wallet! I have received quite a few emails from mom's wanting to see some affordable fall fashions. I am no fashionista, but I could post comfy outfit ideas all day! Hope this helps you to cozy up to fall!
Hat- Jess Beanie $50 allsaints.com
Silver Hoop earrings $2.90 windsorstore.com
Stackable Rings $49 stelladot.com
Super Skinny Destroyed Jeans $50 hollisterco.com
Plaid Flannel Shirt $27 oldnavy.com
Lace Trim Cami $8.50 oldnavy.com
Ugg Boots $210 nordstrom.com

need a cheaper version? Try these:

chunky beret hat $6.90 forever21.com
Bare traps Emilse Boots $74.95 dsw.com

White chocolate pumpkin cheesecake? Heck yeah!

I'm kind of getting in to baking cheesecakes. You might say I'm becoming a cheesecake geek...and we already know I love pumpkin...see here: pumpkin cream cheese muffins....so when I saw a recipe for a white chocolate pumpkin cheesecake with an Oreo crust on thebakingpan.com, I could not bake it fast enough. Seriously. I mean, white chocolate would be enough in itself, but add the pumpkin? Umm,...and Oreos? We had friends over last week from out of town. The guy never eats dessert, but he ate 4 pieces of this. Then he ate two more the next day. I live next to my sister's family, and I also live next to my parents,(it sounds crazy, but it's awesome) and we hail from a family of dessert people. Whenever we are all together, including my 98 year old grandma, there is literally a silence that falls over the room when the Dawson women are eating dessert. It's probably the only time no one talks. My husband would gladly attest to that. So when this cheesecake was in my fridge, there was a stream of people coming in through the sliding door for "just one bite.." (another Dawson term. We would never actually get a plate, just straighten up the sides. 41 times) I could go on and on about this cheesecake, but instead, I will just give you a link to the recipe:

White chocolate pumpkin cheesecake

Happy fall y'all!

Glitter pumpkins...so sparkly!

Everyone knows there are all types of pumpkins...short, fat, round, white, bumpy, sugar, you name it, someone grows it. They are perfection for a thanksgiving centerpiece, mixed with leaves, candles, and pine cones. I have seen some really ornate centerpieces, and I have to say, for me, the more simple the better. But simple + sparkly? Does glitter not make everything better? I say yes, and when I first discovered the Martha Stewart glitter pumpkins, I was in love. Simple...sparkly...autumn-like...add some candles and glow in the season. Here are some images of what other people have done with glitter pumpkins:




I kind of changed up the way Martha does it....the first time I did these I was short on time, and supplies. I do love her glitter, and you can find it on Martha Stewart.com or Amazon for around $7-$9. It's expensive but will last for years. Here is my list of what you will need...(don't tell Martha, don't think I would want her mad at me! That would not be....a good thing.)

1 can spray adhesive
multiple colors of Martha Stewart glitter (I use Fire Opal, Brownstone, and Bronze)
Small pie pumpkins
brown craft paint

Hold the pumpkin by the stem over some newspaper. Spray the entire pumpkin, except the stem.
Sprinkle on the glitter over a separate area of newspaper, don't be sparse! After you sprinkle, grab the sides of the paper and form a line with the fallen glitter.You can pour it right back into the container.
Let dry for approx. 1/2 hour. Paint the stems with brown craft paint.
Done! How easy was that?

Lasagna Soup.....perfect for fall!

What's extra gooey and super comforting on a freezing fall evening after soccer practice? (I know I keep referencing soccer practice, but as you mom's know it pretty much rules my world...)Lasagna soup. That's what. A couple of years ago, while sitting in the waiting room of the kid's dentist office and flipping through a copy of "Family Fun" magazine, I spotted this picture....

I thought about ripping out the page and stealing it, as I knew I had to make this, but I was a little worried I would get ratted out by another waiting room mom, or maybe the cops would get called, or worse maybe my mom would get called...(my imagination can go a little crazy, especially in the waiting room of a dentist...the fear kind of takes over my body)...so I took a way more rational approach and asked the receptionist to copy it for me. I made it that very night, and have been making it ever since. My kids love it, my husband loves it, and it makes enough for two dinners. Serve it up with some toasted Italian rustic bread with a little butter and garlic salt, and pack it in their thermos the next day! Seriously, make it already.

Lasagna Soup

2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage (bulk)
2 onions finely chopped ( I use one)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
6 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
8 oz fusilli pasta
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil
8 oz ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
2 c. shredded mozzarella

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess fat from pot. Add the onions and saute until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and saute until paste turns rusty brown, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, the broth, and the bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the pasta, then increase the heat to medium high and boil soup until the pasta is tender to the bite, following the time recommendations on the pasta package. Discard bay leaves, then stir in basil. if desired, season with salt and black pepper to taste.
In a small bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, the 1/4 tsp salt and pinch of pepper. To serve, place a scoop of the ricotta mixture into each bowl, ladle the soup on, and sprinkle with mozzarella.

Traditionally, meat sauce is supposed to be served with red wine, but this fall wine was spectacular with it!

Healthy smoothies your kids will actually like!

Like any other mom, I am always trying to find ways to get my kids to eat more vegetables...I have sneaked them in soups, spread them on crackers, even joined the "sneaking pureed vegetables into everything you bake" movement. I went on a two day puree marathon, and a year later, it is all still in my freezer, like crusty, freezer burned, mystery bags of grossness. The one thing my kids seem to love is smoothies. Not the green smoothie my husband makes every day at 3 o'clock....(seriously, he's like a rain man smoothie making machine....3 o'clock, must make smoothie, must make smooooothie...) but smoothies that are sweet and actually taste good. I have tried to get on board with my husband's smoothie, but it literally tastes like grass....and not in a good way. I had finally determined that green smoothies were not my thing, when my cousin Steph introduced my to the best thing ever....EVER....a green smoothie that actually tastes great. You know that feeling late in the afternoon when you lose energy and wish you could have a latte, or take a nap? That is the time you make one of these bad boys and it gives you that energy buzz to get you motivated, to get you psyched up to exercise, clean the house, or finish that smoothie blog you started....they are that good. Anyway, I figured if I like it that much, maybe my kids would drink it. Sure enough, they all love it. My daughter drinks one everyday after school and before soccer, and my rain man husband calls down from his home office every day (3 o'clock sharp) and asks "is it smoothie time?" That's not code for anything...he really just wants a smoothie. I feel less guilty about the other things I eat (1/2 a white chocolate pumpkin cheese cake....post to come soon), because I know I'm at least getting a whopping amount of things that are good for me. Since starting the smoothies, I have been researching other smoothies that are great, and came across the oatmeal smoothie. This one is perfect for busy mornings, and the oatmeal in it makes it super healthy and filling. As I have posted about before, getting healthier works by going slow, adding in one great thing at a time, and working out one bad thing at a time...you don't need to feel you are on a "health kick," let's face it, those never last, but adding more vegetables to your body, which naturally allows for less junk during the day.....never in a million years after making fun of my husband for so long did I expect to turn into rain girl....here are the recipes!

Steph's Green Smoothie

2 heaping handfuls of spinach (you can throw in some kale or parsley if you have it)
1/2 avocado
1 handful shredded carrot (trader joe's sells them pre shredded)
1 handful frozen mango chunks (also trader joe's)
1 handful frozen blueberries
1/2 inch of peeled ginger root
1 cup ( I use a little more) of almond milk (I use vanilla for sweetness)
Blend all ingredients, drink immediately, feel awesome

This recipe can be changed up to allow for what is in you freezer, peaches instead of mango, raspberries or blackberries instead of blueberries, a banana, really anything you have on hand.

Oatmeal Raspberry Smoothie

One banana
1 handful frozen raspberries(or any other frozen berry)
1/2 cups plain greek yogurt
1 TBS honey
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup vanilla almond milk

Here's a few links to some others that are fabulous:

Healthy Pumpkin Smoothie
http://redheadrecipes.com/?p=13520&cpage=1#comment-7483

Dr. Oz Vitamin C Smoothie (for cold season)
www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-oz-s-vitamin-c-smoothie

The Ikea Expedit, oh how I love her!

A few months ago, I was staring at the wall of my guest house, thinking it needed something....It currently housed a little desk, mirror, and chair, and really didn't get much use, nor did it go with the light and coastal theme I had going on in there. I had been thinking maybe a vintage hutch I could repaint, and I asked my cousin Kris (an interior designer) her thoughts. She stared for a long time before saying, "you know what would be perfect for this spot, one of those Ikea cubey shelfy things..." Neither one of us knew the proper name for these, but I knew immediately what she meant. The only time I had seen them in person, they were in someone's playroom, shoved full of toys and knick knacks, and not looking like the beachy vision I had in my mind for that wall. I started googling images of the shelf, which I found out is called the Expedit, and had no idea there was a huge Expedit fan base...there were hundreds of pictures, some were how I had seen them before, but some were done so classy and modern....Kris was onto something. Oh, and here was the other problem. I was on a budget. A big budget. And what would I possible store in 16 baskets? Later, as I went into my small mechanical room to get the vacuum, I tripped over all my kids art stuff, you know, the stuff they bring home, and you can't throw it away? The plastic containers of crayons, pencils, craft paper, paints, piled up and screaming for a new home. I had a light bulb moment, and decided the expedit would be perfect...I could turn it into the craft-o-matic 3000, and finally get on the road to organizing my life. Even though they are only $129 at Ikea for a 4 by 4 unit, I noticed they were all over craigslist for around $50-$100 bucks. I waited and found a white one for $45. I went back and forth about what type of basket to use, they have so many options...(even the Target Itso baskets fit perfectly)...but I loved the seagrass baskets, and had to pay full price at $12 a pop, but love the way it looks. It matches my guest house perfectly, and has become a one wall art studio for not only my kids crafts and art supplies, but all of my scrapbook stuff, craft paint, glue guns, wrapping paper, playdough, I could go on and on! I fit so much in there, and still have 4 empty baskets. I even got out the label maker....if you knew me really well you would know this goes against everything I stand for....I am one of those people who can keep my house kind of clean, but if you opened any drawer or cupboard, stuff would just fall on you...it's bad. I'm not kidding. But this shelf inspired me to label all their art supplies, and I find they actually do so many more art projects, just knowing they can access what they need, and clean it up easily, it just goes right back into the right basket. I have since seen these as changing tables, shoe storage, entry tables, you name the space, they have an expedit that will fit. Can you tell I'm a little excited about these? How can you go wrong for 45 bucks! Here are a few images of other expedits....where can you use one in your house?

Simple things we can do to live more organically...

In and earlier post, I started a weekly list of tips....easy and inexpensive tips to making your home more clean, organic, and environmentally friendly!
Tip #2) BPA-get rid of it! Back in the 80's and 90's, no one ever heard the terms "BPA free or free of Phalates." We drank from plastic bottles, sippy cups...we just didn't know better! In the last 10 years, BPA (also known as bisphenal A) has been listed as a "toxic substance" by the FDA. It has been proven to leech out of plastic, into the liquid, and therefore into the bloodstreams of people who drink from and eat off of it. It is highly estrogenic, and in high amounts can lead to the build up of these toxins in the body. The good news? BPA free plastic is now readily available, and inexpensive. Switch you babies and kids to bpa free bottles, sippys, water bottles, better yet, stainless steel. My little boy Wiley has a stainless water bottle with a non leaking spout he brings in the car, and loves it! Some of my favorite websites are Kleen Kanteen, and Sigg. I purged my kids lunch boxes of plastic baggies after a friend turned me onto to these!

http://www.easylunchboxes.com/

They are a bento style BPA free dishwasher safe tupperware that stack easily, are super cheap, and leave no plastic in the landfills! We also bought the insulated lunch pack that stacks three tupperware, so we can head to the park, or on the road, and they each have a snack. (It is also a great website for lunch ideas!) I also have recently found BPA plastic snack cups and bowls at Walmart. Like I said, it's everywhere! Our family had also been eating on some super cute melamine dinnerware for the last two years....seemed like a good idea, as the kids could drop it and bang it up, and we could carry it onto the patio without the fear of it breaking! Alas, after much research I decided it had to go, as ceramic and glass really is the most healthy way to go, and we cheaply replaced it all at once with a couple of these great sets from Home Essentials at Target: http://www.target.com/p/Room-Essentials-Glazed-Stoneware-16-pc-Dinnerware-Set-Vintage-Teal/-/A-11509079. I feel much better about it!

Coveting fall comfort....

What have I learned in the thirty something years that I have been getting dressed? You can't be something you're not. You can try, but inevitably, your own sense of self will prevail. And you know what? That's a good thing. Like most women, I do love fashion, and while I have friends who manage to pull off every day swankiness, (you know the type, cute skirt, boots, hair perfected, matching bag,) I am not one of those women. My style has always been ruled by comfort. I remember my best friend and I in high school, vowing every year that "this would be the year we will be uber stylish," making schedules of the cute outfits we would wear, which included a skirt at least once a week, and applying makeup every day, and actually getting up early to do our hair. Without fail, halfway through September, the plan would be scrapped, in favor of waking up 5 minutes before departure, pull on my Levi's, throw my hair in a pony tail, and scurry out the door....I have truly learned my lesson through my teenage and adult years, that yes, I love cute clothes, but they HAVE to be comfortable and cozy. My style of a mom of three who lives on the beach in a small town and drives soccer carpool, consists of jeans, cozy boots, flip flops, sweaters, tank tops, exercise clothes, a casual coach bag, and not a hot off the runway fall blazer with riding boots....I mean come on, I can't blog about what I'm not, but I CAN blog about what I am! That is a fashion lover who is on a mission to be myself, be comfortable, be casual and still have style...Here's wishing you a cozy, comfy, be yourself kind of fall!

Bag-Coach Chelsea
Socks, gloves, hat, scarf-Etsy
Boots-Frye
Stackable rings-Coach
Jeans-Hollister