Sunday Old Fashioned Apple Pancakes.
Ingredients:
1 egg
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2c. flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2c milk
2 sm. apples
Directions: Simple. Stir wet and dry ingredients separately. Mix. You know the rest.
BIG OLE PRETTY ‘CAKES.
You’re welcome.
Since our Sunday adventures have been heavily weighted on hikes and such, we decided to head to the Nevada County fair for some corn dogs and carneys. Nivek opted to go on a few rides, Kennedy discovered the magical powers of the carousel (twice!), and Matt and I just leaned into the toothless wonderment of a country fair. There is something nice about having carnival rides among trees instead of out on the open pavement like at Cal Expo when the California State fair comes to town. After a few hours, some corn dogs and lemonade, we decided to head home. Overall, it was quiet, simple, and exactly what I had hoped for. I love my family.
Orange Toddler Dress | Gap
On Hwy 37 there is this outhouse that sits happily in the middle of a field, that can be accessed by going under the freeway overpass. On our way home from Muir beach, we were about to pass it for the zillionth time and we decided to finally stop to check it out. Usually, we have a sleeping baby and two dogs in the back and it’s a trillion degrees (yes, really), but this time the stars appeared to align. I grabbed the camera and baby and we trudged under the bridge and over toward the outhouse. As we approach, we can see that there is a swampy river that blocks our path. Sigh. Normally I would not let a little water stand between me and a good adventure, but this appeared to be one of those rivers that looked like a mere trickle but had mud that was waist deep. Plans thwarted. One day I will grab a pair of waders and a newspaper and get to drop my knickers in that thing for a photo, but for today, I will just have to gaze from afar.
I knew this was going to be a good hike, but I didn’t realize just how breathtaking it would be. It took a little less than 2 hours to arrive at Muir Beach from Sacramento. We parked, threw on some sweaters and headed across the bridge to the Coastal Trail. The first mile or so of the hike is uphill, so while we were initially a bit chilly, it really didn’t take long to warm up. Kennedy spent the first half of the trip on my back, and while it was cold outside, my back was a serious heater and she couldn’t have been more comfortable. Within the first hour she was cuddled up tight and snoring loudly. Of course, it could hurt that we put loud nature sounds on at nap and bedtime. The trail really was like one long scenic vista point. We walked until just after the giant “Dirty Dancing” staircase, and decided to turn around and climb down into Pirate’s Cove. After sitting on the little beach awhile we loaded up and headed back. Each way the trail was 2.3 miles and I can’t wait to go back. This was the most beautiful hike I’ve been on that I can remember.
We woke up early and decided that for this Sunday road trip we would stay closer to home. We have been wanting to got to a U-pick farm for quite some time, but it just hasn’t worked out – until now. Double M farms was exactly what we were looking for. Aside from the fact that Matt and I share “M” names and thus could pretend to have had the farm named after us (because of course it was, duh), the U-pick area was big enough to make you feel like you’re not just getting the sad unpicked pears left behind by overzealous u-pickers and small enough to not have to wander for miles to find a pear.
Double M Farms is located on the delta about 30 minutes from Sacramento. When we arrived, the farm was completely quiet. We wondered over to a little shack that was set up with pre-picked fruit, eggs, and other assorted goods and paid 8 dollars for a brown bag to stuff full of pears. There were wagons off to the side that you could use if necessary, but since we were only getting one brown bag full, we opted to carry our own. We headed across the driveway to the picking area and were amazed at how many pears there were. The trees were covered. Seriously, covered. When planning this trip I imagined having to hoist Kennedy up a ladder to be able to have her pick some, but that was not the case. There were plenty of huge pears within reach of her, and that made it all that much better.
Kennedy was a little bit needy and fussy but seemed to really enjoy the whole thing. If you have the chance, check out their website for produce and U-pick availability and pay them a visit. We had a great time and the pears are delicious.
After going to the farm and picking a bag of pears, we decided that we needed to bake something delicious. I’m sure that you could use apples instead of pears for convenience, but the pears worked out really great. The recipe only took about 20 minutes to prepare, and was very simple. Enjoy.
Pear Coffee Cake ———–
INGREDIENTS
Cooking spray / butter
1 tablespoon(ish) of flour to dust the pan
Cake:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups diced skinless pears
½ ripened banana
Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray or butter; dust with 1 tablespoon flour. Beat ¼ cup butter and ¾ cup brown sugar together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Beat egg into butter mixture. Add sour cream and vanilla extract to the mixture; beat to integrate. Stir 1 cup flour, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl; add to the butter mixture and beat to combine into a batter. Fold pears into the batter. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Mix ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup flour, 2 tablespoons butter, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon together in a bowl using a fork to achieve a crumbly consistency; sprinkle over the top of the batter. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
That’s it. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with this and Matt has already put in his request for this to be his birthday cake next year.
Everyone deserves a homemade cake on their birthday, preferably one that is a bit ugly. When I was a kid, we all got unsightly homemade birthday cakes, it’s just the way that it was. Kennedy’s first birthday cake was no different. The lemon glaze was so good, I doubled what the recipe called for and threw my pride out the window. Do I feel shame?
Hell no.
Keeping things simple this year, Kennedy’s first birthday was spent next to the rose garden on Capitol Park with a few close friends and family. Actually, we were going to go to McKinley park, but rumor has it that they are having a serious flea problem, and that just killed that idea. I considered sending out invitations and having a moderate celebration at home, but I figure there will be plenty of years for obligating friends and they should be off the hook while they can. It was nice to just sit in the park with people who wanted to celebrate with her, eat some of the Lemon Lavender Cake I made the night before, and open gifts.
Knowing it was expected to reach 101 degrees in Sacramento, we left early hoping to beat even the smallest bit of heat, and headed toward Helen Putnam Regional Park in Petaluma, California. Before arriving at the park, we stopped to take a few photos of the awesome graffiti behind the Phoenix theater and pick up some sandwiches at the Tea Room Cafe. Unfortunately, the Tea Room Cafe only serves brunch on Sundays, so, we got back into the car and just headed for the park. When we arrived, it was about 80 degrees and the dogs were eager to get out of the car. We chose this park because it looked a bit different than some of the others we had been to recently. Instead of traipsing through trails filled with trees, it had wide-open fields that flowed into the valley. The hike started out with an uphill climb that edged up to a large pond (small lake?). Henry (Le’ Boston) is part Alligator, so I think this was his favorite part of the whole trip. Huck pretended to like the water to fit in, and we headed out. It wasn’t long before we were all roasting in the noonday sun though. Overall, the trails we not too treacherous, though had we went the opposite way I might be saying otherwise. In the end, we sat at a picnic table and cooled ourselves; I am guessing it was in the high 80’s at this point. We loaded up and stopped for sandwiches (again), but this time at Ray’s Deli , which did not disappoint.
Navajo Harem Pants | Two Little Kings
