Fall Recipes~Apple Crisp

 

Since this is my last Michigan fall, I have been indulging in all my favorite fall recipes.  The last few weekends I have been busy in the kitchen making all of my favorite fall baked goods. Last weekend, Kevin was home from training for a visit.  I wanted to be a good wife and spoil him with a delicious dinner, followed by a yummy homemade fall dessert. 

Kevin has always liked my recipe for apple crisp.  He calls it "apple chunks".  My mom always made apple crisp as a treat in the fall.  The smell of baked apples and cinnamon would fill the house with such a delicious autumn sent.  I love to make this recipe! It's similar to an apple pie, but much easier to make and less expensive.  The ingredients are simple and most likely, you have most of them in your pantry already.

I started out with finding a great sale at the grocery store on locally grown Michigan apples. They were only $.59 per pound.  You really can't beat that price!  I didn't need to buy anything else, because I already had the rest of the ingredients in my baking supplies at home.

My favorite recipe for apple crisp is from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  It's the same way that my mom made it as a kid.  You should definitely give it a try. It's the perfect fall treat! 

Simple Sunday

The point of my "Simple Sunday" post is to recognize the little things in your life that make you happy. I believe that contentment is the key to living a fulfilling life.  I love sharing the little things in my life that make me happy.

Kevin is home this week for a short time, before he heads back to training in November.  It's nice to have him home.  We were able to get back into our normal routine this weekend, which was nice.  Today we woke up bright and early to get to church at 8:00 am.  Why so early you ask?  Well, the Lions were playing in London today, and in order for us to go to church and watch football after (not my idea) we had to go to the 8:00 service.  I like to sleep in on the weekend, so I was not thrilled about this idea.  I ended up being okay with the early wake up when we got home and it was only 9:30 am.  I had the entire day ahead of me.  I decided I would get outside and enjoy this beautiful day, and that's just what I did.

Today was the kind of day where I wished I was an artist, so I could capture the beauty of it all with paint on a canvas.  The sky was so blue and the colors of the trees were just glowing in the sun light.  My pictures below don't do it justice.  I know that days like today are very few and far, so just taking an hour outside made my day.  What a perfect Sunday :)

Katie's Closet~ 12 Ways to Wear a Striped Dress

When it comes to shopping, it's always important to be a smart shopper.  By this, I mean you should always look for the best price, but more importantly, you should buy clothes that you know you will get the most use out of.  This is why I like to stick to pretty basic styles.  You can always accessories differently each time you wear your clothes. 

Here is an example... I found this basic black and white striped dress at Target a few weeks ago.  It was in the clearance section (my favorite place ever) and it was only $9.  I've been wanting a basic dress like this one for a while now, plus I am really loving stripes right now.  I knew I could get a lot of use out of it.  Once I brought the dress home, I started exploring my closet and playing around with different looks. 

Here are 12 looks I put together.

  
#1

#2

#3

  #4

#5

 #6

#7

.
#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

I can wear this dress once a week, for 12 weeks straight, and never have to repeat my outfit.  Sometimes we get stuck on wearing the same outfits, because you know you like it, and it's cute.  But that can get boring pretty fast, and before you know it, you hear yourself say "I have nothing to wear".  The next thing you know, you're shopping for a whole new wardrobe, which basically defeats the purpose of trying to save money.

I'd like to challenge everyone to pick your favorite clothing item in your closet and find a new way to wear it. You will have a brand new look without having to spend any money to get it! Good luck!

 

Katie's Closet~What I Wore this Week

I've been working way too much lately.  On an average day, I am at work anywhere between 10 and 11 hours.  I won't get into any details, but lets just say I look forward to making a change when I move.  There is one thing I love about my job... and that is finding new looks to wear to work.  I literally look forward to getting dressed in the morning.  (I know, I don't have much of a life) I never liked having to wear a uniform to work.  I know that some people prefer not having to think when they wake up and get ready, but I like to be creative when I get dressed in the morning.  When I'm wearing something cute, I feel confident and ready to take on anything that comes my way. 

Here are the outfits that helped me get through this week.

Monday

Black dress- Target

Scarf- Charming Charlies

Cardigan- Target

Boots- Target

Tuesday

Black Jeggings- TJ Maxx

Blazer- Kohls

Shirt- Target

Shoes- Target

Wednesday

Dress- Target

Jean Jacket- Meijer

Boots- Target

Necklace- Aldo

Thursday

Black sweater- Express

Polka dot blouse- Meijer

Black Pants- Old Navy (Salvation Army)

Necklace- Charming Charlie

Shoes- Plato's Closet

Friday

Sweater dress- Express

Leggings- Charlotte Ruse

Shoes- DSW

Scarf- Charming Charlie 

Up in the Air ~Moving West

Ever since Kevin and I got married, our lives have been "up in the air" about everything.  We never knew where Kevin's career would take us.  He's had job interviews overseas and has applied to just about every airline in the United States.  This is why I have never felt completely settled into our life here in Michigan, despite the fact that we are both from here.  I always knew that the day would one day come where we would have to make a big move for his job.

Well now that day is right around the corner.  Recently Kevin started training at a new airline job.  We weren't sure where this new job would take us, but we knew we would be moving out of Michigan.  We recently learning that our new home will be in Las Vegas, NV!

When I think about Las Vegas, I think about casinos, hotels, shows, wedding chapels... the movie The Hangover.  Well, after doing a lot of research on the area, I am learning that is not the case.  Las Vegas actually has some very nice areas to live and raise a family.

There are definitely going to be some great advantages to living in Las Vegas.  One is that it's extremely affordable.  We have already looked at the coast of renting in the area we plan to move to, and we are pleased with the prices we have found.  Another advantage is the weather!  I am definitely looking forward to a warm, dry climate.  One more advantage to living in Las Vegas is the location.  We both have family on the west coast, so it will be nice to know they are only a short drive and an even shorter plane ride away.  We can also spend sometime exploring the southwest. (A piece of the country I have not had the opportunity to spend much time in.)  Best of all, it's a tourist destination.  Our friends and family are sure to visit and there will be plenty to do!

This is the picture Kevin sent me on his drive to the Red Rocks. A little sneak peak of what we'll be living by.

Las Vegas may not be our final destination in Kevin's aviation career, but for now it will be our future home.

Shopping Finds~Getting the Most for your Money$$

When I shop, I like to get as much as I can for my money.  I go straight to the back of the store where they keep all the clearance and sale items. I'm just too frugal to look anywhere else in a store. 

I recently had a $15 gift card to spend at Charming Charlie.  This store is a great place to find affordable accessories!  Accessories are perfect when you're building a wardrobe on a budget.  Since I only had $15 to spend, I knew I had to hit the clearance section in the back of the store.  I didn't want to spend my $15 on one thing (that wouldn't be any fun), so I was looking in the $5 range. I ended up finding a great selection of light weight scarves. They were only $4.99, so I decided to stock up!

Scarves are a great accessorie to have in your wardrobe. They can dress up the simplest of outfits. I ended up picking out 3 different patterns that I know I will get plenty of use out of.

Here are some looks I put together using my new scarves. 

Now instead of having one new accessorie to wear, I have 3 new outfits!

My Closet~Weekend Wardrobe

I just love putting together a Saturday outfit. There is no dress code on a Saturday.  Today was a cool, cloudy, fall day.  It's the perfect day to have no plans at all. 

Here is my lazy Saturday outfit...

Grey Sweater- Target

Checkered button down- Target

Jeans- Old Navy

Boots- DSW

I just love this look. The checkered button down is a new purchase. I've been looking for a shirt like this for a while now.  When I found it in my size on clearance at Target, I had to get it.  I have at least 4 of these Boyfriend Cardigans from Target.  They are always a good price and they are great for layering your clothes.  

This was just the perfect fall look for the weekend.

Fall Recipes~ Apple Pulled Pork Sandwich

The weekend before my husband left for his training, I let him pick anything he wanted me to make for him for dinner that week. He suggested I make him pulled pork in the crock pot. He always tells me that he loves meat from the crock pot served on bread or a tortilla (easy enough for me).

I absolutely love my crock pot. It's the best invention ever, especially for the working women. I use it as much as I can, especially during the colder months. Kevin's request for pulled pork was simple, but he has high standards. He doesn't like it drenched in sauce. The night before, we were watching Americas Best BBQ on Netfix. So I decided to go with what I learned on the BBQ show and make up my own pulled pork. 

In a small bowl I combined the following....

2 Tbs brown sugar

2 Tbs paprika

1 Tbs garlic powder

1 Tbs onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

In a separate bowl, I combined...

2 Tbs Olive Oil

2 Tbs Worcester sauce

2 Tbs Cider vinegar

 

After both mixtures were combined, I placed the roast in the crock pot. (I just bought a pork roast on sale at Kroger for around $5.50. You could really use any kind of pork, shoulder, loin, chops... I just went with what was on sale.) I poured the liquid mixture over the roast, then covered it in the seasoning. After that I set the timer for 10 hours and let is cook on low. 

To go with the pork I created 2 sides...coleslaw and baked apples. 

Baked apples are a fall favorite for me! They are super easy to make and go perfectly with pork. Here is all you need to make baked apples....

Apples (I used one granny smith, one red delicious and one gala apple on this day).

Cinnamon- 1-2 Tbs

Brown or white Sugar- 1-2 Tbs

All you need to do is slice the apples, sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar on top, mix it up and bake for an hour at 375. It's as simple as that.

My coleslaw recipe came from my Pinterest page. It was a delicious healthy coleslaw made with greek yogurt and apple cider vinegar. I definitely recommend this recipe. Check it out below!

 

After all my side dishes were completed, I layered my pork, apples and coleslaw on a bun to create the perfect fall pulled pork sandwich. This is definitely one recipe that you will want to try this fall! Enjoy!