Cornbread Muffins

from allrecipes.com, submitted by: Anne O. Nymous

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or better yet, put 12 muffin cups in your muffin pan! Have the kids help with this. Little hands love this job!

Mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, butter, and egg; mix well. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool in the pans 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

I love these muffins because they hold together better than my previous cornbread recipe. It's really hard to get all that wonderful honey butter on the bread when it's falling apart! So this recipe solved that problem!

To make honey butter: add 2 tsp of honey to 1/2 c softened butter

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Sweet Potato Chili

It's fall and time for another hearty warm dinner recipe! Dig in to this deliciousness. This chili is healthy, easy and inexpensive.

 adapted from pinchofyum.com

1 tablespoon oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
11⁄2 lbs turkey or chopped chicken
1 1/2-2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
3 sweet potatoes, skin removed and chopped into small pieces (this was about 6 cups)

3 cloves garlic
2 cups water
2-3 cups broth (start with 2)
1 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne for spice (more to taste!)

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a heavy, deep pot. Add the onion, turkey, 1 tablespoon chili powder, and 1 tablespoon taco seasoning. When the turkey is browned and the onions are soft, remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the sweet potatoes to the same pot with the remaining spices and stir to combine. When the sweet potatoes have browned just slightly, add the garlic, water, and broth. Bring to a low boil and simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the sweet potatoes are very soft.

Add the browned turkey, black beans, and cayenne - stir to combine.

Pinch of Yum Notes

The saltiness and flavor of the soup will depend on your taco seasoning. I added some salt and pepper and the end, which I recommend - just taste and adjust as you need to. At the risk of sounding crazy, I also added a spoonful or two of brown sugar and some red wine vinegar to give it some tang. I also added about a cup of cooked quinoa a few times to make it a little more hearty - that was good, too. You can top this with sour cream, cilantro, cheese, red onions, tortilla chips, avocado, or whatever else you like! The third cup of broth can be added at the end if you feel like it needs to be thinned out at all.

My Notes:
The original recipe called for using a blender to puree the potatoes after they cooked. So I did that. But I won't do it next time. I think the texture will be more appealing as I've written the recipe here. Also, if you use left over turkey from Thanksgiving don't put it in with the onions at the beginning. I would throw it in at the end with the beans. I also didn't use any cayenne at the end and thought the spice level was perfect as it was.

Husband rating: 4.5 stars
boys say: thumbs up

I Know a Rhino

I Know A Rhino

By Charles Fuge

I Know a Rhino is fun. The illustrations are bright, simple and humorous. There is a clever twist at the end. I like this board book version because I don't have to worry about the toddlers ripping the pages. This is a family favorite.

When a Dragon Moves In

When a Dragon Moves In

By Jodi Moore

Illustrated by Howard McWillaim

The illustrations in this book are wonderful. I love that the story captures all the fun activities a family can enjoy together at the beach. I love the humor. I love that the story isn't long. Far too many children's books have too many words and I find myself retelling the story in a concise version so I don't loose my 3-6 year-old's attention.  Bottom line: my seven-year-old read it five times today!  It's a keeper.

A Number of Dinosaurs

A Number of Dinosaurs

By Paul Stickland

A Number of Dinosaurs is a pop-up book like you've never seen it before. As you add more dinosaurs the pop-ups get bigger and bigger until a huge finale! This is a great way to practice counting to 10. And I haven't met a child yet who doesn't love dinosaurs!

Thanks for Thanksgiving

Thanks for Thanksgiving

By Julie Markes

Illustrated by Doris Barrette

This is my favorite Thanksgiving book. Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes gets your mind thinking of all you have to be thankful for. Its target audience is children, but I love it just as much as my kids. The illustrations are appealing. Cuddle up with your little blessings this fall and remember all you have to be thankful for with this book!

Better Books

The beauty of a blog is the ability to share with others things I love. 

I love reading great children's books to children. I love that for a minute their active little bodies slow down and they listen. I love to watch their eyes as they light up with a clever or funny spot in a story. I love asking them what they would do or what they think will happen next and getting a peek into their imaginations. And I love cuddling with my boys with a good book in our hands. 

There are shelves upon shelves of children's books at your library. Each book that makes this list has been approved by my boys. I hope this makes it easier for you to find a treasure to enjoy with the young ones in your life.