Every year I try to find cute gifts that I can give to my friends. It can be tricky to find new and different items, but there are so many cute things out there that would be perfect gifts! I think we can also all agree a fuzzy blanket or candle is always a welcomed gift too! Also, things like makeup brush sets are a great idea, I think a lot of us go a long time without replacing them so this would be a great gift for someone and something you know they’ll use. I also found this cute water bottle that I thought was adorable!

Mug|Air Pod Case|Socks |Coasters|Hand Foot and Face Masks|Candle|Makeup Brushes|

Now that it is October, all the fall vibes are in the air! There are so many tasty fall recipes, cute decorations, and fun trends to try this time of year. Fall recipes are so fun to make, and usually fill your kitchen with cozy vibes and who doesn’t love that? This recipe is one of those- hot apple cider! I had never made apple cider from scratch and it really wasn’t too hard to do, especially in the crockpot. It definitely makes your kitchen smell amazing too!

Here is What you Need for Apple Cider

Large Crockpot (this one is $40 from Walmart)

Wooden Spoon (linked here)

Masher (linked here)

Glass Mugs (linked here-$11 for four)

6 large apples, such as Granny Smith (approximately 2 pounds)

6 large sweet apples, such as Gala (approximately 2 pounds)

12 whole cloves

6 cinnamon sticks (here is a whole jar)

1/2 to 1 cup packed light brown sugar

The How To’s

  1. First, you will ash and dry the apples.
  2. Cut each apple into 8 wedges (skins, seeds and stems included) and transfer to your crockpot (7 quart size is best)
  3. Add the cloves, cinnamon sticks and 12 cups water.
  4. Then, you will cook it for four hours on high and covered.
  5. At that point, remove the lid and delicately crush the apples with a potato masher. Cover again and cook on high for another 2 hours. 
  6. Now, you’re going to need to strain out the impurities. Take a strainer and hold it over an empty large bowl. In small batches, ladle the apple mixture from the crockpot into the strainer and use the back of the ladle to press down on the apple pulp to extract the liquid. Discard the pulp, seeds, etc.
  7. Next, stir in 1/2 cup of the brown sugar until completely dissolved. Add additional sugar if needed after tasting.
  8. Pour all the cider back into the crockpot to warm it back up and enjoy!

Found from https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/shortcut-slow-cooker-apple-cider-5468518

Amazon Prime Day is today, October 13th and October 14th. It is a day full of great deals on some amazing Amazon products. There are lowered prices on so many things from electronics, to pots and pans, toys, Amazon products like Alexa, and even clothing and beauty products. You can also usually find deals on Apple products like air pods, watches, and sometimes even Macs. Seriously so many great items. Another product you can get is the Ring Doorbell. This product has been amazing for our family. I love that you can see when people are at your door, package notifications, and more. If you’ve been wanting to get something, now is the time to see if it is on sale. Here are some products below that are at a great price for Amazon Prime Day that I love.

My Favorite Products

Since announcing I was pregnant with Baby #2, I have been breaking out a lot of my top pregnancy essentials. When I was pregnant with Julian, a lot of these items really helped. I have also added in some new things I have been using and will use this time. I’ll also add to the list as my pregnancy progresses and I find more must have items!

My Dress

My Favorite Pregnancy Products

I love the prenatal vitamins from Olly and the Garden of Life brands. The Olly ones taste so good (seriously like candy) and between the two I know I am getting everything I need in my pregnancy. Amazon also has a great pregnancy pillow that is a serious life saver throughout the entire pregnancy. Th

All items linked here

This past week, we were at home in Michigan. It was so nice to see our families and slow down a little bit. The weather was SO nice (fall was definitely in the air) but still warm and sunny. We did a lot of outdoor activities like the sunflower farm, went and saw some horses, lots of walks, and the apple orchard. It was so fun to take Julian to all these places with my family, he really loved it. So after apple picking, we decided to make an apple pie! Here is the recipe we followed for this super tasty pie!

Here is What you Need for Apple Pie

Crust

Make or buy a premade pie crust

Topping
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup butter
Filling
  • 8 Granny Smith apples (or another apple of your choice)
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind (optional)
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

The How To’s

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Topping:
  • Combine all topping ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork until they are well mixed and crumbly.
Filling:
  • Peel, core, and then slice all the apples into thin slices (about 1/8 inch). Mix in the apple slices with sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour.
  • Layer apple slices in pie crust (it will be really full) and pour any leftover juice over the apples. 
  • Then you will top apple slices with your crumble topping and pat it down over the apples so it is well covered. 
  • Place pie pan on a cookie sheet so the juice doesn’t drip into your oven.
  • Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 45-55 minutes. (Carefully feel the center of the pie to make sure the apples are soft all of the way through your pie).
  • Serve warm with some vanilla ice cream!

QUICK TIP

Be sure to keep an eye on your crumble topping. Add foil over top to make sure it doesn’t burn.

And then you are done! We hope you enjoy your pie as much as we did!

Found from https://www.spendwithpennies.com/the-best-apple-crunch-pie-ever/

I saw this recipe for donut holes on TikTok and it only takes two ingredients! So, I knew it would be easy and probably taste so good! Check out the recipe below!

Here is What you Need for Donut Holes

Pancake mix of your choice (Birch Benders is what we use)

Powdered sugar

Cookie Sheet (here’s a nice one)

The How To’s

  1. Heat the oven to 400
  2. Take your pancake mix and measure out two cups and add to a bowl
  3. Add in 1/2 cup of water
  4. Roll the dough into small donut holes
  5. Place them spread apart on the cookie sheet
  6. Bake them for 10 minutes
  7. Roll in powdered sugar
  8. Enjoy!!

I wanted to try out a bunch of recipes from different TikTok videos- and they were so good! This one for mini pancake cereal was so easy and so good! It is like you are making pancakes but lots of mini ones. There are also so many different toppings you can add to your mini pancakes that would be fun to try. Kids really love this recipe too. Here is the recipe for the mini pancake cereal!

Here is What you Need for Mini Pancake Cereal

Pancake mix of your choice (Birch Benders is what we use)

Cooking oil (or butter)

Empty condiment bottle (try this one from amazon)

Pan or griddle

Syrup

Butter

Toppings of your choice

The How To’s

  1. Prepare your pancake mix according to the directions on the box. You don’t want it too runny or it won’t set well.
  2. Heat a pan on the stove and add some cooking oil.
  3. While pan is heating, pour your batter into the empty condiment bottle . Alternatively, use a ziplock bag: cut a tiny hole on an angle in the bottom corner of the bag to pipe out the batter.
  4. Then, squeeze small dots of batter onto your greased pan. You will cook until the tops form bubbles and look set/dry. Flip and cook on the other side.
  5. Put them in a bowl and top with syrup, agave, butter, or fruit (really any topping of your choice)
  6. Enjoy!!

These cookies from Levain Bakery are legendary! Whenever we visit New York, we have to stop at the bakery for these cookies. Now, their recipe has made its way to TikTok. These cookies are seriously the best! So soft, gooey, and tasty!

Here is What you Need to Make your Own Levain Bakery Cookies

Cookie Sheet

Mixing bowls

Ingredients for the Cookies

  • 1 cup Butter cut into small cubes
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups Cake Flour (all purpose flour)
  • 1 1/2 cups Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
  • 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 cups Chocolate Chips
  • 2 cups Walnuts chopped finely

The How To’s

  1. Preheat oven to 410 degrees.
  2. Combine butter, brown sugar, and sugar until it is nice and creamy.
  3. Then, you will take your eggs and add them one by one to the mixture. Make sure you fully mix each egg in before you add another.
  4. Stir in flours, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
  5. Mix only until each item is fully mixed in.
  6. Then, stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
  7. Once you have your dough, form it into large balls and place on cookie sheet.
  8. The dough makes 8 large cookies.
  9. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until golden.
  10. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes.

I wanted to try out a bunch of recipes from different TikTok videos- and they were so good! This one for fried pickles. These are such a good snack that you can make pretty quickly in an air fryer or the oven.

Here is What you Need for Fried Pickles

Air fryer

3 Bowls

Ingredients for the Fried Pickles

  • 10 Large pickle spears
  • 1 cup Flour
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. garlic salt
  • sprinkle of pepper
  • sprinkle of paprika
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 2 cups of panko

The How To’s

  1. You will need three separate bowls
  2. In the first bowl combine the flour and all the spices
  3. For the second bowl you need your panko
  4. In the last bowl, you will have the beaten eggs
  5. Dry off your pickles
  6. Warm up your air fryer and put it on the crisp setting
  7. Then, you will alternate dipping the pickle spears into each of the bowls
  8. Start with the flour mixture, then coat completely with eggs, then dunk fully in the panko!!
  9. Place all the pickles in the air fryer for 12 minutes on 375.
  10. Enjoy!!