Apples + Snow

 

It’s fall, and that means apples, and more apples. We bought quite a few last week and we were going to bake today because that’s what we do in the fall isn’t it?
The thing that every homeschooling mama will admit to is the fact that everything turns into a lesson and so baking is NEVER just baking lol. There’s usually a grand application of all things related to that particular subject. And so I’ve been on a search for new and exciting ways to learn about les pommes.

Well, we are also doing our homeschooling in the French language, and when I plan many activities it flows over into the language learning skills. However, and this is a big however, I really do not have a lot of planning time to gather “extra” materials sometimes, which was never really an issue when I had a full playschool going on.

In fact, library visits have been reduced to once a month – if that, and it’s often very rushed because I have the children with me. Last year, I often spent hours at the library poring over and sorting through various French activities.
I hate to do most homeschool prep at home, because to be honest, I enjoy it, and my children do not give me the space to relax in my element if I stay at home lol. Now I am prone to delve into my rainy day archives and pull out our seasonal activities – French or English, and wait it out.

In all honesty, I’m a mess at home these days. I have great plans to organize my homeschool cupboard, and padlock it to keep wandering hands and sticky fingers out, but there are a hundred other things to organize. We can talk about how my children do not yet have their winter gear, because I haven’t gotten around to pulling it out of storage, but alas, we are talking about my to-do list, not all the details of what falls within and outside of the margins.

So I’m here…simply pulling myself around trying to get myself together. Of course the children have no idea that I’m not 100%…let’s just leave it there shall we?

But we’ve been busy. We love busy. WildRose and I have been reading this book and this one too, and the older kiddos are reading this one, and sharing various fall (apple crafting) activities. We were shocked when we woke up and saw snow outside our windows. Ok, I am lying, I was not shocked at all. It is October in Alberta after all. But we were pleasantly surprised when Mme M, Rainman’s aide brought us a nice treat this morning.

And guess what? It was apple muffins. She baked delicious apple muffins for us. The children all sat down for their mid-morning tea and gobbled up the muffins happily. Can I say how grateful I am for warmth and yummy food on these cold mornings? I just did.

Here’s Mme M’s recipe for Apple Pie Muffins with Cinnamon Crumbs

Ingredients
⅓ cup of vegetable oil
1 egg
⅓ cup of milk
1 cup of all purpose flour
¾ cup of granulated sugar
2 tsp of baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 apples cut into chunks
1 tsp of cinnamon (I mix with the cubed apples)

For the Crumble
½ cup of flour
4 tbsp of chopped cold butter
½ cup of sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon

Instructions
In a mixing bowl, add in the oil, egg, and milk. Mix until well combined.
In a different bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix until incorporated. Place the apples into the flour mixture and mix. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix once again. Leave some lumps. Do not over mix.
Line a muffin tray with some muffin cups and scoop in the mixture until about ¾ full. Combine the flour, butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Crumble together using your finger tips. Pick up a handful amount and place it over each muffin. Bake at 400 degrees F or 200 C for 22 to 25 minutes.
Allow to cool and enjoy your apple pie muffins with cinnamon crumbs.