Isabel Baked a What?!

Something about fall screams, 'Bake!" We love to bake any time of year, but it seems essential to do so in the fall. We bake the usual things you'd associate with autumn, such as pumpkin bread and apple pie, but earlier this month Isabel had a chance to bake something a little more unusual for us. 

It all started out when we were cleaning up the garden. We ended up with a couple of buckets full of green tomatoes. We tried fried green tomatoes, which were good, but not so good that we wanted to eat them everyday! Or fry them everyday. Not fond of that smell. A quick internet search brought up all kinds of ideas for using green tomatoes. The recipe that caught Isabel's eye was ... drum roll ... Green Tomato Pie!

Those who commented on the recipe all said it tasted just like apple pie. So we decided to take the plunge. 

 First, Isabel washed the green tomatoes very well.

 Then she cut the tomatoes into small slices.

Next, she mixed up a pie crust, divided it half, and rolled it out.
We use this recipe for pie crust. It hasn't failed us yet. 

 She's pretty good at crust. 

 After mixing the tomatoes with sugar, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar, Isabel poured the mixture into the pie pan.

 We worked together to make a lattice top. Isabel used the leftover crust to cut out pretty leaf shapes with a cookie cutter. She always decorates her pies beautifully. 

 Here is the finished product, fresh from the oven. It looked and smelled delicious, but knowing it was made out of green tomatoes made us a little nervous about taste-testing it. 

 After dinner, Isabel did the honors of cutting and serving her pie. 

 We were thrilled to discover that the pie was delicious! It really did taste like apple pie! 
Isabel says, "It sounded really weird, but I was glad to find out that it tasted good! I am very proud of how my hard work turned out."

Even our pickiest eater loved Green Tomato Pie!

 Here is a link to the recipe we used. We highly recommend making your own!

Birthday Girl!

Today is Isabel's 4th birthday! We usually let each child pick what activity they'd like to do as a family. This time that wasn't an option so we spent a quiet day at home. Isabel had a very happy day though. She's so glad to finally be 4!

Since Isabel loves to bake I let her make and decorate her own birthday cake today after lunch. I think that was the perfect birthday activity for her.



 

A beautiful cake, custom decorated by Isabel!

 

Make a wish!

Hair!

Isabel’s hair is finally growing! She has enough for a couple of cute pigtails, so the boys distracted her with books while I styled. Then we chased her around the house until we finally got a sort of decent shot of her new hairdo. Right before she rebelled and pulled them out.

I am NOT ready for this...

She's only 15 months old. I hope this was just a one time thing. I'm not ready for her to be in a bed!

Diva

Grandma gave Isabel a feather boa to wear. She loved it! She knew she looked great as she strutted around the house in her new fashion wear.

An Addition to the Ranks

The knights of Castle Nunez were in the middle of a serious battle when a new recruit joined the fray. Turns out she's a master and so impressed her comrades-in-arms that she was given some armor of her own.

Her Thoughtful Spot

Only the coolest babies hang out in the bathroom sink.  What better place is there to relax while reading The Scarlet Letter and sucking on your brother's toothbrush?

A New Twist on an Old Phrase

So, you've heard the phrase, "My dog ate my homework," right?

Well, after yesterday, Ben's version is:

"My sister ate my homework!"

His homework just looked really tasty, I guess. 

Enjoying Lunch

We all enjoyed our lunch at the pumpkin patch yesterday, but no one more than Isabel!

Happy 1st Birthday Isabel!

Isabel turned 1 on September 17! Today was her birthday party, with all of her grandparents, aunts and uncles.
She was a little bewildered by the singing, but LOVED her first taste of cake!
Happy birthday, Isabel!

Our Funny Girl

We think she's going to be a bit of a clown. Little things here and there have been cluing us in...

Little Dancer

In May, we went to a Renaissance Fair. Isabel LOVED the dancers and watched every second while doing a little bit of dancing herself. It was cute to watch!

A Dialogue (of sorts)

Emanuel: Mom, am I so strong and fast?

Isabel shakes her head no very enthusiastically.

Emanuel (crying): Mom, Isabel said no I'm not!

She can't even talk yet and already she is making her big brother cry.

More Isabel