My Little Life
I’m Amnah, a Muslim mom blogger from the San Francisco Bay Area. Here you’ll find crafts and projects for kids and moms alike, sweet and savory recipes, and random ramblings about raising three little girls.Connect
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Weekend Breakfast: Apple Pie Waffles
Here’s the thing; I love food. I’m not going to lie, I can pack away a meal like 350 pound defensive back in the NFL. Is that what they’re called? Defensive backs? Football isn’t my forte, food is. I digress. I get cravings all the time. You’d think I was pregnant all year. Maybe it’s because I realized the power of a craving during pregnancy that I now hold on to that special power. Just another mom super power: I crave, I eat, peace on Earth in our house is restored.
One morning while making our newest favorite waffles, I wanted a new topping. I’ve done toasted coconut and almonds, sliced bananas and walnuts, strawberries and chocolate chips. I even had my fair share of fake-out crepe style waffles with cottage cheese and warm jam drizzled on top. I had just about exhausted my resources. I stood before the fridge wondering what route to go. Then it hit me. Mmmmm… apple pie. I grabbed a green apple and some butter and got to work.
Let’s just say what happened after that was pure magic. It was ah-mazing. Awesome-sauce, as they say in the blogosphere. I’ve been down right obsessed with it. It’s reached the point that I see green apples and subconsciously begin to prepare waffles, pancakes, or french toast just so that I can top them with the apple pie mixture. Ooooh, you know what this would be good on??? Oatmeal! Just chop the apples smaller. If I didn’t already eat breakfast, I would have gotten up and prepared that. Hmmm, a snack for later maybe?
Okay, enough talking. Here’s the “un-recipe”. By that I mean it’s a general idea of how to make it. It is not an exact science. I never follow a recipe exactly, so I don’t expect you to follow mine to a T either.
Note: 1 apple yields about 2 servings (enough topping for two).
Apple Pie topping (used for waffles, pancakes, French toast, oatmeal)
Ingredients:
- 1 Green apple; peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Tablespoon, Brown Sugar
- Sprinkle to taste, Cinnamon
- Dash, Ground Nutmeg
Directions:
1. Peel and core your apples. Slice apples to your bite preference. I like to cut my apple into quarters and then 1/4 inch slices. It’s the perfect bite size piece. Note that size of your apple slices will dictate how long you’ll cook them. A slightly thicker cut will require longer cooking time, about 30 seconds more.
2. On medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter to a 10-12 inch skillet. Add sliced apples. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes until apples are tender. For best taste, they should still have a bite to them and not be mushy. Remember to watch the apples based on the thickness of the slices.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, sprinkle cinnamon to taste, and a light dash of nutmeg to the apples. Mix thoroughly. Saute a few seconds to heat the spices and melt the sugar. Once heated through, the combination of the sugar and butter will create a tiny bit of delicious sauce.
4. Remove from heat and spoon onto the breakfast of your choice. Best when served warm. Don’t forget the whipped cream!
Note: While 1 tablespoon of butter is suggested for the first apple, decrease it to 1/2 tablespoon of butter with the addition of each apple you make. For example, 2 apples will require 1 and a half tablespoons of butter, 3 apples need 2 tablespoons butter, etc. The same applies for the brown sugar.
I bet I know what you’re having for breakfast this weekend.
Many Blessings First Birthday Party
My sweet, stoic Baby Z turned one! I can’t help but celebrate each girl’s first birthday because it’s such a special milestone. The girls have no idea what was going on, but years later, they’ve looked back on those parties and enjoyed seeing the festivities. For Jenin’s first, we had just moved into our old house, not even fully unpacked and barely furnished. It was my first venture into baking, making 9 different kinds of cookies. All the day before. I still have the burns on my arms to prove it. I very quickly learned the dos and (many) don’t of a successful party. Maysoon’s monster bash was a major momzilla moment. I went all out with homemade games, decor, … Continue reading
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Posted in Celebrate, Party
8 Comments
8th Anniversary
Eight years today. I married him. But I hardly knew him. I thought I did. But I was wrong. It took me a while to figure him out. But once I did… It’s been smooth sailing from there. I’ve grown considerably since the first day of my marriage. I started out as a hot-headed, I’m-always-right, must-have-the-last-word newlywed. Eight years later, I’m still always right. I just don’t voice it every single time now. We started out quite differently and still aren’t always on the same page. Coming from two different backgrounds, sometimes we aren’t even in the same book. In the beginning, I resented it. Now I embrace it and make it work. Or at least I try really, really … Continue reading
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Read-A-Thon Characters
Every year at J’s school, the students participate in a month long read-a-thon. During the entire month, hours and hours of reading are logged. Classes compete and students all submerge themselves in piles of books. At the end of the month, all of the students get to dress as their favorite character from a book. It’s typically from the book that they completed a book report on during the month. The younger grade teachers also dress up. And one crazy fun-loving parent. Me. Yup. I tried to persuade Jenin towards a few characters but she held firm in her character choice. I honestly admire her persistence. Strong and stubborn, she’ll change they world, yes she will. She chose Caroline from … Continue reading
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Posted in Everyday, Hijabi Fashion
5 Comments
Goodbye 2012
Another year checked off. Tucked away into our memories with it’s good experiences and bad. I recently came across this poem through a friend. Though it speaks of a single day, I think it’s also fitting for looking back on this year. Is anybody happier because you passed their way? Does anyone remember that you spoke to them today? The day is almost over, and its toiling time is through, Is there anyone that will utter a kind word about you? Can you say tonight in parting, with the day that’s slipping fast, that you helped a single person of the many that you passed? Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said? Does the one … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday
3 Comments
Weekend Breakfast: Crepes
To me, crepes are synonymous with my oldest sister. When she was still living in California, she’d whip up her awesome crepe breakfasts. Sisters, cousins, sisters-in-law, moms, we’d all gather around the table with a warm platter of crepes in the center of the table. Steaming mugs of coffee, good conversations, lots of laughter, you know, moments so sentimental that when you type them out they sound corny. Whenever she’s back in town or I’m visiting her in Palestine, I request her crepe breakfasts. We linger, overeat, and bask in each others company. Aw, I miss my sis. Unlike her top secret, highly coveted carrot cake recipe, she gladly passed along the crepe recipe she uses. They’re a cinch to … Continue reading
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Perspective
We go through life with all its ups and downs. When it’s good, oh man, it is good. Yet the lows can take us to depths we can’t even imagine resurfacing from. Sometimes we get so caught up in life with all it’s to-do lists, projects, errands, meetings, distractions, that we lose perspective. While the circumstances of our recent move looms over our hearts, it is not without realizing how blessed we are to have a way out of the darkness. While we may not have moved entirely by choice, we were lucky to have the means to move. We were lucky to find a great house. Lucky to have family and friends step up and make a sudden move … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday
4 Comments
Moving Out and Moving On
I assure you , these absences are not on purpose. There’s always something, isn’t there? From one event to another, one task to the next, chore after chore. Regardless of how on top of things I think I am, I always seem to be waiting to “finish”. Finish what exactly? (sigh) Suck it up, Amnah. Since my last post, my family has moved. We left our {rental} home of five years. Five. Years. Just like that. I thought we would live there until the day we bought a home or moved overseas (yeah, don’t ask). I’m a sentimental person and I form strong attachments to things that hold emotional value. Our home was no exception. Enough memories to fill journal … Continue reading
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Posted in Everyday
5 Comments
Apple Muffins
I kinda wish fall would last forever. Chilly weather (except here in Nor-Cal, it’s been in the 70s!), warm sweaters, multi-hued foliage, pumpkin anything, and apples. These muffins were a hit in our house. I pretty much can’t look at an apple anymore without imagining it in muffin form. They’re a cinch to pull together and the house smells a-mazing while they’re baking. Apple Muffins {Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything} Ingredients: 1 1 /2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 cup oil 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 3 apples, peeled and diced (I pulse the apples in a food processor a couple of times) Brown sugar for topping (around 1/2 cup) … Continue reading
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Posted in Recipes, Sweet
5 Comments
The Story of Jenin
Today, my oldest daughter turns 6. Where – someone please tell me where – does the time go? It seems like just yesterday I was that overwhelmed and confused new mom. Wait.. Ummm… Let’s move on, shall we? The following was my parent letter that I submitted while she was star student for the week. There once was a girl named Jenin, Who had the most beautiful eyes I’ve seen. Nicknames like J, Juju, and Lily, This special girl can be quite silly. Favorite foods of pizza, spaghetti, and maftool, She thinks science experiments are super duper cool! There once was a girl named Jenin, With a cute little room she rarely keeps clean. Jumping rope, painting pictures, and nature … Continue reading
Posted in Birthdays, Celebrate
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