A Very Merry Year: September

So, instead of going crazy with holiday baking last year, I decided that it would be much more fun to spread the joy out over the year and gift someone each month with something lovely from my kitchen.

September is all about Back-to-School, and the snap of Autumn in the air, so I adapted my favorite Pumpkin Cookie recipe to Pumpkin Madelines! Sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, fresh out of the oven, they are delish. And, we gifted all but one of the nearly seven dozen to: Madeline's bus driver (she said, "Wow! Pumpkin Madelines now? Boy, did I choose the right route to drive. Thanks!"), Grammy, Ruifen (Grammy's friend, who gave us some great hand-me-downs for Erik, from her son Yuyu, as well as a dress for M, and cool shirt for E from her recent trip to China), Jen and family (who reciprocated with some delicious apple bread), plus Ms. Terri's family. Phew!
And, we also made Cake Pops yesterday, and gifted those to all of our buddies who roasted hot dogs over the campfire with us last night. Ruifen, Yuyu and Grammy also got some clowns and pumpkins to go with their cookies. To learn all about making Cake Pops, check out the book Cake Pops by Angie Dudley, or go to her blog at www.bakerella.com.
For their part, the kids had a blast making the pops, and nearly all of them loved eating 'em too!