Refrigerator Bran Muffins and Football Turnovers

Good Tuesday morning!

I added a couple of Disney pics to the Gallery. I tried to get a few of Josh at the ball game, but with my little point and shoot digital, they were just too dark and too grainy. But he looked marvelous! You'll just have to take my word for it. Plus, I did get some great pictures of him with my "good" camera.

NOTE TO ROBIN - I left a message for you in yesterday's comment section. Check it out, please.

Monday was a pretty nice day as far as Mondays go. It actually felt like fall yesterday morning when I was walking my EIGHT miles around the track (Code for TWO MILES). And today the light that has been coming in through the windows is different. Have you ever noticed the difference between summer light and autumn light? It's hard to explain, but it is definitely softer (even when the sun is shining), and it invites you outside to feel the coolness in the air. I love it.

It probably has something to do with global warming or something like that, but to me it's just fall in Alabama. (By the way, I'm in agreement with Rick and Bubba on the global warming theory. You can tell I'm not very concerned with my carbon footprint when you see me driving the big gold van around town OR you come into my house during any of the FOUR seasons and it's always autumn thanks to my handy-dandy thermostat.)

I will admit to being a "tree lover" though... which is not the same as a "tree hugger." It's because I love the color of the leaves in the fall and not because I have a personal relationship with said trees. However, I will say I do like the faces you can put on trees now. You know, the eyes, noses, mouths and ears you can stick onto the trunk of a tree. I think those are hilarious! In fact, I want a couple sets of those for the two side-by-side trees in my front yard. Mikie? Anyone? Anyone?

As you can probably tell, I'm back on my "Austin's Going to College" medication. Let's get back to business before it wears off, shall we?

Disney Week - Part Two

We were up and eager to start our day at Donald's Restaurantasaurus. For our first official Disney character breakfast experience, it was excellent. We had reservations so we went right in and were shown to our table. The waiters were wonderful; funny and attentive. We couldn't believe how much fun it was to get autographs from all the characters and all three of the kids enjoyed meeting them and having their pictures taken.

Unfortunately, Donald Duck made the mistake of signing Joshua's autograph book upside down. It bothered him more and more as the breakfast went on, and I finally had to tear the page out of his book and run Donald down for a new signature on the right page. Joshua was destined to have his book signed incorrectly seven more times before we headed home -- and we would tear out the pages and chase down the characters for a correct autograph each time. We didn't want Joshua's Disney experience to be anything but wonderful! (NOTE - Looking back, we now know this was an OCD tendency. Many of Josh's childhood "quirks" which have come to mind we now recognize as the beginning of his illness. We just didn't know it then.)

As soon as breakfast was over, we headed over to the Dinosaur Ride. Big mistake!! For the boys' first amusement ride ever, the Dinosaur Ride was not the best pick. Mike said it even scared him a little. We decided to calm everyone down by letting them play in the Boneyard. We could have stayed there all day, but after an hour or so, we rounded everyone up and went exploring. On our way to the Tree of Life Trails, we were thrilled to spot Tigger and stood in line for another picture and autograph.

We accidentally got in the line for the Bug Life's Show, and although some whining occurred, the line moved quickly and once we were close to the Tree of Life we were able to entertain the kids by looking at all the intricate carvings in the tree. Once inside, we didn't know what to expect from the 3-D show, but it was excellent and full of surprises. Roxie and Austin were less than thrilled, but Mike, Joshua and I thought it was hilarious.

We went to the Rainforest Cafe' for lunch and were seated within 15 minutes. As soon as we sat down, a waitress came up to us and told us she had water for the adults and wonderful milkshakes for the kids. The way she worded it, I thought she meant the milkshakes were free. Mike said he was pretty sure we would have to pay for them... and boy, was he was right. They were $4.50 apiece (but they were very good milkshakes)!

After a nap, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. It was dusk and everything was lit up. It was absolutely one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The evening was spent riding the Disney rides I had known about all my life -- Cinderella's Golden Carousel, Tea Cups, Dumbo and Snow White's Scary Adventure. We also got to see a few more characters. (Rafiki signed Joshua's book upside down this time).

The fireworks were spectacular and were the perfect ending to a perfect day!! But as we all know in Faulkner Land, things are not destined to be "perfect" for very long. Our Disney experience was about to take a decidedly "imperfect" turn.

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

1 15-ounce box of Raisin Bran Cereal
3 cups sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 quart buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Add other ingredients and mix well.

3. Fill muffin tin 2/3 full of batter.

4. Bake 15 minutes. (Do not bake OVER 15 minutes.)

That's it. Make as many muffins as you want, keep the remaining batter in the refrigerator up to four weeks, and use whenever you want fresh (REALLY GOOD) bran muffins in 15 minutes. Try it... I think you'll like it!

Again, this is from my friend, Julie Tuggle. As always, I give credit where credit is due!

Football Turnovers

This is a Disney recipe AND a football party recipe... a "twofer." You will need:

1 15-ounce box refrigerated piecrusts (two 9-inch crusts)
1/2 pound meatballs, cooked
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Milk for glaze

1. To make a batch, first set out the crusts to bring them to room temperature (about 15 minutes) and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, cut the meatballs into small pieces, then place them in a small saucepan with the tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool thoroughly.

2. One at a time, place each crust on lightly floured waxed paper and use a floured rolling pin to flatten it slightly into a 10-inch circle. Use a biscuit cutter to cut 7 4" circles from the dough. Then reroll the dough scraps to get 3 more dough circles.

3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto half of each circle, leaving about a 1/2" margin at the edge. Sprinkle on about 1/2 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese. Use your fingertips to moisten the edges of the dough with water, then fold the uncovered half of the dough over the filling and press the edges together to seal. Crimp the edge with a fork, then transfer the turnovers to a lightly greased baking sheet and poke each one twice with a fork for vents. Brush each one with milk, then bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 20 small turnovers.

I'm going to try those for Josh's Homecoming Party that's coming up in the next week or so. I have found, if it has meat and there are boys/men around, it will be eaten. It's a fact of nature!

Have a Tiggerific Tuesday! (You know I had to say it!) Tomorrow's Seasonal Tradition is Disney-related also. Be sure to try the muffins. I promise they're not your Mama's bran muffins! Also, we will be talking more and more about Disney tomorrow, so come back and check in if you get a minute.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda