Apple Picking at Berlin Orchards

All the children:  Jessica, Owen, Nathan, Thomas, Ross Wyatt and Sam in the front

The view down the row....prettier in person!

Thomas and Ross chatting

Sam, holding his own...in more ways than one.

What a cute lot

This was a spur of the moment apple picking outing.  Glad it worked out because now it's a nice memory!  We tried a new orchard and were very happy with the apples.  There were still plenty of Macouns, Cortlands, Macs and Mutsu. 

Sam is doing excellent with words.  We have stink bugs galore so he's learned bug....he pointed to one in our bathroom and said bug.  It's great that he remembers the word and uses it on his own.  He is at such a fun stage. He has started kissing.  He was sitting my lap and Daisy (the cat) jumped up.  He was petting her and then he leaned down and gave her a big kiss on the head.  Besides kissing his teddy I hadn't seen it before.  Last night in meeting he was kissing me...on the lips...I kept turning my head and so he used both hands on my cheeks to guide me to his mouth.  Okay, his mouth was wide open...it was interesting and meeting isn't maybe the best time to be kissing but at 14 months you can't always get all those details!

Here is an excellent recipe (even my non-oatmeal eater liked it):
Chewy Granola bars

• 1¾ cups (175g) quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup (120g) oat flour
• ¾ cup (164g) packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup (80g) pecans, roughly chopped
• ⅔ cup (80g) almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 cup (about 80g) coconut chips
• 4 ounces mini chocolate chips
• 4 ounces dried Craisons
• 1/2 C canola oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square pan and line it with one sheet of unbleached parchment paper that overhangs 2 opposite sides of the pan. Grease the paper, and then place another crisscrossed sheet of unbleached parchment paper overhanging the other 2 sides of the pan on top of the first sheet of paper. Set the pan aside.
2. In a large bowl, place the oats, oat flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and salt and whisk to combine. Add the pecans, almonds, coconut, chocolate chips and dried fruit, and mix to combine. Set the bowl aside.
3. In a separate, medium-size bowl, place the melted butter, honey, maple syrup, molasses, egg and vanilla, and mix to combine well. Create a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in the well. Mix to combine. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly into an even layer.
4. Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake, rotating once during baking, until golden brown all over, about 25 minutes.
5. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then transfer the pan to the freezer until very firm, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the freezer and lift the bars out of the pan by the overhung parchment paper. Peel back the paper, and slice into 24 bars with a sharp knife.
6. Store in an airtight container on the counter for about 3 days, and then freeze any leftovers.