the First Birthday Party - A DIY Ice-Cream Parlour Theme

I'm sure this will come as no surprise but I spent nearly 4 months thinking through what Nora's First Birthday Party should look like. I scoured websites and blogs looking for the perfect theme.

You might think I went a little overboard in my planning but that's just how I am. If there was a party I could plan every month I'd totally do it! I just love it.

So when I stumbled upon this blog post by Eat Drink Chic I knew I'd found the perfect theme!! After determining a theme I just added my own little personal touch and poof - we had a pretty cute (and fairly inexpensive) birthday party!

Below you'll find a number of pictures from the party (not the best pics - sorry - I was a little distracted hosting). Throughout the week I'll be posting some of the down loadable files I created just in case you too want to put this theme to good use. (and if you do - let me know - I'd love to see pics!)

Here are our hosts for the party - Phil and Laura. We're so thankful they were willing to open up their home to 25 of our family and friends for Nora's party.

And here's our little family at the party... for those who are more interested in pictures of people than all of the party details :)

Be sure to check back later this week for more planning downloads...

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Steph's Pick - Tommee Tippee

Ok - I'll be honest - I'm one of those US Moms who is a bit enamored by European baby products. So you can imagine my delight when I found out that Tommee Tippee, Britain's #1 brand of baby dinnerware, had finally arrived in the US! And they hadn't just come to designer boutiques on the east coast - they came to Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us!!! Yipee!!!

I was so excited to have another choice of BPA-free bottles and feeding products! I couldn't wait to get my hands on some of these products and try them out for myself.

Although I have yet to try all of the products - I (as in Nora) have tried the baby bowls, sippy cups and the Easi-Mat all of which are nicely designed (extra points!!), affordable (see sale info below) and practical! *** That's 3 stars all you mamas. I love this brand!

Find Tommee Tippee bottles, nipples, sippy cups and other feeding products at Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us. Plus - now through July 23rd you can buy any Explora item (cups and toddler feeding) and get the second 50% off at BRU!

Mamas and Mamas-to-be - get those credit cards out - Tommee Tippee items are a must buy!

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Disclosure: As a reviewer for the Mom Bloggers Club I received free products from Tommee Tippee to review. I was not otherwise compensated for this review, and the opinions included are my own.

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{a special birthday}

I Love You Through and Through

by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak

I love you through and through

I love your top side.

I love your bottom side.

I love your inside

and outside.

I love your happy side,

your sad side,

your silly side,

your mad side,

I love your fingers,

and toes,

your ears,

and nose.

I love your hair and eyes,

your giggles

and cries.

I love you running

and walking,

silent

and talking.

I love you through and through...

yesterday, today, and tomorrow, too!

xoxoxo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

more to come from Nora's birthday bash (don't you worry!) -

but for now I'm off to bed (yawn)

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Steph's Pick - Chic-fil-A

That's right - my pick of the week is Chic-fil-A - a fast food chain. I know that seems a little strange but let me explain...

First, they literally have the YUMMIEST chicken and lemonade! Really - go try it for yourself!

Second, they're closed on Sundays! What other fast food restaurant is closed on Sundays???!!! I love this about Chic-fil-A and their owners. Everyone needs rest, right?

And last (but certainly not least) who doesn't love their annual Cow Appreciation Day. Yes - that's right. Cow Appreciation Day. Essentially the gist of it is if you go to your local Chic-fil-a dressed like a cow you get a free meal. No questions asked. And if you're nervous you'll be the only one dressed like a cow - believe me - you won't be! :) It's becoming quite the popular activity.

We participated in our very first Cow Appreciation Day today and loved everything about it. Of course we dressed Nora in her cow costume (thanks Gma and Gpa T for the clearance Halloween costume - we knew it would come in handy!). We figure there are only so many years we can get away with this so why not start now ;)

To close this post out here's a little video we shot after returning home from Chic-fil-A...

Vote for Nora's Cow Costume on Facebook (simply press "like" to vote)

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Nora's One Year Photoshoot

As ya'll know - I'm a big fan of the Phoenix area photographer, Kimberly Bee (hey KB!). Remember this post? Or how about this post?

Well, Kimberly Bee has joined forces with another incredible local photographer, Kimberly Jarman. So - when it came time to get some new photos of Nora taken there was no doubt in my mind who I was going to contact...

Here's a little sneak peek into our session.. enjoy :)

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Dancin' Nora

So I've been wanting to catch Nora "dancing" for quite some time but whenever I turn on the camera she's more interested in the camera itself than dancing. Grrr....

Well - I recently caught her in the act. I shot this little bit at Dunkin' Donuts this weekend. The video was taken on my phone (hence the poor quality) and I took it upside down (oops). For some reason when I used software to turn it around it seems to have sped up the speed. (haha)

So...without further ado... Dancin' Nora (High Speed)...

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USA: Not so bad after all

I just came across a note on facebook that I thought I'd share. Thanks Bobby for reminding me of all of the incredible things the US has done for the world. And why it's great to celebrate that.

It seems it's become fashionable to trash talk the USA (even within Christian circles). No nation is not without its problems or exempt from embarrassing moments in history (none); yet, after objectively looking into it there are a few things that maybe you should know.

Since 1901, the USA provided three fourths of the known evangelical missionaries. In some ways this is remarkable for a country that only has 5% of the planet's population.

88% of the worlds Bibles are produced by American publishers, this includes the Bible in other languages.

Since 1945 about 65% of the capital that goes towards non-Christian charities and non-profits has been Founded and Funded by Americans.

Whenever there's a global tragedy, no matter where it is, Americans are often the first to respond with capital, resources, and volunteers. In fact about 1 out of 7 Americans who travel internationally, are traveling to participate in some form of missions or humanitarian aid.

Though often cited as a failed attempt, nevertheless, it was the USA that provided Billions of dollars in aid to fight drug trafficking in South America.

George Washington said, “no people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States”

God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever" - Thomas Jefferson

On September 4, 1864 Abraham Lincoln responded to Elizah P. Guerney, another Quaker, thanking her for her prayers and kind letter:

"The purposes of the Almighty are perfect, and must prevail, though we erring mortals may fail to accurately perceive them in advance. We hoped for a happy termination of this terrible war long before this; but God knows best, and has ruled otherwise. We shall yet acknowledge His wisdom, and our own error therein. Meanwhile we must work earnestly in the best lights He gives us, trusting that so working still conduces to the great ends He ordains. Surely He intends some great good to follow this mighty convulsion, which no mortal could make, and no mortal could stay."

Woodrow Wilson "the Bible is the supreme source of Revelation".

You'll probably never hear any of the above in the news but ... the USA has actually been a blessing in some very unknown/unpublished ways.

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Steph's Pick - SeatGuru.com

As some of you know, I travel somewhat often. So trust me when I say that choosing a seat on a flight can make or break your travel experience with an airline. Legroom , seat width, overhead space or even seat recline is a real issue - well, at least for those who travel a lot!

SO, I present to you SeatGuru.com. This website contains all the information needed to make the right seat selection. It has all the airlines, aircraft, and seat distribution combinations you can imagine.

Before booking a flight (assuming you're not flying Southwest) I always jump over to SeatGuru.com and consult their Seat Map Key - just to make sure I'm selecting the best possible seat.

Be sure to check this site out for your next trip!

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Mommy SOS - Baby biting Crib (no joke)

Man am I hoping some of your veteran moms can help me with this one!

Nora {aka beaver} has been biting her crib for the past couple months. It's terrible...there are literally chunks of wood gone from the sides of her crib. Crazy, huh?!!!

Have any of you experienced this? If so, what did you do to protect baby and crib??

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2 {photography} peas in a pod

You know you're two {photography} peas in a pod when you haven't seen each other for 8 months and when you finally do reconnect you take photos of one another for almost the entire time you're hanging out ;)

That's exactly what my friend Nealy and I did when we were in Minnesota a few weeks back. We were doing some serious multi-tasking....chatting, clicking, chatting, clicking, chatting, clicking...

Here's my favorite shot of Nealy and her sweet little girl Callie...and yes, they are in a field...

And here are a couple of my favorites that Nealy took of Nora and me...

If you're from the Twin Cities area and are looking for a photographer... check out Photography by Nealy! Doesn't she do an amazing job???!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love you Nealy!!

xoxo

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Steph's Pick - Vinturi Wine Aerator

Introducing my new bestie - the Vinturi Wine Aerator. Here's how we met...

Awhile back my dear friend Laura (hey girlie!) was over and I was complaining (again) about how wine seems to go bad so quickly after being opened. It seemed as if I'd open a bottle one night and go to get another glass 2 or 3 nights later and it just didn't taste the same. Ugh....wine isn't cheap you know??!!! It was frustrating.

Well - Laura asked me if I'd seen a Wine Aerator. She said her and her hubby Phil are actually able to buy those large bottles of wine and keep them for up to 2 weeks. They just pour the wine through the aerator and it's practically like a new bottle of wine! WHAT??!!! I just didn't quite believe it...

Fast forward a couple weeks - my birthday - and surprise, surprise - Laura got me a Vinturi - YIPEE!!! I was soooo excited to try this puppy out.

Let me tell you ladies (and gents of course) - it really does work! So long to the days of dumping wine out - hello Mr. Vinturi. Where have you been all of my life?

Buy yours at Amazon or various local retailers sell it as well.

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Mommy SOS - Switching to Milk

Thanks so much for all who helped with your great suggestions for Mommy SOS: Teething Baby with Cold. Nora broke a couple front teeth and is doing much better thanks to a combination of teething tablets, Tylenol and extra lovin'.

For today's Mommy SOS I'm wondering how you transitioned your toddlers from formula/breast milk to cow's milk? We're coming up on Nora's One Year Birthday and I'm trying to determine what the best strategy is for this.

Leave your comments below...

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Steph's Pick - a Perfect Summer Drink

Sorry about last week! I know there were probably some of you out there that were a little disappointed there was no Steph's Pick last week :) We were on a bloggy-vacay.

Well I'm back at it again this week with my new favorite drink for these H-O-T-T - HOT summer months. Now if you know me, you know I drink mostly red wine. However, when the temps in AZ hit 100+ I need something much more refreshing.

I was at a friend's Memorial Day party and someone brought this drink. It was a perfect blend of sweet, fruity, tart and just enough kick. I HAD to get the recipe and have been making it in our home ever since. So thank you friend's neighbor lady :) Thanks also to Laura for the photo and post on this delicious drink.

Ingredients:

1 bottle of white wine (something fruity)

Equal amount of ginger ale

1 can of frozen pink lemonade concentrate

Fresh (or frozen) Berries (really whatever you have around will work and make it pretty)

Directions:

Mix everything together and enjoy!

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Minnesota Love

As I said in this post (if you haven't checked it out - you should - it has a SUPER DUPER cute video of Nora and Adelyn), we spent the past weekend in Minnesota visiting family and friends.

I'll be honest, there was a time when both Alan and I felt like we were becoming a bit calloused to "goodbyes." When you live so far away from all of your family you get used to dropping off people at the airport and saying goodbye often. However, ever since having Nora is seems like it just gets harder and harder to leave our loved ones. Sniff, Sniff.

Ok - enough of the sappy stuff.

I'll be honest - we flew to Minnesota mostly to meet this cute little girl...

AND see this other cute little girl...

When you have three of the cutest little peanuts in the whole wide world you MUST dress them alike and take photos. Thanks to Costco's Kids PJ selection and Nana F's purchases we got a number of matching outfit photos. So fun...

Although we spent plenty of time taking photos of the little one's we were also able to see some of our dear friends (shout out to the Klauser's, Waite's, Joyce's and Tom and Elyse for a great night!) and enjoy some great family time together.

Awww.... we miss you guys!!!

~~~~~~~

xoxoxo

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a little preview of Minnesota

We spent this past weekend hanging out with our family in Minnesota (miss you guys already!). Although I'd love to get into the details of how wonderful our time was, I'll leave that for another post. For now here's a little glimpse into our time away...

(Please forgive the crazy commentary and voice...it's a little weird)

and because I'd hate to leave out the newest and snuggliest addition to the family...meet Ella... our sweet little niece! More to come...don't worry!

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Mommy SOS - Teething Baby with Cold

One of my favorite mommy blogs, BecomingMom, has a series entitled "Mommy SOS" where she asks her readers to give their insight into various mommy-matters. I've always loved these posts as I feel like all of the comments are always so helpful - not just for the blogger themselves but for anyone who reads the blog!

So in honor of helping one another, I'm going to also start posting my personal question's as well as other reader's questions.

Now I know some of you are a bit comment squeamish... I know this b/c I KNOW (Google Analytics kind of know) there are a decent amount of you that read this blog but never comment. But - here's your opportunity to shine!

So mommies - Nora has been crazy cranky and fussy the past four days. She's cutting two of her top teeth and in addition to this has over the past couple of days come down with a deep cough - so she has reason to be fussy. I want to know what YOU do (or have done) to make this transition less painful for your little ones. Spill it....

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Steph's Pick - Cakepops

Introducing my new favoritest dessert in the whole-wide-world - CAKEPOPS! Yes - you read that right. Cake - on - a - stick (aka: cakepop)

I met this new treat on the website Bakerella (thanks again Kristina for the introduction) and it was love at first sight. And after making them is was love-at-first-bite (hehehe).

They are the perfect alternative to the celebrations that call for the standard boring cake - birthdays, graduation, anniversaries, etc...

Here's how you do it...

Ingredients:
1 box any cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper
lollipop sticks

Directions:
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Insert a lollipop stick into the balls before you dip in the coating.
6. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
7. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

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summertime and some nora musings

I just realized that it's been far too long since I've posted an update on our little chicken (yes - we call her chicken - I'll highlight that later). So, here are a few Nora musings...

- Nora is a-cruisin' - all over the place! It won't be long till this girl is walking. She's got places to go and puppies to see! ;)

- Nora has a new bestie - Carly - the English Cocker Spaniel. Her grandparents just got a new puppy and Nora just lights up whenever she see's little Carly on Skype.

- Her nickname is chicken - yes - you read that right. Chicken. Although I'm not entirely sure how this happened, I think it had something to do with the fact that I used to call her our lil' chicky - as in the English Slang version of girl.

- Not only is she our chicken but she's a fish. Ok - we don't call her fish - she just LOVES to swim. We swim almost every day and she just loves it. What are we going to do if we don't live in AZ our entire lives????!!!!

- Nora is very excited about her upcoming first birthday party. Well - maybe mom's a little more excited - but I'm sure you are too! We'll be sure to post lots of pictures.

- And finally, I'll leave you with a few pics...

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Steph's Pick - Viva Towels

Alrighty ladies (and gents - if there are any of you even reading this blog) - my aunt introduced me to Viva Towels probably about 10 years ago now and I have yet to buy another brand of paper towels since. Really - they are THAT amazing!

Now I know what some of you are thinking..."Viva Towels are some of the most expensive paper towels!" And you're right. They certainly are not the cheapest. So it might be hard for some of you to want to spend more money on something you'll throw away after one use. But hear me out...

Why do I like them? Well, they are more cloth-like (aka super-duper soft), more durable and extremely convenient for everything from scrubbing the kitchen to washing your hands and face. And if I were to be totally honest, they are some of the only non-design paper towels I've found. You know me - I like simple clean-lines. Nothing crazy.

So that's it...this may not be the most exciting Steph's Pick in the world... but it makes my home just a little bit nicer to live in.

**************

Looking for something a little more exciting than paper towels? Check out this video I posted on Scottsdale Moms Blog earlier this week.

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Wine Country Getaway

A GETAWAY!!! Yes, yes, indeed! Just remembering our recent getaway makes me grin ear-to-ear.

The month of May has brought a lot to celebrate in our home. Our 27th Birthday's, Alan's graduation and our upcoming 5th anniversary were great reason to get out of AZ and leave Nora at home with Gma and Gpa T (thanks again!). Because we'd never been to Wine Country we thought that would be PERFECT!

Luckily my dear friend, Jess, and her hubby Nate live in The Bay Area so we were able to spend Day 1 with them along the coast. Aren't they soooo cute :)

And on Day 2 we were off to Napa. First Stop - Frog's Leap Winery - where we had a little of this...

and relaxed a bit on their FABULOUS patio...really it was soooo awesome...

We then proceeded to get lunch at Dean and Deluca's and rushed to Del Dotto for a Barrel Tasting Tour in their gorgeous caves (so fun!).

Day 3 - Sonoma - started out at the Fremont Diner. Ladies (and gents) - this is one of the cutest places I've ever been to. If you're planning a trip to Wine Country any time soon please stop here. You'll love it! It's right on the way from Napa to Sonoma but easy to miss - so keep your eyes peeled.

After our awesome breakfast we checked out a couple different wineries - two of which were Arrowood Vineyard and Chateau St. Jean.

We finished our last day with a few more wineries (yes - we know). One of which was the Benziger Winery which was suggested to us at another winery and said to be the best tour in Sonoma. That it was! The folks at Benziger were very informative. They are a Biodynamic Winery which pretty much means they are as green as wineries can get. They use no chemicals in the farming of their grapes and reuse pretty much everything. It's very interesting.

So that's it. Getting away really can do great things for the soul. So long Napa and Sonoma.... till next time.

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Graduation

Have you noticed someone's been missing (well - kind of) for the past two years? I have! Alan has been working full-time and going to school part-time and we can now say HE'S DONE!!! Alan graduated from the W.P Carey School of Business with his Masters in Business Administration. Woot woot!!!


Although I can't promise he'll be coming back to the blogging world anytime soon (although everyone seemed to like his Alan's Two Cents ;)) - he is planning on being home much more often. Nora and I are VERY happy about that.


Here's a few pics to document this big occasion...




Way to go Alan! We're so proud of you!

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Steph's Pick - PostcardBuilder.com

By now ya'll know that I'm a photo-nut. Thankfully I have a cute little subject to photograph and with each passing day more things to capture. It's just so fun.

Because of this I'm always looking for new ways to use Nora's photos. You may remember this Steph's Pick on Blurb.com. Blurb.com is an awesome option for my yearly photo books but I wanted a way to share some of our photos with family and friends. Enter PostcardBuilder.com. LOVE IT!

Postcard Builder is my new found web-bestie. They print, address and mail. That's right - after submitting and approving my artwork I don't have anything else to do! It's perfect for a busy-mom. I've used them for a handful of projects including the three items below (Christmas Thank You's, Valentine's Day and Mothers Day) and have even used them to send out invitations.

Postcard Builder really is an awesome resource. Keep them in mind for any future mailings you may have!

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my birthday in photos

Oh my!!! Wow! I've stepped away from the blogging world for more than a week (that's quite a long time for me). Sorry 'bout that. As you'll see, we've been very busy around our home. Between birthday celebrations, graduation celebrations (yipee!) and travels, we've been doing everything BUT spending time on the computer.

So first up - my 27th birthday celebration! My celebrating started early (well - Thurs night). My hubby sent me to an awesome Create Better Images Photography Workshop for my gift. How cool is that?! Here's a shot I took of a couple other ladies at the workshop. Thanks Kimberly and Jennifer for hosting such a great event!
And I awoke on my birthday to one of the best gifts of all...

Luckily this little doll and her momma met us for a much needed "cold one"... (see video HERE)

And despite my photography classes the night before I managed to take a very blurry picture of my parents with our little peanut at Wildflower Bread Company... (sorry mom)

It wouldn't be a birthday celebration without Happy Hour at Trader Vic's with a couple dear friends and family members...

While at Trader Vic's I had to get one of these (or maybe two:))...

To finish off an awesome birthday we stopped at Sprinkles for some scrumptious cupcakes....slurp...I could go for another one of those now....pretty please with a cherry on top...

That was my day. It was fantastic as all get out. I'm so thankful for the loved one's who made it so special. Till next year....

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a mother's day recap

o all of my wonderful mommy readers, thank you for making being a mom so much more fun... Thank you for all of the advice, encouragement and virtual shoulders to cry on.

This Mother's Day was so special as it was my 1st Mother's Day as a Mom! Alan and Nora pampered me far more than they should have and made yesterday so special (and relaxing!). I felt so loved and honored all day long.

First on a more thoughtful note - throughout the day I was reminded of how great the task of being a mother is. I love how Sally Clarkson says it in her book, The Mission of Motherhood:

"The mission of motherhood is the same now as it always was: to nurture, protect, and instruct children, to create a home environment that enables them to develop a heart for God and His purposes, and to send them out into the world prepared to live both fully and meaningfully."

Thanks Nealy for this quote :)

And how about a few pictures to recap the day? First we headed to this place... LOVE it!

And spent an hour or so looking at this view :)

Then filling my tummy with this goodness (remember this post - we go here often)...

And finally my favorite little girl (and man) joined me at the pool...

xoxoxo

{Love to Alan & Nora for making Mother's Day soooo special}

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{happy mother's day}

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Steph's Pick - Apple & Raspberry Crisp

If I HAD to choose a fruity dessert over a chocolate one - this would be what I'd choose! I saw this in Everyday Food Magazine (a great gift) and made it a couple weeks back for the first time. We LOVED it!!!


Ingredients.
Unsalted butter, for baking dish
2 1/2 - 3 pounds sweet, firm apples, such as Gala or Braeburn, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
12 ounces raspberries (frozen - no need to dethaw)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Crisp.
6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
2/3 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions.
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
2.In a large bowl, combine apples, cranberries, sugar, flour, vanilla, and orange zest and juice.
3.In a large bowl, combine all crisp ingredients. Using an electric mixer, beat on low until coarse crumbs form.
4. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with topping.
5.Bake until topping is browned and juices are thick and bubbling around edges, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.



steph's tip...
Small but Sweet. To make individual crisps, divide filling and topping among eight 8-ounch ramekins and reduce baking time to about 30 minutes.

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