Ricotta Doughnuts!

I always make homemade doughnuts on Conference weekend. It's an indulgence for sure, but I look forward to them as much as the kids, even though I can't enjoy as MANY as they do! I usually stick with my mom's tried and true recipe, but I'm also a sucker for new recipes so we tried these ricotta doughnuts for a change.  With eggs and ricotta, these do have some protein to balance the sugar. Not health food by any means, but we did have green smoothies to go with them! I added a bunch of extra spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves) to the batter and they were delicious. It's hard to go wrong with  homemade doughnuts though.



Ricotta Doughnuts

 Ingredients
6 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 pound whole or skim milk ricotta
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (any whole grain flour works fine)
1 heaping tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Canola or vegetable oil for frying
Powdered sugar in a shaker or cinnamon sugar

Instructions
1. In a large bowl, together the eggs, sugar, ricotta, flour, baking powder, and vanilla extract until combined, being careful not to over mix the batter.
2. Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a deep, heavy pot to 325°F. Drop the batter by small ice cream scoopfuls or small spoonfuls (use 2 teaspoons) into the oil and fry for 3 minutes, turning often, until golden brown on each side. You may need fry the doughnuts in two batches to avoid crowding the pot. Break open doughnut to make sure it’s cooked all the way through. Scoop out the doughnuts with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels or a brown paper bag to drain. Let the oil come back up to temperature and repeat with remaining batter.

3. Dust  with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar and serve hot.


This recipe made quite a bit so the kids were stoked to have doughnuts two times!! Who kidnapped our mom, the children asked?


Somebody wants to be just like his big brother. Look at that cute little thumb!

Every time I make green smoothies, I think of this video . My friend, Darcie, shared this gem (made by her cousins) with me. It's hilarious!

race day

I'm always a bit relieved when the cross country meet for the week is behind us. There is the whole knee thing...I cringe watching her run right now, but Sela is also a little ball of nerves and excitement on race days. She gets nervous because she feels people (herself included) expect her to win so anything short of 1st feels like falling short. I agree, it is certainly less stressful to be the underdog. Anyway, she pulled off another tight race this week with her close friend and super athlete, Morgan, at her heels.They really push each other and have made each other much stronger runners over the past few years.

daredevil in training

Rollin has decided he needs a little stunt buddy. This afternoon on our hike, the girls and I came around the bend and he had Evan jumping off a big root. Rollin was totally proud of him and Evan was loving it! I'm afraid I've got another thrill seeker on my hands.

Good job, little buddy!

Early Fall

We swapped the flip flops for boots this week. The weather is changing ever so slightly. We all look forward to fall, but it's usually because we've had enough summer and heat to welcome the cooler weather. While I love the crisp fall air and the beautiful changing of the colors, I'm not quite through with summer. I could use a few dozen more warm, sunny days. It's doubtful that will be happening so we're looking on the bright side and enjoying all the beauty of this gorgeous season.


The last of the tiny poppies we enjoyed all summer long.


Leaves are beginning to change.


Fall flowers are appearing.





Our favorite warty pumpkins are ripening.


Grapes are coming along.


Ornamental Apples


And some tasty ones too.


Abundant Quince

Owen Beach and the Zoo

Visiting a zoo or aquarium when most other children are in school is pretty dreamy. We headed to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium after the kids finished their work this morning. This zoo is fantastic. I can't believe we had never been before! I much prefer this zoo to Woodland Park Zoo, even though it's a bit further away. I bought a membership on the spot because I know we will be returning for the sharks alone!




There were no crowds, no preschool groups with a ratio of 20 kids to 1 teacher running wild, and just a few people here and there. We went to Owen Beach first and had a picnic. The kids had a great time exploring up and down the shoreline. What a gorgeous park! The sun was out and all I could think of all day was, I'm so happy to be homeschooling. I love my kids and it's a joy to learn (and play in the sun) alongside them!


Owen Beach




Evan was here










driftwood fun


Baby meercats.


Mount Rainier

Peacocks in the parking lot. No, Rollin is not riding one :)


This was the first time I attempted an outing requiring quite a bit of walking with no stroller for Evan. He  hates to be confined so I end up chasing him while pushing the stroller so I decided to bag the wheels. He was a little trooper, but was pretty tuckered out at the end of the afternoon.

One year older....

What made Zig's birthday perfect (to him) is that there was no big hoopla and his admin kept quiet about the big day at work. Some people say they don't want a big deal made out of their birthdays, but really don't mind, however, Zig means what he says. His idea of a perfect birthday is coming home and having a nice dinner with family and maybe a dessert (healthy, if possible). He does not want gifts, which is good, because he is so difficult to shop for. My Mom did get creative this year, and Zig was stoked about all the heirloom seeds, grains and other goodies.



The kids do love to celebrate his birthday so we at least have to light some candles and sing. We also share things we love and appreciate about him, and there are many to choose from! I can't write them here..that would be going "overboard." Happy Birthday, Zig! Thanks for always being so appreciative of the simple things. You are loved.




Sela chose the dessert all on her own, and here is the Ginger Peach Blackberry Crisp in progress. Zig LOVED it!  He had it for dessert, midnight snack, and breakfast. Way to go, Sela!

Sela's 1st CC Meet

Toward the end of the summer, Sela started having some pretty intense pain in her left knee, and a fairly significant bump began to develop. She had so much pain she had to stop playing tennis for the last couple sessions of the summer, and definitely no running. I took her to Children's Hospital to have her seen and the doctor sat down across from Sela, took one glance at her knee, and said she had Osgood-Schlatter. 

From what I understand, this happens when significant physical activity occurs alongside a growth spurt. The condition can be short lived or plague young athletes for years. Sela was disappointed because she really enjoys sports and was having so much fun playing tennis. She was also looking forward to cross country season as well. The doctor said if we could rest her knee for a month, she could slowly begin to try some sports again, but needed to really take it easy if any pain accompanied  physical activity. She's been good and has taken it easy for the past 4 weeks. The pain is gone and the swelling is going down.


She decided to try cross country to see if the pain would come back. She had one practice and 1 meet last week. She won first place in a close race and her knee felt fine afterward. I was so relieved. She may only get a few runs in this season, because the pain very well may return, but I was happy she had a great beginning to the season.

I tried to video part of the race for Zig since he was out of town. The girls were coming up "Heartbreak Hill." I did a horrible job on the video, oops!

These girls really push each other to do their best. They are great competitors and even better friends!