Month: September 2010

In the last week, we had two things to celebrate, another great year of my dearest brother’s life and his engagement to a very lovely, kind and giving girl Lilya.  For so many years I have prayed to God to choose a girl that He thought would be best for Oleg and He has done just that, he picked him his soul mate.  I can’t even discribe how well they compliment one another, I couldn’t have picked a better life companion for my brother.  Since I promised him not to write much about it 😉  I will only mention that he proposed in Yosemite on the cliff overlooking the Yosemite village and from the pictures I saw it was breathtaking!  She said “Yes” right away without thinking and they celebrated at a local restaurant.   Below you will find pictures of the lovely couple, the ring and some family pictures from our celebration last weekend.  Enjoy!

p.s.  You have probably noticed that I post many pictures of food from our celebrations and you might wonder why.  I LOVE food!  I love making food, when I am not too busy and I absolutely love to bake.  To me my mom is the best chef out there, whether it’s cooking or baking, she makes magic happen.  Since you (my readers) could not see it or taste it, I thought I would show it through pictures.

I just got Isabella’s 6 months photo-shoot pictures sorted and thought I would post a few for those that might want to see them.  I have known Tori (owner/founder of TWPhotography) for over two years now and I had no idea how amazing and talented she was until she asked to take Bella’s pictures.  About a month ago, I started assisting Tori with her business a little bit, so far it’s only one day a week, but I absolutely love working with her.  If you are ever interested in having photos taken of you or your family, I would highly recommend TWPhotography.

Blog address:  www.twiblephotographyblog.com

Website:  www.twiblephotography.com

I don’t know about anyone else out there, but I smell Fall every morning, even when it hits high double digits, the air is different than usual summer air.  Fall inspires me to bake, this is the time of the year when I bake the most, so today I decided to put apples that my parents brought for us from Apple Hill to good use.  I simply searched for best apple recipes on Google and to my surprise I found these delicious and simple muffins.  Barry and I liked them so much that I decided to share, so if you are in the baking mood and have a few apples on hand, try this recipe, you will not be disappointed. Below you will also find some pictures of how mine turned out 🙂

Ingredients:

Topping

• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups diced peeled firm tart apples (such as Spy, Granny Smith)

Directions:

1. Note:.
2. cinnamon could be added to the batter ( about 1 teaspoon or less).
3. Topping: In a small bowl toss together sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon until crumbly; set aside.
4. Muffins: In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla until smooth.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda and salt.
6. Stir oil mixture into flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.
7. Fold in apples, mixing just until combined.
8. Spoon into greased muffin cups filling 3/4 full.
9. Sprinkle topping over evenly.
10. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and tops spring back.

Since it’s been a little while, we decided to take a trip to Fresno and visit Barry’s side of family.  Once we got there, Barry took off to one of his friend’s bachelor’s party and Isabella and I got a chance to spend some quality time with her Grandpa Robert, Noni, Mormor and even auntie Suzie.  I was glad that Bella finally got a chance to meet auntie Suzie, it was fun to see them interact.  Bella also got more gifts that she can not wait to use, thank you auntie Suzie!  Some of the things we got to do while in Fresno:  visit with family, visit with  Tamara (my 4 year college roommate and a great friend), go to the Habit Burger restaurant which I enjoyed very much (thank you Robert and Lois) and walk to my favorite bakery La Boulangerie- the best bakery in my book (not only do they have a huge variety, everything is exceptionally delicious).  Below you will find some pictures, enjoy!