Finding Fall: Cornbread and a Crushed Playhouse

Last weekend, we stuffed both days full of friends, family, and football, and we loved every minute of it. We even entertained in a house without heat- once you get the oven going, you barely notice!

I tried out a great maple cornbread recipe that took nearly every stick of butter I had. 

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/corn-bread-00100000068378/

Since I was making dip too (making my 9 X 13 pan unavailable), I baked it in my muffin tins, which brought the cook time down to around fourteen minutes. The bread was moist and only slightly sweet; it was great paired with Slow and Low barbecue. 

Little Bit had fun on Saturday playing with a new friend, but he did discover that not everyone likes to be covered in stuffed animals. They bounced with delight on the "reading nest," the name I gave his toddler bed when he was loathe to go to "bed." I may have to clarify the terminology later, but for now it was very cute. 

Then on Sunday, his cousin colored the cardboard playhouse we'd made out of a shipping box. It somehow then made its way outside, where she and Bitty demolished it in a stunt-man tricycle game. Bitty would pedal toward the board and close his eyes as he got close, a huge smile on his face. I loved it!

All that, and the Vols won, too. Go Big Orange!