Hanging Christmas lights. And a little baking.

I got into the holiday spirit quite unexpectedly the other day. I decided that today, before the weather changed for the worse, I was going to put up lights with Mr. Bah Humbug. Commonly known as my hubby. Since he's been sick he's been alternating between extreme grouch and pain in my butt. I cannot wait until they find out for sure what's wrong and hopefully manage his pain.

Before I put up lights I started a huge pot of ham and beans. This is one of hubby's favorites and I've started liking beans. I made this along with sweet potato biscuits and apple fritter cupcakes. It was a wonderful almost Thanksgiving dinner. I dirtied a lot of dishes and Mr. Bah Humbug didn't even care because I was cooking again. I will definitely make the ham and beans and the sweet potato biscuits again, but probably not the apple fritter cupcakes. There was probably a reason they were supposed to be fried. They were boring. The apples were very good, but the rest was kinda bland.

(Recipes are below with links in the title.)
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Crock pot ham and beans
1 lb dry beans
2 bay leaves
2 lbs ham hocks or shanks
1/2 an onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Soak beans and bay leaves over night in six cups of water.
2. Place beans, ham hocks onion, garlic, and nutmeg in crock pot.
3. Cook on low for eight hours.
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Sweet potato biscuits
**adapted**
1 cup sweet potato
3/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons grated, frozen butter

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Microwave sweet potato for 10 minutes.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt.
4. When sweet potato cools scrape the flesh from the skin and mash it in a bowl.
5. Whisk milk into sweet potato.
6. Grate the frozen butter into the flour.
7. Use your fingers to break the butter into the flour until crumbly.
8. Mix the sweet potato and milk into the flour.
9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
10. Use a 1/3 measuring cup to make 8 biscuits.
11. Bake15-20 minutes.
12. Let cool and serve with butter and honey.
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Apple fritter cupcakes
**Very adapted to suit my needs.**
2 granny smith apples, cored and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup apple cider
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 butter

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg


1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Spread the apple chunks in a single layer on the sheet, and pat them completely dry with more paper towels. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the cider, eggs and melted butter.
4. Stir the apples into the flour mixture. Add the cider mixture, and stir until incorporated.
5. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray.
6. Divide batter between tins.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.


To Make the Glaze:
1. Place the confectioners’ sugar, cider, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl, and whisk until smooth. 
2. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of glaze on top of each fritter, and let it set for 10 minutes before serving.