Apple Cider Doughnut Muffins

 All you need today for a quick morning start is your favorite beverage and an Apple Cider Doughnut Muffin. You will be energized by the smell and taste of fall.  

The recipe was adapted from Southern Living, September 2026. You can easily find apple pie spice at larger grocery stores. The recipe makes 10 muffin doughnuts, and no mixer is needed!. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup apple cider, not apple juice
•  2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons apple pie spice, divided 
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, divided
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

• Bring apple cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes.
• Transfer cider to a heatproof bowl and set aside.
• Place 10 paper liners in a regular-sized muffin pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and a teaspoon of apple pie spice mix in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, oil, and 4 tablespoons melted butter. Whisk to blend. Add eggs one at a time, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in vanilla. 
• Add half of the flour mixture to the oil mixture. Whisk in the apple cider blend until smooth. 
• Add in the remaining flour mixture and whisk only until combined.
• Divide the mixture among 10 paper liners and bake for 18 minutes.
• On the counter, place two pieces of wax paper and set the baking rack on top of the wax paper. 
• Remove muffins from tin and place on baking rack for 5 minutes.
• In a pie pan, mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon apple pie spice.
• Baste each muffin with the remaining butter. Roll the muffin in the sugar mixture to coat. Shake off excess sugar and place on the baking rack to cool.  

Baking tip: I found doing one muffin at a time works well. 

Game On with Chili Cheese Dogs

No matter which team you are cheering for, it's all about the food and the camaraderie. Classic Chili Dogs are easy to make, fun to eat, and great for any get-together. Cook your hot dogs just the way you like, then load ’em up with a hearty homemade chili and your favorite toppings,

Cook's Notes: 

I found these containers with wax papers and matching napkins at Hobby Lobby. I thought they were perfect for serving game-day foods instead of using paper plates. 20 come in a pack. 

Bonus: reimagine this recipe by adding pinto and kidney beans (rinsed and drained) for a comforting bowl of chili. Add more broth if using the recipe strictly for chili. 

Adapted from Southern Living, September 2026. It makes enough for 10 chili dogs or 6 bowls of chili. If possible, make this recipe the day before so the flavors can meld. If the mixture is too thick, add more broth.  

I used all-beef Ball Park hot dogs and buns. Grill hot dogs ahead.  

Chili-Cheese Dogs

Spice Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder 
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 

Chili Ingredients:   

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 1 small Vidalia, chopped (about one cup) 
• 1/2 cup beef or chicken broth
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-1/2 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 2 (15-oz.) cans diced crushed tomatoes with oregano, undrained  
• 1 cup ketchup
• All-beef hot dogs
• Hot dog buns
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
•  Topping suggestions: diced red onions, sliced jalapeño chiles, yellow banana peppers

Spice Directions:

• Mix with a small whisk and set aside. 

Chili Cheese Dog Directions:

• Add olive oil to a large frying pan and heat. Crumble the meat and add it to the frying pan with the onions and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the grease and recrumble the meat into small pieces in the frying pan.  
• Sprinkle meat mixture with spices.
• Add broth, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, crushed tomatoes, and ketchup. Cook on low heat uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Grill hot dogs. Place one in each bun. Spoon meat sauce over the hot dog.
  
  Add your preferred toppings and shredded cheese. 
• Serve Chili Dogs immediately.
  
  

Note: If making the chili mixture to serve in a bowl, follow the same steps, except add one can of drained kidney and 1/2 can pinto beans to the meat mixture.   

The Grand Finale

 Two Days in Paris certainly aren't enough time to fully absorb the sights, food, and culture, but they are a good start for a future return. Grand Circle's attention to detail and the range of cultural and culinary experiences to fully immerse passengers made this truly a trip of a lifetime. Their staff and program directors were knowledgeable and attentive to individual needs. Discovery Walking Tours in each town were rated one shoe, two shoes, or three shoes by level of difficulty. Some moments physically challenged me with uneven surfaces (cobblestone streets), a lack of handrails, and steps up and down everywhere: in and out of buses, on and off the boat, and in and out of historical buildings and chateaus. One needed to stay attentive to their surroundings at all times. 

On our last day in Paris, we took a bus to Montmartre, a village outside Paris that sits on a hill around the iconic Sacré-Cœur Basilica. The area is known for its vineyards, windmills, and artistic spirit. It is also where famous artists like Picasso, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Toulouse-Lautrec worked. and lived. It became the birthplace of modern art.  We were lucky to get a visit in, since with the Pope's arrival the next day, many areas and places were going to be restricted.  

     The Basilica of Sacred-Coeur

The inside was just magnificent-breathtaking. 

A word about bathrooms: Paris has no public restrooms except in parks. During COVID, they were eliminated. We were encouraged to find a cafe, buy an espresso for 2 euros, and use their toilets. LOL, I had been saving my euros from my last European trip just to cover this.

Artists painting in the park. 

Most Parisians either drive small cars or motorcycles (gas is over 10.00 euros a gallon), ride bicycles, or use public transportation. Traffic is downright scary and moves at a frantic pace. A word of caution as a pedestrian: watch your surroundings at all times. 

Love Lock Bridges

If you have ever been crossing a bridge and found yourself faced with hundreds – or even hundreds of thousands – of padlocks and wondered why? This cultural phenomenon appears across the globe. Love locks are padlocks attached to a bridge, often with a romantic couple's initials etched or painted on their surface. Once locked, people toss the key into the water below. It’s widely interpreted as being symbolic of the couple’s commitment to each other, in permanently affixing themselves in the form of a padlock to a bridge of their choosing.

In the afternoon, some of us went with the program director to a French cafeteria where little English was spoken. Charley had an unusual dish: a soupy like dish of lentils with ham and sausage.  I passed on this dish! 

But I did enjoy a side of Chocolate Mousse and  

I also loved-loved my breakfast delivered every morning to avoid going to dining room and indulging in too much food. 

If I could choose one dessert through the whole trip for presentation it would be this Bee Hive Dessert. It was honey parfait baked in meringue surrounded with raspberry compote. At the top in the center of airy meringue a bee was fashioned out of marzipan. Imagine creating this labor-intensive dessert for 97 people!  

Afterward, we meandered the streets of Paris for some "window licking" and souvenir shopping. 

Le Grand Opera House

A night glimpse of the famous Moulin Rouge 

FAREWELL CAPTAIN'S DINNER

They pulled out all the stops for this event. We ended as we started with a Kir Champagne cocktail and appetizers. Then we moved on to another 5-course meal, which included Filet Mignon and Baked Alaska. I have seen their galley kitchen and am amazed they can turn out these delicious dishes (visual masterpieces) for 97 passengers. 

     

And so all good things have to end sometime😉 and back to reality for The Readys. I am looking forward to ordinary food like a hamburger and a bowl of cereal.

THANK YOU, readers, for following our French culinary and cultural journey. And a SHOUT OUT to  Grand Circle and program director Marguerite for making it so special. We are grateful to have been blessed with this opportunity to experience life in another country. 

  

Out and About in Paris Day One

Our two days in Paris were action-packed, with a variety of experiences from 8:30 AM until dinner on the ship. Our bus picked up a local guide as we then toured the city for a panoramic view of iconic places. We began with the Eiffel Tower for photo opportunities and some historical information. 

We stopped at a quaint nearby district to look around. We have been told to bring our own water bottles on this trip, as France prides itself on water conservation. The public is encouraged to fill their own reusable bottles rather than using plastic bottles. This photo shows an elaborate water fountain where you can refill your bottle. 

Instead of window shopping, Parisians call it window licking. And oh my, what tantalizing foods there were.  We stopped for cheeses,

pastries

and the tour guides arranged for chocolate sampling.

We had only a few hours of free time in the afternoon, so unfortunately we couldn't do the entire list my daughter had made for us based on location sites from the TV series "Emily in Paris."   

The Tuileries Garden is a public garden between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde. It was created by Catherine de Medici as the garden of the Tuiles Palace in 1564, it was opened to the public in 1667 and became a public park after the  French Revolution. Since the 19th century, it has been a place for Parisians to celebrate, meet, stroll, and relax. The gardens are lovely, with several ponds, benches, and a carousel. We enjoyed lunch there. 

Paris has been called the City of Lights but is also known for its bridges. Paris has 37 bridges across the Seine: 5 are pedestrian-only, and 2 are rail bridges. Three link Île Saint-Louis to the rest of Paris, 8 do the same for Île de la Cité and one links the 2 islands to each other. 

When we returned to the ship in late afternoon, we went up to the sun deck. The Captain planned an early evening sunset cruise to enjoy the iconic sights of the Seine, including the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

UP NEXT: you don't want to miss 

THE GRAND FINALE 

Tour of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Montmartre District, a visit to a French cafeteria, the Opera House, and the Captain's Farewell Dinner. 

Monet's Home

 Claude Monet lived in his home at Giverny for forty-three years,from 1883 to 1926. During this very long time, he layed out the house to his own tastes, adapting it to the needs of his family and professional life.

At first, the house, called the House of the Cider-Press (an apple press on the nearby square gave the quarter its name), was much smaller. Monet enlarged it on both sides. The barn next to the house became his first studio after he added a wooden floor and stairs leading to the main house. Monet, who mostly painted in the open air, needed a place where to store and finish his canvases.

Above the studio, Monet had his own apartment, a large bedroom and a bathroom. The left side of the house was his side, where he could work and sleep. 

The house was large enough for a family of 10. Monet had two sons, and his second wife, Camilla, had 4.

Every wall in each room was packed with Monet's paintings and those of artists from his own collection. He was quite taken with Japanese artistry. 

Enjoy a photo collage. I noted that blue and yellow were predominant colors in the house and chickens outside. 

UP NEXT: PARIS AND THEN AU REVOIR

Charley took this photo tonight from the sundeck of the boat.

Claude Monet Giverny Gardens Part One

 Claude Monet created these gardens over 40 years. He built the Japanese bridge, planted the wisteria, and watched the light shift across the water until it became everything he wanted to paint. For anyone who has stood in front of a Water Lilies canvas and felt something move — this is where it started.

Our tour group was the first in at 9:30, which meant it wasn't too warm out. So the water lilies weren't at their prime, but they were still lovely. The whole experience was surreal in terms of just being in the gardens and stepping back into Monet's time period. You’ll see almost a hundred different plant species, including flowers, trees, and plants! These sumptuous gardens inspired the French painter and founder of Impressionism. The crowd was building even at 9:30, with a lot of tour groups.

There are two parts: a flower garden called Clos Normand in front of the house and a Japanese Garden on the other side of the road, where the bridge and water lilies can be found.  
We got our photo taken on the bridge over the lily pond. 

UP NEXT; PART TWO MONET'S HOUSE