Just a few days ago I posted pics of the beautiful fall colors outside our windows... well, today the mountains are almost brown! The leaves swirled in the gentle breeze today like multicolored snowflakes. It's sad to see them go so fast... fall is, indeed, fleeting. And with it went October and soon November. Next week we go to the beach, then to Kelley's for Thanksgiving (plus a few days in advance for kitchen duty) then home to dust and dash back to the ATL airport to pick up a VIP guest.
I feel as though my Mother is coming to visit (and wish it were so, but she's been gone for 8 years). I've scrubbed both refrigerators, the oven, cabinets, floors, baseboards.... a belated spring cleaning! Yes, the house has been neglected - I'd rather paint any day than clean. Now, I'm paying the price!
Ohhh, but it will be such fun! The VIP guest and I have been friends since 1973 - that's 36 years!!! Longer than some of you are old - including both of my children. She and I were co-workers in Jax, Fl at my first professional job and she taught me the true meaning of "professional". Years later, when I taught high school Home Ec, I told all of my students that everyone should have someone in their life who loved them unconditionally, who lifted them up and told them continuously how "special" they were. This VIP guest is and always has been THAT person for me. I can't wait to see her.. its been 13 years since we've seen each other. But she's the kind of friend you pick up the phone and call several times a year its just like your last conversation was yesterday.
Do you remember the round we sang in Girl Scouts "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and other gold".... This one is solid gold!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Flavors of Fall
We're at the peak of fall color in the mountains! My only regret is that it doesn't last longer! Fall is my favorite time of the year... the color outside my window as I write this is a brillant display of reds, golds and oranges with a BRIGHT blue sky (umm, Carolina blue maybe??). The house smells like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and all the other good winter spices. Its cool enough outside to make it cozy inside. Yesterday, I spent time on the deck painting with my water colors - a feeble attempt to capture the color. Then, a long lazy afternoon of reading (thanks to Cousin Carol) in a sunny spot with the sounds of football in the background as Bill sat glued to his recliner and mesmerized by the TV.
Foods of fall should be a cookbook in itself.... warm baked Soft Ginger Cookies, Apple Dumplings, Apple Crisp, Autumn Vegetables and Pork Roast, Baked Winter Squash.... and on and on... now, what to cook today?? How about....
Roasted Pork with Fall Vegetables
For all you non-root veggie lovers - substitute peeled acorn and/or hubbard squash for the rutabaga and turnip roots.
For all you non-root veggie lovers - substitute peeled acorn and/or hubbard squash for the rutabaga and turnip roots.
2 small onions, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup cubed peeled rutabaga
1 cup cubed peeled turnip roots
2 cups cubed sweet potatoes
1 (16-oz.) package baby carrots
1 (2 ½-pound) boneless pork loin roast
2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine (or apple juice, cider or more broth)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat 1 ½ teaspoon oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove onion from pan. Add remaining oil and vegetables to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
Place pork roast on rack coated with cooking spray; place rack in shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle roast with sage, ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Arrange vegetables around roast; sprinkle vegetables with remaining salt and pepper.
Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160°. Remove pork and vegetables from pan.
Place pan over medium heat; stir in broth, wine and mustard, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with pork and vegetables. Yield: 8 servings.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat 1 ½ teaspoon oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove onion from pan. Add remaining oil and vegetables to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
Place pork roast on rack coated with cooking spray; place rack in shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle roast with sage, ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Arrange vegetables around roast; sprinkle vegetables with remaining salt and pepper.
Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160°. Remove pork and vegetables from pan.
Place pan over medium heat; stir in broth, wine and mustard, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with pork and vegetables. Yield: 8 servings.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Its feeling more "fallish" every day!
The weather today was cold and damp, but that makes it feel even more like Fall. Granted, the clear "Carolina blue" skies are preferred, but with the leaves getting more color each day, it still feels like Fall!
We have fresh apples! Crunchy, crisp, tart, sweet and ooooohhhh so good!
Many thanks to our dear friends for thinking of us and bringing us our first bag of this fruit of the gods. Nothing makes it feel more like fall than fresh apples. Even Murphy, our dog, loves them! When I slice through one, he's at my side in a flash, waiting on a small bit to fall his way!
I'm not wasting much, so poor Murphy is out of luck. But, I will be making favorite apple recipes... starting with something like this....
APPLE BUTTER ICE CREAM PIE with WARM CINNAMON APPLES
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
¾ cup finely chopped toasted pecans
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ gallon homemade style vanilla ice cream, softened
½ cup apple butter
½ teaspoon ground apple pie spice
½ cup chopped toasted pecans
4 tablespoons butter
4 Fuji (Pink Lady, or other crisp tart apple), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup maple syrup (or pancake syrup)
Combine graham cracker crumbs, pecans, butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Mix well. Press mixture onto bottom and up sides of 10-inch spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until set. Set aside to cool completely.
Spoon half the softened ice cream into the cooled crumb crust. Combine apple butter with apple pie spice. Top the ice cream with half the apple butter mixture. Swirl into ice cream with a sharp knife. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup pecans. Repeat with remaining ice cream and apple butter. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup toasted pecans over top. Return to freezer overnight or until ice cream is firm.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large heavy skillet. Add apples and cinnamon; sauté until apples are almost tender (about 8 minutes).
Stir in maple syrup and cook until mixture is sticky and apples are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
To serve: Cut Apple Butter Ice Cream Pie into wedges. Top with warm apples. Serve immediately.
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
¾ cup finely chopped toasted pecans
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ gallon homemade style vanilla ice cream, softened
½ cup apple butter
½ teaspoon ground apple pie spice
½ cup chopped toasted pecans
4 tablespoons butter
4 Fuji (Pink Lady, or other crisp tart apple), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup maple syrup (or pancake syrup)
Combine graham cracker crumbs, pecans, butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Mix well. Press mixture onto bottom and up sides of 10-inch spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until set. Set aside to cool completely.
Spoon half the softened ice cream into the cooled crumb crust. Combine apple butter with apple pie spice. Top the ice cream with half the apple butter mixture. Swirl into ice cream with a sharp knife. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup pecans. Repeat with remaining ice cream and apple butter. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup toasted pecans over top. Return to freezer overnight or until ice cream is firm.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large heavy skillet. Add apples and cinnamon; sauté until apples are almost tender (about 8 minutes).
Stir in maple syrup and cook until mixture is sticky and apples are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
To serve: Cut Apple Butter Ice Cream Pie into wedges. Top with warm apples. Serve immediately.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Baking makes your house smell scrumptious!
Add raisins, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, walnuts, cranberries, etc to this recipe for additional flavor!
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup fat-free buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
Preheat oven to 375°.
Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, granulated sugar, and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Combine pumpkin and the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 16 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool muffins in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Fall is coming!!
The leaves are beginning to turn .. reds first, followed by a burst of gold, then yellow and orange. The weather is predicted to be cooler this week just in time for the John C. Campbell Folkschool's annual Fall Festival (http://www.folkschool.org/). Over 200 crafters (really talented folks, not crappy crocheted toilet paper cover makers) will set up for Sat and Sun. Music on 2 or 3 stages, all kinds of food - from Beans & Cornbread (a mtn thing) to kettle corn (Sorry you won't be here Ginger, but I will eat some and think of you!). If the weather is nice, it will be a great day to stroll through the woodsy paths and finger the beautiful craft work... jewelry, pottery, paintings, weaving, carving ... The smells of the food will waft through the crisp air and make even fried potato ribbons appealing.
Stores and houses have begun to set out fall displays of pumpkins, mums and corn stalks. After church the kids from the Learning Center sold pots of huge mums full of blooms about to explode into a mound of color. Who could resist - the kids or the flowers ?
Stores and houses have begun to set out fall displays of pumpkins, mums and corn stalks. After church the kids from the Learning Center sold pots of huge mums full of blooms about to explode into a mound of color. Who could resist - the kids or the flowers ?
I'm ready for a change of season. What's not to love about fall? The colors outside our windows change daily, there's no more "yard" work to do, and it's a season of food-based holidays! What more could you ask for???
Our door is always open and the coffee pot is on.. come on up and enjoy a mountain fall.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Back to the "real world"
Ahhh, the let down after vacation has hit! So, I've been staying as busy as possible... I've read 2 books (thanks, Shelly!), sewn ribbon on 5 curtain valances for Kelley (thanks for giving me your odd jobs!), tested recipes for GA Ag Dept (thanks to Marcia for keeping me "gainfully employed" for 6 years now!), crafted a birthday gift for my cousin (thanks, Carol, for being like a sister to me!) and played with modeling clay... NOW, what shall I do tomorrow?????
One of the recipes I "tested" was a "keeper" (according to Bill), so I'll share it with you. As the weather gets cooler, you'll want to try this one!
Chicken 'n Dumplins
2 cans chicken breast (or 4 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped)
2 cans cream of chicken soup ( or one each cream of chicken and cream of celery)
1 (32-oz.) box chicken broth
4 cups water (or chicken broth, suit yourself)
2 chicken bouillon cubes (salt free)
1 stick butter (NOT margarine)
2 teaspoons Paul Prudhomme's Magic Poultry Seasoning
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon pepper
1 package frozen dumplings ( Mama B's Frozen Dumplings in the bread section of the freezer), open the package while frozen and gently separate the dumplings
Bring all the liquids and seasonings to a boil in a LARGE saucepot. With mixture boiling, add dumplings, one at a time so that the mixture continues to boil. GENTLY stir to separate dumplings as they tend to stick together.
Lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until dumplings are tender and done. Gently stir in cooked chicken. Stir and taste. If needed, add more chicken broth, butter and/or seasonings. Yield: 8-10 servings.
Refrigerate the leftovers; add water or chicken broth to reheat. The mixture will be a gelataneous blob when cold. Don't worry, just add water and stir over low heat until it loosens up!
I'm very sorry to have to say this, but these are BETTER than any my Mama ever made!
One of the recipes I "tested" was a "keeper" (according to Bill), so I'll share it with you. As the weather gets cooler, you'll want to try this one!
Chicken 'n Dumplins
2 cans chicken breast (or 4 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped)
2 cans cream of chicken soup ( or one each cream of chicken and cream of celery)
1 (32-oz.) box chicken broth
4 cups water (or chicken broth, suit yourself)
2 chicken bouillon cubes (salt free)
1 stick butter (NOT margarine)
2 teaspoons Paul Prudhomme's Magic Poultry Seasoning
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon pepper
1 package frozen dumplings ( Mama B's Frozen Dumplings in the bread section of the freezer), open the package while frozen and gently separate the dumplings
Bring all the liquids and seasonings to a boil in a LARGE saucepot. With mixture boiling, add dumplings, one at a time so that the mixture continues to boil. GENTLY stir to separate dumplings as they tend to stick together.
Lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until dumplings are tender and done. Gently stir in cooked chicken. Stir and taste. If needed, add more chicken broth, butter and/or seasonings. Yield: 8-10 servings.
Refrigerate the leftovers; add water or chicken broth to reheat. The mixture will be a gelataneous blob when cold. Don't worry, just add water and stir over low heat until it loosens up!
I'm very sorry to have to say this, but these are BETTER than any my Mama ever made!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Bon jour!
Oh! What a glorious trip! Paris part was my favorite. Too many bus rides with other American tourists on the river cruise. But, we saw things we would not have seen otherwise like the Normandy beaches, the American Cemetary, Honfleur, Giverny and Versaille. Now, I can check those off my "Bucket List".
Everyone should have a "Bucket List". Mama would have called it the "Bus List" because she always said she wasn't ready to "catch the bus" yet, there were more things she wanted to do.
Guess where I get the travel gene?? Anyway, my "Bucket List" seems to be growing. Every time we check something off, we add more! Mama was right - there is a lot to do in this old world!
Tonight, I surprised Bill with dessert crepes. Chocolate - his favorite! In Paris I bought this neat little simple wooden tool to spread the crepe batter in the pan. It makes crepes so thin you can read the newspaper through them... yummy!! You can make them, too. Even without my special spreader tool. Just pour a small amount of batter in the pan and twirl (the pan, not you!).
Dessert Crepes
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined. Slowly add dry ingredients, whisking well after each addition to dissolve lumps. You can make ahead and refrigerate batter until ready to cook the crepes.
Butter a shallow pan/skillet. Place over medium heat. Pour in 1/4 cup batter and twirl!
Let crepe cook until top is almost dry. Flip over (crepe, not YOU!) and cook on second side.
Spread with jelly, jam, Nutella, chocolate spread etc.. Fold in half. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, fold again into fourths. Serve while hot! YUUUUMMMM!
Honestly, these are NOT hard to make. Just practice twirling!!
Everyone should have a "Bucket List". Mama would have called it the "Bus List" because she always said she wasn't ready to "catch the bus" yet, there were more things she wanted to do.
Guess where I get the travel gene?? Anyway, my "Bucket List" seems to be growing. Every time we check something off, we add more! Mama was right - there is a lot to do in this old world!
Tonight, I surprised Bill with dessert crepes. Chocolate - his favorite! In Paris I bought this neat little simple wooden tool to spread the crepe batter in the pan. It makes crepes so thin you can read the newspaper through them... yummy!! You can make them, too. Even without my special spreader tool. Just pour a small amount of batter in the pan and twirl (the pan, not you!).
Dessert Crepes
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined. Slowly add dry ingredients, whisking well after each addition to dissolve lumps. You can make ahead and refrigerate batter until ready to cook the crepes.
Butter a shallow pan/skillet. Place over medium heat. Pour in 1/4 cup batter and twirl!
Let crepe cook until top is almost dry. Flip over (crepe, not YOU!) and cook on second side.
Spread with jelly, jam, Nutella, chocolate spread etc.. Fold in half. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, fold again into fourths. Serve while hot! YUUUUMMMM!
Honestly, these are NOT hard to make. Just practice twirling!!
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