Apple Season....

The weather has cooled and Fall has finally arrived. Apples are in abundance so take advantage of them. The Granny Smith apples are so good for baking pies, making baked apples and so much more. Take an afternoon and go to the apple orchard, take the children and let them pick their own basket of apples. Then when you get home, teach them how to use them or just wash them off and eat one. There are so many different kinds of apples, I know you will find some you like. If you aren't familiar with the different types of apples, let the orchard person know what you want to use them for. I'm sure he or she can help you out. 

Till next time.....

First Day of Fall.....

Today is the first day of Fall and we start to think of pumpkins, scarecrows and autumn leaves. It will soon be time for the trees to turn and show their vibrant fall colors. It will be Jack O Lantern time and dried cornstalks by the door.
With the cool fall temps, it will be time to bring in the fire wood for the fireplace. Most of us with fireplaces will turn them on in the early morning.You know, just to take the chill of the house. It's not quite cool enough for the furnace yet.

Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are not very far away and the holiday items are already in the stores. It's way too early for the holidays. I am so far from being ready for the holidays, it isn't funny! Where does the time go? 

Till next time........

Last of the Black Eyed Susans

Fall will soon be approaching and the leaves will start to turn vibrant colors. But for now, the remaining color seems to be the cheery black eyed susans. They grow wild along the roadside and I'm not sure if they are considered weeds or flowers. It is nice to see such color this late in the season. So I will enjoy the bright sunflowers for as long as I can. I await patiently for the quilt of autumn leaves to appear in the woods. With all the rain we have had, I am hoping for a very colorful fall before it turns drab winter gray and beige. 

Till next time.......

Simple Daily Recipes

I've got a real gift for you today. No, it doesn't come in a box, gift wrapped with a bow on top, but it should. I cruise the foodie websites from time to time and this morning I found a real gem. I could not believe my luck. It is http://simpledailyrecipes.com/ . Jill McKeever's recipes are simple and don't take 25 ingredients to make them tasty. Mostly, the ingredients are things you would probably have in your everyday kitchen. For instance, do you ever wonder what to do with a day old baguette? Yes, I know, there is always good old garlic bread. But Jill has a recipe for Parmesan Crackers made from Baguette and you can keep them a long time. What could be better than a homemade Parmesan Cracker with your favorite soup, dip or spread. The full recipe is listed under Appetizers on her website. Her photo of the crackers looks so good, you just want to grab one. Once you read the recipe, think of all the other possibilities. It does make a person wonder. Normally, you would not see me promote a website. But this one is so-ooo worth mentioning. You won't be disappointed. Hope you enjoy my gift to you.

Till next time.....

Storm Clouds Return

September 15th was a crazy day for the weather. We had storm clouds in the morning and in the evening. But the day in between was sunny and nice. Last evening it started to get dark and the emergency alert radio went off. It warned of a severe thunderstorm in the area for a few hours. As it started to get dark, I grabbed my camera to see if there was a chance for some good photos. Here are the results. Within seconds, the whole sky was dark and you would have thought a major storm would ensue. As for the weather, I must have been on the very edge of the storm, as it blew a little and we got a few drops of rain, not enough to dampen my patio. But I got these amazing photos.

Till next time......

Beringer Wine Tasting...

Earlier this week I went to a Beringer wine tasting. The tables were beautifully set with white table cloths, fresh flowers, wine glasses, etc. It was a very fresh and crisp atmosphere.  They offered a table of boneless hot wings, different meats and cheese and a fruit tray. The list of eight wines had a description of each wine and a place to rate each wine as it was tasted. The tasting was of the Founder's Estate wines and I know what each of them tastes like and which ones I would buy. I found two that I thought were okay and one that I would enjoy a second glass of. My favorite of the evening was a Riesling wine. The last wine of the evening was a $25. bottle of wine. Very smooth. So it was a great wine tasting in my book.

Till next time.......

Threatening Storm Clouds

This morning I was drinking my second cup of coffee and all of a sudden the sky got dark. So "curious me" I had to look. Immediately, I grabbed my camera and started taking photos. It's called being in the right place at the right time. Can you believe with these dark threatening clouds we did not get a storm or even a drop of rain. A few moments later, the clouds thinned out and they were gone. I felt so lucky to have viewed this bit of nature. As you can see in the top photo, the clouds continued to build till they reached a dark and threatening look.

Till next time.......

Project Linus 7th Birthday!

Yesterday was Project Linus' 7th birthday for this chapter. There were probably 150-200 people in attendance. Not all stay for the whole 4 hours. Many come in, drop off afghans, blankets and leave. Others stay and work on blankets or stitch Project Linus  labels in the donated blankets and afghans.There are also a lot of children who come and tie the fleece blankets. It is always nice to see the children involved. I always feel if they do this now, they will continue charitable work when they are adults. It was a great turn out and I am sure the Coordinator of the Chapter was very pleased. A lot of blankets and afghans were brought in and donated. It is such a heartwarming project. 

Since Project Linus' inception in 1995, they have grown to 367 Chapters.  As of June 30, 2010; they have donated 3,465,151 blankets to seriously ill or abused children from birth to 18 years of age. This is all done at the hands of volunteers or "blanketeers" as Project Linus calls us.
Till next time.......
 

Puff Pastry

Sometimes I like to play around with Puff Pastry. So, today I made some rounds and stuffed it with Shrimp Salad for lunch. Then I decided to use part of the Puff Pastry for dessert as well. I mean if I am going to have calories, they might as well be "good" calories. These were "very good" calories! I decided to make a Fruit Napoleon.; at least my idea of one. It was so good! Just some Puff Pastry, some fresh raspberries and blueberries and some sour cream sauce; all topped off with confectioner's sugar.  After all of that pastry, a bowl of fresh fruit will be my supper this evening. I don't need more calories, good or not!. Take time to treat yourself, you deserve it!

Till next time........

Tomato Surprise

Sometimes I am looking for something different for lunch. I was looking at the Farmer's Almanac and came across this recipe which intrigued me. So I made it for lunch today. It is so simple and yet good; not fantastic, but good for a change. Here is the recipe with just a few minor changes.

Tomato Surprise 

1 medium tomato

1 large egg

Flavored bread crumbs

1 Tbsp butter

Dash of Basil and Salt and Pepper

Cut a slice from the top of the tomato and cut out some of the pulp to make room for the egg. Break the egg into the center of the tomato and top with bread crumbs that have been tossed with the butter, basil, salt and pepper. I also topped mine with cheese, but as you can see, I should have waited till just 10 minutes before it was done. As the cheese got a bit done. Put it in a greased ramekin and bake at 375° for 30 - 40 minutes. (40 minutes will make the egg hard. I baked mine at 30 minutes and it was fine with a runny yolk.) After I took mine out I added about 2 Tbsp. of tomato salsa as I wanted a bit of spice to it. Enjoy!

Till next time.......

It's Been One Of Those Days....

Today I started out just wanting to do the laundry. Well, that led to scrubbing the kitchen and bathroom floors. Then I felt the rugs in those rooms should get washed. After all that, the carpet needed vacuuming, at least I thought so. Then I thought, well, before I sit down, I'll give myself a haircut and that required me to shampoo my hair. As I sat in my recliner resting for a few minutes, I noticed the sliding glass doors were dirty. So I got out the cleaner and the hose and washed them. While I had the hose out, I watered the patio flowers, cleaned the bird bath and filled the bird feeder. So now everything is clean, my hair will look nice for Sunday Mass and I can finally relax with my crocheting. Isn't it funny how one task leads to another? Now I am going to close my eyes, sit in the jacuzzi (I wish) and refuse to look at anything that might require my attention.

Till next time.......

The Best Time of Day....

I've always said the best time of day is the early morning. As I sat on the patio with my cup of coffee today, the sun was just starting to peek out. But the clouds were moving in fast. By the time I had finished my coffee and was ready for cup number two, the clouds had covered the sky. The sun was hiding, the blue sky was no longer and had I not been up, I would have missed even the shortest sighting of the sun. At that time of the day, it is quiet and most people are either still in bed or they are busy getting the children ready for school. It's like the whole world is my coffee shop; and I am the only one there.

Till next time.......

Be Safe

Many accidents could be avoided by drivers adhering to the rules of the road. In some states, tailgating is a major issue. In another state, it is running red lights and rolling through a stop sign .Or worse yet, they don't even slow down. They just bust right through the stop sign. When I am at a light or stop sign, before I move the car even an inch, I make sure all cars are stopped. Many of the accidents near me, could be avoided by not running red lights , stopping at stop signs and not speeding. When you have a driver's license, you have responsibilities as well. Take responsibility and follow the rules of the road. Be safe!

Till next time........