We are about to wrap up one of the best fall seasons in memory here in Minnesota. We have had eight straight weekends of sunshine, warm, daytime temperatures and cool evenings. These are all the requirements for beautiful leaf color everywhere. I try to visit the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum this time of the year. It’s a pretty spectacular place with great architecture and sprawling acreage of beautifully landscaped gardens and forests of every kind of tree possible that thrives in this climate. Never underestimate the power of spending time in nature. (more…)
Month: October 2015
Caramel Party Mix
CARAMEL PARTY MIX is my family’s favorite treat this time of the year. And, I only make it this time of the year. It’s a little hard to resist and keeps well in and airtight container. However, it never lasts long enough for that to be an issue. (more…)
Apple Pie Bites
Here’s a quick and yummy recipe for individual apple pies of sorts. I found this recipe online and added a powdered sugar glaze for a little more sweetness. They were a big hit at a resent family gathering. (more…)
Apple Crisp
This is one of those desserts you can always count on being a hit with the crowd you are serving. Making this apple crisp is the result of needing to make something from all the apples we picked from the tree at the cabin. (See earlier post Apple(s) of My Eye). Somehow, served warm seems best with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s a simple recipe with few ingredients and oh so good. (more…)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAT!
For over 40 years, I have been celebrating birthdays with the same group of friends who have honestly, become “family” after all this time. This all started when we had young children and would get together in each others homes to celebrate birthdays during the day, which also served as a play date for the kids. This tradition continued through the grade school years, high school and college years of our children, and now we are exchanging pictures and stories about our grandchildren and having dinner – yummy dinners. It’s a great time away from….well frankly, everything. (more…)
Weekday Cassoulet
Cassoulet is a typical French Country dish. This recipe is great because it can be made fairly quickly, it’s very delicious and quite impressive to serve! (more…)
Rustic Apple-Cinnamon Tart
When you don’t want to fuss with a pie, this free-form tart baked on a cookie sheet is the perfect solution. Use it to show off local apples or whatever fruit is in season; to create your own customized fruit tart, use the Recipe Maker. (more…)
Easy Parmesan Risotto
Simple, healthy and delicious creamy oven baked risotto loaded with Parmesan and peas makes a perfect side dish for family and special occasions. (more…)
FALL IN LOVE WITH FALL
I think we’ve established, I love decorating for fall. Granted, I like all the colors involved and I like pumpkins. But there’s something else that appeals to me… it’s the bounty of natural beauty that is so unique at this time of the year. Landscapes of all kinds of greenery become a palette of oranges, reds, golds and browns almost overnight. Our lakes and rivers become a dark blue that glistens in the sun. And, because it’s getting cooler outside, it seems appropriate to make things feel warm and welcoming inside. So wherever possible, I like to create a grouping of fall related items that will take my home decor all the way through Thanksgiving giving me a few months to enjoy. Perhaps a few Jack-0-Lanterns will appear before Halloween and disappear the day after, but the pumpkins and everything else can stay until “turkey day”. Visit SEASONS for more photos of fall decorating ideas for your home.
The smallest amount of scrap wool can create wonderful decorative items. Bubble Woolie is a FREE download pattern. Enjoy creating your own Bubble Woolie pillow! You can find this pattern and 12 more fun scrap quilt projects in Thimbleberries Scrap Quilts by Lynette Jensen for Landauer Publishing.
PUMPKINS, PUMPKINS AND MORE PUMPKINS
For those of you who have followed my career, you know I am a little obsessed with pumpkins. I love the shape, I love the variety of colors and I suppose I also love them because they remind me of my favorite season of the year. In this part of the country where I live, pumpkins are grown in home gardens everywhere. (more…)