Friday

 

Today was a great day! The boys and I popped into our little health food store in town to buy a pumpkin candle to give to friends who just bought their first house!  While I was there, I noticed that there were tights and leggings on clearance for very low prices.  I've been looking for tights and leggings that have a high percentage of cotton and these fit the bill!  I am thrilled!

We visited our friends in the evening so that Father could bless their house.  It is a gorgeous old home (nearly a century old!) and I fell in love with all of the nooks and crannies.  The backyard was particularly charming! Dinner was amazing:  vegan tacos filled with beans, kale slaw, roasted cauliflower, roasted sweet potatoes, avocados, cilantro, and a drizzle of tahini dressing (tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and paprika).  Dessert was a vegan pear cake. It's wonderful to visit people in their homes (especially people who are good cooks!).  I love to see how they decorate and live.

In the Stands

 

While the boys play basketball, Sugar Plum and I keep pone eye on the drills and one eye one our embroidery, dolls, knitting, and homework.  It's quite a productive time!

Chrysanthemums

How to Polish Silver Quickly and Easily

Today I'm sharing an easy way to remove tarnish from silver so that polishing is a snap!

A Quiet Monday

Oh the joy I feel when a big event is past and all of the hard work is done!  Grandfather Bear stayed over last night, so I made a big breakfast for the men and boys after I came home from dropping our sweet girl off at school.  Grandfather had to leave at about 9, so by mid afternoon all of the dishes from Sunday and breakfast were finished off, laundry was folded, and I even had some time to iron my breakfast cloths while watching a little bit of an episode of Vera. We homeschooled in the afternoon and I started the camel stripes on my shawl.  It was a pretty productive day, but felt positively relaxing to do the quiet little everyday chores instead of the more demanding ones that I was doing last week.

Snapshots from Thanksgiving

Saturday

 After a good breakfast, Sugar Plum and I got right down to work baking and cooking.  She made Monica's Award Winning pie recipe and then a regular pumpkin pie and decorated it with a rose motif after watching a pie decorating video by Duff Goldman.  I made a Sour Cream Apple Pie, Christmas Cauliflower, Green Bean Casserole, and the Sausage Stuffing that I will use tomorrow for the stuffed pepper appetizers. 

We also had a wedding this afternoon and my sister-in-law and brother-in-law arrived just before Vespers.  I was really excited to give them this tiny baby sleeper that I bought their little one (due November 1st!).  I'm so glad that they liked it!  Sugar Plum knitted them a tiny black rabbit and little knit carrots to go with it.  It was really nice to give these little gifts to them and anticipate the baby's birth!

Fleurs

I went grocery shopping at Walmart last night to get most of the things that we will need for Sunday's feast, but I saved the more gourmet items for a trip to our fancier market this morning.  I bought cheese, meat, olives, and fruit for the charcuterie board, perfect roses, and fresh rolls (that I enjoy toasted for weekday breakfasts).  After quickly putting everything away, it was a joy to take out my secateurs to trim the roses and look through my vases to select the perfect vessel for the centerpiece.  It was a moment of peace in an otherwise crazy day.

In the Humblest Things

Cleaning Windows and Blinds

It smells so clean in here!  I've been scubbing the house since Monday to get ready for our faux Thanksgivin with my in-laws on Sunday.  I even washed the windows and blinds in the dining room!  I'm hoping to have the discipline to wash all of the windows and blinds in the house before the end of October.  It is quite a job (and one that I have not tackled in several years)!

Plum Torte and Foggy Morns

One of the best things about autumn (and, actually, spring) in this area, is the fog.  It makes the morning landscapes more mysterious and magical, I think.  The beauty of a foggy morning is a nice treat for those of us who have to be up before the sun. 

On our recent trip to the apple orchard, I crossed my fingers that there would be little cartons of Italian plums for sale in the orchard's market and there were!  I quickly mixed up the batter to make a Plum Torte on Sunday evening to enjoy while I prepare for our family's Thanksgiving Feast this coming weekend.  I find that having a little treat helps spur me on in my work.

:::::

New York Times Plum Torte

    ¾ to 1 cup sugar
    ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
    1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    Pinch of salt (optional)
    2 eggs
    24 halves pitted purple plums
    Sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon, for topping

  
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well. Spoon the batter into a springform pan of 8, 9 or 10 inches. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon. Bake 1 hour, approximately. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream. (To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.)

**  My Notes:  I don't sprinkle with lemon juice and I also combine my cinnamon and sugar before sprinkling it on top of the batter.

Our Thanksgiving Menu

It's hard to believe that it is that time of year again!  We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with my  In-Laws early this year.  We normally try to hold our feast in early November, but this year we have our niece or nephew arriving at that time, so we will celebrate early!  I bought the turkey at our local butcher shop and it is currently defrosting in the coffee hour room's fridge. Hopefully I'll be able to shop for all the other things we'll need on Thursday and Friday.  I really look forward to hosting this every year!  All the work is worth it!

Here's our menu:

Hors d'oeuvres

Vegetable and Dip Platter

Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Flatbread with Goat Cheese, Figs, and Prosciutto

Cheese Platter

Main Course

Turkey

Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes*

Gravy

Cranberry Sauce*

Christmas Cauliflower

Grean Bean Casserole

Creamed Onions

Dessert

Monica's Pumpkin Pie

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Vanilla Ice Cream 

* made by my mother-in-law

The Start of a New Knitting Project

I'm excited to be casting on to a new knitting project!  I'll be doing a Biased Striped Shawl based on a project I spotted on Pinterest.  The yarns I am using are MadelineTosh Farmhouse White, MadelineTosh Black Onyx, MadelineTosh Dr Zhivago, and another fingering weight yarn in the Cumin colorway.

A Gloomy Day to Pick Apples

October Roses

Autumnal Tablescape

Floral Pumpkins

 It's become my tradition to take a trip to the farmers' market in autumn to pick out a pumpkin or two from my favorite flower stall.  The farmer, Terri, decorates them with beautiful dried flowers.  These beauties usually keep for the whole year.  I spray the flowers with hairspray to help preserve the color.

The Wall Street Journal Apple Bread

We love baking this bread each autumn.  It's delicious fresh from the oven or toasted with a wee bit of butter! 

The Wall Street Journal Apple Bread

• 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk or sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups peeled, diced apples
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

2. Make batter: Use an electric mixer to cream 1 stick butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, blending well. Stir in 2 cups flour and salt.
3. Add baking soda to buttermilk and allow to dissolve. Add buttermilk to batter, mixing well. Stir vanilla and apples into batter.
4. Make topping: Use an electric mixer to cream remaining butter and sugar. Stir in cinnamon, nuts and remaining flour.
5. Spoon batter into loaf pan and sprinkle with topping. Bake until set, 55-60 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from pan, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
—Adapted from “Applehood & Motherpie: Handpicked Recipes from Upstate New York” by the Junior League of Rochester, 1981

Sunset Near the Water

 

My husband had a quick job to do while we were in New Jersey for my father-in-law's anniversary on Friday, so the boys and I took a stroll by the water and watched the sun sink amidst glorious clouds.  If you look carefully, you can see a lighthouse in the distance!

AXIOS!

 My father-in-law has been the priest in his parish for 40 years!

Jack Be Little

I finally found white Jack Be Little pumpkins locally.  They make a nice centerpiece when combined with the pewter bowl.

A Shale in Shire

My Shale Baby blanket in Shire Cascade 220 is done and I love it!  God Willing we'll be meeting the dear little baby it was knitted for in early November!

Porch Pumpkins

There's a Fungus Among Us

A Pewter Bowl

I found this gorgeous pewter footed bowl at an antique/junk shop not far from our daughter's school.  It's a reproduction from Colonial Williamsburg (which is my favorite place to visit), and exactly what I was looking for.  I'm so glad that I popped in before pick-up!

Biscuits and Beef Stew

It may feel like summer today, but we WILL be eating beef stew and buttermilk biscuits on October 1st!

Best Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Yields: 12 biscuits, if you’re careful about apportioning out the dough
Time to make: ~25 minutes
You need:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. sugar
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1 stick + 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup buttermilk (I use 1 T. of white vinegar per cup of milk to make my own)
• parchment paper

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
2. Melt the 1 stick butter and let cool about 5 minutes.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter and the buttermilk, and stir until clumps form.
5. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients until just incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Using a ¼ cup dry measure, scoop out and drop 12 balls of dough onto the baking sheet (this is easier if you spray the measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray).
8. Bake until the tops are golden brown, about 14 minutes.
9. Let cool on a wire rack.
10. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tbsp. butter and brush the tops of the biscuits with the butter before serving.

Notes: This recipe is from the November-December 2007 issue of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine via Simply Cooking.