The Harvest Table Give~Away

Harvest in June?  Yeah I know... we just set our minds into the summer mode…thinking picnics, vacations, swimming, beach time and lake time…..and NO more school for a while!!  So why am I here talking about The Harvest Table?  To shift your minds to fall….get you geared-up and ready for football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and all the other wonderful fall and autumn heartwarming things associated with one of our favorite seasons!  But why?....you still ask….. Because there is a new Gooseberry Patch Cookbook out and ready for you! 

THE HARVEST TABLE…..it is jam packed with a bountiful collection of recipes, tips, wonderful ideas and stories!  There are recipes for tailgating, football watching, snacks, and all the way to the Thanksgiving spread….and don’t forget desserts!  I went through the book scouring the pages and marking them with sticky tabs.  I found a Pineapple Cheese Ball recipe that I WILL be making for my daughter’s baby shower in June; a Pizza dip, a Touchdown Pickle dip (how fun is that?), Halloween Popcorn balls that have candy corn in them, a cornbread dressing recipe and many many more! I have tiny green tabs sticking out all over the edges!!

I even found stories, tips, and memories posted at the bottom of each page.  One such story reflecting on home gardening and canning…something I can relate to!  Here’s a good tip for you this summer:  Make your own ice packs for your cooler.  In a gallon-size sip lock bag (I would use the freezer ones) combine 2 cups water, 1 cup rubbing alcohol, and 2-3 drops of blue food coloring.  Seal, leaving room for expansion and freeze.  They can be used several times over and over!

And for you fun crafty people who love glitter, here’s one for you: Lightly coat your holiday pumpkin with spray adhesive and dust with fine glitter. Try using those odd festive colors like purple and lime green or gold!! Fun fun!

And here’s one for all you Halloween cookie bakers that like to frost the cookies:  For orange frosting add 6 drops of yellow and 2 drops of red food coloring to a small bowl of white frosting.  For black, add 2-3 drops of blue food coloring to a small bowl of dark chocolate frosting!!  Now you are ready for orange pumpkins, black cats, bats and witches hats!!

This cookbook really puts you in the fall mood….I can close my eyes and smell the smells of fall….apples, cinnamon, spices, peanuts, grilling, the turkey baking in the oven….OH MY!  So I just had to go ahead and try out some of the recipes and share my thoughts with you on them.  

For this review, I will be making Upside-Down Apple-Pecan Pie, Signature Chocolate Cream Pie, and Ursula’s Breakfast Danish.  Yes I like pie!  I will be making the Pineapple Chess Ball later in June for the baby shower too and many others on down the road.

First up is the Upside-Down Apple-Pecan Pie

This is it before the inversion....too beautiful to mess with huh?

  But the secret here is to turn this bad baby out

 onto a serving plate for the surprise:

Voila'

A beautiful array of pecans and ooey gooey goodness 

cooked underneath the apple pie!! 

Apples and pecans make a great combination!

Next I tried a Signature Chocolate Cream Pie

for all you chocolate lovers...

It is a cooked custard-pudding pie using the

microwave which makes it quick and easy.

When chilled you top it with a  fattening yummy whipped topping made

from scratch using good ole whipping cream.

YummY!!

Oh for the love of chocolate!!

...and last I tried Ursula’s Breakfast Danish

...I believe this one is going to be a favorite come-back-to recipe.

An easy cream cheese filled danish that you can make

fresh at home using refrigerated crescent rolls!

Top it off with a sugar glaze and pecans and it is so good!!

It was so easy to prepare and with a few tweaks

of my own of the cream cheese filling

I believe this one will be perfect.

So now that I have made your mouth water and have you in the mood for baking…..go order this book!!!  And after you do….don’t put in on the shelf and only drag it down in the fall….there are lots of scrumptious recipes that you can use all throughout the year!

And now for the give-away  …just what everyone has been waiting for!  Gooseberry Patch and I have teamed together to give you a chance to win this wonderful cookbook…..and as with any give away there are a few rules to follow.

SIMPLE BUT NECESSARY RULES FOR THE GIVE-AWAY

~Post a comment below on this blog post only

~You MUST provide your name and an email address if you are not posting a comment as a blogger (otherwise I cannot contact you if you win)

~Give-away is open for US and Canada only due to high postage costs….sorry guys!

~Give-away will close on June 25th and the winner will be announced June 26, 2012.  

 If you do not feel lucky and are not the winner or live outside of the US and Canada......don't fret!  You can pre-order  your cookbook here before they hit the shelves. 

You can go here to this link to order. Just click on this picture...it will take you to the Gooseberry website.

OR

 you can get a sneak peek inside at Amazon and a

great discount off the price for a limited time...

...so what are you waiting for.....GO!

 Get it…you won’t regret it!

Credit where credit is due:  graphics are from Gooseberry Patch and photos are mine!!

Have a great day!

tHe gREaT pUmPkIN

Charlie this one is for you and Linus....Can you say pumpkin pie?

13/30 Today I am grateful for today.

This day that was not promised to me yesterday.

This day that is a gift~the present.

Another chance to live and enjoy life, rejoice in all its glory,

for I may not have the chance of a tomorrow.

Enjoy your day today!

The Gift of Today

Today begins another annual 30 Days of Gratitude. Follow me throughout the month of November as I share with you each day something that I am grateful for. Each is a blessing. Want you join with me and share your own?

1/30 Today I am Grateful for Mondays! Yes I know it is the all time dreaded day of the week… everyone hates Monday. We live for Fridays and the weekend…only to ruin our Sunday afternoons thinking about Monday mornings and how quickly the weekend will be over…dreading it all the way. Let’s truly think about Mondays…they are a brand new start to a brand new week. Another day given to you by our Heavenly Father…one in which we should embrace with open arms and a happy attitude. If you woke up this morning and are reading this post, you have been given today…a present, free for the taking, free for the living in it. What happens today may determine our mind-set for the reminder of the week, so let’s make the best of it.

For you see we are not promised tomorrow…so accept today as the gift it was meant to be and be ever so grateful for another day of life. Each moment is precious; life is short…so live today like it is your last. Get out and enjoy the simple pleasures of life, capture God’s beauty with a camera, eat a hot dog, sing as if you could, and dance in the rain. This is the day that the Lord hath made. I will rejoice and be glad in it no matter if it’s a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…or any other day of the week. Do something wonderful today and be kind to one another. Happy Monday!

"Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see."

Mark Twain

I’m Ready

Got the pumpkins

Got the candy

Got the candles

Got the mums

Got the Jack-O-Lanterns

Got the batteries

Got the gourds

Got the wreath

Got the bales of straw

Got the cool weather

I’m ready…bring it on you little ghosts and goblins, witches and weirdoes, pumpkins and princesses. I’ve got lots of good treats for you all.

Is your sweet tooth yearning for some sweet chocolate?

"Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much

sweetness as one can possibly want and hold." 

  ~Judith Olney

Halloween is such a fun time for dressing up and going out and about to collect all those sweet treats!  Sometimes you might even get a little tricked! I remember getting home from my night out and pouring all my sweets and treats onto the bed and sorting them...and trading them...and hiding them...and saving the best, trying to make them last. Here's some good advice from Linus "Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker." Picture that!! Did you watch “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” last night?  I did...So cute!
And some more advice from Shaggy in Scooby-Doo: "Don't go near any place with spooky, haunted, forbidden, or creepy in the name."  Bahahahhahaaaaaaaa.......

Yesterday it rained. Thank you Lord. And I had a nice lunch with my parents and niece.
Oh and I got homemade chili in the crock pot for tonight, double, double, toil and trouble …yummy~ yummy could be tummy trouble! hahaha

Be safe my friends and have a little fun this weekend!

Fall Fashion Week...

The start of this brand new week, after a very busy weekend, has been rather gloomy. It is very overcast with a good promise of some much needed rain. The leaves are doing their change for the season…beautiful golden and red outfits they adorn as they make their descent down the fashion runway to the ground to join the acorns and hickory nuts.

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree”  Emily Bronte

Our weekend was filled with family and friends…from a huge family reunion with lots of great home cooked food, and later with a birthday celebration for my MIL who turns 87 today.

Happy Birthday Nannie!!

Our motley looking bunch....and this is not all of us either!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Another birthday was celebrated with friends as their grandson turned the BIG ONE! Such fun to see a little one tear into the cake with their little hands and wrinkle up their nose until that sweet taste passes over their tongue. They grin from ear to ear and then clap for themselves because they are so proud of what they have done! So funny!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think this will be the first time we have ever had treat-or-treaters at our house since we built it years ago. I am so excited. Our young neighbors at the end of our cul-de-sac will be celebrating their daughter’s 2nd Birthday this weekend with a Halloween themed party. They have let us know that they will be having a hay ride with all the kids on board and will be stopping at each house for tricks and treats. It is going to be fun! Lots of kids, lots of candy, lots of fun. I finished getting all the decorations in place and everything looks festive and fun, can’t wait!

I love this time of year when things are changing. The colors of autumn are beautiful and the decorations are fantastic with all their quirky, kooky~spooky, and whimsical humor and brilliant golden colors. Most of what I have up will last on into the Thanksgiving season, a few will be replaced with turkeys and pilgrims!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Side note~Holly and her MIL made it through their drive to Vegas safe and sound and she will be returning home this evening. 30 hours of driving in two days! They prevailed through heavy fog, bumper to bumper horrible traffic, high winds, and crossing the new Hoover Dam Bridge 900+ feet in the air in the dark Saturday night!

I’m sure they looked like the very modern day Thelma and Louise with a dog in the back seat as they cruised along jamming to the tunes and taking in the western scenery. Thanks to those of you who said a prayer for their safety. The sky will be full of angels this evening when Holly’s flight leaves Las Vegas headed for New Orleans where her hubby will be waiting.

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor,

summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."

Stanley Horowitz

Hoover Bridge photo from Google

This Time of Year

Sweet and pleasant October...where are you going in such a hurry?
You just arrived on my doorsteps and greeted me with a cool umber feeling of gracefulness.
I have set about putting on a festive face with pumpkins, pinecones, candles of cinnamon and spice, and the colors of autumn. And now the season of gratitude is soon upon us…A time to reflect and be ever so thankful for our many blessings. Although I am truly thankful 24/7…November is our gentle reminder that we should stop and consider where we would be without our Heavenly Father and all that He has given us… It’s a time to gather with our precious families and friends and share our bounty.

Time seems to be fleeting from…day to day…month to month. I look back with wonder and question where August and September have gone. I look back and reflect on what I did, what I accomplished, what I learned.

All is good...
All is well.

And before I know it, that Thanksgiving turkey will be slapping me up side the head with his big drumstick and it will be Christmas. A holiday that I love and it will be special this year because my little family will be here at home…so up with the tree and the many decorations! The meal has to be planned out, lists made, notes posted, hints made, prayers said and a birthday celebration for Him. I even did a little on-line shopping today for some gifts. Shhhhh…secrets are to be kept!

Now I’m looking forward…not back. Each day holds precious time that should be well spent.

So what have I been up to? Well I

...Baked a homemade carrot cake, my Mama’s recipe…YuMmY!

...Helped Jackie put up a white cottage style fence near our turn-around

...Picked the garden, it’s the time of year for greens

...Shopped on-line for Christmas gifts

...Have been working in the yard and flower beds…never ending

...Am trying to read “Where the Heart is” when I find time

...Cleaned the ceiling fans….Ugggggh! Now that they have stopped, I see the dust!



...Am getting ready for a family reunion and 2 Birthday parties this weekend.

...Am praying for Holly and her MIL as they travel from New Orleans to Las Vegas by car. Holly is going to help drive and keep her MIL company before flying back to NOLA…all in 4 days!

...Am doing all that everyday stuff too that has to be done everyday! haha

I hope you are getting into the holiday spirit!



BAM!

I wanted to share this recipe I found from Emeril. A very good way to serve acorn squash that is easy and delicious. Tried and true from me to you!

SUGAR AND SPICE ACORN SQUASH

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

• 2 acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds each)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• Pinch ground cloves
• Pinch grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

On a cutting board, cut the squash in half lengthwise. An adult may have to do this, since the squash is both very hard and round. Be very careful! Scrape the seeds and fibers from the squash with a spoon. **Kick it up a notch! (see note below) Cut each squash half in 2 and place the quarters in a baking dish so that they fit in 1 layer, skin side down. Poke a few holes in the squash with a fork so that the butter seeps down into the squash.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Mix until smooth with a rubber spatula. Divide the butter mixture among the squash quarters, about 1 tablespoon each. Season the squash evenly with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the black pepper. Butter mixture will melt inside the scooped-out squash wells. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake, covered, until the squash can be easily pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes.

Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the baking dish from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Watch out for steam! With a pastry brush, brush the melted butter from the squash wells evenly over the inside of each squash. With oven mitts or pot holders, return the baking dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the squash is golden brown around the edges.
Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the dish from the oven. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the squash to serving plates and serve immediately.

  "BAM!"

**Kick it up a notch!=Save those seeds!! This specialty is not from Emeril, this is straight from me! You will love these.

Toasted Acorn Squash Seeds

Throw them into a colander and rinse well with water until all the fibers and slimy stuff are removed. Spread them on a kitchen towel and blot excess water. Then spread them onto a piece of parchment paper and continue to dry at room temperature. Once they are dry put them in a small bowl and sprinkle with a little EVOO and give them a good stir. Return to the parchment paper placed on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt. Toast them at 250*-275* for approximately 1 hour. Watch carefully for over-browning.

Trust me~these are way better than toasted pumpkin seeds! You do not get many out of one little acorn squash so that makes it more of a delicacy!

Enjoy your weekend!

photo of cooked Acorn Squash  from foodnetwork.com

My Blank Slate

I have nothing…a big blank slate.
My mind is tripping over invisible thoughts.
It has been a week.
Kenny G is whispering out some beautiful calming tunes as I sit here and reflect. Gratitude comes to mind.
The cooler weather is a welcomed change and with it has come the ease of a new season; one of a more relaxed and gentle nature. It is cool and quiet. The mighty One is so good. He has showered many blessings all around.

A bounty of food was spread at church yesterday, everyone enjoying each other’s company at a crowded table full of love. Awesome food, good camaraderie, and desserts to die for…no hurries, no worries...slow and easy.
It was a homecoming…
122 years of praising God. The message was brought from a former member who had grown up in the church. A mere child of God now called to preach His words. Through him we were able to listen and learn how to become mighty men and women for Christ. Through our strength, risk taking, accomplishments, love and passion; we can become that warrior; even though we are sinners.
Strength- I am weak
A risk taker- I am not
Accomplishments- a few, not many, nothing to brag about
Love- some people are just plain hard to love
Passion- some, but not enough.
I admit my faults, I question my heart, I have a lot of work to do...
::::
But for today I am thankful. Thankful for the small unnoticed things that we often take for granted...like milk in the frig, a slice of bread, electricity, and a warm bed. Soap…yes I am thankful for that good ole stuff that keeps me clean! And…

finger licking goodness
:
the dapple playing across written words
:
laughter of playing children
:
lunch with a precious niece
:
curtains flowing ever so gently
:
afternoon slumbers
:
listening to Holly talk and talk and talk and talk and talk
:
snuggles under old worn quilts
:
a slamming screen door
:
that phone call that delivers an answered prayer of good news
:
when I smile and you smile back
:
hand written recipes of Grannie’s
:
oven roasted corn in the shuck
:
sitting on my porch

Well now, how did I do for filling my blank slate? My invisible thoughts turned to real meaningful things around me...simple things really.  ~The ever present beauty of the day. ~Sunshine giving gentle warmth. ~A jovial soul. ~That welcomed phone call from way over that way…all of this and more, brings happy gratitude.

~Thank you dear Lord…

What would you write upon your blank slate?

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

William Arthur Ward

Got to go buy some milk now…I’m out!

Journey Through the Rain

Yesterday afternoon when the rain started, I enjoyed a fresh breeze while sitting in the swing on my front porch.
The coolness that swept across my skin with the sound of birds joyfully singing made it feel like spring…there was a peace all around.
As stillness over came me, I opened my book and began to journey away. Sunday afternoons are perfect with a good book...
Ireland was in the mist of another harvest as love was once again redeemed. A love like no other bound together in another time and place. Ballyhara was burning in the faint distance as they embraced each other on the first day of the rest of their lives.
I had found my way to the end of the book while listening to the soft rain fall. A love story.
Scarlett and Rhett were together once more…forever in my heart.


He did it…not only did He give us some rain, He brought it all throughout the night. A soft even steady flow from Heaven. I slept to the sound of softness sprinkling down and the coolness coming through the open window...Quenching the earth from its dryness, bringing back color on this clean crisp morning.
Peace
All is well
Thank you dear Lord, for the blessings that you give to us even when we do not deserve them... Continue to hold us in the hollow of Your hand.

~My loves for today~

that feeling of being revived and rejuvenated

answered prayers, as always

coolness on the skin

rain that quenches the dryness

clean crisp air in the lungs

books that carry you to another time

love, forever love

~~~ 

May God give you…

For every storm, a rainbow,

For every tear, a smile,

For every care, a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends,

A faithful friend to share,

For every sigh, a sweet song,

And an answer for each prayer.

 

Autumn in My Heart

My prayer for rain as summer fades...

The setting of summer is on the horizon. It is fading cruelly, leaving the feverish heat with me and no promise of rain. My world has turned gray, dead, and dreary as it thirsts for a drink. What once was green is no longer, as summer has lost its color. I sit inside where it is cool, begging for joyous tears from heaven, while watching everything stand still. Still…very still, except the occasional falling of the leaves… diminishing from the lack of beloved rain.

My heart and soul yearns to be quenched. Autumn is there, right there… I cannot reach it, and it cannot greet me… with its beautiful colors, moist earth, and its gentle cooling. My heart is pining for the buoyancy of autumn.

Sweet rain you are welcome here… to sprinkle me with comfort and strength...filling my world with color again. Bring autumn trailing behind you and leave it here with all its glory, brilliance, and perfumes. Spread your rainbow bouquet of sodden shades from your color palette, painting my world again…bringing back life at a time when one season is fading into another.

farewell summer~goodbye

 welcome rain is my prayer

hello cool autumn

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy,

and find grace to help in time of need."  Hebrews 4:16 KJV

What I’m lovin’ today~

Autumn in my heart

Prayers for rain

Looking onward

Talking to Jesus

Knowing that Jesus will hear my cry

Knowing that Jesus will answer

~

Blessings of sweet rain to everyone in need!

"When life hands me lemons, I just squeeze um into a big ole mason jar

of sweet iced tea and thank GOD I’m a Southern....."

 ~Connie Willingham

Homemade Memories

How are you today?
I’m good…..busy yesterday creating in the kitchen. Creating with muscadines~ a grape of sorts from this part of the country…a southern grape. A way down south in Alabama grape.

 I picked ours for the first time. Our young vines finally produced enough for a picking, and jelly I did make. As I stirred the sugary mixture, the heavenly perfume roused my senses and brought back so many memories of my Grannie. I was with her, standing on a chair at the counter as she mashed those brownish green grapes through a strainer leaving only the splendid juices behind. From this juice she produced the most amazing golden jelly I have ever tasted.
I could always remember that taste…unlike any other. I have since purchase muscadine jelly at various country produce stores throughout the years. But…the taste was NEVER the same or just right. Nothing compared to the taste that Grannie always managed to achieve.

Yesterday those memories and taste buds danced around in my head as I took that first test taste. A smile swelled across my face, as I rolled the jelly around my tongue, with happiness gleaming through my eyes. Oh my…it tasted just like Grannie’s jelly, so many years ago. I did it.

There came a flood of thoughts and smells of her large country kitchen, double white porcelain sink with twin drain side boards, jars with lids popping as they sealed, sweet grapey aromas, and the promise of a homemade buttermilk biscuit to come. Granddaddy was never far away, ready for that biscuit too. Grannie was an excellent cook, a country cook, taught from her Grannie and mama on down the line. What a wonderful art to pass on… Thank you Grannie for spending time with me and letting me get under your feet in the kitchen.

Jackie, the hubs, helped with my stroll down memory lane last night. I had called him yesterday at work to let him know just how good the jelly was and he told me he would make some biscuits for supper. Happy dance. Now I know you are asking why I don’t just make them myself…You have never had one of his biscuits! The people he works with beg for them, fight over them. You see, he makes the best and takes them to work occasionally. They are so GOOD! He has mastered buttermilk biscuits!

I looked forward to last night’s supper all afternoon, and it was as wonderful as anticipated. Homemade buttermilk biscuits, bacon, grits with eggs,

and of course my fresh chilled jelly!

What I’m lovin’ today~

sweet jelly

homemade goodness

memories

standing underfoot

that sink

that smell

teaching that art

foodie photos

my strawberry napkins

Thank you for all the birthday wishes for Holly ….

now go bake some biscuits...you know you want some!