Quiet Day

Yes, we stayed home. No, we didn't have visitors, Yes, we had a very good meal. Yes, the pie was perfect. Yes, we called friends and relatives. Yes, friends and relatives called us. Yes, we shared a bottle of Baileys, (We have 6 of the little cups and they are perfect for this treat!) Yes, I'm glad it was a peaceful and quiet day, though raining. Yes, we are very thankful for all we have had in the past and have in our lives currently. We are very fortunate and fare as well as we can. 

No, I'm NOT making a dinner next year, BUT I might find a way to have a complete meal delivered! Contrary to most others, we prefer a quiet and peaceful day without drama or hullabaloo.

And... how was your day?

Last Hurrah for 2020

For apples, that is. Over the hills and on the road to Jayne's Orchard we went on this dreary day. The Orchard is closing Saturday and I just knew we could find some late apples such as Winesap and Empire. I also thought of the old fashioned Northern Spy apple that we always had at home when I was young. There weren't any there today. I don't even know if they grow them. 

How lucky to find some of the late variety Winesap! It has a tart, rich taste and, of course we shared one when we got home. These are sitting in the sink waiting for their vinegar bath before storage and/or processing.

Winesap

The Empires are crispy and sweet. They have a hybrid parentage of the Red Delicious and Macintosh. They are crispy and crunchy and will go fast. I just might keep them for having an apple a day! They, too are ready for their bath. You might ask, "Why a vinegar bath?" Well because my mother always did is my answer. I use three parts water and one part plain vinegar. I think it is supposed to kill bacteria. Don't know for sure, don't care. Will keep on bathing my apples before doing anything with them.

Empire

Oh I forgot to tell you how good they smell! The visual experience doesn't do them justice!

Snowman

 

Candles

 

Coloring Book Project

In anticipation of creating greeting cards for the holiday season I searched for and found some free coloring book pages on the internet and have downloaded and worked on them. I wanted pages that incorporated "stained glass" themes. They are out there! 

Current results are here. I have not put them into any photo manipulation free internet programs as I usually would, but have tried out something different - at first. I still have time to further change these and they are not promised to be my final images. 

What do you think?

Nativity

Musicians

Candy Cane

Bells

To view larger, please click on image.

Pretty

It's OK to strive for perfection but I have learned through the years that it is rarely attainable and sometimes not even at all important! I didn't even strive for it today because I knew it wouldn't matter. It didn't! I found the recipe when looking to use up my frozen lemon juice and thought I'd try it. Since there really wasn't a pan size listed and the picture showed it in a bundt pan, I used my 11" x 14" pan.  Yep! It became a beautiful sheet cake!

After I sliced it into 6 pieces I just stacked three with icing in between and called the project a success. Got two 4" square cakes now! They're not pretty. We don't care! The photos were taken before tasting but I can verify that the lemon three layer cake was light in texture and really full of flavor and very satisfying.

RECIPE

1 1/2 C flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 C sugar

2 large eggs

zest one lemon

2 T. lemon juice

2/3 C vegetable oil

2/3 C milk

• Preheat oven 350°
• Grease and flour pan - 9"cake pan will do fine (I used large cake pan and had resulting cake like a sheet cake)
• Whisk the flour and baking powder together in small bowl.
• Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl on low or medium, not high.
• Add zest, juice, oil and milk until combined and then add flour mixture and beat on low until smooth.
• Pour into pan and bake approximately 35-40 minutes.
• Toothpick should come out clean.
• Cool in pan then remove to dish. Ice or not, you choose. A dusting of confectioner's powder would do. 

Chestnuts

I remember my mother having a large bowl of chestnuts on the dining room table during holidays. I also remember that they were the size of horse pucky. She roasted them on a tray in the oven and they were easy to get the middle part out. It tasted like a roasted chestnut. DUH!

Yesterday my daughter brought me some that she found under a chestnut tree at the roadside when she was walking her dog. She collected some, took off the outer shell and brought them to me. 

I had never seen any this small, (about the size of a Dum Dum lollipop) but scored each one and roasted them according to directions I found on internet.  Well you know how I always refer to either being the statue or the pigeon? I was the statue today after all the work! They will break our teeth! The squirrels across the road that live in the big pine tree will love me.

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I baked them way too long (25 min at 475°) and have figured out that about 10 minutes would have been enough. Oh well, if you ever have some and want to roast them, this link might help. 

Roasted Chestnuts 

New Bowls

A delivery was made here yesterday and I've been waiting for these beauties for about three weeks. When I first spied them on his internet page during a community event, I claimed them. They spoke to me! Yep! Now I admit that the 'cereal bowls in oatmeal color' seem to have changed colors but I think it is the lighting plus the different cameras used to capture their beauty. 

They are thick but not too thick, thin but not too thin, and were put to use the very same evening. The heft and feel are perfect! They kept our meatball-vegetable stew nice and warm throughout the meal. What a treat! 

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Al, aka the Potter accepted some of my recent cookies and I was pleasantly surprised he mentioned them on his latest post. He has a wonderful sense of humor as you will read.

Cookie Alert!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2 sticks BUTTER, softened

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla (pure, not artificial)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

2 cups raisins*  Pre soak raisins by covering with water for about 5 minutes - drain well -  before stirring into mix with oatmeal. 

Optional: 1 cup ground walnuts - mixed in with the oatmeal. 

Heat oven to 350°

Beat together butter, all sugars until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and add. Mix in well.

Hand stir in oats and raisins* This is the hard part - mix well!

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet. Remove to wire rack.

Makes about 6 dozen.

Hints: Keep bowl of dough in refrigerator between batches. Parchment paper works well under dough on cookie sheet. It lasts for all 6 batches. 

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Stop in and I'll share a few.

 

Veteran's Day 2020

My Dad was a Veteran

Gerald Nelson Nulton, b.12-20-06 d.10-30-99. He enlisted in the Reserve Corps of the United States Army at age 18 on December 9, 1925 and was honorably discharged on December 19, 1928. He was based in Plattsburg, NY. President Coolidge visited the camp in 1926.

please click on link below to view short video

Short video of time past

There!

Winterizing finished! 

Two years ago on this date we had snow. Good that the golf car was covered. Yes, James had November scarf on as well.

Today is was a little warmer and we sat out on the porch for a bit. Preparations for the season ahead are complete. 

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Bleak!

Bread for Two #4

We have discovered that buttered slices of this bread, fried in the cast iron pan and topped with a slice of any kind of cheese is becoming a favorite for lunch. Too much of a good thing is not good! Soooooo, moving on.........

It's about time for cookies, don't you think? I have been on a roll with the little bread loaves and need to explore something different now. A craft project is not in the close future. Burned out there. Gonna dig in my recipes and surprise everyone - soon.  Getting a bad craving for another pumpkin pie so that will probably smooth the transition from bread to cookies, ya think?

In the meantime, the porch swing is covered and the golf car will be put to bed tomorrow. ARGGGG. When you get old you feel cold and I'm not looking forward to winter - at all!  Comfort will just have to come from my oven being a very active appliance. 

Early Visitors

These two travelers surprised me as they passed the cabin, walking on the road. I think they saw me seeing them through the window as they quickly moved on and crossed, going back into the woods. I was in a fog myself, just out of bed and pouring my coffee. Guess I was lucky to capture them at all!

to view larger please click on image

Bewitched

A ravishing raven is a family member. This creative granddaughter creates costumes throughout the year but this one, is to me, special! She calls herself a raven witch. I can feel the work that the 'feathered friend' did! 

I sure wish she had sent me a full length picture. I'd love to see the dress bottom and the hat's top! Makes me wonder about her shoes! Fingernails? 

Sliced and Wapped

This is one loaf sliced. Twelve slices per loaf! I used my old Daisy sealer (1976!) but now have run out of bags. An internet search is in order. 

Doubled up!

Two for this show! I had previously made this in early September and baked it in a larger Pyrex dish. Today was two loaves instead of one in large shallow dish. 

RECIPE

YIELD: 2 Loaves

Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 1 package (3.4 oz.) instant lemon pudding mix

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 4 large eggs

• 1 1/4 cups milk

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon lemon extract

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• 2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium sized zucchini's)

• 1/4 cup poppy seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. *Spray two 9x5 loaf pans with nonstick spray.

2. *Shred two zucchini's using a food processor with shredder attachment.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

4. In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oil, lemon juice and lemon extract.

5. Pour lemon mixture into dry ingredients and mix until JUST COMBINED! Do not OVER MIX!

6. Fold in zucchini, lemon zest and poppy seeds. *I added 1 cup of ground walnuts.

7. Pour zucchini bread mixture into prepared loaf pans and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

NOTES………………………………………..

* I lined both pans with Reynolds Release Foil. 

* I pre-shredded one medium zucchini with a hand held grater. The food processor shreds too finely for my tastes. Had it in the freezer for about 2 months! Thawed and drained before use.