stuffed pumpkin history . . .

Literally *and* figuratively!  I figured I'd done quite a number of crafty things featuring pumpkins to date, perhaps it was time to do a little baking/cooking.  So I did . . . not just one thing, but four!  Aren't we all lucky?!

First, I did a little research on the pumpkin.  Pumpkin pie is generally a favorite of mine, and one of my favorite Thanksgiving treats!  But seeing as how pie crust was not around during pre-colonial days, chances are pretty good that pumpkin pie was not on the menu.  At first, the early Pilgrim settlers turned their noses up at pumpkins, but as winter came on and they were hungry and dealing with scurvy, pumpkins started looking pretty good!  One dish they probably enjoyed (which later evolved into our pumpkin pie), was a custard type dish that was baked in a hollowed out pumpkin shell, then cooked in the cooking fire ashes!  I read about it here and here, and modified this set of instructions/recipe  and this recipe to come up with this . . .

Fun stuff!

Next up, I saw this recipe of Paula Deen's for Spice Caramel Corn.  But in my infinite wisdom (and quest to change every recipe/tutorial/set of instructions I come upon), I subbed out the cinnamon and added pumpkin pie spice instead . . .

May I just say YUMMY?!!

Then there were some sugar cookies.  No recipe, no link.  Just sugar cookies, frosted with orange tinted buttercream, sprinkled with autumn sugar sprinkles and topped with a candy corn stem . . .

And I had help!  Both in the making *and* the eating!

Sweet kiddos!

And finally, another favorite of the season.  No link or recipe, though.  Since I had to scoop out the pumpkin innards for the custard, I thought I might as well roast the pumpkin seeds!  I separate them from the 'mush' and rinse them thoroughly.

I then soak them in salted water (about 2 teaspoons per quart of water) for at least two hours.  After soaking, I pour off the water and pat them dry.  Add a tablespoon of cooking oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix well.  Lay them flat on a cookie sheet (rimmed, if possible) and bake in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned and crunchy!

I have a hard time allowing these to cool before grabbing a handful!!

In other news, my stash report for Week #42 is unchanged from last week. Not one iota.  Still holding strong at 19 yards net used.  I can't recall a time in my life since I started quilted when my purchase yardage was under 10.  Craziness!

And for my Slow Sunday Stitching, I thought I'd work on stitching together a few of my birthday chrysanthemums!

Although it seems kinda odd to have all these purples and blues in what's solidly an orange post!

Linking up to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts today. And at some point I'll enjoy a cup of pumpkin spiced tea . . . and some pumpkin-y treats, too!  

:)

granddaughters, doll quilts, and diets . . .

Oh my!

I had a lovely, lovely day with my darling little Miss Ellie Pearl yesterday.  She just keeps getting more and more personable!  I swear I could just sit there and chat and coo and smile and grin with her for hours!  Yesterday, between naps, she showed me how she plays on her mat with her toys (especially Jacque le Peacock).

And then she gave me that Mona Lisa smile that usually precipitates the full blown grin . . . 

Gracious but I could eat her UP!

Today, after Todd made the run to the post office, I had a lovely treat!

I had forgotten Barbara (from Cat Patches), my swap partner this month, had told me it was on the way!  Isn't it darling!!  I love the mixers and beaters!  And I love the quilting on this too.  And the back view  . . .

And the tag (and the postcard greeting she included)!

I love, LOVE it Barbara:  thank you *so* much!!!

I had a good--and encouraging--visit with my doc yesterday.  Sunday is the start day.  We're celebrating Todd's birthday (the big five-oh) on Saturday (it's actually on the 17th) and didn't want to start a diet before then -- his birthday cake-of-choice is a Carvel's ice cream cake.  Definitely not on the Phase 1 food list.  LOL!

On my way home last night I noticed that one of the small grocery stores was advertising split chicken breasts for a dollar a pound.  Since we're going to be doing a lot of chicken for the next several months, I decided to pull in and get some.  I got four, four pound plus packs of chicken breasts (four breasts per package).  That's a LOT of chicken!  I knew I didn't want to stick it all in the freezer like it was, so this is what I did.

I opened up each package, pulled out the breasts, pulled back the skin, and filleted off a 4-6 ounce portion.

 

I then pulled the skin back over what was left.

I laid the fillets out and covered them with press and seal to freeze them individually.

 

I put the rib pieces in a casserole dish to bake (I mean there was still 10-12 ounces on each breast). 

Covered them with a little garlic and onion powders, a little rosemary, and a little salt and pepper.  When they finish baking I'll pick them -- portion out the cooked meat into 1-1/2 cup portions -- and then boil the rest down for stock.

I feel like the frugal housewife!  Yay for me!

Tonight we have campers coming in, and the weather will be glorious for them!  I'm so looking forward to it!

HAPPY Friday!

:)

lots of happies . . .

With the annual board meeting for our ministry on Friday and a workday up at the camp on Saturday, my days for the rest of the week are going to be pretty busy getting things ready.  Yesterday was my free day -- though not a lot of quilting got done.  But who cares?  Look who I got to hang out with!!

 

She's getting so BIG!  She's able to fill some of her cutie-pie clothes now.  Her tummy is rounder, she's longer, and her cheeks are filling out, too.  And Jason says her second chin is growing, as well!  LOL!

I pulled up this shot from my camera and immediately tears welled up in my eyes.  People are always saying how much Joc and I look alike, but I think my girl is far more beautiful than I.  But in this picture ... I saw a young me, holding my Jocelyn. 

 

So precious!  Look at that squinchy brow ... she's got such a serious and intent gaze!

Joc was sweet enough to snap one of me holding the darling girl ...

 

Look how happy she is to be in the arms of her Neesey (Or gosh -- it just occurred to me that it could be the change of scenery from one photo to the next -- in the one above, she's gazing at mommy; in the one before, she's seeing me -- LOL!)

Know what else was a happy yesterday?!?  Getting this parcel in the mail -- from HUNGARY!!

I won Edit's anniversary giveaway, and she'd offered a choice from several lovely things she'd created; I had chosen the fabric tulips.  They are even prettier in person than pictured.  I'm so tickled!

I've got a vase that's perfect -- I just have to figure out where I tucked it away.  You wouldn't think it would be hard to find things in an RV, but you'd be *very* surprised at the nooks, crannies, and hiding spots there are!

Ah, but the fun didn't stop there.  Edit, who's really darling and quite fun to chat with, didn't stop with the tulips.  She wanted to share with me some things from her county and culture, so--after finding out that we shared a love of cooking, as well as quilting--she also included this lovely Hungarian cookbook!!

And look at this sweet inscription!

 

 

And she also included this bag of Hungarian paprika!!  I *love* paprika and use it in a lot of my cooking, so this is a real treat!  Unfortunately, the bag got a little tear in it in the shipping process and paprika spilled out into the box.  Ooops!  Luckily, paprika dusts off very easily and it wasn't a whole lot that spilled.  Whew!

I loved her little notes, to help me understand how to use everything!

She also included these three tubes of spices -- the bottom one is a garlic cream, the middle one is a red pepper cream, and then the top is is evidently very spicy.  I *loved* the note on this one: 

 

"Sting!  Hard!  A tiny 'gulyas'"  Ummm, I think this one might have a little bite to it!

Such a darling package and such fun going through.  I made vegetable beef stew yesterday and used my new Hungarian paprika in it -- it was delicious, too!!  If you have a moment, you should really stop by her blog.  She's a very talented seamstress and quilter and I enjoy her blog.  And though google translate doesn't always do it justice, some things, like sweet friendship, overcome language barriers easily!

Szép napot!!

:)

fall cookery . . .

It's amazed me how much healthier I am -- spiritually, mentally, and physically -- three weeks out from my surgery, than where I was at this same time after the accident. I think probably one of the reasons I felt the need to wait so long on my surgery was I didn't want to be back where I'd been. And somehow, this time, I don't think I ever even came close. There are probably several reasons for this phenomenon . . . first I'd already been there, done that. We had the equipment, there was no trial and error to see what worked and what didn't -- we knew. Second, I think coming back to the RV and the camp has been healthy for me. It's comfortable, it's convenient -- it's home. And while I know there's no way we could have gone back to the RV after the accident, I'm so glad it was possible this time! And third, there's not all the other physical and emotional trauma that I had after the accident. I feel very grateful. And I feel *great*!! It gives me terrific optimism for the end result!

Todd went out to shoo away a feral cat under the bird feeders this afternoon, and look at what he found!

Isn't it a pretty little woodland flower? I don't know what it is, but I agree with Mr. Bumblebee -- I like it!

As I mentioned yesterday we have campers up here this weekend. It's an RA (Royal Ambassadors) group and they got up here and settled in for some outdoorsy fun.

Boys and fire. If there's a campfire going, you can be pretty sure that boys with sticks are going to be very near by!!

The weather was cool and crisp yesterday and it just felt like a good afternoon for a pot of beef stew. I'm able to get about the kitchen and do some cooking already -- and I know Todd is happy when I can! He's not complained once and has truly taken such good care of me and cooked for me, but it's always nice when the Queen of the Kitchen can resume her duties!

I make my stew the old-fashioned way -- dredging my venison cubes in flour before sauteing it with the onions and garlic. Then I put it all together in a pot with diced tomatoes, diced potatoes, carrots, green beans, and corn. I add a little beef broth and water to cover. Then I bring it to a boil and let it simmer until it's thickened and my potatoes and carrots are tender. I also threw in a bay leaf along with a handful of other spices. I had to laugh when I was watching Rachel Ray the other day and she said whenever she's cooking a soup or sauce or stew, she had to throw in a bay leaf - it didn't feel complete without it. ME TOO!!

The only problem with making this recipe is that there's plenty more beyond dinner for Todd and I! Like maybe supper tomorrow and quite probably lunch for Joc and I on Monday. At least. Huh, maybe it's not really a problem after all. :)

Then I thought I'd make a little dessert, as long as I was up and about. Jocelyn had found and tried a recipe on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago and simply raved about it. And since I had the ingredients and because it's become a sort of running joke this week about my pumpkin posts, I decided to go ahead and make this Pumpkin Mousse!

I varied slightly from the recipe on Pinterest. I took a 1 oz. package of SF/FF cheese cake instant pudding mix and mixed it with 1 cup of skim milk. I whisked it until it was well mixed and thickening.

To that I added a 15 oz can of pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, and and extra 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg and whisked it again.

Finally I added an 8 oz tub of sugar free cool whip. And whisked it again until it was all well-blended. Then I covered it and tucked it into the refrigerator, to let it set. I served it up with a little whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg. YUMMY! It was very light and fluffy and not overly *sweet*. Again, very yummy!! :)

I was taking the pics of the mousse and looked over and saw my Crimson Tide pumpkin sitting there with my Christmas runner (which I worked on last night, as well -- I may just have it finished in time for Christmas).

Do you see how nicely the pumpkin and topper look together? Hmmm . . . I may be able to carry this pumpkin thing out through the end of the year . . . !!!!

:)

busy, BUSY day . . .

What a DAY! I am spent, but it's a happy kind of spent. Joc & I had a super productive day, and I have the photos to prove it!

First, we hit the kitchen and put up a total of 26 entrees in her freezer!

From meatloaf to pizza rolls to oriental chicken to chicken spaghetti (13 different entrees) we put up at least two of each entree (most of our recipes make for 6 to 8 -- since there's just the two of them, splitting each entree in half gave them twice the bang for the buck). It took us about five hours, and some finely tuned teamwork, but we ended up with this lovely sight to behold . . .

I know it will be a relief for Jocelyn to have this bounty after Everett's born!

And speaking of that darling little soon-to-be-here boy, after we finished cooking, we headed right up to:

Everett's room!!

First, we plopped the pillows in the rocker and got the curtains hung . . .

Isn't this a cozy little corner? I love the orange table lamp! We needed hooks for the ribbons on the curtains. She said she'd get Jason to put those in.

Next, the biggest labor of love -- installing the skirt and the bumper pads.

They look pretty darn cute (if I do say so myself)!

And here's Everett's bookshelf with lots of fun things.

And his closet is already filled with fun toys, helpful mommy tools, and cute, cute clothes!

And just because, here's another shot of the crib. LOL! I love her woodland creatures mobile!

Everett's Aunt Jenna, who is an incredibly talented artist, painted this darling owl . . .

And finally, the changing table. Isn't the vinyl decal on the wall just darling? Joc found this on etsy. It's perfect.

She's done such a marvelous job pulling the nursery together. I'm so proud of her! I know that having the accessories in place makes her feel a little more prepared. Her due date is in eleven days!! WOW!! I'm so excited!

And this is Princess Leia. She was very curious about what we were doing in her room.

She is in for a rather rude awakening in a few short weeks!

Now, the only thing left? Four owls to outline stitch on the quilt. The binding is cut and pressed and waiting for me. Whoohoo!

And now. BEDTIME!

:)