Fall 2014
I've been busy since our amazing trip to Alaska (see Part I and II in the previous two posts). It took a few weekends to pack up all the summer treasures. Then it took a few more weekends to get all of the Fall treasures out. Here's the hutch all dressed up and ready for Fall.
The hutch hold so much. It's my favorite piece of furniture. No matter the season it takes on everything and always makes the room feel so homey.
Leaves are everywhere in our house this time of year.
Every year I decorate differently. Some pieces rotate rooms, others are placed in different spots. I should have been a "stager" because I love taking my time when I place everything.
Yep, not all witches live in Salem! My kids will verify that!
For the first time in ten years I have my whole house back. I'm so excited now I can decorate every room.
I've had these patchwork pumpkins for over fifteen years. I store everything with care so I'll find them in good shape every year.
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I've wanted to distress and paint this little table for years. My father-in-law gave it to us when we got married 25 years ago. It was old and scratched and tired looking. Finally, this summer it was time to give it a make-over. First I sanded it down. Fortunately it didn't have a finish on it so it didn't need much more than a good buff.
Deciding on a color was easy. I love the color I used to restore my hutch. Benjamin Moore Jamestown blue is a neutral color and seems to go with just about everything. I wanted to keep the feel of the dark wood so I used the same oil finish on this table that I used on the hutch but this time I didn't layer on the paint. After a few coats I stopped and wiped off the places I wanted to highlight. During this process I realized it didn't need to be distressed. Instead, I wanted to give it a more elegant look.
Believe it or not this piece took four weeks to thoroughly dry. I was amazed that it stayed sticky so long. It was drying in air-conditioning so I'm not sure if doing this in the summer was the reason. I'll find out when I refinish more pieces soon. The finishing touch was a layer of oil wax. That also took several weeks to dry. Refinishing with an oil base paint and wax is time consuming and messy but the end result is a beautiful professional looking finish. For me it's worth the extra effort.
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Finally, I have to share this amazing recipe. When I read it I thought it looked easy to make. A few Sundays ago we celebrated my husband's birthday. I showed Kristen this recipe and asked if she would make it. I'm so lucky she never says no. This recipe turned to be the biggest pasta hit we've had in years. It was so delicious we decided this Christmas instead of just plain cheese ravioli we'll use this pumpkin filling instead.
A few notes. We doubled the recipe and didn't substitute fat-free ricotta. I usually use part-skim but when I couldn't find a 48 oz. container I just went with regular ricotta. I also made my own quick marinara sauce.
Pumpkin-Ricotta Stuffed Shells
From Country Living
This recipe has been tested by Country Living
By incorporating pumpkin, this stuffed pasta recipe requires less cheese than is typically used. Opt for fat-free ricotta and you’ll save a total of 168 calories, 18 grams of fat, and 67 milligrams of cholesterol per serving.
- User Rating:
Nutritional Information
(per serving)
(per serving)
| Calories | 321 |
| Total Fat | 9g |
| Saturated Fat | -- |
| Cholesterol | 19mg |
| Sodium | 977mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 39g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6g |
| Sugars | -- |
| Protein | 22g |
| Calcium | -- |
Kana Okada
Serves: 8
Yields: 8 servings
Total Time: 1 hr 15 min
Prep Time: 20 min
Oven Temp: 350
Ingredients
| U.S. | Metric | Conversion chart |
- 24 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 tablespoon(s) extra virgin olive oil
- 22 ounce(s) (2 1/2 cups) fat-free ricotta
- 1 can(s) (15-ounce) pumpkin puree
- 2 1/2 ounce(s) pecorino Romano, grated (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- 1 large egg white
- 2 clove(s) garlic, minced
- 1 cup(s) fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon(s) finely chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon(s) salt
- 1 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
- 1 jar(s) (26-ounce) store-bought tomato sauce
Directions
- Cook pasta shells according to package instructions; drain. Transfer to a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Set aside and let cool.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, pumpkin, 3/4 cup pecorino Romano, and remaining ingredients, except tomato sauce.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread sauce in bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Fill each pasta shell with about 3 tablespoons ricotta-pumpkin mixture and arrange in pan. Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil, sprinkle shells with remaining pecorino, and bake for 15 minutes more. (If desired, stuff shells the night before and refrigerate overnight in an airtight container, in between layers of plastic wrap; arrange shells on sauce right before baking.)
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This blog is a little shorter than usual. I'm saving the best for closer to Halloween. I'll be back soon with a really fun Halloween post. In the meantime can you guess where this sign comes from?
There's a clue in this post...
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