September, 2016

September 2016

My favorite season is Fall.  The weather is just starting to get cool.  I've put away my white clothes which means now we'll get another heat spell!

I've been really busy and will blog a fantastic experience I just came back from next month.  I need some time to digest it all before I post about it.

Hope this wasn't the last lobster roll of the season but pumpkin everything is calling me now!!

Here are some of the things I've been working on since we last visited.  And YES more Atlas stuff!  He now has a little placemat for his water and food.  Sue is the most generous friend I've ever met.  She will give you anything she has.  She had this adorable kitty fabric in her stash and didn't bat an eye when she handed it to me.

Here's the pattern Cathi lent Sue and Sue lent me!  Enlarge it to whatever you size you like.

Here's another photo of the gorgeous little guy that all the fuss is about.  He's the cutest little thing and just gets sassier and more fresh every time we see him.  Jessi, Kristen and I think that's all part of why we can't get enough of him.  I hope he always stays a kitty because now is the most fun I fear we'll have with him.  After a few years I hope he just doesn't sleep everywhere all the time.

So I had more left over kitty fabric and decided to make him a little quilt so he can play on it.  Susan and Luke say he's on it all the time which encourages me to make more things for him.

Here's his little quilt label without the label...

Sewing for Atlas isn't the only thing I've been doing.  A few weeks ago I decided I had to bake something with pumpkin.  I went through my Cakes, Pies and Tarts board on my Pinterest and found this delicious cake.  This was easy and fantastic for Fall.  This cake rose sooo high I couldn't believe it!!  Would I make it again?  YES!!!!!!!!!!

SPICED PUMPKIN LAYER CAKE

JULIE HASSONBON APPÉTIT OCTOBER 2007

INGREDIENTS

1. Cake:
   • 3 cups all purpose flour
   • 2 teaspoons baking powder
   • 1 teaspoon baking soda
   • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
   • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
   • 1 3/4 teaspoons ground allspice
   • 1 teaspoon salt
   • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
   • 1 1/2 cups sugar
   • 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
   • 1 cup canola oil
   • 4 large eggs
   • 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
   • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
   • 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
   • 3/4 cup raisins
   • 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut plus additional for garnish
2. Frosting:
   • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
   • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
   • 1 tablespoon dark rum
   • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
   • 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar (measured, then sifted)

PREPARATION

1. For cake:
   1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; dust pans with flour. Sift 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat both sugars and oil in large bowl until combined (mixture will look grainy). Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and orange peel; beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat just until incorporated. Stir in raisins and 3/4 cup coconut. Divide batter between prepared pans. Smooth tops.
   2. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool cakes completely in pans on rack. Run knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto racks; remove parchment paper. Turn cakes over, rounded side up. Using serrated knife, trim rounded tops of cakes to level.
2. For frosting:
   1. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in dark rum and vanilla. Add powdered sugar in 3 additions, beating just until frosting is smooth after each addition (do not overbeat or frosting may become too soft to spread). Place 1 pumpkin cake layer, flat side down, on platter. Spread half of cream cheese frosting over top of cake to edges. Top with second cake layer, trimmed side down. Spread remaining frosting over top (not sides) of cake. Sprinkle additional coconut over. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.
   2. Cut cake into wedges and serve.
3. GOOD TO KNOW:
   1. It's better to underbeat the frosting than overbeat it. That bit of restraint makes for a slightly firmer frosting that's easier to spread.

This is what's next for Atlas!!  I still had more kitty fabric left!!  Soon I'm going to start making Susan and Luke a flannel quilt and I'll make sure to have leftovers for Atlas!!

Found this the other day - it will be something!!

Promise - no more Atlas stuff unless I make something so adorable I have to share it!!

I fell in love with this vintage looking 1930's lap quilt a few weeks ago when I went with Sue and Anne to Yankee Quilter and decided I have to make it.  

I got most of it cut out and now I'm waiting for more yellow from E-bay before I can cut out the 4 corner triangles.  Once again the yellow came from Sue.  She's making the same quilt but gave me her yellow border fabric.  Imagine that - I would never in a million years do that for anyone-even my kids!!  But as always she just gave it to me and said she has the same fabric in a few other colors and wasn't worried about it at all!!

I hope to get this BOO CAT kit from Yankee Cloth finished by Halloween.  I bought it a few years ago and of course never started it.  Luckily I did get it traced so the hard part is over.

Finally, I have a big fluffy bunny who has been hanging around the side of my garage for a very long time now.  This bunny is soooo friendly he doesn't even move when people are around.  Every time I have veggies or fruit that isn't edible I put it outside for my bunny.  It takes him a while but he always comes for dinner!  Last time I bought organic celery it was spotty in places.  I was going to take it back but then I remembered my bunny might be hungry so out it went.  This is what we caught on camera.  I thought there was going to be a war between this squirrel and my bunny.  The squirrel went right up to Ms. bunny and they kind of wrestled for an instant and then they separated and each munched away for so long I finally left before they finished.  It was the most beautiful sight to see these two little guys getting along side by side eating their dinner.  

See you next month with a really interesting post!!  Thanks for visiting and see you soon!!!

August 2016

August 2016

It's hard to believe August is over.  I don't know where the summer went.  I had so many plans after my 4th of July birthday weekend and now looking back it just flew by so quickly I just didn't have the time.

Saturday mornings I do my errands. In the summer and fall I love to go to Hindinger Farm.  Besides the fresh produce their flowers are beautiful.  They last about two weeks and these gorgeous bouquets are only $8.  Sometimes I'll buy the vase they are in because I love mason jars.

Mid-summer I found the perfect refreshing cocktail.  Everything seems to be "ginger" this summer so here's my take on the "Dark and Stormy"

tall glass

ice

1 shot of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

1 bottle Crabbie's Ginger Beer

lots of lime

I also loved going to #1 Fish Market this summer.  This is halibut spread.  It doesn't sound that great but it's delicious!  It's light and fresh tasting on a wafer cracker.

Their soft shell crabs are huge and very reasonably priced.  This was one of the best summer meals I've had.  My cocktail, appetizer and beautiful dinner.  The super sweet corn is from Hindinger's.  I'll think of this dinner in the dead of winter!

My soft shell crab recipe:

Heat a non-stick pan with Pam.  Saute garlic, minced onion, shallot in olive oil.  Add chopped fresh parsley, oregano, lemon verbena (from my garden).  Stir in lemon juice, white wine and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until browned on both sides.  Delish!!

I hate to waste food so whenever I have a lot of anything left over I go on Google.  And I always find the perfect recipe to finish everything up.  I had a good amount of OJ left over from my birthday brunch so my search started with a dessert using OJ.  This delicious pound cake popped up on the Food Network.  It was such a hit.  It's refreshing and had just the right amount of citrus.  I served it with vanilla ice cream because I wasn't sure if it needed some tart taming but I was wrong.  It was perfect on it's own and even better the next day.

 From the Food Network:

Orange Pound Cake

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

1 video | Orange-Glazed Pound Cake (03:22)
Total Time:
2 hr 20 min
Prep:
20 min
Inactive:
1 hr
Cook:
1 hr
Yield:2 cakes
Level:Easy



Orange-Glazed Pound Cake (03:22)
Orange glaze makes Ina's pound cake a special birthday dessert for Jeffrey.
Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated orange zest (6 oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
To glaze one loaf (optional):
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and 2 cups of the granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the orange zest.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the orange juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
While the cakes bake, cook the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with the remaining 1/2 cup orange juice in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes. Take them out of the pans and place them on a baking rack set over a tray. Spoon the orange syrup over the cakes and allow the cakes to cool completely.
To glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Add a few more drops of juice, if necessary, to make it pour easily. Pour over the top of one cake and allow the glaze to dry. Wrap well, and store in the refrigerator.

Note:  You can substitute large for extra-large eggs
           2 1/2 tsp. orange extract equals 1/3 cup grated orange zest
           3/4 buttermilk = 3/4 cup milk, 2 1/4 tsp. white vineager - let stand 5 minutes

I've been wanting to share my favorite shows with you for a while now.  I plan to do that with my favorite books but that's going to take some doing.  I give these shows a double and triple thumbs up.  Promise-they're entertaining!

Showtime - The Affair – Ruth Wilson, Dominic West – won Golden Globe award for Best TV Series Drama and Ruth Wilson won Best Actress, TV Series Drama  - This is amazing!!!!!!!!!

Showtime – Nurse Jackie – Edie Falco

PBS – Downton Abbey

PBS - Doc Martin – Martin Clunes

PBS - Last Tango in Halifax – Anne Reid, Derek Jacobi

PBS - Call the Midwife – Jessica Raine

PBS – Mr. Selfridge – Jeremy Previn

PBS – Paradise

Netflix – Madmen – Jon Hamm

Netflix - Grace and Frankie – Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin

Netflix – Flaked – Will Arnett – Venice Beach

Netflix – Cuckoo – Taylor Lautner

Netflix – Master of None – Aziz Ansari

Netflix – Revenge – Life in the Hamptons

Netflix- Orange is the New Black – 4^th season less about main character Piper Chapman

Netflix – Bloodline – Florida Keys area

 A few weeks ago I met my first grand baby.  His name is Atlas and he's about 6 months old.  He's the most adorable little guy.  He doesn't like to be alone so he follows everyone wherever they go.  He has a ton of toys but as with babies he loves the simple things like hiding in a shopping bag.  We're going to have a lot of fun with him!

Thanks for visiting and I happy Labor Day!  See you next month!!

July 16, 2016

July 2016

The "lazy days of summer" haven't visited me yet.  Like most years summers come and go too quickly.  Mid-summer is when Hindinger Farm starts to sell their own produce and I try to get there at least once a week.  They have the most beautiful reasonably priced flowers and they last about two weeks if you change the water and add a copper penny.  

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Recently I visited the Springwood Estate in Hyde Park, New York.  It was the home of Franklin Roosevelt.  It's now a national historic site.  

In 1932 FDR became our 32^nd President.  One of the things he's most remembered for is introducing The New Deal.  I found that time in history so interesting because a lot of the same things are happening now that happened then.  After the depression the economy and moral were low. The New Deal consisted of various programs designed to reinvigorate the economy. He also was the first President to create a Presidential Library and he remains the only President to have used his Presidential Library while still in office.

  

Springwood is beautiful.  It reminded me of the Plantations in Charleston.

A tour of FDR's estate and a meal at the Culinary Institute of America also in Hyde Park equals a fantastic memorable day-trip from the New Haven area.

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Also right in our own backyard, The British Art Center re-opened after a long renovation.  My family surprised me with a visit there over my birthday weekend.  This article about the current exhibit of  tiny Shakespeare books appeared in the New Haven Register on July 3rd the same day we went.  It's fascinating and if you have a creative bone in your body you're going to get the urge to make one!  I'll keep you posted.  That's another item on my huge bucket list.

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Summer wouldn't be summer unless we're eating so here's two amazing summer salads that are delicious and easy to make...

I was thinking of making a good pasta salad to go with our grill menu for Luke's graduation party.  Whenever I need a recipe for a crowd I always ask my 20+ year friend and co-worker Kim.  She has a huge family and an even bigger recipe collection.  All you have to do is give her a couple of words and she'll rattle off at least six amazing ideas.  Here's her suggestion for a special unique salad that everyone loves:

Tortellini Salad

Baby swiss cheese - cubed

sweet baked ham - cubed

frozen peas

scallions

Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

It was to die for!!  This was 3 lbs.  We ate it all week.  Don't make that much.  Tortellini is very deceiving.  They look like little round pasta in the package but when you cook them they get four times the size.  It's OK though not one tortellini went to waste!

Recently I had a lot of beautiful fresh strawberries and blueberries and went on Pinterest and found this amazing recipe.  This is a summer salad to rival anything.  One tip - after you candy the pecans put them in the freezer.  They get crispy and crunchy.

from Shugary Sweets

Delicious Summer Strawberry Pecan Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing recipe. Copycat Panera salad, so easy, so good.

For the Salad:

1 15 oz. can Mandarin oranges, drained

1/4 cup red onion, sliced

1 12 oz package Romaine lettuce

8 oz. strawberries, fresh

4 oz. blueberries, fresh

2 oz. goat cheese

Dressing:

3/4 cup granulated sugar (1/2 cup = less sweet)

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

2/3 cup olive oil

1 tbsp poppyseeds

1 cup pecans, halved and candied

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I'd like to share some of the creative presents I got for my birthday.  This is an adorable little pincushion with a pocket in the back made by Sue.

Julie used painted lemons to make this work of art.

Di, my buddy in Australia sent me these goodies which I adore!  The potholder and dish towel are made out of corduroy and it's a good quality fabric only the Aussie's seem to have.  Our best time to chat are very early in the a.m. or very late at night because that's when we're both up.  She's complaining about the cold and I'm complaining about the heat.  We have so much in common!!

And then there's Kristen.  I have to beg and plead for some piece of art from her and this time she delivered big time.  This gorgeous painting is huge.  I'm going to refinish an easel and display it.  Stay tuned.  It should be interesting.

And the best is yet to come.  I can enjoy all of these wonderful pieces of art while sipping a cocktail from my very own bartender thanks to Susan and Luke!  I'll be sending out the call BARS OPEN when I figure out how to install the APP AND make the drinks!

Until then, I hope you have a cool, refreshing rest of July and see you in August! 

 Thanks for visiting!!