Thanksgiving Preparations and Candy Canes

Tis the night before Thanksgiving and we are all stirring--literally!

Some with a spoon and some with a candy cane.

I heard Ina Garten makes many dishes the night before

and then heats them up on Thanksgiving and things are stress free. Imagine!

I am afraid the meat would be a bit dry if I did and the things

that are to be crispy would turn soggy. 

But Ina published a book called Make it Ahead and she knows her stuff.

We are thankful for our family that will gather around the table tomorrow.

For those farther away, we will think of them too. 

Back to the pie crust.

Happy Thanksgiving

Baking Bread and Cinnamon Rolls

Today the aromas that came from the kitchen 

were unbelievable. Unbelievably good.

Making bread is so easy...it just takes about 4 hours

before you can put some butter on it and devour.

The ingredients are probably already in your kitchen.

Milk, egg, butter, flour, salt and yeast.

Then more flour, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. 

(I ended up making cinnamon rolls.)

Patience is required as they rise and the dough

fills out so that it melts in your mouth like cotton candy.

Full of goodness that you roll around your mouth

and then swallow. Bliss.

Who cares what the weather is outside

when all of this excitement is happening inside?

Recipe here.

I didn't make the Cream Cheese Glaze they were

heavenly without it.  

Organic Green Silverware

Today a fair wind brought

many creative ideas 

my way as I worked outside.

Why not make our own edible silverware?

Doesn't that sound fun?

It was for me.

Someone make dinner,

someone set the table,

and someone cut up the silverware.

Fun. Fun. Fun.

I love all of the little details.

This salad would make a

little woodland fairy happy, too.

I pulled weeds from the garden

and tilled part of it for the 5th time,

but who is counting?

Maybe the ideas come from the

jarring of the tiller?

Weeds or flowers or both.

They are still a pretty spray of white.

So many tiny flower petals

surround the golden sun center.

Connecting up with these friends.
Fridays Unfolded
Inspiration Friday
Simple and Sweet Fridays

Beautiful Breakfasts

This breakfast was like eating dessert. So early in the morning I felt guilty. Truth be told it is thick creamy-vanilla, greek yogurt with fresh strawberries and honey drizzled on top. Delicious. I made this the last two mornings and it is heavenly and only cost about 75 cents. It's very easy on the eyes if you are not a morning person. Gone are the days where we raced around the kitchen counter and grabbed a banana or just a cup of coffee and dashed out the door. I always seemed to spill the coffee somewhere on myself. Before I even got to work. Trying to consume food when the stress meter is bouncing off of the top of the meter every time we look at the clock is not good. Drinking coffee in stop and go traffic is not good. I am still in a rush in the 'moronings (my word for frantic mornings) but I just eat breakfast later after the rush, but still before lunch!

Green Smoothie Time

Throw some spinach in your morning smoothies.

You'll be suprised at how many of your daily vitamins

and minerals you will get in a tall glass.

It's always surprising for people who taste

these for the first time. "It tastes good."

Of course it does!

I looked up the nutrition facts.

Unbelievable. You can't beat

fresh raw fruits and vegetables.

Fresh spinach, one cup=

Protein, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin C,

Vitamin A (56 % of daily req.)

Vitamin E and K, B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron

Thiamin, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper

Fresh pineapple, one cup of cubes=

Vitamin A, C, B6, Copper, Thiamin,

Manganese, Calcium, and Iron

Who would have thought there was

iron in fresh pineapple?

Then there's bananas, mangoes and cranberries.

All loaded with goodies.

Did you know that cranberries,

mangoes and bananas

all have iron in them too?

You can find out all of

the goodness and the "badness"

of the foods you are eating

here

Candied Orange Peel - Cooking Art

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These candied orange peels are delicious and anyone can make them. All you need is an orange, water and sugar! Simple as can be. Your kitchen will be fragrant and your tastebuds delighted. I am getting more and more like my mother. Frugal. I peeled an orange and as I went to put the peels in the garbage I stopped. A little voice in my head was saying I was throwing away the best part of the orange. Why not make candied orange peel? Nothing to lose. All gain. We get in habits and sometimes it's good to break them. And so after I had just wiped down the stovetop and sink and counters I got out the cutting board and started cutting away the pith. Sliced the peels in strips and dropped them in water and boiled them a few minutes. Emptied out the water and repeated that 4 times. Then added water, orange rind and sugar and simmered them in the syrup it made for 30 minutes or less. Drained them and then dredged them in sugar. They say the blanching takes out the bitterness. They were so sweet and delicious that the compost pile will not be seeing very many orange rinds in the near future. You can snack on these or add to desserts, put on cupcakes, pancakes, whatever. Plus we have the orange flavored syrup for hot chocolate or to add to whipped cream!


It's a new year. Why do we wait for a new year to make resolutions and changes? Tradition, I guess. Really we can change anytime we want to...Which got me thinking about what I want to change or what have I changed? First of all I want to be a better listener and observer. Some people don't communicate what they are thinking or feeling, but if you observe them you will know. Plus it doesn't hurt feelings to observe, it's not like painfully prying out information. Chip, chip, chip, ouch! There is a time to talk and a time to walk. We always want to make other people better, but maybe I will also work on myself! Big project; right?

Thank you for stopping in as I save one orange at a time.

Farmhouse Country Comforts

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Making some mulled apple cider. The colors are like sugared maple syrup. Stirring up delicious beverages and food is comforting. Sipping or eating afterwards is comforting, like firewood. They always say it warms you twice...when you chop it and when you burn it. I can say that about food. Do you get that warm, fuzzy feeling when you cook? I don't mean turning into an animal either. I mean a content feeling. Okay. There should be a third comforting...when I work it off by exercising. I just haven't got there yet...

French Candied Flowers

These sweet petite roses went from ordinary to extrordinary with just a few ingredients that most every kitchen has. Egg whites, water and white sugar. Yesterday as I sat the vase in the jar with the sugar I knew they wanted a dusting of crystalized sugar eventually. The french have a way with pastries and flowers. Elegant, rich and always beautiful.





I think these look decadent. Rose petals are edible just make sure they've not been sprayed. These would be a hit at your next tea party or next to your breakfast french toast with whipped cream. Add some french roasted coffee. Hmmm.

Crack one egg and separate yolk from white. Use only whites for candied flowers. Add a tsp of water and with a fork whisk up well. For a thin crystalized crust use a paintbrush to paint the egg white wash on your flowers. I dipped my roses in the egg whites and then gently shook some of the white off. Dip into a half cup of sugar. Lay on wax paper and dust with more sugar until the egg white wash has absorbed all of the sugar it can. Pick up flowers and move to clean wax paper to dry. Can take up to 24 hours to form a hardened crispy crust. Can also dry in just 8 to 12 hours.

Make sure the flowers are edible and safe. Use only fresh uncracked eggs.

Linking up with:

Fall in Love Wednesday

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

Time Travel Thursday

Creative Things Thursday

From My Front Porch To Yours

Watermelon Strawberry Soup for July 4th

Two easily available fruits whipped into a chilled soup sound great for an appetizer July 4th before the barbeque. Zentan Restaurant serves this in Washington D.C. One of the key ingredients is yuzu juice, not so readily available where I am cooking. I think I'll add grapefruit juice instead, along with mint and creme fraiche!

Holidays are the only events where we are like the French and Italians where we set around the table for hours on end and enjoy it immensely. Our meals. Our family. Our independence.
Bon appetit!

Westie Dog Decorated Cookies

Aren't these westie cookies so sweet? The added bone is adorable! Laura Courtemanche is the baker and decorater.

Spinach Salad, Simple and Elegant

I had this salad for lunch and it was a treat. The tart richness of the balsamic dressing and the sweetness of the dried cranberries were a winning combination. It also is a nice color combination and doesn't need many embellishments. It is tossed with gorgonzola cheese, pine nuts and sundried tomatoes and bacon.

Spinach is one of those wonder foods that carry alot of goodness in their leaves. Did you know one full cup pressed down has 6.0 grams of protein in it? Yes. There are many other goodies in it too.