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| Somewhere in the Southern California desert Image by L. Carilo |
Showing posts with label Fall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fall. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Did Somebody Say Pie!
Well, who doesn't like pie? Everyone likes some sort of pie, right? I love pie, both savory and sweet. Fall season is pretty much the only time I'll make pie - okay, "cook pie." Confession: I've never made a pie, not from scratch. I have made cheesecakes, do those count as pies.. they're made in a pie pan after all.
Now, let's talk about pie. When apple pie is served it must be warm and come with vanilla ice cream... on the side. If I'm gonna be picky, Dutch apple pie would be my preference. When it comes to pumpkin pie, nothing overly spiced or sweetened, please. I'll happily accept a serving at room temperature or out of the fridge and topped with a mountain of RediWhip. "Having a little pie with your whipped cream?" is something that is often asked, as I'm diving into my Thanksgiving Day dessert.
I really couldn't say which of those two pies I like more. All I know is that I won't say, "No," when offered a plate. I would like to try pumpkin cheesecake, and every Fall I'm tempted to call and ask for the recipe from a small hotel restaurant where I once had the most delicious pecan pie - a perfectly flaky crust that was coated with CHOCOLATE and filled with the perfectly packed, not-at-all overly sweet pecan filling. It was served warm with vanilla ice cream... and, Oh. My. God. I have not had pecan pie since; I don't want to spoil that heaven-on-this-earth experience. It's been over 10 years since we lived in Hawaii; over 10 years since that pie came into my life. Maybe I'll Google a recipe for it to try to make this year.
Unrelated to pies, another sweet dish I'd like to attempt to make this year is Mexican bread pudding - the kind my Auntie Mary used to make. So good! Trifle is another holiday favorite, but it's strictly my Christmas and New Year's Day dessert.
Want to know a secret... all this writing about pies has made me super hungry and there's a Marie Callender turkey pot pie in the freezer. I couldn't pass it up when I was shopping the freezer section the other day. It reminds me of elementary school lunch served the day before Thanksgiving break... and it wasn't even in pie form.Cubed turkey and gravy were served over mashed potatoes, with a dinner roll and apple or cherry cobbler. Yum. That was my favorite day of the school year.
Now, let's talk about pie. When apple pie is served it must be warm and come with vanilla ice cream... on the side. If I'm gonna be picky, Dutch apple pie would be my preference. When it comes to pumpkin pie, nothing overly spiced or sweetened, please. I'll happily accept a serving at room temperature or out of the fridge and topped with a mountain of RediWhip. "Having a little pie with your whipped cream?" is something that is often asked, as I'm diving into my Thanksgiving Day dessert.
I really couldn't say which of those two pies I like more. All I know is that I won't say, "No," when offered a plate. I would like to try pumpkin cheesecake, and every Fall I'm tempted to call and ask for the recipe from a small hotel restaurant where I once had the most delicious pecan pie - a perfectly flaky crust that was coated with CHOCOLATE and filled with the perfectly packed, not-at-all overly sweet pecan filling. It was served warm with vanilla ice cream... and, Oh. My. God. I have not had pecan pie since; I don't want to spoil that heaven-on-this-earth experience. It's been over 10 years since we lived in Hawaii; over 10 years since that pie came into my life. Maybe I'll Google a recipe for it to try to make this year.
Unrelated to pies, another sweet dish I'd like to attempt to make this year is Mexican bread pudding - the kind my Auntie Mary used to make. So good! Trifle is another holiday favorite, but it's strictly my Christmas and New Year's Day dessert.
Want to know a secret... all this writing about pies has made me super hungry and there's a Marie Callender turkey pot pie in the freezer. I couldn't pass it up when I was shopping the freezer section the other day. It reminds me of elementary school lunch served the day before Thanksgiving break... and it wasn't even in pie form.Cubed turkey and gravy were served over mashed potatoes, with a dinner roll and apple or cherry cobbler. Yum. That was my favorite day of the school year.
What are some of your holiday pie memories? Any good recipes for desserts mentioned here that you'd like to pass along? Feel free to share in the comments section below. Thanks.
Friday, October 3, 2014
.... and, breathhhhe
What's that scent? From where I'm sitting, pretty sure it's the lavender cleaning spray that I just used in the other room. Ahhh... so good.
The season of Autumn awakens my senses. Everything has an extra buzzy energy. True? Yes? No? Or maybe it's just me. Seems this time of year my body and mind are more receptive to sights, sounds and smells, not to mention taste and touch.
Sights ~
Past few days, photos of leaves turning posted on Twitter via links from NASA, Vermont Public Radio, and 9News Denver have been such a treat. See...
Sounds ~ Puppy snores! Shhhh... Shadow dog and Sombra dog seem to be sleeping more soundly now that the evening temps have dropped a bit. I love my dogs.
Scents ~ Irresistibly yummy oven-baked goodies... I've already had a few too many. Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip cookies, Spice Cake, Apple danish, etc. Oh boy, this has got to stop already. Can't wait for that first batch of pumpkin pancakes to come off the griddle. They don't even need a drop of syrup. And applewood smoked bacon... oh my! Good thing Mom's diabetic fall favorites are on deck for tomorrow's baking.
Flavors ~ I fittingly covered spices above, so in this category, it's gonna have to be cinnamony, mexican style hot chocolate, spicy herbal teas, and anything cranberry. Savory or sweet, bring them all on. We are in the third day of October and the house has already been filled with the scent of Spice cake baking in the oven; topped w/ cream cheese frosting... and various sweets mentioned above... delish. I decided this morning that chili would be on Sunday's dinner menu. I'm looking forward to picking up ingredients and bringing together all the wonderful spices that make my chili hard to pass up. Giant dutch oven is out and read for business.
The Feels ~ Puppy snuggles, soft cotton flannel throws at night - with a/c and fans still running of course. The wonder and awe that overcomes while gazing at sparkly stars against especially dark skies while enjoying the much cooler night air.. and it's only going to get better as the weeks roll on. I'm hoping for an especially unusual and lengthy cold season. I still feel a bit homesick for Colorado during this time of year; I'm hopeful we'll have a family road trip back as soon as we have a larger place to live so that we can bring our household belongings that are in storage there back here to California. Someday.
Tell me what Autumn brings that fill up your senses.
Sources:
The season of Autumn awakens my senses. Everything has an extra buzzy energy. True? Yes? No? Or maybe it's just me. Seems this time of year my body and mind are more receptive to sights, sounds and smells, not to mention taste and touch.
Sights ~
Past few days, photos of leaves turning posted on Twitter via links from NASA, Vermont Public Radio, and 9News Denver have been such a treat. See...
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| New England Fall Colors Image by NASA Earth Observatory via Mashable |
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| Roosevelt National Forest CO Image by Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post |
Sounds ~ Puppy snores! Shhhh... Shadow dog and Sombra dog seem to be sleeping more soundly now that the evening temps have dropped a bit. I love my dogs.
Scents ~ Irresistibly yummy oven-baked goodies... I've already had a few too many. Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip cookies, Spice Cake, Apple danish, etc. Oh boy, this has got to stop already. Can't wait for that first batch of pumpkin pancakes to come off the griddle. They don't even need a drop of syrup. And applewood smoked bacon... oh my! Good thing Mom's diabetic fall favorites are on deck for tomorrow's baking.
Flavors ~ I fittingly covered spices above, so in this category, it's gonna have to be cinnamony, mexican style hot chocolate, spicy herbal teas, and anything cranberry. Savory or sweet, bring them all on. We are in the third day of October and the house has already been filled with the scent of Spice cake baking in the oven; topped w/ cream cheese frosting... and various sweets mentioned above... delish. I decided this morning that chili would be on Sunday's dinner menu. I'm looking forward to picking up ingredients and bringing together all the wonderful spices that make my chili hard to pass up. Giant dutch oven is out and read for business.
The Feels ~ Puppy snuggles, soft cotton flannel throws at night - with a/c and fans still running of course. The wonder and awe that overcomes while gazing at sparkly stars against especially dark skies while enjoying the much cooler night air.. and it's only going to get better as the weeks roll on. I'm hoping for an especially unusual and lengthy cold season. I still feel a bit homesick for Colorado during this time of year; I'm hopeful we'll have a family road trip back as soon as we have a larger place to live so that we can bring our household belongings that are in storage there back here to California. Someday.
Tell me what Autumn brings that fill up your senses.
Sources:
- earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84460&eocn=home&eoci=iotd_image
- mashable.com/2014/10/03/fall-colors-space/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link
- voga.org/
- wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Vivaldi
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