Flashback and Foodie Friday ~Spring Forward

As fall seems to be quickly moving into winter here..maybe it's time to flash forward to Spring! I might have shown the Skagit Valley tulip fields before, but they are worth revisiting over and over again!


The day I was there in Spring of 2008 it was a gray day


But the fields of color


Were sunshine enough for me!



With a mountain backdrop


I walked past row and row


Of the little soldiers standing up to rain and the chill


Regal and elegant


As far as the eye could see


It was certainly


An awe inspiring sight!


Tulips


Tulips


And more tulips!


I hope this dose of spring will get you through a few chilly days this fall and winter :-) Feel free to bookmark and come tiptoeing through the tulips with me when the snow is blowing outside.

So coming back to reality...anybody need a big bowl of chili?


My Chili

1 lb of ground meat
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 tsp or to taste Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
2 cans kidney beans or black beans
1/4 cup chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
A few dashes of hot sauce - I like the Chipotle Tabasco
1 can Rotel tomatoes with chiles
1 small can tomato sauce
1 sm can green chiles
2 small cans sliced mushrooms or fresh if you have them
2 cups water - you may need to add more depending on how thick or thin you like it

Brown ground meat with onions, peppers and garlic. I like to throw a little Tony's seasoning on the meat while it cooks and then add more to the chili later if needed. Drain ground meat, then add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for at least 30 minutes, but longer if you have the time. Adjust seasoning to taste.

If you have a flashback you'd like to share please post your link below.


I'm participating in Foodie Friday this week. Go check out all of the other great posts at Designs by Gollum



Don't forget about the great chocolate dipping event my friend Marsha is having in December..check out my sidebar for details!

~Fall Garden Tour and Fall Party Finger Food~

So yesterday I flashed back to what was blooming in my yard last year. How about a tour today? The front is still looking presentable with small spots of color here and there. I love that the grass stays green in the winter here.


This wall flower is having a revival.


This little 'Orkney Cherry' hardy geranium has been a work horse this year. I don't think its skipped a beat for months.


'Josephine' is giving me one final bloom. I believe all of the clematis have had a modest reblooming this year.


The hollyhocks are hanging on


Cheery little feverfew is still putting on new flowers


'Magic Carousel' is magically still blooming!


And hardy salvia 'Hot Lips' is having a nice mid fall showing. We went down to about 12°F and it came back this past spring like it didn't really mind at all.


No flowers....but the purple smoke tree has got some pretty jewel tones going on.


My little red & white mini is looking cute


I wish this abutilon would start blooming for me a little sooner than November! But I'll enjoy it while I can.


Gazania is still giving me some spectacular sunburst flowers


And the giant begonias are loving this cool damp weather we've been getting.


All in all..not too bad for November! We've had a couple of very light frosts, so these blooms that remain are the survivors of the pack. Looking back through these pics I notice that out of whats blooming most are red, white or pink. I'm using this post as my contribution to Mosaic Monday. Go HERE to check out all of the cool mosaics listed at Little Red House



So what's been going on in my kitchen? Well we had the pleasure of attending a fall themed party at the home of our friends Jim and Alice, so I used that as an opportunity to whip up some goodies. Like this snack mix of caramel popcorn, caramel flavored candy corn and salted peanuts.


And these Savory Rye Snacks waiting for the oven. This is a yummy recipe I got years ago from Taste of Home. It's great as a a dip with fritos too! And your eyes do not deceive you..that is pumpernickel, not Rye. I picked up the wrong package! They were still good.


Savory Rye Snacks
Ingredients

• 1 cup sliced green onions
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped ripe olives
• 1/2 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
• 1 loaf (1 pound) snack rye bread

In a bowl, combine the onions, cheeses, mayonnaise, mushrooms and olives. Spread on bread slices and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 4 dozen.

I made a couple of mini tart pans full of Sweet Dough Sweet Potato Pies. You can get the recipe HERE on my brother's website, Cajun Cousins...he's got lots of our family recipes there. Sweet Dough pies are a cajun tradition. The dough is like a sugar cookies.


And finally my most selfish contribution to the party...this delicious Amaretto Peach Pecan Sauce served over cream cheese. Selfish because I love it so much that I made it so I could have some! The recipe was shared by my friend Belinda one of the best cooks I know! She is also very generous with her recipes and I love that about her.


Amaretto Peach Pecan Sauce over Cream Cheese

1 16 oz jar of peach preserves
3 Tablespoons of Amaretto (I think I used a little more than this....)
1 cup of toasted pecans
1 block of cream cheese

Mix the first 3 ingredients. Serve over softened cream cheese. Wheat Thins are great with this.

Note: Belinda sent a tip for the toasted pecans. 2 minutes in the microwave works well too! Make sure to not burn them.

Flashback and Foodie Friday ~Fall Flowers and Food

This Flashback Friday I'm flashing back to last November. There were still a few pretties in the garden like this Abutilon. It spent the winter in my garage and it took all summer, but its blooming again!


There were some spent flowerheads that added some interest


And a little foliage color from one of my maple. I always think of my friend Karen when I look at them because she grew them from seeds! She's the maple queen for sure and has lots and lots of special maple babies.


My african daisy was still looking pretty


And this clematis decided to put on a grand finale


At the beginning of last November we must have been experiencing some beautiful weather..unlike today which is windy, rainy and blustery. The sky was so blue and the clouds had the neatest patterns



I'd love for every fall day to be just like this one must have been


When I look at this picture I see shimmery gold against turquoise blue with pearly white accents, but I know Randy probably looks at this picture and sees something entirely different...all he sees is at least a months worth of work with the leaf vacuum!!!


More leaves for Randy to clean up....


No recipe, it was just a quick meal I threw together...storebought refrigerated ravioli and a sauce made from white asparagus, portobella mushrooms, roasted peppers and a little cream.

If you have a flashback you'd like to share please add your link below!


I'd like to let everyone know about a fun event coming up next month on December 16th to give you plenty of advanced warning to determine what your dippage will be. My friend Marsha over at Marsha's Kitchen and Marsha's Garden is celebrating National Chocolate Covered Anything Day and would love to have you participate too. Read her post HERE that tells all about it.


I'm participating this week in Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum. Go check out all of the foodie posts!

Something Wonderful and Delicata!

I received a happy surprise recently in my mailbox from the nice people at POM Wonderful. They asked me to try out their product and suggested I might be able to come up with a new recipe or two. They sent a case of 8 bottles of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice. I was doing the happy dance! Free juice AND a challenge! The great thing was there were no strings attached..no pressure. But surely they must have known I would take that challenge. They are no fools~ And truly the product speaks for itself...whats not to like about 100% pure pomegranate juice. I admit to chugging the first bottle down lickety split for a little inspiration.



For those of you that haven't tried it..think cranberry juice but slightly sweeter without that sharp cranberry bite. So without further ado, here is my first attempt at creating a recipe out of this product ( I do have another one rattling around in my brain). I had a delicata winter squash in the fridge that I had received in my bi-weekly veggie box, so started with that and built what I think is a pretty tasty little side dish. I had never cooked with delicata squash, but it is known as the sweet potato squash for its mild flavor.



I didn't really think it was much like a sweet potato, but it did have a nice mellow not too squashy taste. Sorry about the shaky photo...but that's all I've got to share...get over it.

Another thing that was really cool about this squash was the thin not too tough skin. It was easily peeled with a regular little rinky dink veggie peeler. Look how pretty the Pom juice made the squash look. I think this would be great on a Christmas table.



Chipotle Pomegranate Delicata Squash
Serves 2

1 Delicata squash, peeled with vegetable peeler, seeded & cubed into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
3/4 cup POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice
1/2 cup water
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon honey

In a skillet melt better and add sage and rosemary. Saute on medium for about 3 minutes until butter begins to slightly brown. Make sure to not burn the herbs. Add juice, water, vinegar, chipotle chili powder, pepper and salt. Cook on medium to medium low for about 20-30 minutes or until the liquid begins to thicken. Add honey and cook for 3 more minutes. Sauce should be nearly cooked completely down and squash should be nicely caramelized.

Note: Even my squash hater liked this a lot. He really likes pickled beets and said these reminded him a little bit of that. The vinegar taste isn't super strong though. You could increase the chili powder slightly but I didn't want it to be overpowered so went light.



Thanks POM Wonderful! I got free juice, a fun challenge AND a new squash dish that my hubby will eat. Who could ask for anything more??? Hmmm...do you have a Porsche hidden over there at the POM garage you might be wanting to get rid of? :-)

Happy Halloween and A tribute to Julia

Here's to a Happy Halloween at your house this year! Here's our yearly pumpkin, carved by my talented husband Randy. I bought one of the carveable foam pumpkins this year so I don't have to throw away the masterpiece after it's all over.



So, a few of my sweet and savory online buddies have decided to honor Julia Child today by posting a prepared recipe of hers. I chose a simple but tasty soup from her now classic book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It was a matter of ingredients that helped me choose. I had a beautiful head of cabbage that I received in my bi-weekly veggie box and it needed cooking. So I consulted the index and landed upon this recipe. I was intrigued by the name...Garbure. Sounded a little like garbage to me... I don't necessarily think that's where it got its name, but it is, I think, one of those dishes that you just throw in whatever garbage you have available depending on the season and your budget. Initially the soup seems like it will be very thin, but the potatoes and cabbage cook down to the point that they thicken the soup. It's very filling! I think it would make a great meal to have simmering on a Halloween night too.


Soupe Aux Choux - Garbure
described by Julia Child in her Mastering the Art of French Cooking as "a fine and uncomplicated peasant soup....comforting dish for a cold winter day."

3 1/2 quarts water
3-4 cups peeled, quartered boiling potatoes
1 1/2 lb chunk of lean salt pork, lean bacon or smoked ham (I used a hunk of ham and some bacon to add flavor)
2lbs or 3 qts of roughly sliced cabbage
8 crushed peppercorns or a big pinch of ground chili peppers
Salt as necessary, added near the end
6 parsley sprigs tied with a bay leaf (I used dried parsley since I had no fresh on hand)
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp thyme
4 cloves garlic, mashed
2 medium onions studded with 2 cloves
2 peeled, quartered carrots
Optional additions:
2-4 peeled, quartered turnips
2-3 sliced celery stalks1-2 cups fresh white beans or half cooked navy beans, or add canned white or red beans to soup 10-15 minutes before end of simmering
Rounds of hard-toasted french bread

Place the water, potatoes and meat in a (LARGE) kettle and bring it to the boil. Add the cabbage and all the other ingredients. Simmer partially covered for 1 1/2-2 hours or until the meat (and beans) is tender. Discard parsley bundle if you used it. Removed the meat. slice it into serving pieces and return it to the kettle. Correct seasoning. Skim off an accumulated fat. If not to be served immediately, set aside uncovered. Rehat to simmer before serving. Serve in a tureen or soup plates, accompanied by the bread.

Susan's notes: I used dry butterbeans which had be soaked. It took a wee bit longer than 2 hours to get them cooked. I also added a can of red beans at the end to give it a little more color. If I made this over again I'd probably take the completely canned bean route. The recipe serves an army...or at least 8. I was able to freeze quite a bit to be used on chilly winter work nights when I need a quite meal.



Go check out my friends posts and see what they made

Herb Biscuits from Jayne at A Grain of Salt
Supremes de Volaille a Brun from Marsha at Marsha's Kitchen
Profileroles with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce from Susan at Savoring Time in the Kitchen
Sage Butter Cakes from Debbie at Mountain Breaths
Beef Bourguignon and Cinnamon Toast Flan from Carol at There's Always Thyme to Cook
Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons from Barb at Foley's Follies
Ruffle Cake from Kathleen at Cuisine Kathleen