Fall Mantel

I took a little time this weekend to get my mantel ready for Fall.  Poor mantel - I completely skipped any Summer decoration for it this year.

I didn't do much - just picked up a few pumpkins and gourds from the farmers market and brought out a few seasonal pieces.  If you've been here for a while, you've probably seen these same things several times!

Here is an overall shot:



I made the wheat bundle last year.  You can find my tutorial right here.

The apothecary jars are almost always on my mantel - I just change out the fillers to reflect the season.  I left the top off of the one above, and put in a candle & nuts instead.

The pie pumpkin above is the prettiest shade of orange in person.

The small gourd is sitting on a glass candle stick - an easy way to add a little height.

I saved the nuts from last year because I knew I'd want to use them to decorate for Fall and they aren't out in bulk at the store yet.  I might be a little crazy!

And the left side...

More wheat on this side of the mantel.  I bought a few bunches, divided it into four sections, and tied each section with a piece of raffia.

I think gourds are so pretty and interesting.  The patterns are beautiful!





One last overall...

Yikes, I didn't realize I had so many photos.  Thanks for sticking with me!  I have to say, it sure feels good to be posting something other than Tasty Tuesdays.  I think I may have gotten my blogging mojo back.  We'll see.

Make sure to stop back later in the week - I will be hosting a giveaway!

More Fall decorating posts:

- Thanksgiving table scape

- Simple Fall Mantel

- Fall Mantel 2011

I've linked up to Centsational Girl's Autumn Link Party - check it out RIGHT HERE

Dahlia Love

It's dahlia season!  Last weekend at the farmers market I picked up a few.  I always seem to forget about dahlias until they make their appearance in late summer.  They are such a gorgeous flower - definitely one of my favorites.



Isn't this a beautiful shade of peach?

Sitting on my nightstand...



I love these too.

The edges looked like they are dipped in white.



It's hard to believe fall is right around the corner with gorgeous flowers like these still around!

Tasty Tuesdays: Chocolate Zucchini Bread

 

Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

 

Do you still have zucchini coming from your garden?  I had several zucchini a couple of weeks ago and decided to make chocolate zucchini bread.

 

{ recipe adapted from A Little Nosh Blog.  Find the recipe here }

 

Ingredients:

- 2 cups all purpose flour (feel free to substitute whole wheat if you'd like)

- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup vegetable oil

- 2 eggs, whisked

- 1 banana, mashed

- 1/2 cup honey

- 2 cups zucchini, grated (use your cheese grater)

 

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

 

2.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

 

3.  In a large bowl, stir the vanilla, oil, eggs, banana and honey until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, then stir in the grated zucchini.

 

4.  Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for 50 - 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then remove and cool on wire rack until completely cool.

 

 

I definitely liked the bread, but I was expecting it to be a little sweeter.  It looks just like a brownie, so I guess I was expecting it to taste like on too!  next time, I think I would add 1/2 cup of brown sugar. 

 

 

 

 

What did you cook this week?

 

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Remembering: September 11, 2001

A day late, but I am posting anyway.  I think it's so important to never forget that awful day.

I originally posted this last year, on the tenth anniversary of September 11th.
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It's one of those days that none of us who were old enough to remember will ever forget. It's a day that will be forever scarred in our memory.

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On September 11th, 2001, I was 24 and I was on the other side of the state in meetings at an elementary school we were remodeling. I remember the principal of the school coming into the conference room and telling us what was happening, but I remember her seeming somewhat nonchalant about the whole thing. There wasn't a TV in the room so I wasn't able to see any of the coverage. I remember being upset about having to continue the meetings - I wanted to know what was going on.

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That night I was staying in a hotel. I had a friend who lives somewhat close to where I was staying, and thankfully he came to stay with me. That is a night I would not have wanted to be alone.

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What I remember most about the days and weeks following that awful day is the way our country came together. It didn't matter if you were a Republican or Democrat - we all stood together for our country. We were all in it together.

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On the one year anniversary, I again had to travel to the other side of the state for work. I was listening to the radio who was broadcasting a special on the anniversary. At 8:46 AM, the moment that the first plane hit, I passed a man on the expressway who had pulled over and was standing along side the road waving a huge American flag. It's something I will never forget. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.

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I took all these photos yesterday at a memorial called the "West Michigan Healing Field". There is a flag representing every person who lost their life that day - 3200 flags.

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Each flag has a tag with a name and information about those who died. There are flags without tags, representing those who have not yet been identified.

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Reading the names attached to the flags was a moving experience.

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Each flag is available for sale, with the proceeds benefiting first responder charities. If you are interested in purchasing a flag, or to learn more about the healing field, click here.

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I hope we never forget September 11th, or the patriotism that we felt afterwards.

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"A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.
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America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.

. Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America — with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could."
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- President George W. Bush; Address to the Nation, September 11, 2001

Tasty Tuesdays: Cheesy Zucchini Rice

Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

I made this recipe this weekend to use up a zucchini form my garden.  I loved it - cheese + rice + zucchini.  How could it be bad?

{ recipe adapted from Buns In My Oven Blog.  See it right here }

Ingredients:

- tablespoon olive oil

- 1 cup long grain brown rice

- 2 cups chicken broth

- 1-1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice.  I used 1/2 smoked Gouda & 1/2 cheddar

- 1 medium zucchini, shredded (use your cheese grater to shred)

- 1 tablespoon fresh Italian flat leaf parsley; chopped

- 1 tablespoon butter

- salt & pepper, to taste

1.  Heat olive oil in a medium sized sauce pan.  Add rice and stir until rice starts to brown a bit.

2.  Add chicken broth and cook rice according to package instructions.

3.  Remove from heat.  Stir in zucchini, cheese, butter, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and let sit for five minutes.

4.  Serve and enjoy!

This would make a fantastic side dish, or serve with a salad and make a meal out of it.

Can you tell from the photos how cheesy and delicious this was?

The green tomatoes in the salad are Green Zebras - one of my favorite Heirloom varieties.  It's one of the only tomato plants that actually did well in my garden this year.

What did you cook this week?

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Tasty Tuesdays: Stone Fruit Hand Pies

Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

Are you as confused as I am about today being Tuesdays?  Labor Day will do that to you!

I made these delicious hand pies last weekend.  The farmers market was full of fresh Michigan peaches and nectarines.  No plums though - I had to buy those at the grocery store.  I love how these turned out - the filling was so good.  I think that orange juice and rind really brought out the flavors of the fruit.



{ recipes adapted from Martha Stewart via John Barricelli.  Find it here }

Ingredients:

- 2 cups fruit (mixture of plums, peaches, nectarines), cut into 1/4" pieces

- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

- zest of half an orange

- juice of one orange

- pinch of coarse salt

- 1 tablespoon cornstarch

- 1 recipe of pie pastry ( I used my go-to recipe from Smitten Kitchen; find it here

- 1 egg; lightly beaten

- sanding sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together fruit, sugar, orange zest and juice, salt, and cornstarch; mix until well combined. Set fruit mixture aside.

3.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough to a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Trim to 15-by-10 inches. Cut into six 5-inch squares.  Working with one square at a time, place 2 tablespoons of reserved fruit mixture in the center. Brush two connecting edges with beaten egg and fold on the diagonal over the filling, pressing to seal.  Crimp edges with a fork to seal edges. Repeat process with remaining squares and place on prepared baking sheet.

4.  Brush pies with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Using a pair of clean scissors, snip the center of one side of each hand pie to allow steam to escape.  Brush egg wash over each pastry and top with a sprinkling of sanding sugar.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes of until bubbly.  Cool on wire racks.

These taste best eaten the day you bake them.  Pie pastry never quite tastes that same the next day!

{ makes 12 hand pies }

What did you cook this week?

Party Rules:

1.  Add a link to the post you are linking up back to this post

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2.  Add the Tasty Tuesdays button to the post you are linking up.  You will find the button & code on my sidebar.  Thanks!