Tag Archives: fall

Thankfulness…not just for November

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen, Halloween/Fall by

I am thankful for my family.  What a gift from God.
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 I am thankful for friends joining us around the table for Thanksgiving

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I am thankful for Pecan Pie and Rosemary Cornbread and friends who give me great recipes!
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I am thankful for finding wonderful bloggers who share their favorite recipes.  I love these cookies from Sally’s Baking Addiction.  Delicious!

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Cupcakes taste better in NYC!

Posted in 2016 Travel Adventures, Halloween/Fall by

These little cupcakes went all over New York with me and my sisters.  I carried them in my purse, in a souvenir bag, asked my sister to hold and even dropped some a few times, all for the sake of an iconic photo op.

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PUMPKIN with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
The Food Hall in The Plaza

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COCONUT and VANILLA CUPCAKE
from Citarella Gourmet Market in West Village
(fire escape at 39 Christopher St)
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HAZELNUT with VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
from One-Girl Cookie Bakery
(DUMBO-love the Manhattan Bridge)
if you look close you can see Empire State Building in between

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PURE VANILLA CUPCAKE
from Sweet Revenge in West Village
(one of my faves…and I dropped it right before I took this pic)
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LEMON CUPCAKE with LEMON ICING
Citarella Gourmet Market in West Village
(Washington Square Park)
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PISTACHIO CUPCAKE
Sweet Revenge in West Village
(lovely open window view)img_56691

These are just a few of my favorite cupcakes and bakeries!

When in New York, give one a try.

Just a walk in the park…

Posted in 2016 Travel Adventures by

 

 I could spend every day in this wonderful place called Central Park.  img_62981

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If I can ever get up the courage, I would like to spend one or two days alone in New York.  I would love to go the park each day and read, eat a cupcake, sit and listen to that young girl playing her cello or the old man playing his guitar to “Imagine” and just enjoy my surroundings.

This year I had to wait for my sisters for a few hours, so I did at least get to walk around, img_61611find a great bench and read for a little while alone.  Not to adventurous, but one step at a time!  Not a bad view at all! img_61581

I did find a few cupcakes along the way each day.  I love trying new bakeries as well as returning to my tried and true favorites!

APPLE SPICE CUPCAKE
from The Food Hall in the Plaza

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A look back at October

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen, Halloween/Fall by

I love the fall.  It is a time for baking, sweaters, fires and cooler weather.  Even though I don’t get to experience  the cooler weather here in Texas, I still put on a big comfy sweater as soon as October arrives.

October, 2016

img_54031I love these molasses cookies. The perfect hint of spices that remind me of fall. Click here for recipe for Molasses Cookies.   It would not be Fall without a pumpkin muffin!  These are my favorite!  Click here for recipe for pumpkin muffins.

I love when my sister brings me special Halloween treats she knows I will love.  How cute are these cupcake toppers?

….My friend also brought over Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter!  I feel loved!

Fall Favorites

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by

Fall Favorites…

My Favorite drink…well actually Diet Coke is my favorite drink…but my husband brought this Red Wine home and it hit the spot!  So Cozy!

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LOST DRAW Tempranillo

My Fall Favorite when the air turns chilly  is Apple Cider. However this is Texas. So even though it was still 85 outside,  inside it just felt like Autumn!   This homemade cider is full of flavor and hardly any extra added sugar.  So much better than store bought!   http://allrecipes.com/recipe/211772/homemade-apple-cider/

 

Favorite pie…pecan for sure, but my husband loves pumpkin.  So I opted for both and we each had a slice, or two!

Pumpkin Pie

And of course one of my all time favorites during the fall is Pumpkin Bread. My mother-in-law found this recipe many years ago and my friends and I have been making it every fall season!  I add cream cheese frosting with a few spices, all spice, nutmeg and cloves and it adds just the right amount of sweetness.  IMG_0950[1]

I posted all of these recipes under menu above.  I think you will find something you enjoy making and eating!

Fall in Love

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by

IMG_0732[1]I LOVE the FALL!  I love finding my sweatshirts as soon as it hits November 1st.

I love when it turns a little chilly because tortilla soup always sounds good to me. In Texas, however, we may be waiting a while for the weather to turn cold…so my idea of chilly was this weekend when it was in the 60s. Brrrrr.     My friend, Alice, gave me her soup recipe years ago and this has been the one I always go to. My sister Lynda makes it also and loves it.

If you have read any of my my previous blogs, you know I want my girls to love to be in the kitchen. I want them to love finding a recipe and make something from scratch, not a box.  Plus…I want their help.   I certainly don’t want to chop onions all by myself.

Here is a photo of my Tortilla soup.  I purposefully kept my brown avocado and broken sign “Count Blessings” in the background. It reminds me that things are not always perfect.  My photos aren’t perfect and neither is my cooking!  But I do love being creative.  I love attempting to take better photos, learning to cook something new, and finding a recipe that my family and friends love.

I have added the recipe, so give it a try and if you make this delicious soup, let me know what you think! I put it under Mexican Food, since I don’t have a “soup” menu yet.

Thanks Olivia for helping me chop all those onions, and for crying with me during the process.

I usually double the amount of chicken.  I think it makes the soup a little more filling.  And I love fresh cilantro.  How can you go wrong?