I have been cooking boring meals lately. I'm not sure why really. I need your help !! Share the wonderful fall recipes you have been fixing.

Tonight the guys are rehearsing in the studio and I wanted to have something different for them to snack on. While this time of year I love anything and everything pumpkin I decided on Pumpkin Spiced Spread with graham crackers. Yummmmmmmm. It is so good. If I were making this just for us I would use reduced fat or even fat free cream cheese but tonight I choose the high test stuff.
I imagine this could be served with muffins for breakfast or even bagels should you prefer.

Pumpkin Spice Spread

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin (canned is fine)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (see 9/17 post)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and beat until smooth.

Last night Ronnie talked me into fried chicken again for supper. I mentioned earlier he has been on a fried chicken kick. Last night was a bit disappointing though, for some reason the crust wanted to fall off the chicken in the pan. I had the oil plenty hot before adding the chicken so I'm not really certain what happened. Any ideas?

I have started to make my Thanksgiving lists. I am a chronic list maker. Tasks on my google calender, tasks on my outlook calendar which syncs to my blackberry and the ever present "to do" list. I love the sense of accomplishment of completing my list.

This reminds me of one Thanksgiving about 10 years ago that I had posted the menu and names of guests in two columns on the refrigerator and failed to take it down before the guests arrived. Ragan had asked her co-worker Karen to share Thanksgiving with us that night as her family was in another state. She saw my list taped to the refrigerator and saw her name beside macaroni and cheese. She was mortified. She thought she was asked to bring the macaroni and cheese and Ragan had failed to tell her. I thought the whole thing was kinda amusing as I am adamant about preparing the entire meal myself.

So, until tomorrow.........
S~~~

Good News From The Taylor Family

Ok, I guess it is time to share our wonderful news with you............................

As I mentioned earlier, Lacy-Jay and Bashar are being relocated to the D.C. area with his job. After months of turmoil and drama their townhouse in Philadelphia has sold. This is good news on several fronts. First, the move to Northern Virginia will bring them much closer to home. A 6.5 hour drive as opposed to a 10-11 hour drive. Secondly, their house in Virginia will not be finished until June. Now stay with me here cause this is where if gets really, really good. Cisco Systems has agreed to let Bashar work remotely from North Carolina until their house is finished in the summer. So............... (drum roll please), they (and two of their dogs) will be staying with us and Bashar's parents (in coastal NC) until the summer!!!! We are so excited to have them here.

It seems that from the time Lacy went to college that our time together has always been limited. We are always trying to cram everything we want to do together into a few days. Now we have months!!!! And the timing could not be better. As I have said many times, Thanksgiving is our families favorite holiday, not to mention Lacy's birthday (11/24), so they will be here in time for Thanksgiving and stay until after our annual Christmas party on December 5th, before going to Bashar's parents house for the Christmas holidays. Then they will be back here to celebrate New Year's will us. After that they will divide their time between the two sides of N.C.

This bonus time together is this Mother's dream. Words cannot tell you how excited I am to cook meals for them. Neither Lacy nor Bashar are picky eaters so this will be fun for me!! Lacy and I can Christmas shop in all the places we never have time to get around to. Just the opportunity to sit and talk without having to rush off somewhere else, in order to get everything in during a far too quick visit.

Not even to mention that our house needs Lacy's touch. She has an incredible eye for design and color.

Thankfully, when we built our house we built the upper bedroom as a second master suite with a full bath. This gives them a complete space all their own.

Our house will be full (as it should be) for a while and we will love every minute of it!!

I hope you can forgive my excited ramblings, as I was just dying to share my news!!

So, Until Tomorrow............

S~~~

It's Tea Time

It's tea time for me. Late October is the time I always make a batch of instant Russian Tea. I generally make enough to do until after New Year's and then make more to get me through the dreary cold days of January and February.
While I love the slow simmered kind that my Mother used to make on the range top, this fits my lifestyle much better.
So, grab a cup of hot tea and a book, curl up with that worn blanket and the doggies and think of me!!

Instant Russian Tea

1 7-oz jar of Tang
1 cup instant tea
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground clove
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 pkg. unsweetened lemonade flavor Kool-Aid
dash of salt

Blend ingredients together. Use 2 teaspoons per cup boiling water.
Garnish with sliced lemons or oranges.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This is the ONLY time you will see this southern gal using instant tea.**

So, until tomorrow............
S~~~

Fall Cooking

I have been in a mood to bake lately. Fall always does that to me. I love trying new recipes for the upcoming holidays and parties.
When I came across this recipe online recently I decided it was the perfect muffin for these cool fall days we have been having. Not to mention that it has almost 5000 (yes, five thousand) five star reviews.
It always seems like I buy more bananas than we use anyway, so this would help keep me from my wasteful ways. I hope to make them this week, if you beat me to it, let us know!!! (I love comments, I love comments, I love comments!!!!!!)


Banana Crumb Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 bananas - mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg - lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter - melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 375* . Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin cup liners. ( I always use muffin cup liners)

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, melted butter, vanilla and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until they test done.

What are you planning to bake for the holidays? I would love it if you could share some of your tried and true as well as any new recipes you might be test driving.

I know I have been lax about posting our supper menu. Mostly because I have been in a rut of making meals that are already posted.
Last night I wanted chicken tenders, only I needed a recipe I could bake. We like the grilled chicken tenderloins at Cracker Barrel so I had that in mind as I put this recipe together. They turned out nice. Something I will make again for sure.

Baked Chicken Tenderloins

8 - 10 chicken tenderloin strips
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Pour the olive oil in the bottom of a square Pyrex dish. Place the chicken in the dish. In a small mixing bowl or measuring cup combine the lime juice, orange juice, honey, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Set sit for 10 minutes. Pour over chicken.
Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until the juices run clear.

So, until tomorrow............
S~~~

Sissy and Cagney

Just wanted to share a shot we caught of the babies sharing a pillow tonight.
Sissy on the left and Cagney on the right.
They are actually about the same size (7 lbs, give or take) even though Cagney seems a lot bigger in this photo.

We love our babies !!!

Happy Saturday night.............
S~~~

My Penzey's Spree

Is this really fall or have we just been drop kicked into the middle of winter ? I am cold......... so cold that I talked Ronnie into starting the gas logs. I am already longing for those wonderful summer nights on the deck.

As promised the details of my Penzey's shopping spree. Trust me, you will never buy spices in the grocery store again!! I wanted to stock up because once Lacy moves I won't have another chance to visit this quaint little store in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. That's ok, I can still order from www.penzeys.com.


4-S Special Seasoned Salt

California Sweet Basil

Bouquet Garni

Cardamom - Guatemalan

Chesapeake Bay Seasoning

Ancho Chili Powder

Vietnamese Cinnamon

House Cinnamon

Celery Seed - Whole

Fleur De Sel

Garden Salad Seasoning

Ginger - China

Horseradish Powder

Horseradish Dip Mix

Italian Dressing Base

Nutmeg - Ground and Whole

Toasted Onion Powder

Rosemary - Cracked

Sage - Rubbed, Albanian Prime

Sandwich Sprinkle

Szechuan Roasted Salt - Pepper Blend

Sweet Paprika - Hungarian

Thyme Leaves - French

Shallot Salt

Props to Ronnie and Bashar for their patience while Lacy-Jay and I perused the entire store several times!!

Supper on this cold damp night is:

Caramelized French Onion Soup (posted 3/17/2009)

Homemade Pizza

Butterscotch Pie (posted 1/11/2009)

So, until tomorrow............

S~~~

Home Again

Sorry to be gone for so long. Ronnie and I (plus two of the babies) went to visit Lacy and Bashar in PA.
We had a great time and enjoyed some wonderful food.

There is a fantastic little restaurant in downtown Phoenixville called Majolica,
www.majolicarestaurant.com . This is the second time we have eaten there and the second time I have loved their Cauliflower Bisque. I have to try to make it. It is served from a beautiful white pitcher into a bowl with finely grated cheese. The first time I had this soup the cheese was Parmesan Reggiano and this time it was Cabot's Seriously Sharp. Both were equally good, with maybe the tiniest edge to the Parmesan Reggiano .
We also enjoyed the pretzel sandwiches at Sly Fox, www.slyfoxbeer.com . I wish we could get pretzel rolls in North Carolina. It is a very different sandwich.

While we were in town this incredible new grocery super store opened, Wegmans's, www.wegmans.com . What I wouldn't give to have a grocery store like this in town, or even Asheville. I love to grocery shop in other towns. Even though this one was wall to wall people (and I am sure flu germs) I adored shopping there. They have a sit down restaurant in the grocery store. We had dinner there on Monday night. The food was actually very good. Lacy and I had the crab cakes and both thought they were very good. The strange thing was they had an absolute no tipping policy.

Other than seeing my family the highlight of the trip for me was going to Penzey's, www.penzeys.com in Philadelphia. I will share the details of my purchases in another post this weekend.

Just wanted to pop on and let you know that I am still around.

So, until tomorrow.............
S~~~

Whirlwind of a Weekend

What happens to the weekends? They fly by so quickly.
Friday night Ronnie played at the marina so we were late, late getting home. Then Saturday we had to run some errands in Asheville, so here we are today with everything left to cram into one day.
We stopped by the WNC Farmers Market yesterday looking for mums, which I didn't find, another long story, but we did pick up a couple of pounds of late season greasy cut shorts. Probably our last fresh green beans of the season.
I have been craving tonight's lemon cake for a couple of weeks. It is my variation of an old Kraft favorite. This smaller version is perfect for the two of us.

Our supper tonight looks like this:

Baked Chicken
Fresh Green Beans
Turnips ( I love them, Ronnie hates them)
Corn Pudding
Cornbread
Warm Winter Lemon Cake*

Warm Winter Lemon Cake

1 -9 ounce package Jiffy yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cup milk
1 (3 1/2 ounce) package instant lemon pudding
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional)


Preheat oven to 350*.
Prepare cake mix using one egg and 1/2 cup milk, add vanilla. Pour batter into greased 8 inch pan.
Combine milk, dry pudding mix and sugar. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended.
Pour over cake batter in prepared pan (do not stir) and place on baking sheet.
Bake 30-35 minutes.
Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

So, until tomorrow........
S~~~

Update on Beef Short Ribs

I promised to jump back on and let you know about the short ribs.
Oh my goodness...................................................
They just melted in your mouth. The sauce was wonderful. I could see using that same recipe with a chuck roast or even a pork roast.
Try these beef short ribs , you will not be sorry!!

So, until tomorrow..............
S~~~

Changing Seasons - Changing Menus

It is really true, even though I don't want to accept it, summer is gone. Yes, I know we will have a few of those fake summer days that are known as Indian Summer, but those days of glorious summer heat are over. These last few nights and mornings with the very cool temps just make me want to hibernate, you know, like Yogi.
My cooking style, just like my clothes, changes with the seasons. I use my slow cooker much more in the fall and winter too.

I am probably in the minority here, but until today I have never fixed beef short ribs. In fact, I had never actually paid them any attention at all. When Lacy moved up north she discovered that short ribs were actually very good. She raved about some that her friend Liz had made for supper one night. So, when I was grocery shopping I came across boneless beef short ribs and decided to give them a try. They are just now going in the slow cooker so I will pop back on later to let you know how they were.

Supper tonight is:

Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs*
Creamed Potatoes
Roasted Broccoli w/Shaved Parmesan
Beet Salad

Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs

2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 lbs. beef short ribs (boneless or not, your choice)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
2 onions, sliced
1 can beef consomme
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. chili powder
12 oz. dark beer (or whatever beer)

Mix flour, salt & pepper in a zip lock bag. Shake ribs in seasoned flour.
In a large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat and brown the short ribs on all sides.
In a crock pot, combine onions, beef consomme, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire, dry mustard & chili powder and beer. Add ribs to the mixture.
Cover & cook on low for 8-9 hours.


So, until tomorrow...............
S~~~