Tuesday, September 29, 2009

An Apple A Day

This my friends is a "Honeybear Honeycrisp" apple.
Today we will be checking out some trivia on a fall
favorite---The Apple.
Interesting apple facts:
The crabapple is the only apple native to North
America.
Two lbs. of apples make a 9'' pie.
The Apple Blossom is the state flower of Michigan.
The Pilgrims planted the first US apple trees in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Apples are a member of the rose family.
The largest apple picked weighed in at three lbs.
A peck of apples weighs 10.5 lbs.
A bushel of apples weighs about 42 lbs. and will
yield 20-24 Qts of applesauce.
It takes 36 apples to create one gallon of apple
cider.
6 amazing uses for apples:
The next time you roast a chicken, stuff an
apple inside the chicken-when finished throw
away the apple and you'll have a nice juicy
chicken.
To extend the life of a store bought/homemade
cake, store with 1/2 an apple-this helps maintain
the cakes moisture longer.
Do you have green tomatoes? Quickly ripen them
by placing them and an already ripe apple in a
paper bag for a couple of days. Ratio: 6 maters
to 1 apple.
If your soup or stew is too salty, simply drop a few
apple (or potato) wedges in your pot- after cooking
for about 10 mins remove the wedges.
Is your brown sugar hard? Mine always is. :)
If so, place an apple wedge and the brown sugar
hunk in a ziplock baggie and put in a dry place
for a day or two.
For a centerpiece--use a corer to carve a hole
3/4 of the way down into a pair of large apples-
I think I would wipe the edges with lemon to keep
from browning then insert tall candles and
surround the apples with your choice of decorative
elements. Now you have a country feel to your
fall table.
Last but not least---Apple Recipes!!
Dippn' Apples--
1 8 oz. pkg of cream cheese, 1 C of brown sugar,
packed. A 1/2 C chopped dry roasted peanuts
(optional) and 1 tsp. vanilla. Cream all together.
Serve with...you guessed it...Apples.
Pan Fried Apple Slices--
2 red cooking apples--cored and sliced into 1/2"
wedges, 2 T butter, softened and 1/2 C apple jelly.
In a pan over medium heat, cook the apples in the
butter for 7-9 minutes or until they are crisp tender.
Turn once during cooking. Stir in the jelly; heat
through. Serve with ham or pancakes.
All Time Fav--
APPLE PIE with ice cream YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enjoy!!
~Keep on Dreaming~

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sunday Snipets

I WON! YEA!!!! Mary Ann Miller at HANDCRAFTED BY MARY ANN had a drawing for Sugar Pie Pumpkin Seeds and guess whose name was drawn. ME!
These little pretties were picked up at a garage sale
for .50 a piece and the runner was only $1.00! I
got 20 little doilies --there were multiples of some
which will be nice. I also picked up three aprons
too, one of which was a children's apron. No
pic--I forgot.
This beauty was on the table a the country church
dinner that Mr. Ken and I went to today with his
Dad. If anyone knows what this is-please let me
know. My father-in-law said they grow from little
black seeds. The flowers themselves look like
velvet. Really pretty!
THE most important part of this outing was THE
FOOD! Those ladies (and guys) sure know how
to cook! On the menu one could have ham or
turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet kraut home-
made noodles, dressing and green beans. PLUS
PIE. YUM! YUM!
As we were driving to the country church we saw many
barns and farms. I was able to snap some while Ken
was driving. Here's the first complete with a Silo.
Here's the second--outbuilding on one farm.
Number three--barn, outbuilding, home and pasture.
I love farms and barns. Can you tell?
On the way home we stopped in a small town called
Louisburg--they were having Cider Fest. Ken's dad
wanted to pick up a bushel of apples to make apple-
sauce! Oh, goodie. :) The cider mill is famous in
these parts for of course the CIDER and their
APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUTS. See those
morsels below. Yep that's them!
APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUTS!!! These are best
eaten WARM but they are good room temperature
too. ~Keep on Dreaming~

Saturday, September 26, 2009

First Field Trip

Yesterday we took our first field trip--we rode a bus for 45 to Liberty, Missouri and went to Carolyn's Pumpkin Patch. This is a very family oriented, handicapped friendly place to visit. We had a BEAUTIFUL day weather wise. The next several pictures are sites around the patch.
Goats to pet and feed.
A very large part of the corn field. They also have a corn maze
that families can go through.
The above and below photos show more of the sites.
The railroad station-rides available for little ones AND big
ones.
Here comes the train--with Little Bud driving.
Here we go -- boy that whistle is LOUD!
Just hanging out.
On the hay wagon to the patch we go. It is a bumpy
ride --hold on tight.
Ok, now we must find that perfect pumpkin. We did have
some issues finding that pumpkin. One of the employees
mentioned that they had a small crop this year and
we did run into (literally) a lot of rotten ones. But I'm
happy to report that all of us returned to the wagon with
our own perfect pumpkin!
It's time to play! Yea!!! Carolyn's has several areas for the kids to
go play in. Mr J is driving--Mr. B needs to sit down and buckle up.
Miss T says "Ok boys, I'm ready to go."
Here we go down the slide on the Pirate ship!!! Ready, set GO!
Oh,what a trip--Miss J is warm and tired but still smiling--
time to go back to school. We all had a great time.
Thank's to everyone at Carolyn's Pumpkin Patch
for their assistance making this a successful trip.
~Keep on Dreaming~

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Pricless Observations

PART ONE I received this in an e-mail and thought I'd share it with you... Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself, "Lillian, you should have remained a virgin." ***Lillian Carter (Mother of Jimmy Carter) I had a rose named after me and I was flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue- "No good in bed, but fine against a wall." ***Eleanor Roosevelt I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back. ***Zsa Zsa Gabor Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty..But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out. *** Phyllis Diller Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you. ***Winston Churchill I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap. ***Bob Hope My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying. ***Rodney Dangerfield We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress. *** Will Rogers I never drink water because of the dicusting things that fish do in it. ***W. C. Fields Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. ***Mark Twain Enjoy!!!! ~Keep on Dreaming~

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

IT IS HERE!!!!

It's official--It's FALL!!!
Guess what today's trivia is about? You got it Fall.
The word "Fall" started being used in the 1500's
the British English still use "Autumn" more
than "Fall." WHICH WORD DO YOU USE?
The word "Harvest" was used for Fall/Autumn
commonly up until the end of the 1700's,
then "Harvest" was used to describe the gather-
ing of crops.
The word "Pumpkin" originated from the Greek
word for "large melon" which is "Pepon." That
was changed to "Pompon" by the French and
the English changed it to "Pumpion"
Pumpkins are believed to have originated in
North America with seeds from related plants
found in Mexico dating back to 7000-5500 BC
Pumpkins are from the squash family.
YOU KNEW THAT RIGHT?
The "pumpkin capital" of the world is Morton,
Illinois. This is where you'll find the home
of Libby Corporations pumpkin industry.
Pumpkins vary in color from white to
yellow to orange.
An unripe pumpkin is GREEN--makes sense
right?
WHITE PUMPKINS are simply another
variety of the fall favorite. They are sometimes
called BOO pumpkins. When carved you can
see the orange flesh beneath. White pumpkins
are becoming a favorite decorating item.
Other colors of pumkins you may see are:
BLUE, RED AND TAN.
The green pigment in leaves hides the tree
leaf until the chlorophyll weakens. When
this happens you'll see the leaf start it's
transition to it's next color. This occurs
in leaves that turn RED, YELLOW AND ,
BROWN.
Leaves "fall" to the ground due to less sun-
light, they cannot sustain life, the leaf
becomes weak, breaks off and "falls" to
the ground.
The North Eastern US is said to be one of
THE best places in the world to view
fall colors. I've read this several places and
I know that you can take drives in that area
to see the leaves but here in the Midwest
we have some beautiful fall colors too.
I hope everyone that has looked forward to
this time of year enjoys it, gets to pick
pumpkins and enjoy the fall trasition of
the leaves. HAPPY FALL YA'LL!!!
~Keep on Dreaming~

Monday, September 21, 2009

ONE MORE DAY!

HOORAY! We have one more day until the season of Fall! Yesterday we spent some time potting the mums and "fluffing" the summer flowers so they would be ready for tomorrow. Here is a peek at what we did: As you leave the front door you will see a wagon on the front porch with pink and white vinca. On the landing you will see the burgundy mums in the picnic basket. As you look down the stairs you will see the yellow mums and the larger pots of pink and white vinca. Back on the front porch on the far right as you are leaving you will see more burgundy mums in their box. Up close and personal with the coleus on the back deck.
Across from the coleus you will see my beautiful orange
begonia.
Here we have some pretty yellow mums to brighten any
meal eaten outside.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing our pretty flowers that
will welcome the new season.
~Keep on Dreaming~

Saturday, September 19, 2009

In The Kitchen

Today in the kitchen I decided that something needed to be done with the tomatoes before they went south, if you know what I mean--so I made tomatoe sauce. This was made with the last of the cherry tomatoes. Really easy! Chop your tomatoes and cook down until sauce coats the back of the spoon. I did put a smidge of S&P on it but the recipe says to season when you cook. I should tell you that this recipe called for 15lbs. of tomatoes which equals about two Qts. of sauce. When mine cools I'll stick it in the fridge to use this weekend but it can be portioned out and frozen for later use. Season according to what you are making.
The same can be said for the peppers that we had, I can't
tell you how many bags we have in the freezer just from
this year AND we've given a lot away too! Anyway I
decided to try a new recipe. PEPPER RELISH.
Chop your peppers--we had jalapeno and sorreno
peppers. You can leave the seeds if you want, make a
fine mince, layer with salt and store in the fridge.
Good on anything that calls for hot peppers. If you want
a mild relish remove the seeds from some of the peppers.
I used a small food chopper to mince my peppers that way
I could limit my hand contact on the peppers. Much easier
than hand chopping.
I'm sure this will go on Mr. Ken's chili and tacos.
Both recipes are very easy and a good way to use up
the last of your garden produce. Enjoy!!!!
~Keep on Dreaming~

Thursday, September 17, 2009

IT IS COMING!!!!!

In FIVE yes FIVE more days!!!!! WOOOOOHAAA!!!!
~Keep on Dreaming~

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Snacktime

The word "snack" comes from the Dutch snacken, which means to bite. Americans love their snacks, eating an average of more than four per day and more than 65 lbs. of snack foods each year. DID YOU KNOW?--- The main contributor to the increase in the consumption of salty snacks was the end of Prohibition in 1933. The interest in salty snacks increased even more during WWII, as rationing caused a severe shortage in sugar. The average American eats nearly 70 qts of popcorn a year. Dr. John Pemberton, a pharmacist, produced the syrup for Coca-Cola. It was sold at Jacobs' Pharmacy for .05 cents a glass as a fountain drink. More than one billion Coca-Cola products are consumed each day. October is National Pizza Month in the US, so designated in 1987-it's one of the most popular foods and pepperoni is the most popular topping in America. What do you like on your pizza? The most popular ice cream flavors are chocolate,vanilla, butter pecan and strawberry. Joseph Fry invented the candy bar in 1847-he created a paste that could be pressed into a mold. Milk chocolate is the most popular but those that like dark chocolate would disagree. The Hershey bar was invented in 1900. Candy corn was first made in the 1880's and it was only made from March to November. Tootsie Rolls debuted in 1896, introduced by Leo Hirshfied, who named them after his dughter's nickname, "Tootsie." The candy cane was a Christmas treat by the late 17th century. Popular tradition holds that the shape is meant to represent a shepherd's crook. Most are peppermint flavored but these days one can find them in many flavors. In a typical Valentine season, more than 36 million heart shaped boxes will be given and recieved. Approximately eight billion conversation hearts are produced in a typical year. The manufacturers of the hearts introduce at least 10 new sayings each year. As many as ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced every year, in the US. About 16 million jelly beans are produced every year in the US, for Easter. There are enough PEEPS made each year to circle the earth twice, Easter is not the only holiday today, that you can find these treats. Who likes PEEPS????? How's that for "food for thought?" ~Keep on Dreaming~

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Spinach Anyone????

On Saturday , Nancy--Acorn Cottage and I headed out for the
25th Annual Lenexa Spinach Festival located in the beautiful
Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park. It was a beautiful day to wander the
park looking at crafts and antiques plus we enjoyed the
food at the food booths. The Spinach Festival celebrates
Lenexa's earliest claim to fame as the "Spinach Capitol of
World" during the 1930's. Belgian farmers grew spinach
and the shipped it out by rail. The festival rolls all of the
history into one big festival sporting "the world's largest
spinach salad, spinach dip, pizza, wraps and balls plus a
variety of other food for festival goers pleasure.
Here we find Popeye and Olive Oyl doing some old-fashioned
pole fishing at the "waterering hole." Wonder if they caught
any??
There are over 100 artand craft booths to look at and one
tent full of antiques!
One of our favorite booth is the one Nancy calls "the Hallo-
ween booth" it also has some Christmas stuff too. It is VERY
hard to make decisions in this delightful place! Can you see
the "pig-tailed pumpkin" on the black table--it's really a
halloween cat complete with a tail. She'a adorable.
Nancy is holding a sweater decorated with Yo-Yo's. NO, not the kind on a string and you walk the dog with it. The kind you make out of fabric. VERY VERY Cute! This booth was huge AND we found out they are opening a store locally! Could be trouble for Nan and me. :)

NOW--the mystery of the day. Is this man's hair real ?

We had a great time and are looking forward to next year!!

~Keep on Dreaming~

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