one more thing....Corn Husk Favors

The absence of those extra days between Thanksgiving and Christmas has not gone unnoticed here. So many things on the to~do list and so few days to check them all off however before I move onto Christmas there is just one more thing I want to share from Thanksgiving...these adorable Corn Husk Favors.

They were so easy to make and fun to fill with homemade Chex Mix or Scramble as it is referred to in our family. It is the recipe I always use and is very similar to other Chex Mix recipes. 

The snack mix fit perfectly in the little corn husks. 

It makes a lot so I put the remainder in a clear glass canister with a lid and put a scoop inside for easy serving. 

Only one more day until I begin my Christmas baking so I will be back soon with more to share. 

Happy Wednesday!

Beef Jerky ~ teriyaki

The hubs marinated some beef yesterday for beef jerky and had it on the smoker early this morning.  

This was his first attempt and it turned out pretty well. Teriyaki is not his top pick for flavor but we had the ingredients on hand which made it easy. However, he is already talking about doing another batch with an idea he has for a different marinade. But until then....

...it will be a great snack for game day!

Happy Saturday!!

Apple Roses ~ fall dessert

After picking a bucket of apples on Saturday I figured there was no better time than the present for making Apple Roses.

So I set out on my first attempt at these fancy individual desserts.

They were a bit fussy and by the time I got them in the oven to bake I had quite a mess however it was well worth it.

They taste a lot like apple pie so we all loved them. 

A small scoop of vanilla ice cream would have been really good with each serving but we were out so I made whipped cream instead. Always a good substitute in my book.

These Apple Roses made a perfect dessert for Sunday Supper.

And, I will definitely be making them again soon.

Have a wonderful day!

P, B & J go apple picking

On Saturday I was invited to go apple picking with P & B. They have gone picking before so they are what one might call "experienced apple pickers". At least they were familiar with the orchard and the routine there so they could show me to ropes. 

There were literally hundreds of trees and a wide variety of apples, most of which I had not heard of before. None the less, we grabbed a couple buckets provided at the barn and headed down the rows.

All the apples looked perfect which made it hard to know which ones we would like the best so....

...we sampled them. Yes, we chose a tree, picked an apple and took a bite! The taste test was just the ticket. Can you guess what type this is??

If you guessed an Arkansas Black you would be correct! It was the first tree we stopped at and when I read the sign I immediately thought of Dad.  He planted one years ago on the back forty so I had to have a photo and of course a few for the bucket. We also found Gravenstein's which our parents have at their place too and also happens to be the preferred apple for our grandma's famous apple dumplings. Since that is what Grandma always used it is what I like to use when I make them. 

The easy part of picking was filling up the bucket, the hard part was which apples to choose because there were just so many. 

The view was amazing up at the top of the hill overlooking the orchard and Mt. Hood in the distance.

What a fun thing to do on a sunny October afternoon! Every apple we have tried has been delicious and I even used some in our dessert for Sunday Supper which I will share soon. 

Happy Monday!

Apple Season

from my list of one thousand gifts

:: apple picking with P & B :: apple orchards :: majestic mountain tops :: fall weekends :: family time :: dinner with friends 

:: weekly catch up calls :: 

Blessings, 

Grandma's Pumpkin Cookies

Today we woke up to fog which, in my book, is a true sign of fall. Outside it was still damp from rain the day before and of course it is staying dark much longer now. It certainly feels cozy and just right for baking.

About a week ago Miss E mentioned she was in the mood for Grandma's Pumpkin Cookies. She told me they are one of her favorite cookies and that she was going to ask Grandma for her recipe. I told her I have a copy however when I went to look for it I couldn't find it. I looked everywhere I could think of but no luck. Finally, after more than enough searching, I just decided to call Mom and ask for it again. She emailed it right over. { And, now that I have it I will probably find my copy...you know how that goes. }

These cookies are so easy to make and, as Grandma told Miss E, "they are good for you, so here, have another". We love Grandma and we love her pumpkin cookies! It is like eating little pumpkin pies. I asked Miss E if we should put a little cream cheese frosting or a glaze on top but we decided they are perfect just the way they are...the way Grandma makes them!

Happy October! 

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fall chalkboard

It's beginning to feel a lot like FALL! 

Happy Fall y'all!

The first signs of FALL

Over the weekend something orange caught my eye in our little Pumpkin Patch which is hidden behind the tall tomato plants.

Yes, it was our pumpkins and they have finally turned orange.

At the end of July they were still green.

Once they started to change color though it sure didn't take long before they were completely orange.

Fall is right around the corner and it looks like our pumpkins will be ready!

Have a wonderful day!!

Fire Pit ~ retaining wall construction resumed

Remember this?

Well, it didn't look like this for long.

Back in August, after we had a few fun bonfires, the fire pit retaining wall had to be removed so that it could be replaced to match the new rock wall.  However, life got busy and the work was put on hold.

But that has all changed this past week. The schedule cleared, was well as the weather, and I am happy to report that construction has finally resumed.

The hubs has been working on the forms so that he can get the cement poured while the weather is good. The forecast shows more sunny days ahead so we will keep our fingers crossed!

I will post updates as the wall construction progresses which, of course, is all dependent on mother nature.

Have a beautiful Saturday!

R & R at BBR

September is always a good time to get away.

We usually head to the mountains since the weather is still really nice. This year was no different however most days the blue skies gave way to smoke from the forest fires. There was really no way to avoid it since there were fires burning pretty much all over the state.

That did not interfere with our activities though.

We occasionally had the driving range to ourselves which was fun.

Most days we rode our bikes to the lodge to swim or to sit by the lake or the fire pit depending on weather however, 

we never could quite see the Three Sisters due to the smoke.

Indoor games, but of course!

Lots of snacks.

Tennis at dusk.

Fancy coffee on one of the shopping days in Sisters.

Brrrr...cold mornings!

Beautiful sunsets.

More games and snacks.

Can hardly wait until next year!

Good ~ bye September...

Have a great Weekend!