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, 

There is a Place...

.... full of fun, adventure, traditions and a life time of great memories. It is a special place and one of our favorites and it is here we love to gather for our annual family vacation.

Our activity list is plentiful so there is never a dull moment.

There is always some golfing.

More often than not we share the course with the animals. 

Half the time we don't even notice them. Actually there are a few of us that can't help but notice and might even snap a picture or two. 

We also love to ride our bikes through the meadow. No cattle or horses in this picture but rest assured, they are all around.

There is always a hike or two.

This year our map took us off the main road.

It became pretty rough and at one point we even had to ditch one of the cars and pile in the SUV. Eventually we couldn't go any further. The views were spectacular though and worth the bumpy ride.

We searched around a bit but it became apparent that we were lost. The trail head was nowhere to be found so we decided to turn around and head back to town. About half way back we happened to see a sign to the trail we were looking for all along. The hike was back on.

The forest fires made the area fairly smoky however on this particular day it was off in the distance.

Our hike would take us down to the creek below.

It was beautiful.

It was certainly worth the little detour and off~road driving conditions.

Back at the ranch we couldn't help but spot more animals.

One morning we found this cute little bunny next to the car.

And we even saw turkeys along the bike trail! That was a first.

Of course we had to try some dessert at the lodge.

Grand Marnier Almond Cake

Orange brandy almond sponge cake, candied orange peel, Chantilly cream, cardamom Marcona almonds 

Not only were they delicious but pretty too!

New York Style Cheesecake

Classic vanilla cheesecake with a hint of citrus, graham cracker crust, Bordeaux cherry compote, vanilla tuile 

Iced tea by the fire is a favorite on cool autumn mornings.

And, the view of the mountains is amazing, even with a few clouds.

Yes, There is a Place....

...where the tradition continues...

...and memories were made!

Happy Saturday!

Game Day Soup Supper

Saturday night Miss E and I decided to have soup for supper along with some cheese, toasted baguette bread, apples and of course some pickles and fancy olives. She set up a lovely little table while I prepared the soup. 

The day before I had made a pot of Kielbasa, Kale and barley soup, which is one of our favorites, so prep was easy. All I had to do was warm it up and it was ready to go.

Everything was set up just in time for the Oregon State Football game kick off. Unfortunately the BEAVS did not win but it was still a fun Girls Night In.

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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