Apple Bread

I had a three pound bag of apples and the remaining ones were getting a little mealy. I decided to use them up by baking some apple bread and it made the kitchen smell so good!

 

 

Apple Bread

 

1/2 cup oil

2 large eggs

1 cup brown sugar (I used about 3/4 cup and it tasted just fine)

2 cups diced apples

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon (I used more)

 

Blend the oil, eggs, vanilla extract and sugar in a bowl. In another bowl, sift flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Gradually mix dry ingredients to oil mixture. Blend in apples. Bake in a bread pan (I sprayed my pan first). Bake in a 325 oven for about 50-55 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. (*I'll let you know how this freezes. We can't use all of this now so I plan to wrap it for the freezer. Most breads freeze well and I assume this will be the same.)

 

 

Do you have one of these vegetable choppers? They make quick work of cutting up vegetables and fruits for dishes. I used it for dicing my apples. It has two grids; I used the larger one for this particular recipe. I love the product!

 

 

I hope you have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 



 

Fall Dining Room

Here are a few shots of the dining room with some autumn accents.

My mother found this fall arrangement at a garage sale last summer. Unfortunately for her and fortunately for me, she didn't want to use it so I am borrowing it! 

Miss Mouse is all dressed for Halloween! I got her 25 years ago and always tuck her into the fall décor. Even though I am not a fan of Halloween, I find her adorable!

 

She is sitting under the little lamp, but it's tough to see well in this shot.

 

 It seems that I am often competing with a mirror for a good picture. The same is true of our antique buffet.

 

 

 

 

I hope you're having a good day!

 

This and That

This is a little fall vignette in the kitchen. It sits on top of our marble-top washstand, which belonged to Grandmother and Granddad. I always keep the little lamp there, but switch the decorations for the seasons and holidays.

 

 

I have had the glass pumpkin jar for years and just put a scrap of orange metallic mesh inside it for this display.

 

See the pretty shells at the base of this candle? My sister-in-law and brother-in-law just brought these to me from Kennebunkport. I love them! In the shop, they were used as candle rings, but it occurred to them that I could also use them as napkin rings.  Perfect!

 

 

This is a piece of family history. Made of pewter, it also belonged to Grandmother and Granddad and was used during  Aunt Kay's and Dad's childhood. Aunt Kay said she always understood that it was intended for warm maple syrup.  

 

 

A week and a half ago, we went on a getaway for a few days. We loved poking around Ste. Genevieve,  Missouri's oldest town. The original village was established in the 1700s on the western bank of the Mississippi River. It is a charming and historic spot in the southern part of the state. Being huge fans of historical "field trips", we loved learning new things and seeing the French Colonial architecture there. We enjoyed museums, lovely old historic homes, shops and churches. It was a quiet time there, so we benefitted from tours with very few people (we were the only ones on some). The guides/docents dressed in period clothing and provided a wealth of information. These are our "passports" that we purchased to tour some of the homes and we were happy to be able to go through all of them. I got the little golden flour delis for our Christmas tree. Now let me explain what this has to do with today's vignette (teachers feel compelled to build background knowledge!). One of the places we visited in Ste. Genevieve was a pewter shop. The husband and wife artisans were fascinating and the four of us spent quite some time chatting about pewter. During our conversation, I mentioned that I had this pewter pitcher at home, but I knew it wasn't food-safe due to its age. They taught me that good pewter pieces were stamped and that, generally speaking, anything with a stamp is considered safe to use for food. I was surprised! England's pewter has been regulated for hundreds of years by the same food-safe guidelines adopted by the United States in the 20th century. I guess we were a little behind there! Interesting! When I came home, I took out my pitcher from its spot in the display cabinet and flipped it over. It was stamped. Long story short, I called the shop after we were home and learned that our family piece was made around 1930. Learning all about pewter and pulling out the family syrup pitcher is what precipitated my including it in this display. Now, isn't that more than you cared to know?!

 

 

Tuesday's Tablescape

It's such a lovely autumn day that I couldn't resist setting a fall table on the patio for dinner. As long as the weather cooperates, we'll continue eating outdoors.

I rested my pumpkin salad plates on top of my green dinner plates. By the way, the pumpkin ones are Better Homes and Garden brand from Walmart a few years ago. Although they no longer have this design, I recently saw other seasonal patterns. 

 

 

 

 

Our leaves haven't changed quite yet, so I used faux branches as the centerpiece. A couple of real, brown ones blew on the table, however!

A few birdhouses decorate the outdoor countertop. 

I guess it's time to go prepare something to put on these plates!

Enjoy your dinner!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Project

I recently made these little pumpkins to take when we went to a family reunion.

 

 

Simple to assemble, they're fun to share with others!

 

You just need some orange patterned fabric, green pipe cleaners, green felt, sticks from your yard and toilet paper rolls. A little glue is necessary (I used my hot glue gun).

 

Lay an 18 inch square of fabric on a flat surface. Place a roll of toilet paper in the center.

 

 

Beginning at a corner, pull up the fabric and gently tuck it into the tube of the toilet paper. Keep the folds in the fabric evenly spaced as you go.

 

Continue all the way around. All of the fabric will remain tucked into the middle. Do not use any glue for this step.

 

Trace a small leaf from the green felt, cut out and glue to one of the tips of the pipe cleaner. Before gluing, I drew on a few "veins" on the front of the leaf. Hold the pipe cleaner at about the halfway point and twist it around the stick. Half of it will become the stem of the leaf. The other half will become the vine part which can be wrapped around your finger to create a corkscrew effect.

 

 

If you decide to try these, I think you'll enjoy making them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broccoli/Grape Salad

This is always a good fall salad that uses just five ingredients. It goes well with any meal. We love it!

 

 

Broccoli/Grape Salad

 

 

1 cup red seedless grapes, sliced in half

1 cup fresh broccoli flowerets

1 cup golden raisins

 

Toss and add 1 cup mayonnaise. Blend well. Refrigerate and stir in 1 cup sunflower seeds just before serving.

 

 

Enjoy your weekend!



 

Fall Mantel

Last week when I decorated the mantel for fall, I decided that I wanted something different from last year. I really like the combination of cobalt and orange, so I started poking around my stashes to see what I could come up with for this season. I pulled out some of my cobalt and white ware from a display cabinet and one of my favorite cobalt glass pieces (a housewarming gift when we moved here from one of my dearest friends).

 

The reflection in the mirror above the fireplace is distracting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The vase looked empty at first, so I picked up some twigs in the backyard and added them. Then I stuck-in faux bittersweet, leaves and pumpkins to provide texture throughout. 

 

I love the colors of autumn!