Autumn

How To’s for Fall

Mind-blowing!

(Maybe not) But with step-by-step tutorials at our fingertips, we can be at the top of our game. Or, at least in the game. And I’m going to share a few of my current Fall “how to” faves with you.

The last time I was in France I got inspired and caught up in the moment, and purchased scarves… that I never wore again. Mostly, because I don’t know what the heck I’m doing. But wait until you see me this fall! I’m going to drop 6 dress sizes, curl my hair, and look just like her… Well, I’m going to tie my scarf like her.

 

Now that we are cultured and polished, it’s only the course of nature- to throw a party! Harvest time begs for celebrations. Thankfully, Martha Stewart has it all planned out for us in her Wine Tasting Party 101. (Click on text to the left) Cheers!

Photograph by Bryan Gardner Courtesy of marthastewart.com

If scarves and parties aren’t your thing, not to fear! I have more interests too. Fall is an inspiring season for in-home projects. The weather is cooler and the fresh air wafting through the open windows is invigorating!

I think I have previously mentioned that we painted over a rather large mural in one of the rooms in our home. I’m not kidding. This is the mural (courtesy of zillow.com, because I don’t have a wide angle lens):

This is the drab and lifeless wall as it stands:

I would love to show you the after photo, right after I finish it; which is why I’m studying “How to Hang a Gallery Wall the Right Way”. Thank you for laying it out for us momtastic.com!

Of course, bakers everywhere are full of fresh-out-of-the-oven anticipation with autumn being just a few weeks away. So naturally, I am in chomping at the bit to start pie season! If you admire those beautiful lattice work pies, but don’t know how to weave crust perfection… look no further. Ali Martin of Gimme Some Oven has broken it down for us.

Last, but not least, for us here in the upper midwest the gardening season is coming to an end. However, we don’t want our bountiful herbs to go to waste. Hence- the preservation system that will get us through the long winter months. The Garden Glove gives great tips for drying herbs, as well as, sharing other great and innovative ideas! For example, freezing herbs in olive oil… Those flavorful cubes make great soup starters!

Well, I feel more prepared for Fall… I hope you do too!

Stay well everyone! (Because cold and flu season is right around the corner. Lol! Don’t worry, there are many websites full of “how to” home remedies.)

Entertaining the Kids: Pumpkin Fun!

It’s pumpkin time! Woohoo! I am not a pumpkin carver. Boo, hiss, say what you will. It is no secret that I’m not a craft lover. Thankfully I have creative people in my life who enhance the creativity in my children. For example my mother, who found this activity on Pinterest. Hurray for grandmas! As it is, I have young children not ready for carving themselves. So this is a perfect option, even for last minute too.

What you need:

plastic/cloth or newspaper

pumpkins

glue stick

crayons

hair dryer

Oh, and that secret ingredient: enthusiasm!

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Place the plastic or cloth on your workspace. This doesn’t have to be fancy. It could be a garbage bag on your kitchen table. Place the pumpkins in go position (on top of your prepared workspace). Tip: Use room temperature pumpkins

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Unwrap and break the crayons in half. My kids liked this part best.

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Use the glue stick around the top of the pumpkin stem to get a sticky surface for the crayons. Place the crayons around in your own artistic color pattern. And hey, if you want to use a pumpkin with a nicer fuller stem than ours, that’s your prerogative.

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When crayons are set, bust out that hairdryer and blow! This could get messy (hence the table cover).

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You’ll naturally find that you need to adjust the hairdryer angle to work the drips, mostly from directly above facing down. We also found that working one section at a time seemed easier than letting the wax harden again as you try to go around.

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Have fun! Then admire your work Picasso!

Loving Lately ❤

Loving Lately #1: Seasonal Parties – Harvest Celebration

Admittedly, I am not crafty. But I know people who are! My mother for example has an artistic flare that passed me right by. She gets inspired by her six grandchildren and makes every season come alive in fun and innovative ways. And although I may not come up with these ideas, I certainly appreciate them! How adorable are these little pumpkins? And better yet, they are delicious, because they are Rice Krispies Treats! I know what you are thinking. Do they have organic food coloring? Well I like India Tree’s natural food dyes. (But I’m not saying that’s what my mom did.)

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Our gathering took place at the family cabin, and at night for a little ambiance we lit a pumpkin style lantern. Originally made to light the way outside, the lanterns were made from repurposed hanging flower pots. The hollowed and carved pumpkins are set on a bed of colorful leaves and filled with a candle. Creatively my mother used paper bags and coffee filters for the bow! (People need to get creative in the woods.)

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For entertainment we the kids played rounds of tic-tac-toe. Who needs pencils and paper when you have pumpkins and sticks?

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Not really true to character she also made some pumpkin cake pops, covered in white chocolate and sprinkles. -That is to say carrying out a theme is all her style, but molded bakeware is more of my thing… So I’m pretty sure I’m rubbing off on her.

The party included good eats, and fun drinks too… which I’ll be sharing with you in the future. But for now I’ll leave you with this:

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Because even though they’re not organic, they are a Michigan company. And you know I have to make a plug for my Michigan companies. 😉

Sidenote: I’d like to give credit to the sites my mom uses for ideas which are partially hers and some variations of things she saw on the world wide web, so I will in-part simply credit the internet.

Loving Lately ❤

Loving Lately: Road Trips

I love road trips. Some of my best memories growing up are from visiting new places with my family. Trying new foods from roadside restaurants and diners, taking in new scenery, and people watching (I can’t help it, I’m a studier of human nature). I still get excited about it today. I love taking my kids to see new places, getting to try new dishes and meeting new people.

View from our hotel room of the Grand Traverse Bay

View from our hotel room of the Grand Traverse Bay

It’s also no secret that I’m a huge fan of the state of Michigan. The vibrant seasonal changes, the great lakes and the produce, it’s all so good. This time my family and I headed up to the northwest shore of Michigan’s lower peninsula, one of my favorite places in the world.

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The Leelanau Peninsula, the world renown tunnel of trees, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, and even a foodie destination gaining national recognition in Traverse City and Suttons Bay were a few of our stops. I’ve been here many times, but never in the fall at its peak color. Beautiful.

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Some of my favorite things included when it finally sunk in to the kids, that the journey was the destination. “Where are we going?”, they would ask. “This is it, look out your window at the trees.”

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We drove and took in the natural wonders until we needed to stretch our legs, or eat, or check out attractions too intriguing to pass by; such as road side stands and quaint general stores.

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Good Hart General Store

Have I mentioned my appreciation of a good cup of coffee? Thank you Traverse City for your selection of cafes, with even organic ingredients, and food trucks with home bases so I can get Korean tacos while your trucks aren’t out.

Organic Pumpkin Spice Latte

Organic Pumpkin Spice Latte

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And although there is no place like home… sometimes I feel the need to hit the open road and see what I can see.

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Loving Lately ❤

Loving Lately #1: Fall Decorations

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I love this time of year. I love all year round really. But there is something invigorating about the cool air, the bright hints of color starting to flare out from the trees and the heart warming aromas coming out of my kitchen. They inspire me to decorate my nest! Every season I try to put out seasonal touches, I think it’s good for the kids…

Loving Lately #2: Naomi’s Outfits

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Every day my daughter picks out her outfits, usually accentuated by a head band and possible bracelets; occasionally a necklace and hand bag. Honestly, I am always so surprised at her creativity, a fashionista in the making. She doesn’t forget anything, and can give thought out reasons for her selected options. I don’t know where she gets it, not from me. I’m a copy the mannequin type; but I can appreciate it when I see it.

Cranberry-Pecan Pumpkin Bread

I make this bread every Thanksgiving. It’s like edible baked Autumn.  It’s got texture, body and flavor. It’s sweet enough to serve with dessert but so pretty served with dinner. Besides, can you have too many dishes on the table for a holiday? But don’t limit yourself to just one day! I make this bread other times too. It’s great with coffee for breakfast, it goes fantastic served with salad, and I serve it as a sweet bread side dish with all of our regular staple dishes (soups, stews, even pasta…) to give them a Fall feel. No one is disappointed to see this bread being served.

As organic as possible:

1 cup Brown sugar

1/2 cup Sugar

1 cup cooked or canned Pumpkin

1/2 cup Walnut oil

2 Eggs, beaten

2 cups Flour

1 tsp Baking soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground Ginger

3/4 cup dried Cranberries

3/4 cup chopped Pecans

1/4 cup Water

Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix sugars, pumpkin, oil and eggs. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. In a small bowl toss cranberries and pecans with a couple tablespoons of the flour and spice mixture. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and combine. Add the cranberries and pecans and stir until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake 65-75 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack*.

*If using a molded loaf pan: The bread does rise. I have used a thin string to slice the loaf and give it a flat bottom to invert onto a plate. However, I have found that the best method (and prettiest on a plate) is to use a serrated knife and cut the loaf about 1/2″ over the loaf pan. That is also the best part about using the loaf pan, because you get to eat some of it without cutting into the presentable part! (And you’re going to want to taste it right away.)

Cool completely before slicing.