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I love Fall and I love, love, love these cookies! I found this recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Give it a try, it is worth it!


I didn't use canned pumpkin puree, because I can't find that in the stores here. I used this recipe to make my own.

Happy Fall! :)


 
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Pinterest has some real interesting recipes. Today I tried out White vegetable lasagne 'cupcakes' by Emily on EmilyBites I didn't use a cupcake tray, but two mini cooking pots. It turned out great!

Something that didn't turn out the way I expected is, was Crockpot honey sesame chicken by Nikki, Chef in training. The meat was tasty, but a bit hard. I didn't quite stick to the recipe, since I don't own a crock pot. I would like to give it another try, because it sounds so great! Check out her other recipes. They sound and look amazing!

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I also got a little bit of handquilting and binding done on my butterfly charity quilt. Most of the quilting was done with my machine, but the butterflies are handquilted in a different color, so it shows on the back.

I only need to quilt two more butterflies and attach a label, then I can send it off to a local charity,  (And start something new...wink)

 
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The front and the back.


Drinking tea is my favorite waste of time! I love all sorts of tea. Black tea, mint tea,... I guess I like (almost) all kinds of tea.

Another love of mine are pink flowers. Those two combined are the main reason for my beautiful tea cup collection. I have collected a few cups here and there, mainly in thrift stores. My husband can't stand to buy 'other people's junk', but I always seem to find a few treasures. 

Here is a picture of the tea cozy that I have made for my tea pot to keep it warm.

The only things missing in this picture are the scones, muffins, sandwiches and what not! I found some great recipes on Pinterest and Flickr that I would love to give a try.

I guess the only thing I need to do now is, invite girlfriends over and enjoy a good cup of tea with some sweets and other bites.

 
Today I made tomato orange soup. It was quite good! I found an English recipe for you. This week I also want to make a banana bread. Doesn't that sound great?!
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Picture made by steamykitchen.com
Tomato Orange Soup
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions:
  1. In a saucepan melt butter, add onion and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, baking soda and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
  2. Puree in a food processor or blender; strain through a sieve or food mill. Return to saucepan and stir in orange juice. At this point, the soup can be refrigerated until ready to serve.
  3. At serving time, add the whipping cream and heat gently, stirring constantly, bringing to a simmer and adjust seasonings if necessary.
  4. Extra cream may be drizzled on top of the soup immediately before serving for a decorative effect
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Picture made by 8 weeks to a better you recipes.blogspot.com

Banana bread
Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar free applesauce
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 mashed overripe bananas
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce and honey. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
  3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

 
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I did it again...

I started with a few new projects, even a brown one! I told myself over and over again that I didn't need anymore projects going on. I still have my big gray quilt to be hand quilted, but yesterday Aneela Hoey inspired me with her bird embroidery. So I decided to make myself one. Maybe it'll end up in a pillow. I also started to make a bag in red and blue. That's all new to me!

Today I tried canning fruits for the first time. I used this video as an example. I'm very excited and curious too!!

 
One of the greatest and strangest cookbook I have, is 'Sophie's Sweet and Savory Loaves' by Sophie Dudemaine. Sophie is a French cook and in her book she describes easy recipes for loafes with all kinds of ingredients. In France they call them cakes. I had never heard of cakes with chorizo and tomato, asparagus and chanterelles or shrimp, but I love to try different recipes. So I did....
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The loaf I would like to share with you is one of my favorites. It's with zucchini and feta cheese. It tasted great!


(This recipe comes from the website Bewithed Kitchen by Sally. More details can be found here. )



FETA CHEESE-ZUCCHINI LOAF
(adapted from Sophie’s recipe)

2 T olive oil
1 medium zucchini, cut in 1/3-in slices
3 large eggs
1 cup + 2 T all purpose flour, sifted
1 + 3/4 tsp baking powder
salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk, hot
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3 T cilantro leaves, minced

Heat the oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan with butter or shortening.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the slices of zucchini until they get soft and golden on both sides. Remove from the pan, drain over paper towels to remove excess fat. Reserve.

Combine the eggs, flour, baking powder, 2 pinches of salt and pepper, and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the hot milk and the oil, and beat until smooth. Add the Gruyere cheese, zucchini, feta, and cilantro, mixing well with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack, allow it to cool for 15 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.