One of my purchases at the Country Living Fair was a cookbook from the Gooseberry Patch. My sister had purchased one earlier in the year, and I had it on my wish list for Amazon. Well, at the Fair they had a great deal: $15 each on their cookbooks or 3 for $40. So my momma and I bought the same while my sister bought their Church Suppers book.

Coming Home with Gooseberry Patch (food to bring family & friends to the table) is filled with wonderful, down home tasty recipes. I have only made two recipes so far, with plans to try out many more. For our Thursday night get-together, I made the Crustless Pumpkin Pie. How delectable! Our friends loved it, we loved it, therefore it is definitely what hubby and I refer to as a “repeat.” It is simple to make and turns out wonderful. I decided to go one step further and use heavy whipping cream to make “homemade” whipped cream. YUM.

Tonight (since I had half a can of pumpkin left, I made the Spiced Pumpkin Bread. I have only nibbled on a couple crumbs, but this is surely a repeat as well. I thought of sharing the recipe here, but I thought that might be copyright infringement or something of the sort. You can find the cookbook on the Gooseberry Patch site, and it is currently on sale.

I look forward to making more recipes from this book, particularly from the Bonfire chapter and Gifts for Giving. That is something else that I adore about Gooseberry Patch books: all the wonderful little craft ideas that are tucked into them. I have one of their Christmas books, but have yet to try out too many of the crafts. It is on my list for idea inspiration.

Here is a recipe I will share, courtesy of my brother and sister and I (we all have put our own additions in this).

Andrew’s Soup

The original (in my brother’s words):  a can of mixed veggies, can of beef or chicken broth, can of diced tomatoes. Then add some minced onion, salt, pepper & any other seasoning you like. It’s just something I came up with back in college when I was poor. Oh, you can also add some canned chicken to it.

Sister’s addition: leftover box mac & cheese. It never reheats well, so this is a great use for it! The cheese kind of “falls off” the noodles and mixes with the broth to form a nice cheesy chicken base.

I added into the pot with everything else. Also, I used leftover frozen veggies instead of canned. Still good.

I did not have any canned chicken (must stock up at Aldi’s again!), so I put in crumbled bacon. I also sprinkled in dried parsley. Oh, and I did not have any non-chili ready diced tomatoes so I used a can of stewed tomatoes, slightly drained. It all came together to create a nice, hearty, filling dinner. I made Bisquick biscuits to go with it, too. Great to have on a chilly fall evening.

Happy eating!

I decided that I wanted to change my blog header to go with the fall season. I used some of my photos from the CL Fair trip to Ohio. The only one taken at the fair is the apple gourds. The other two are from this great little orchard/farm that we stopped at on our way home. It is somewhere in Ohio and we found it on our wandering detour of trying to find the turnpike. But it was a beautiful detour! And if we had not taken the scenic route we would not have found this place. They had wonderful donuts and fruits, as well as a petting zoo.

Even though it is still only October, I have begun to plan out Christmas gifts. Since I adore homemade, I figure that I should get started on some projects. What better time on a day like today, where it is cold and gloomy? I am at least going to start a list and if that is all I accomplish today, so be it. After all the crafty items I have seen at the CL Fair, in magazines, and online, I am feeling some inspiration. Now I just need the motivation. *grin*

One of Michigan’s best assets is experiencing all four seasons. I enjoy the coming and going of each one, since each one has its own special attributes.

At the moment, trees are shedding their leaves and the remaining leaves are starting to show off a beautiful display of color. And also a certain scent in the air that only comes with fall. Hard to explain. Best experienced first hand. A coolness has tinged the air and has thus become sweater weather. I love sweater weather. In fact, I feel a need for more sweaters in my closet. I did find a great J.Crew one at Goodwill for only a few dollars–what a deal! Wish Hubby had sweaters that I could borrow (his are all too “manly”; i.e. would not look good on me).

This weekend we are going on a Jeep color tour with a large group of Jeep owners. We ourselves have a 1971 Jeep (I do not know the model) and hubby is working at having the windows zippered on by Saturday. They need some repair work. I know we are going to be near Yankee Springs, and we will be taking a dish to pass, but I am not sure where all we will be going. It is to a three-hour tour. ; ) Seriously.

And since it is fall, a trip to Gull Meadow Farms is overdue. I need to pick up some apple so I can make and can applesauce, as well as some of their fantastic donuts and a few pumpkins. I decided that I should go during the week since they are (at least this past Saturday) packed on the weekends.

Yummmm…donuts.

I did make homemade donuts on Saturday. They tasted wonderful that night and the next morning, but now they taste extra greasy. Is there something extra I should be doing? I did discover that it is best to make them in small ball form rather than just a big scoop. They cook through better that way. I will definitely be trying them out again, especially since Hubby keeps mentioning how great they were…

Having someplace to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing.

Whew.

Last weekend was a TON of fun. Spending time with my mom and sister, taking a road trip, going to the (first of many?) CL Fair…such a great time! We made it to Ohio in the time frame that Google gave (4.5 hours), no problems finding our hotel, and no problems finding the fair. Such a blessing. By the time we checked into our hotel and ate lunch we arrived at Day 1 of the fair at 230 and stayed until the 5pm closing time. (And I was able to experience Columbus traffic on 71 after 5pm on a Friday. And it really was not that bad!)

One of my first purchases was at the Homegirl booth, where I found an adorable little owl and a coffee cup cozy (say that ten times fast!).

{And yes, I will shamelessly promote all of those whose booths I adored and visited. And some were just so full of patrons that all I could reach was a business card.}

Anyhoo…

Booths I loved and hope to see again shall I ever go to another Country Living Fair:

juNxtaposition (where Mom found a funky necklace),  Laurie Meseroll: Mudcakes, Earth Angels, olive grace studios, llc (where I found adorable owl fabric), Farmhouse 1807 (where I found this wonderful orange-y and red and yellow and all around beautiful roving), La Bonne Vie (Sis and I found a $5 off a $20 purchase coupon of theirs! I also found my cowgirl necklace there.). So many fun booths, and not so much money to purchase everything I would have liked…I guess that made it so that I only purchased that which I REALLY REALLY wanted, right?! *giggle*

My sis and I visited one booth every single day. The Vintage Barn (this is linked to the blog, but there is a website too!) and The Rusty Bird shared a booth, actually. Fun, funky, wonderful booth! I adored the burlap and old button-up shirt aprons, and Virgina Shawver’s egg and nest creations were just exquisite! This booth was too fun, really. I oh-so-wanted to purchase one of the found paper journals (MUST look at these if ever you have a chance). I settled on a t-shirt (since I just really do not have enough t-shirts already. I like to think of them as one of my collections…) and some of Virginia’s artwork, which I think my favorite piece might be the itty bitty egg in an itty bitty nest in a vintage silver swan. (I have become quite fond of swans lately…not sure why.) One fun thing about this booth is that they remembered us each day! With all the people that came through their booth, they remembered a couple of Michigan farm girls! Thank you for that, Rolane & Virginia. I wish that I had taken pictures of this wonderful booth, but you can view some on the blog or on my sis’ blog (where she wrote a lot more on the booth and how utterly captivated we were). As my sis wrote: I *heart* the Vintage Barn & rusty bird.

One thing that I was oh-so-excited about and practically jumped around like a small child for: The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. I was so very happy to be able to get a wiener whistle, since I either lost or gave away the one I had as a child. Laugh all you like; this one thing made me ecstatic.

The Great Pumpkin Patch

Sisters on the Fly camper

Bloomsbury Loft

The Urban Farmhouse, where I found vintage Bingo cards

A bicycle built for two @ Homegirl

Sweet gum

Well, there you have a few of the pictures I took at the Country Living Fair 2009. What a great trip, what a great time, what a great place!

And here is a quote that I liked:

I am so excited about a road trip I am taking this weekend. My mom, sister, and I are going to the Country Living Fair in Columbus. Of course, I can always have fun shopping, but I am really looking forward to spending time with my mom and sister. We have never done a girls only trip before. Maybe this can be the start of a new tradition?

I hope to find some fun stuff, but I really want to find some fun stuff to put away for a future nursery. And I really would like to find an old working typewriter (my sis wants one, too). I started collecting objects that either have the letter H on them, or actually are an H (from old signs, for example). The H is for my last name. So far the collection is small enough to all fit on the mantel.

One of the things I am most looking forward to is the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is going to be there all weekend. I lost the plastic whistle I got when I was a kid, so I would like to replace it. Hubby and I actually passed one (or is there only one?) last September. Great photo opportunity!

Speaking of photos, I plan on taking a lot. And hope to post a few on here when I get back.

My brother-in-law has a huge old peach tree in his yard and he was generous enough to share some with me. So generous in fact, that I had many paper bags (to help ripen some peaches) covering my kitchen counter! Thus, my foray into canning began.

I watched my mom can tomatoes and make cooked raspberry jam when I was young. Well, my mom had decided to give all her canning supplies to a friend of my sister, since my sister and I did not show much interest in canning. Then I decided to expand my garden and thought that canning would be a great way to go. More economical and all that. And after spending about $60 on supplies, I was ready to go!

I guess that I did not think that it would take a long time to can peaches. Yes, I was slightly clueless. Make that quite naive. After five and half hours of work last Wednesday night, I had five pints of peaches to show for it. Along with yummy smelling hands that multiple washings did not rinse away. At least I was kept occupied while hubby was testing out a drag bike.

I planned on making jam and a pie (the pie is part of my brother-in-law’s payment for sharing peaches) on Saturday. I should have planned ahead better, because I did not have enough sugar for one batch of jam. So after putting the jam on hold so I could go get more sugar, I was ready to get this over and done with! At the end of the day, I had eleven half-pints of jam and no more peaches. I would have had an even dozen, but I must have filled some jars too full on the first batch. I think I did pretty darn good for my first time canning! I did not have to re-seal any jars, so that is stellar in my opinion.

If I can peaches again, I think I want to use larger ones. The ones from my brother-in-law were (essentially) free, but on the small side. Like golf ball small. I think it would be easier to half and pit larger peaches. It was an enjoyable experience and worth the sweat and slight frustration.

I am looking forward to having fresh peach jam on my toast. And now that I have a fresh loaf of homemade bread, I can have some tomorrow!

(I will post pictures of my jars of jam and peaches when I download them.)

09/26/2009 Update:

Part of my 11 jars of peach jam.

Three of my five pints of peaches

I enjoy the theatre. Unfortunately, it is not financially possible to go as often as I would like. Local theatres include Epic Theatre and Miller Auditorium (where I have seen Titanic and Phantom) , both of which are in Kalamazoo. I have seen other Broadway productions performed in South Bend, Indiana (Joseph) and in Chicago (Beauty & the Beast) as well.

And surprisingly, Hubby took me to see Oklahoma! three years ago. The surprising part is that I did not think my then-boyfriend would like the theatre, much less a musical. A friend of his had taken him to a couple shows over the years at a local theatre. Anyhoo, Oklahoma! was fantastic! And we did not have to drive to the city to see it, just a short drive to Augusta to the Barn Theatre. Yes, its name comes from where it is located: in a barn (the architecture is so fun to check out).

The Barn Theatre started out as the Village Players in Richland. Jack and Betty Ebert Ragotzy founded the Barn in 1946. Sixty-three years later and now under the direction of their son, Brendan Ragotzy, the Barn is still entertaining new generations of patrons. What a legacy! The Barn is also a historic site, listed as the oldest resident summer stock theatre in Michigan. (all information came from the Barn Theatre playbill)

“The Barn has an apprentice program that has helped launch careers  of many top performers in television, theatre, and film.” (The Barn Theatre playbill) Among them: Jennifer Garner (Alias, Elektra); Tom Wopat (Dukes of Hazzard; also still makes appearances in Barn productions, the last time in 2004); Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls); Kim Zimmer (Guiding Light); and others.

Mr. Ragotzy had decided not to raise ticket prices this year, staying with the $29 per ticket rate. That may or may not have been a wise decision, but my husband and I appreciated it. I am sure others did as well, since that is a stellar price for a show at the theatre. This year, I purchased a coupon book of six tickets, which was good for three shows. My in-laws purchased a book as well, which made for three Wednesday nights of spending time with them, having dinner before the shows. The coupons that we purchased were good for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights only. We went on the second Wednesday for each show (they run from Tuesday to a second Sunday, twelve days; no Monday shows).

Each year the theatre has “Barnies,” the apprentices that work for the summer. Not only are they actors, lighting and costume designers, they are also the ones that answer the phone at the box office and also ushers at the shows. They learn all the aspects of theatre.

Currently showing is The Civil War, which was an added show for the season. It started on Tuesday and runs through Sunday. The playbill describes it as “a thrilling, gut-wrenching, inspiring theatrical concert.” And it is a musical. If you have the opportunity, go see it. I have yet to see a bad show at the Barn.

This year we saw Don’t Drink the Water (the only non-musical this season), The Who’s Tommy, and Big River. Hubby and I, along with my in-laws, enjoyed all of them. My favorite would be Big River, mostly because of the BIG voices on the musical numbers. Holy cow, the actors were awesome! Especially Todd M. Kryger as Jim. The man can belt out the tunes, particularly “Muddy Water.” I had goosebumps! Water was a great comedy; at one point I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard (the tourist wife “helping” the priest with the strait jacket). And I did not know what to expect from Tommy. All I knew about the show was that there was a blind boy that was an awesome pinball player. A ton of talented voices in that show as well, with Eric Morris as Tommy and Aaron Velthouse as Tommy’s cousin.

I sincerely hope that we are able to attend a few shows next season, especially a musical. Also, maybe next year we will finally make it to the bar show afterward. I have heard it is a good time at the Rehearsal Shed, where there is more musical entertainment (they were going to do some songs from Momma Mia! after Big River) and nachos, wings, and cocktails. Someday we will see it for ourselves!

Those that know me best know that I am not a morning person. Never have been and most likely never will be. Yet, for the right incentive, I can drag myself out of bed at an early time. Such as this morning. Hubby needed to be up and ready for a guy coming to buy the Farmall at 7am. Ugh. The alarm went off at 630. It sure was dark still at that time! Well, I had planned on being up at a decent time to make breakfast.

I received my new Taste of Home Simple & Delicious on Tuesday and went through it yesterday, drooling over the fantastic new recipes in my hands. I love to bake, so when I saw the recipe for chocolate-orange scones, I HAD to try it. And it only has four ingredients! Sooooo easy, which is a plus for any recipe. And the fact that the base of the recipe is pancake mix—who does not have pancake mix in their cupboards? Add some heavy whipping cream, grated orange peel, and some chopped up chocolate bars (which I have a plethora of, always on hand for s’mores), and you have yummy and easy scones.

In less than half an hour, I had warm scones and a pot of coffee to go with them. I have decided that I love this trick I stole from my brother: sprinkle a little cinnamon over your coffee before you brew it. I adore that hint of flavor when I have my coffee black. So now I am sipping my second cup as I write this blog.

Another benefit to being up early and making a (small) mess in the kitchen is that I was motivated to do the stack of dishes in the sink. I ran the dishwasher last night, but not everything will fit in there (or do I want to put it in there!). So the kitchen is clean and dishes are done and drying. Now I just need to unload the dishwasher…

Here is the wonderful scone recipe:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together the following:

1 1/2 cups pancake mix

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (I put in a dash more after mixing & thinking it was still a bit too dry for my liking)

2-3 tsps. grated orange peel

On a lightly floured surface, knead your dough six times. Add two chopped chocolate candy bars (1.55 oz. each) as you continue to knead the dough. Pat the dough into a 9″ circle. Using a sharp knife, pizza cutter or dough slicer, cut your dough into eight wedges. Place the wedges on a cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes, or until lightly browned.

I used a knife to chop my chocolate bars, and that left some “crumbs” behind. I sprinkled the crumbs on top of the wedges before popping them into the oven. With my oven, I only baked the scones for a total of 10 minutes.

Now my next recipe I want to try is the monkey muffins (they have mashed bananas in them). Happy baking!

What is more fun than getting together with your girlfriends and/or ladies from church and having dessert and coffee?! And getting to hear a great message? Tonight my friend Keri and I decided to go to a women’s ministry get-together. It was held at the 747 Neighborhood Bistro (if you are near the Plainwell area, I highly recommend trying it out–great food and desserts!), with Sue Cramer sharing with us “The Key to Freedom.” Sue is an awesome woman of God, who shares straight from her heart and own personal experiences. If you ever have the opportunity to hear her speak, do not pass up the chance.

Click on the button below to go to Sue’s blog.

I hope you will be blessed by what Sue shares on her blog! God bless.