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Pumpkin Waffles {with THE WORKS!}

Pumpkin Waffles

Lisa Pearson



2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1/3 cup plain pumpkin {no spices added}

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. sea salt


Beat eggs, buttermilk and pumpkin together. Add the rest of the ingredients. Whisk until batter is smooth. Place 2/3 of a cup on waffle iron and let cook until golden brown.



Cinnamon Sugar

½ cup organic sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon



Homemade Syrup
Lisa Pearson


1 cup organic sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. clearjel {available at King Arthur or the Decorette Shop}

½ cup corn syrup

1 cup water

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract



*Whisk all dry ingredients together in a little saucepan. Add wet ingredients. Stir until it boils. Boil for three minutes. Strain. Pour into an old-fashioned glass syrup dispenser and frolick the day away!

*Be sure to keep leftover syrup in the fridge. Now, go frolick!



Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream
Lisa Pearson


Whip up 1 pint of whipping cream with 4 Tbsp. Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup.


Here is what you do:

*Place waffle{s} on plate

*Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar

*Pour on warm syrup {in your cute little glass dispenser} :)

*Top with whipped cream and garnish with freshly ground nutmeg

Post Note: It is the little things in life that add zest to life. With all the money you will be saving by making your own syrup, you may want to purchase a dispenser. They can be found at thrift stores...make sure it has a tight seal..., Cash and Carry, K-Mart, Target, EBAY etc. and if you don't have the time, CHRISTMAS IS COMING AND THE GOOSE IS GETTING FAT! {my hubby's favorite saying from October on!}





An Autumn Brunch Menu:

Orange Juice and Milk

Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream

Cinnamon Sugar

Homemade Syrup

Oma's applesauce

shoulda made bacon on the bbq, but opted for the sugar high!

...if you want to enjoy some yummy syrup and don't have time to make it, just top your waffle with TORANI PUMPKIN SPICE SYRUP...a little goes a long way!

...tired girls home from college, 1 teenage boy, an energetic hubby, and grandparents who dropped by...a little dappled doggie who feels she is entitled to pumpkin waffles, too...and there you have our crazy, late, late brunch!

Happy Happy Happy Weekend!

Shared with: comfy in the kitchen, at the picket fence

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Jami's Ginger Juice Concentrate

Last week I was invited to my friend, Jami's Pampered Chef Party. Any excuse to get together, really. She served this punch that was so good! She substituted cranberry juice for whatever other juice was called for {BRILLIANT!} and she skipped the wine and added 7UP to the punch so that there was an option for those who do not consume alcohol. {AGAIN, BRILLIANT!}

If you have been reading this blog long enough, you know how much I love ginger and cranberries. Not just because they are so delicious, but because of all the medicinal benefits as well. YES! They are THAT good for you!

As I was preparing my gourmet dinner for my twinsie last Friday, I began experimenting with the recipe, knowing full well Laur would give me her honest opinion without me even having to ask. That is also another reason everybody needs a twinsie!

After making a couple of different batches, I decided to just make a Ginger Juice Concentrate and offer different combos. SO, here is the basic recipe and the combos are endless!

Jami's Ginger Juice Concentrate:
Tweaked a bit from Jami

1 {11.5 Fluid OZ.} Langers Frozen Cranberry Juice Concentrate
1 piece of fresh ginger about 4 inches long
2 cans San Pellegrino Limonata...I put a bit less so it would fit in my glass bottle. OR 2 cans of 7UP...{I TRY TO AVOID HFCS, SO I PREFER THE LIMONATA}
4 limes, juiced

Directions:
*Thaw juice;

*Peel outside of ginger and chop into small pieces; {If you have a food chopper...dig it out and use it!}

*Combine juice and ginger in a small saucepan;

*Bring to a boil. Let cool a bit;

*Let sit in fridge overnight...if you have time. If you are not a ginger fan...DO NOT LET IT SIT OVERNIGHT. You wont be happy. You will not like me. You will most likely e-mail me and let me know how horrible it is. :) OR worse... you will not love JAMI...who is the sweetest! :)

*Strain ginger and place juice concentrate in a glass bottle.

*Squeeze juice of 4 limes and add to strained juice.

ADD LIMONATA OR 7UP




THAT IS IT! EASY AS PIE!


VARIATIONS:

Fill cup with ice.

Pour 1/2 glass with plain seltzer water. Top off with Ginger Juice Concentrate.

Pour 1/2 glass with orange juice. Top off with Ginger Juice Concentrate.

Pour 1/2 glass with San Pellegrino Limonata {available at Costco}. Top off with Ginger juice Concentrate.

Pour 1/2 glass with Hansen's Natural Soda Mandarin Lime. Top off with Ginger Juice Concentrate.

Pour 1/2 glass with Schloss Biebrich Sekt {sparkling wine}. Top off with Ginger Juice Concentrate.

Enjoy! Thank you, Jami for the fun night and for the most delicious food!

and thank you, Laur for being my {self-appointed} official taste tester!



shared with: comfy in the kitchen, Yvonne@stone gable

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{Simple} Chicken Noodle Soup for the Sick

Ready or NOT the dreaded cold and flu season is HERE! And if your Momma, Grammy or Aunties were anything like mine...it meant one thing. Well, two. Chicken noodle soup and saltine crackers. {Nasty salt water to gargle, a fizzy drink, warm baths, clean sheets and lots of cuddling, too!}

My momma would always get a whole chicken and let it sit in salt water and then boil it for the broth. She still insists that all the marrow from the bone is what a sick body needs, but personally, it has to be pretttttty bad for me to want a chicken bones swimming around in a graveyard of soup broth. And then there is the time involved, too. SO...here is a quick, kinda homemade version that lets the experts at Better Than Bouillon deal with the mess!

However, it is not going to take you much time to make your own Mirepoix blend:

Quick bonus food history lesson:

"In French cuisine, a Mirepoix ( /mɪərˈpwɑː/ meer-pwah; French pronunciation: [miʁpwa]) is a combination of onions, carrots, and celery (either common pascal celery or celeriac). Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sautéed with butter, is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. The three ingredients are commonly referred to as aromatics.

Similar combinations of vegetables are known as (holy) trinity in Creole cooking, refogado in Portuguese, soffritto in Italian, sofrito in Spanish and Suppengrün (soup green(s)) in Germany." {Thank you WIKIPEDIA}

It doesn't always happen, but I like to keep veggie packages frozen in the freezer, so that they are easy to grab when someone is sick. {Trader Joe's carries them, too, but I figure a little bit of effort should be made!}

Take 1 large carrot, peel it and chop it. Add 1 large stalk of celery and chop it, too. Then take 1/2 of 1 medium yellow onion and chop it. That is it. No measuring and you have your very own homemade mirepoix blend. Easy Peasy!



Chicken Noodle Soup
Lisa Pearson

Take 1 package of prepared veggies out of the freezer {see above}

Saute the veggies until they are softened

Add 1 clove of minced garlic

You may add a few peppercorns or freshly ground pepper

Add 8 cups of water and 8 tsp. of Better Than Bouillon




Let the soup come to a boil and then add in 1/2 cup of Angel Hair pasta bits {these can be found near the Mexican food section at the grocery store.} They are a deal at 33 cents a package!}



Let the soup boil for about 2 minutes or until the noodles are soft.

**If you are taking the soup to somebody, ladle it into a canning jar and package the noodles separately. It will be easy for them to add the noodles as they are heating up the soup. Trust me, SOGGY noodles are NOT what the doctor ordered.

Do you know of someone in need of comfort?

Maybe there is someone needing you to be the one who reaches out to them...even if it something as simple as a jar of kinda homemade chicken noodle soup, saltines...and a fizzy drink!







Happy Wednesday, dear friends!


A sweet little box to go: I used a pastry box I had on hand for the soup in a jar, the saltines, cough drops and a few m&m for when my friend {a chocolate lover} starts to feel better. I lined the bottom of the box with burlap and glued a piece of craft paper to the lid. Using fabric scraps, I made a white rose posie and burlap for the leaves...the gift was tied with twine and a piece of fabric was stamped "THINKING OF YOU..." Using what I had on hand made this little gift inexpensive and special for my friend who has had a tough few weeks! Again...it is the little things that make a big difference!

...AND, if you are a vegetarian...no problem, we have you covered there, too.  This is DIVINE!!   It's my favorite!!

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A Man for All Seasons

I saw it.
With my very own eyes.
I saw a face full of fear.
Lips that quivered.
A heart that was broken.

Never...never did I think this beautiful face would be marked with eyes that were so full of tears.
Tears of joy...usually...not tears welling up from a grief-flooded heart. They had no where left to go.

What do you say?
What do you do?
How do you offer comfort?

All I could possibly do was to listen. To listen some more and to be silent.

No longer did she feel loved
No longer was she cherished.
No longer was she the love of his life.

She was lonely...for the first time really, ever.
She was afraid...of what laid ahead of her...for her family, for her children.
With one small conversation and with very few words given, she no longer had her identity. It was as if it had been stolen and given to someone else in exchange.

Right there...as her tears no longer could be shed, she had two choices to make

1. To trust God, and to walk by faith...knowing that she would have to trust in One who could not be seen or touched.

2. To walk by sight...using her weak legs to walk the jagged trail, while grasping for every willing hand to help steady her now frail and mostly trembling soul.

People disappoint.
Friends and family dig deep for encouraging words, but in the end, they are empty words of hope.

...this dear, sweet LOVE has taught me oh.so.much.

Isn't it easy at times to share words of advice we think is best?

Dear friend of mine, God is working on your trust.
You are loved by a God who loves you.
You are chersished by HIM...
and you are the love of HIS life!

Let Him be your MAN for all seasons.
It is HE who is "overflowing with joy, intimate with sorrow, hospitable to sinners, nemesis of evil, tempted in all ways, innocent of all wrongdoing, at home in lonely places, the life of the party,one who turns water into wine, just because He can, who multiplies loaves and fishes, just because He cares, but who denies help to his cousin John as he languishes in prison, who indeed, refuses to help himself when he staggers in a desert or groans from a cross. He goes up on mountains and down in valleys. He preaches to thousands but takes time for any lone beggar, weeping whore, groveling invalid, writhing demoniac, pleading father. He leaves banquets to visit the sick ward. He is silent when talking would help His cause, and talkative when silence seems most prudent. HE is rude with bullies and phonies and prigs and, at the same time, tender with loosers and seekers and penitents.

HE is with us when we soar on wings as eagles, and probably even when we wingsuit jump, and with us, too, when we can't walk for fainting...and everywhere in between."
{"man for all seasons" and quote by Mark Buchanan}

"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the LORD their hope and confidence."
Jeremiah 17:7

Your mourning will be turned to JOY!!

With all our love!

{THANK YOU DEAR PENNY for the book! I am loving it!}

Shared with: titus 2sday, women living well, our simple country life

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Marsh Grass Salad

Confession is good for the soul!

1. Those of you who visit here KNOW that I am not a fan of technology or anything that has to do with electronics...specifically, my laptop {no offense, honey!} BLOGGER is another story, for another day and another time! SOOOO, after my computer being down for two weeks, and wanting nothing to do with having it fixed, whatsoever, my hubby finally talked me into it this am! AND now that I have been cooking up a storm, nesting, and crafting a bit for parties, birthdays, and fixing up things around our home...I am chomping at the bit to share it with YOU!! AND, thank you for being patient with all of the re-posting going on around here...anyhoo, that is the scoop.

2. Can I even tell you how many recipes I have tried that call for Wild Rice? Can I tell you how many times we have ended up taking more time at the dinner table because we are all still CHEWING on the UNCOOKED centers of that little grain? I stopped using it, because I couldn't get it right. Well, I finally found THE BEST WILD RICE at TRADER JOES and guess what? It is already cooked. And if I can manage to have it turn out, ANYBODY can. So, we will leave it to the experts to cook it correctly and let we, the consumers, embellish away.

They were having a taste test with it at Trader Joes and I was in a total hurry, so, I didn't pay any attention to what other ingredients they had on display.

A few weeks later, I called all the Trader Joes in our area {NO EXAGGERATION!} trying to track the "recipe" down. Finally, a lady sorta recalled that it had a vinaigrette and Wild Rice and nuts. I probably could have figured the rice thing out! {Sorry for the LONG explanation!!! BLAH.BLAH.BLAH.}

SO this is what I came up with! It just screams "easy peasy" and "WELCOME AUTUMN!" I just can hardly wait to share my Autumn favorites with you and to hear all about the things that help to make your homes all cozy and sweet!

MARSH GRASS SALAD
Lisa Pearson


1 pkg. TRADER JOE'S Wild Rice

1/2 cup Balsamic vinaigrette {homemade or Trader Joe's}

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup hazelnuts,coarsely chopped {toast them if you have time :)}

3 green onions, sliced

1 cup cranberries

1/2 Granny Smith apple, diced...or whatever

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Warm up the rice according to pkg. directions.
Add all ingredients together. Top with blue cheese

ENJOY. Serve warm or chilled.

This recipe is so versatile. Leave out what you don't like and add something else you LOVE.

OPTIONS:

red onion

orange zest

mandarin oranges

chicken slices

avocado...my favorite!!


Menu:

Chicken
Marsh Salad
Crusty Artisan Bread
Schloss Biebrich Sekt {Trader Joe's}


In other news: I made a conscious effort to S l o w l y open the new saran wrap package today...so I wouldn't have to hate it for the next six months! I opened it successfully, but still wasted three or four layers of the actual wrap...BUT, I have a nice box in the drawer and that makes me oh.so.very.very happy.


AND speaking of HAPPY...


HAPPY MONDAY!

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Pumpkin Biscuits

Happy October to YOU! I hope all of you are enjoying your weekend!

We literally got our trips to the dump made, the driveway swept...from sawdust and lots of old paint chips, the lawn mowed and the garage cleaned up before it started to rain! Now aside from needing to paint the house...we are ready for all the rain and to be comfy and cozy in our little home. Are you ready to take it "easy", too? I have no desire to have any more home projects going on for a VERY.LONG.TIME!!!

This last week, I was dying to make an old-fashioned pot roast dinner. So, that is exactly what the Dr. ordered! Do you ever just crave a nice, warm dinner with your family? To go along with dinner, I added baby red potatoes and sweet carrots to the crockpot for about an hour before dinner. I fried green beans and made pumpkin biscuits. The kiddies and their friends love them. Not only are they a pretty orange hue, but they are also extra nutritious and oh.so.moist!

Pumpkin Biscuits
Lisa Pearson

2 cups flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 Tbsp.soy flour {I buy mine in bulk at WINCO}

1/2 cup butter...cut into small pieces

1/3 cup 2% milk, 1/2 and 1/2 or heavy cream

1/2 cup plain ol' pumpkin...no spices needed this time!

Directions:

Whisk together dry ingredients

Add butter and cut into dry ingredients...use a pastry cutter or a flat beater on a stand mixer

Add all wet ingredients to flour mixture

Blend until ingredients come together

Transfer to lightly floured surface...I use a ROULPAT with a bit of flour

Pat into about a 10 inch disc

Using a cookie cutter...cut out biscuits. I used a 3" cutter and got about 12 biscuits.

Place biscuits on SILPAT

Bake at 425* for about 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden.

Serve warm with WHIPPED BUTTER. That is it!

By the way, these freeze beautifully!

ENJOY!

Shared with Stone Gable, Im lovin it, newlyweds

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