On the menu....

 Happy Halloween!  How are things going where you are on this last day in October 2020? 

We have had sunshine here all day, and the frost that was expected overnight didn’t find us here, though it has been cool outdoors.

We have word that there will be a “Parade of Spooks” on our street later today.  Our residential area isn’t large....only one street....so the spooks won’t have far to go on their parade.  We’re told that they will all be wearing masks.

It has been in my plans to prepare a Halloween breakfast, part of which required beginning on Friday evening.

This was the beginning of Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal, steel cut oats with a bit of cinnamon in the slow cooker overnight.

This is the first appearance this morning....

....and this is after adding the pumpkin and giving it a needed stir for the cinnamon to be absorbed.

A recipe for Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts has been in my file for a few years.  I finally decided that today was the day to try it.

It was the first time I had used my doughnut pans, and they worked really well!

After adding a little bacon, breakfast was served!

Oh, I also added a few walnuts on top of my oatmeal, and that Pumpkinhead cup was soon full of coffee! 

For Sunday Lunch, there will be Gold Medal Chicken Breast, a recipe that uses stuffing mix, candied sweet potatoes (probably), and peas.  Of course, there is always dessert! 

I will be back Monday with an update.

My wish for you, as always, is that you make wise decisions for your safety and that you stay well!

Another five on Friday....

 There were a number of years that I greeted Friday with great joy!  It seemed to take forever for a Friday to arrive!  Now, I hardly turn around twice, and here we are at another Friday.

What are some things that have brought me joy this week?

1.  Did you know that National Chocolate Day was Wednesday?  That means, of course, that enjoyment of all things chocolate was strongly encouraged!  I celebrated with this....

Hot chocolate with smashmallows!  Such a treat!

2.  I may have mentioned before that my “green thumb” is severely lacking.  Plants actually run the other way when they see me coming!  I was at first skeptical; however, it’s evident that the petunia that bloomed so cheerily during the summer reseeded, and we have blossoms!

It will need protection tonight!  Freezing temperatures are predicted!

3.  We had a visit on Sunday from the Country Girl, and she brought along our grand dog!

Gwen is her name.  Isn’t she pretty?  

4.  We’ve had rain this week, compliments of Zeta.  This was a view we enjoyed when we took advantage of a break in the rain to work in our daily walk.

5.  Since childhood, I have been a fan of baseball.  In the past number of years, however, following the game has been something only done during the World Series.  This year, the Dodgers and Tampa Bay played six games.  That’s how many games were needed for the Dodgers to win the World Series!  I was a childhood Dodger fan, and the Dodgers winning this year brought me joy!  

What about you?  Have there been special things that have brought you joy this week?  

Are you staying safe and healthy?  Take care of yourself!

No points earned....

 .....for presentation, but here is our Sunday lunch....

The platter would have looked nice with some parsley sprigs around; a pineapple slice or two centered with a maraschino cherry, perhaps.  Though missing some garnish, we didn’t seem to let that deter us from enjoying it.:-)

We were ready for dessert when the time came, too.

Susan Branch has a wonderful recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake in her Autumn book, and as National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day was last week, I was ready to try that recipe.  Halved and baked in a pie plate, it is just enough for The Husband and me.  I attempted to atone for a serving platter lacking garnish by drizzling caramel on the plate for the cheesecake and topping the serving with fresh whipped cream!  

It’s not surprising that today is National Pumpkin Day!  This is pumpkin season, you know.  In honor of the pumpkin today, this is the action in our kitchen....

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread!  This is from a recipe I clipped from an advertising folder a few years ago, and today is the first time for me to try it.  We’ll see if it becomes one of those that is retained. 

I have it on good authority that Wednesday, the 28th, is National Chocolate Day!  Busy with planning something special for that special day!

Take care!  Be safe, and stay well!

On the menu....

 On our menu today has been some football watching.  Alabama is here to play the hometown team, the Vols.  The sports menu will continue tonight when we watch the 4th game of the World Series.  

The “Saturday special” was this....

Pumpkin Biscuits!  I added apple butter to mine, and it was delicious!  

For Sunday’s menu there is grilled ham steak, grilled asparagus spears (or roasted), and sweet potatoes in some fashion.  Never fear!  There will be dessert!  Tune in on Monday for a recap!

May you experience all good things!

Friday’s post....

 We continue to be in the midst of very serious times.  COVID-19 is still very much with us!  No cure has been discovered!  It is not on the way out!  Yesterday, the United States hit a record number of reported cases, highest since a few months ago.  We have not “rounded the corner!”   In our local county, deaths are barely short of 100, and the hospitalization count is not far from 70!  

The Husband and I continue to follow strict guidelines.  We wear masks when we are out for curbside pickup, although we have no need to be out of the car and in public.  We haven’t been with any groups, either small or large, since March 12.  Even when our family visited in early July, we wore masks and followed social distancing guidelines.  We continue to place orders for groceries and other items via Instacart, and we continue to wipe down our purchases.  This is definitely a stressful and anxious time!

We make an effort to find that which brings joy to our days through this time of self-isolation, and I keep a journal - of sorts - daily to detail our activities and current feelings.  This Friday post is an effort to keep those things which bring us joy in the forefront of our minds as we finish up this week.

(1)  This week, we were happy to be able to have one of our cars serviced - safely!  There was definitely ample disinfecting spray applied to the interior of the car when we went to pick it up, and minimal time spent - wearing masks, of course - to take care of any needed transactions.  

(2)  The unexpected arrival of this package brought joy....

Handmade by a friend in New Jersey, this seasonal mask will add a real designer touch when out and about, although we will stay in the car!

(3)  It is always a pleasure to receive greetings of the season....

These from friends in Pennsylvania and North Carolina brought a smile to my face!

(4)  I nearly always have my coffee black; however, when this appeared on the Aldi order screen for the Instacart shopper, I knew I had to try for this treat!

It isn’t October without Pumpkin Spice, is it?  This has a really good flavor!

(5)  Another surprise arrived through the mail, and it will receive daily use!

A great way to begin the day is with a focus on that which is greater than we are!  It has been a real help to keep our eyes on our faith, and this gift from a friend in Pennsylvania will assist us in that!

(6)  Adding an extra one today....having to do with baseball!  We have enjoyed watching the World Series this week, though I will confess that it stays on later than we are accustomed to staying awake; therefore, we don’t know the final score until the next morning.  With the series tied at 1 and 1, we hope to be watching some baseball again this weekend!

May you find that which brings you joy in the days ahead!  Be safe, and stay well!

Why not?

 If one is making pastry for a savory pumpkin dish, why not make that a two-crust effort and make one for a sweet pumpkin dish?  Well, why not use up all the leftover pumpkin and make TWO desserts rather than just one?

That’s how we came up with TWO desserts for Sunday Lunch....the first Pumpkin Pie of the season, and another recipe for Pumpkin Brownies!  There are still lots of pumpkin goodies to be enjoyed this month.  What is your favorite way to enjoy pumpkin?

There was a main course to experience before dessert time....

We had not enjoyed Chicken Parmesan in a very long time!  Green beans are hiding in that covered pumpkin.  Not shown in the picture is a little sautéed spinach, a favorite of mine!  

Oh!  That Pumpkin Quiche....the new recipe?  It was a hit!  It will be added permanently to my recipe file!

Are there any baseball fans out there?  The World Series begins on Tuesday with the Los Angeles Dodgers from the National League playing Tampa Bay of the American League!  Are you ready for popcorn and cracker jacks?  Do you have a favorite team?  Play ball!

Continue to take proper precautions!  We are at a very serious time with this pandemic!

On the menu....

 For many years, October weekends have been scheduled with UMW meetings and college homecomings.  Those activities would nicely fill a Saturday....sometimes a Friday, too.  That has not been the case this year, due to the pandemic.  

Emory and Henry has created a Home Staying with virtual activities for us to enjoy.  The UMW meetings have relied on Zoom for our gathering.  

That was the case this morning when there was a UMW Executive Committee meeting on the calendar.  That meant things had to be moving along quickly today; therefore, there was no special homemade creation for a Saturday treat.  Instead, this was a nice substitute....

This is Pumpkin Brioche, available on the order screen when I placed my curbside grocery order for Friday.  I will admit, it is very good!

Later, I baked this....thinking ahead to Sunday morning, when it will once again be necessary to move quickly for our online worship service.  It will be good to have this available for some microwave action.

This is Pumpkin Quiche, a new recipe I came across this week.  As this is the season for all things pumpkin, it was the perfect choice to use part of the remaining can of pumpkin for some previous baking.  What do you do with leftover pumpkin when the recipe you might be using doesn’t specify the entire can?

We are still planning Sunday Lunch here.  On the menu for tomorrow is Chicken Parmesan and green beans, most likely.  Rolls, of course, and dessert, too.  I’ll be back on Monday to let you know how that goes.

As is usual, I suggest that you be safe, stay well, wear your mask, avoid large crowds, and wash your hands often!  We are still wiping down our groceries, too!  Take care!