another fall, another chili bean...

The chili cook-off was a hit again this year!

There were six peeps

that got out their

"cauldrons".

They stirred up their

bat wings

and

eye of newt

and spider webs,

and cooked up a big pot of ...

chili...

yeah, chili...

for All Hallows Eve.

There was food aplenty.

Besides all the chili there were

corn bread and zucchini pie and all kinds of chili "toppings"

at the bonfire.

And inside, while watching the game:

Veggies and snacks - plural.

Cakes, pies, cookies and candies - plural.

Kettle corn, caramel corn.

Way too much!

Here are a couple of pics before it got really dark

(and before we went inside to watch the state football game) :

The "cauldron row":

 The fire that sure felt good as the

temperature dropped into the low 40's:

This year's winner was called "Game Day Chili"

It had a real "kick" in the spice department!

Next year,

I told everyone it was going to be

BYOB....

Bring Your Own Bean-o

:)



No, to market, to market

I am a little sad...
Fall Market is this weekend in Houston...


I am not going to Quilt Market this fall....

(insert sad face here).


But, I can't wait to see everyone's posts about their trips!
And all of the new "stuff" from all the designers and shops!

I know that Primitive Gatherings has their own line of muslins that will debut...
and Brenda from Pumpkin Patch Primitives is going to go look for
some great stuff to have in her online shop.
Blackbird Design gals have new stuff.
Rosie is going, but, for the first time, no new patterns are going with her!
And, that is OK, 'cause she has been whipping them out lately!
(I still want to get the "Brown-eyed Girl pattern!)
Some of the gals from across the water: Lynette Anderson,  and Natalie and have some great new patterns that they have hinted about on their blogs.

I know that a lot of the local shop owners around here are going to Market.
And I know they will find us all kinds of great STUFF!!!

It's that time again!

Time...
it sure seems like it has been flying, lately...
And, since it's almost the end of October,
that means it's chili cook-off time again!

Can't wait for Saturday night this week!
Nice, cool, fall weather with a bright moon and clear skies.
A great bonfire,
and a Party!!!

I invited the neighbors and friends and family.
So far, RSVP's are great!
Among others, these are the cook-off chilies that are coming:
a "famous chili",
a "turkey-10-alarm-chili", and
an "Italian chili"!   

Going to have to step up my recipe, it sounds like!!!

Oh, yeah, and get some more tables down to the fire pit!

meanderings...

more meanderings...
I think these are both to be Christmas gifts...
Bea's:

Imagine a great, fall colored quilt here...golds, blacks, tans....
for some reason, the photo will not load onto blogger....
Grrrrr!  And if I do say so myself, the quilting was nice, too!
Sorry, Bea!  :(


And, Roberta's:

How are people so far ahead this year with their gift making???

What's the secret?

Please tell me!

Both are great, aren't they?
I really want to get this far along in my Christmas gifting!
Might have to get to work instead of visiting blog land, huh?

Happy new week to you!
p.s.  I have heard it is only NINE, yes, NINE weeks until Christmas!

blue plate special

Remember the " blue plate special"?

I remember the local mom & pop place in town

always had a sign outside for a "blue plate special".

Do you suppose they really had blue plates?

But, that is not why I bring up the "blue plate"...

I recently read

some study

that was about eating habits

and how those eating habits are affected by the

color of the plate you eat from...

Supposedly,

the color blue is not pleasant to your senses when combined with serving food,

therefore, you would unconsiously eat less if served on a blue plate...

Don't know if this is true or not, but,

just in case...

this is the color of my snack plates:

And this is the snack

that I put on my snack plate last time:

Yep, that's my turtle cheesecake...

I don't know for sure if

the blue plate/eat less thing

is working for me, though...

I still ate the whole thing!

well, Cheesecake!

No, that is not an expletive!

It's just that - cheesecake!

I have been in the mood for cheesecake lately,

but if you have ever made a cheesecake,

you know that they are not small!

So I waited.

And waited.

Patiently.

Not my best attribute, waiting patiently.

I think I used to be more patient.

Maybe I have become accustomed to

our life of instantaneous results...

Like microwaved food - almost instant hot food.

Pop it in the little box,

poke some numbers,

and just a minute later:

WaLaa! Hot food!

Or maybe like fast food restaurants -

drive through, pay and pick up a meal.

Or maybe the worst culprit: 

picking up your cell phone

and texting or calling someone RIGHT NOW

and having them answer AND

not having to wait until you get to a Pay Phone or back home.

Pay Phone??? What's a Pay Phone???

Well, anyway,

back to the cheesecake...

I had to wait until I had a reason

to make a cheesecake

that feeds 16.

And the occasion arouse over the past weekend.  Yay! 

And I had a cutie of a helper...
(this pic was before we started licking the utensils
and before chocolate was on the white t-shirt! 
Oops, time to get out the aprons!)

I made this scrumptious

Turtle Cheesecake:

It was well worth the wait! 

Scrumptious!

a crust of pecans and flour and butter!

(whole wheat flour, of course)

Then the filling of

Two pounds of cream cheese,

eggs, sugar;

Dark chocolate mixed in with some of the cheesecake,

for a bottom layer of chocolaty goodness,

and a "turtle" layer of caramel and pecans!

Bake for a couple of hours...

then chill and cover with a ganache.

Ganache is that french goodie

that includes warming some whole cream

and pouring it over a good, dark chocolate, stirring until smooth.

What could be better?

Now,

I am going for a walk...

a very long walk!

meanderings...

Yes, the quilting jobs are abundant

as we move toward that gift giving season! 

Yes, I'm Lovin' it!

Check out this first one:

This one I got to work on for Cathy.

It is an old top that was mostly hand pieced, 

but had some machine piecing. 

The light fabrics were many different white with blue shirtings.

The dark fabrics were navy blues: some solids, and some small prints.

Cathy said it was a family piece,

and that her daughter really wanted it to be usable,

not a top just for display. 

So I did some repairs, quilted it, trimmed and bound it. 

Now it is living in a very appreciative home! 

And it is a real beaut, isn't it?

Then, wait until you see the next quilt I got to meander over...

It is Carolyn's.

And I tried to talk her out of this,

but she insists it is a wedding gift for a niece!

She did the birds as a block of the month at a LQS.

 

Then I helped her figure different borders

so she could make it large enough for the bride-to-be. 

Lucky, lucky girl! 

Carolyn actually made a second set

of the bird blocks as she worked on this one. 

So she will have a second, very similar quilt.

She says that the second quilt will be hers!

I'm still trying to figure out how

I could be

some relation to Carolyn

so that I could be on her gift list!!!

Let me know if you have an idea about

how I can talk her into this!

Autumn quilt

 A couple of posts ago, I wrote about a fall-themed quilt that was calling out to me...

This is the book I was thinking of. 

It is a 2005 publication...

And the quilt I was thinking of is entitled

"Midnight Sky".

The black and golden cheddar fabrics would be my stars...

the orange and greens the applique in the border. 

And,

all of these luscious

browns, reds, greens and cheddars

would be my log cabin strips!

 My stash contained most of these fabrics,

but I had (yes HAD!)

to do a little fabric shopping

to find the border fabrics. 

So, that entailed a quick trip north

to one of my favorite shops here in Ohio:

The Good Wives Company!

(P.S.  If you don't like to pick fabrics for a project, or don't have the time,

these gals will put together a fabric kit for you...Just give them a call with the pattern you want kitted and they will pull the Best kit you have seen!  And they have a WHOLE LOT of great fabrics in the shop to choose from!  Click on their name above to link directly to their web site.)

Anyway, they had the perfect fabrics for borders for my project:

the large brown floral and the light orangey cheddar plaid.

So guess what I will be doing part of this weekend??!!

I am not wishing away time,

but, I Can't Wait!!!

more meanderings

So, things are heating up!

Not the weather, though...

(I still haven't turned on my furnace -

I'm rebelling, I guess.)

To keep me warm,

I have had quilts to quilt and then bind for customers,

so, I'm nice and cozy under my binding jobs!!!

Poor Sweetie!  He doesn't do bindings!

So, on to this week's meanderings...

This first one is Tammy's...

she's going to wrap up a grand baby

at the Circleville Pumpkin show in the next week or so:

 The rest are Billie's.  She really likes stars, so another star quilt...

I think this will be entered in a show this fall.

(And, I think her stars are rubbing off on me...)

check out the great fall colors:

 Then, a couple of baby quilts she did for babies just born this August:

Cute, huh?

So, back to those stars...

Really, I'm thinking about doing something with fall colors,

and maybe some stars.

Any ideas for patterns?

I think there is a Thimbleberries book I'm going to look up.... 

Starry Night pattern. 

Anyone make that quilt? 

I have some great Jo Morton fabrics that are calling for a fall themed quilt...

please let me know...

another mathematical anomaly

Happy

ten-ten-ten

at

ten:ten:ten. 

A.M. and P.M.!!!

Or is it 10/10/10?

10/10/2010?

or 10-10-10? 

Wait, I know the answer to that last one!

That one equals -10!

Yeah,

there is a mathematician, out there, somewhere,

that has figured out when this will happen again...

Me? 

Not a mathematician,

& if I had to guess? another few hundred years???

So...

I am just wishing you a happy day,

on this tenth day of October, 2010!

more meanderings

I have been busy again....

Not much of my own stuff going, but a whole lot for others...

First up is one that I cut off the bottom of the picture, sorry!

Mary's hand cross-stitched quilt - a queen size!

 Another of Louise's grand kid quilts..

the front:

 The back:

I love how she pieces the backs and puts in some photos.

Then, 

A finish for Joell:

 And the second finish for Joell:

I know she works outside the home, but she still keeps bringing me

more to quilt!  I want her energy!

Anyway,

Aren't they all great???!!!

I'm promising myself that I am taking

one day this week to sew a little something for myself...

Well, something I would like to gift this Christmas.

We'll see how that goes!

Grandma, lard, fall & pumpkins

Leaves are turning;
the wind is blowing from the north,

I miss summer already.

Time to change up my cooking habits from summer menus.

Time for more comfort foods.

Time for October foods--- PUMPKIN?

Pumpkin may or may not be in shortage this year.

Depends on from which source you get your information....

Evidentially,

last year's pumpkin crop was smaller in some areas

because of weather conditions and a pumpkin blight

that caused the blossoms to fall from the vine

before producing a pumpkin crop.

Therefore,

not as much pumpkin was canned as is usually canned.

Sooo, if you don't have an abundance of pie pumpkins in your area,

or don't want to mess with the canning part,

purchase your canned pumpkin NOW for this holiday season.

That is the WARNING being issued by some pumpkin farmers.

"Canned Pumpkin Shortage!" 

So, how about we make some pumpkin cookies?

In honor of this so-called shortage?

This recipe for Pumpkin Cookies was my paternal Grandma's recipe.

I can tell, 'cause it has lard in it.

Yes, lard.

In  those days, you used what you had, and in the fall, you rendered lard.

If you come across a recipe with lard, you know it is an oldie but goodie!

And you know you can just substitute shortening for lard, right?

Not margarine, though. 

Too much water in margarine these days.  Makes the recipe a flop!

Anyway, here's my salute to Grandma & lard & fall & pumpkins!

Pumpkin Cookies

Cream together:

 2 cups lard (or shortening)

2 cups sugar

2 eggs.

Add 16 oz. canned pumpkin*, and mix in.

(*yes, I know that the new cans of canned pumpkin are 15 oz., and this works.  One ounce does not make a difference in these cookies.)

Add dry ingredients:
4 cups flour (I use white whole wheat)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice

Optional additions: dark chocolate bits, raisins, chopped nuts.
I love these with dark chocolate bits!  The GOOD kind of chocolate, not the waxy kind.
I use about two cups of optional something in the whole recipe.

Drop by the tablespoonful onto a baking sheet. 
Slightly flatten cookie dough ball,
then bake at 350 for 9 to 10 minutes. 
Let cool and drizzle with icing.

Orange Frosting:
1 to 1-1/2 cups confectioners sugar (aka: powdered sugar)
1 tablespoon butter, melted

3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate (yes, the frozen stuff).

Mix well with large spoon.

You can dip the top of each cookie into the icing and twist out and turn over, letting the icing run down the cookie top and your fingers.
Or, I use a fork and let the icing run through the tines over each cookie. 
Store covered.
Makes 48 or so soft cookies!

Happy pumpkin cookie making!

a 50th

I am a country gal, and I know that living on the farm while growing up taught me a whole lot of stuff that you missed learning if you lived in town. 

Out in the country, there really wasn't a "quitin' time"...
You just worked until it got dark, had your dinner, washed up and went to bed.
I didn't know what life in the small town was about...
Not until...

The village of Bedrock!   (This was in re-runs, not the original show in 1960...)
But, that was the best of small town living...

Oh, the things I could learn, growing up with Fred and Wilma and their extended family:
How cameras worked,
How vacuums worked,
How showers worked,
well, how a whole lot of things worked...
How people "in town" lived in split-level houses and became friends with their neighbors.
How drive-through restaurants came into existence.
That husbands and wives do share a bed.  (My parents did, but any other TV show did not show this for some reason.)
About raising a baby, and adopting a child...
About bosses and co-workers and  The Union,
And music icons like  Mick Jadestone and The Rolling Boulders.
Even about "Store Bought Jelly" and juice (we always made ours).  I'm guessing this was a sponsorship thing with Welches...

Anyway,
Yabba Dabba Doo!
We'll have a gay, old time!

Hope your week is as wonderful as the Flintstones' was in Bedrock, 50 years ago!