I Love October!!

October has to be my favorite month! I love the chilly weather, I love all the fall recipes, and I love Halloween! This year we'll be camping again, so won't get to have all the fun decorating the yard and house, but I will get to decorate our trailer and campsite! How fun is that??? I'll post pictures when we return home! Tonight it is already down to 33 with the windchill - I brought in my tomato plant - pretty sad story, I ordered it online, it arrived in June, I didn't get it planted until July, and it dutifully spent the next TWO MONTHS growing itself the mother of all root systems! It lost every single leaf, and then a couple weeks ago it went "TA-DA"!!! and started growing leaves again. What choice did I have?? So there it sits in a big plastic tub in the middle of the living room with a fence around it to keep out Miss Libby, the "busy basset". A few years ago I had a volunteer tomato plant in the house and by Easter I had fresh tomotoes! Wish me luck with this one! Hubby thinks I'm nuts...

My Aprons from Kernville

Okay, I managed to convert my pattern from Excel (don't ask!) to a .pdf, but can't figure out how to get it to a .jpg, but I'll keep working on it and post it later... for now here's the photo of the two aprons I cranked out the day before we left for Kernville. Margo's has all the cute wine things, mine has leaves and acorns... hmmm... acorns... maybe that's why that little squirrel was so attracted to my campsite... oh, wait, it was the $12 bag of peanuts... I remember now!

Yummy Soup Recipe!!

This recipe is from Cuisine At Home - Soups, Stews & Chiles. Absolutely wonderful! Hubby even liked it which is a miracle considering it wasn't "chile". I simmered the chicken while prepping everything else, and had it done in a reasonable amount of time considering I worked late tonight and still had to run to the market! This one is a keeper. Can't wait to try some more from this book!

SPINACH-ARTICHOKE SOUP
1 cup leek, sliced
1 T garlic, minced
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
14 oz can water packed artichoke hearts, drained
2 T flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 ozs fresh spinach (I used 8 oz bag from salad section)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper (I skipped these and never missed them)

Saute leeks and garlic in oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Cook until leeks are soft, about 2 minutes, then add chicken and quartered artichoke hearts. Saute 2 minutes, then stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with wine and simmer until nearly evaporated, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in broth, milk and cream, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add the spinach and parmesan, and stir until spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Serve with:

PITA CHIPS
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp paprika
cayenne to taste
4 rounds pita bread
olive oil

Preheat broiler to high. Combine seasonings in a small bowl. Lightly brush pitas on both sides with oil and sprinkle with seasoning mixture. Transfer pitas to a baking sheet and broil until golden, 2 minutes per side. Cut each pita into 8 wedges. (Hubby doesn't like pitas, so I used sourdough. I also will cut the salt in half - way too salty for me!)

BYE BYE SEPTEMBER!!

Hmmm… long time no post! Besides the usual obligations, I’ve been up to my neck planning for the annual Sisters on the Fly Kernville event. Brought the trailer into the yard to pack it, and the adorable Miss Libby… who is still in puppy mode… decided to tear out and EAT all the wiring from underneath the trailer. Hubby was NOT happy and all the new wiring is now safely encased in conduit. Our Kernville event had 30 sisters and nearly that many trailers. It was so much fun to meet so many new sisters!! We enjoyed lots of fly fishing, antique stores, good food, and I think we’ll have 4-5 new sisters joining who happened across us at the campground!! Perfect weather – about 90 during the day, but that meant we didn’t have to wear waders. Nice and cool in the 50’s at night… ahhhhh!! Today I spent several hours getting my turtle’s indoor winter “pond” all set up – he’s pretty happy to be inside with heated water, but what a messy job! I am the poster child for the “free pet syndrome”…