bounty

Best done in an iron skillet. I used canned biscuits for these fried apple pies .
My mother makes the dough and rolls into similar size rounds. Much better . . .

bounty--coffee cake (fcp)

Christmas Apple-Nut Coffee Ring
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons (or 2 pkgs) yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter
Apple Nut Filling:
2 cups finely chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Vanilla Glaze:
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 Tablespoons milk (I always need more than this)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish: chopped walnuts, red and green candied cherries
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 flour (2 cups) with the sugar, yeast, and salt. In a medium saucepan, heat milk, water, and a butter until lukewarm. Pour into dry ingredients and mix at low speed. Add egg and blend at high speed for 2 minutes. With spoon, add about 1 and 1/2 cups remaining flour to form a soft dough. Knead in remaining 1/2 cup flour. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days). Divide dough in half, roll each into a 7x14 rectangle and brush with melted butter. Spread half apple-nut filling over each, roll up along long side, seal edges. Place sealed edges down in a circle on greased cookie sheets, then seal ends firmly. Cut 2/3 of the way into the ring at 1 inch intervals. Turn each one-inch section on its side slightly. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk--1 to 1 and 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. When almost cool, drizzle with glaze and decorate with cherries and walnuts. Yields two coffee cakes, one for you and one to share.

bounty

are there a million apple pie recipes?

Bounty-Happy Thanksgiving! (fcp)

Start-Me-Up Sweet Potato Casserole (from TAG)
3 cups of sweet potatoes
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Boil potatoes and peel. Strain and mash, adding sugar, butter, vanilla and milk. Spread in 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
For Topping: Melt 1/3 cup of butter. Mix in 1 cup of Brown Sugar (in honor of Mick) and 1 cup of chopped pecans. Spread on top. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees, and share the love with friends and family...

A week of bounty

Gala apples from my daughters tree . . . the last ones hung on last year until after December . . .

A week of Bounty (fcp)

Fall always reminds me of apples, and my favorite apple recipe...

Oven Apple Pancakes:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix together:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of milk
4 eggs
Set mixture aside.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet on the stove while you prepare:
5 apples, cut in cubes (leave skin on)
Add:
1/2 brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Saute' until the mixture bubbles and apples are soft. Then pour the flour and egg batter over the apples, transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and continue baking another 10 minutes. Serve hot from the skillet, and garnish with powdered sugar and strawberries or raspberries. Enjoy!

lace

I finally decided that this is a Thanksgiving Cactus and not a Christmas Cactus after all. The difference is in the leaf. The Christmas Cactus has leaves that are more rounded. The Thanksgiving Cactus - or False Christmas Cactus - has serrated or 'toothed' leaves. Looks lacy to me . . . .

lace (fcp)

I was thrilled to see this lacy frost on the car--pretty cool design, huh?
"Oh young artist, you search for a subject--yet everything is a subject, your subject is yourself, your impressions, your emotions in the presence of nature"...Eugene Delacroix

lacy leaves

lacy shadows . . . .

lacey leaves (fcp)

"Light...the soul and medium of art"...John Constable

a week of lace

morning sun . . . .

a week of lace...(fcp)

Lacey late afternoon shadows!
"The tantalizing thing is not always to show the source of light, but the effects of light"...Edgar Degas

nature III

giant puffball mushrooms from the woods . . .

nature III (fcp)

The late afternoon sun makes the trees appear to be on fire! I am going to miss views like this when the leaves are all gone.
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves"...John Muir

nature

Caught up in a whirlwind, can't catch my breath
Knee deep in hot water, broke out in a cold sweat
Can't catch a turtle in this rat race
Feels like I'm losin' time at a breakneck pace.
~~ Stevie Ray Vaughan ~~

nature

Typically we have lots of the brown squirrels here, but occasionally the white squirrels come around too. I would think the bright white fur would be a disadvantage if you needed to avoid predators, but the population doesn't seem to suffer. Compared to the brown squirrel, he does appear considerably smaller, and perhaps even a little malnourished, but maybe that is normal?

... all about nature

My Mother had just stepped in from the deck this morning and we were sitting at the kitchen table having coffee when these guys joined us . . . .

"I ask people why they have deer heads on their walls. They always say because it's such a beautiful animal. There you go. I think my mother is attractive, but I have photographs of her."
~~ Ellen DeGeneres ~~

this week...it's all about nature

I saw these doves in the backyard and couldn't resist photographing them as they enjoyed each other, and the warmth of the late afternoon sun.
“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best"...Henry Van Dyke

more "on the street where you live"

just sittin' on the porch . . . .

more "on the street where you live"

This is the Ginko Biloba tree in my yard. I don't think I have ever seen bark quite like it; love the shape of the leaves. Any day now it will herald in autumn by turning a brilliant shade of yellow.

"A tree uses what comes its way to nurture itself. By sinking its roots deeply into the earth, by accepting the rain that flows towards it, by reaching out to the sun, the tree perfects its character and becomes great. ... Absorb, absorb, absorb. That is the secret of the tree"... Deng Ming-Dao, Everyday Tao

leaves

leaves...

Hey, I have a master gardener question for you. My Bradford Pear still has a lot of green leaves on it, but most of the leaves that have fallen have these AWESOME designs on them. How does that happen? It looks like they have been imprinted somehow. Also, got any tips for preserving leaves? I have them falling out of most every book I own. I just hate seeing them dry up and shrivel out on the lawn, so I gather them in an attempt to preserve them (and prolong the season). I've tried putting them between sheets of wax paper inside the books, but really can't tell a difference in color than when I just stick them in between the pages. Maybe the real key is how much weight is on the pages? How glossy the pages are? How long they have been in the books? any ideas?
"I don't mind the leaves that are leaving, just the ones that have been here before"...Piglet (from A.E. Milne's Winnie the Pooh as he attempted to sweep leaves off his walkway)

"on the street where you live"

come on in . . . . .

"on the street where you live"

The butterflies flocking to the butterfly bush (Buddleia, similar to lilacs) are tons of fun to watch this time of year.
I like this theme so much, how about if we post it all week? fcp

"I have often walked down this street before;
But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before.
All at once am I several stories high.
Knowing I'm on the street where you live.
Are there lilac trees in the heart of town?
Can you hear a lark in any other part of town?
Does enchantment pour Out of ev'ry door?
No, it's just on the street where you live!"...Alan Jay Learner