Fall Blooms #2

We have had a lovely fall, and try very hard to squeeze in a drive to the mountains and going to lunch with a lake view when we can. This weekend we will head to the Spooktacular at the local zoo with Xavier, and hope to do some apple picking. This will be the final "Blooms" post for the year as the blooms have dwindled.     

 The next group of photos is where I walk at the local college. I am also trying to reduce my book collection, and donate books when I can. 

 One of the highlights on my walk is admiring the 120 foot Norway Spruce.  

The day I took these photos, there was a young couple having photos taken of her baby bump. Such a sweet thing to do these days, we never did that :-)

I don't decorate much for fall, but do enjoy seeing some fall colors in our home. For the first time, I added orange and purple lights on the two windows near the front door so the trick-or-treaters could enjoy the lights and pumpkins in the window. We get a hefty amount of children for Halloween. 

xo

Deb

Nat'l Handbag Day 2019

It's no secret that I love handbags and especially my Traveling Tote. In honor of National Handbag Day, I filled my favorite tote with some blooms. We are BFFs and both enjoy  garden blooms! 

My second favortite handbag is in the photo below. Smaller than the tote pictured above, and she doesn't bang into people in crowds. 

I took the handbag photos below while in Italy last September, and fell in love with several handbags in Milan, Stresa, Bergamo, Verona, Bologna, Bellagio and Venice. 

The orangy Hermes bag was styled with my favorite colors black and white. I have a handbag in this same color, and have had more compliments on it over the last year than any handbag I have owned. It's definitely the color that grabs you. W

Fall Blooms #1

The bees have been very busy, even visiting my floral arrangement. 

 I am enjoying the late blooming wildflowers at our camp... I love their contrasting colors and they are appreciated by all the pollinators. New England Asters, a nectar-rich flower is native to the US, where it grows wild along roadways and in meadows. I am drawn to the vivid purple blossoms with yellow centers teeming with bees, nature’s most beneficial pollinators. 

Happy October! Seasonal changes are occuring! Thanks for stopping by.   

Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie

The first apple in the basket
was bright and shy red.

The second apple in the basket
said, "What a cozy bed!"

The third apple in the basket
said, "Please move over there."

The fourth apple in the basket
said, "Now we are two pair."

The fifth apple in the basket
said, "Oh dear, me-oh-my!"
"This basket looks like pastry."
"I think we're apple pie!"

I'm sharing my favorite apple pie recipe {again}. It's that good. For a printable copy, click here.

Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie

=============================

Adapted from Bon Appétit | October 2003

Filling

3-1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used tart Macs)

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Topping

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

.

For filling:

Mix all ingredients in large bowl to coat apples. (I sometimes let this "marinate" overnight but you don't have to)

For topping:

Blend first 5 ingredients in processor. Add chilled butter cubes; using 

on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles wet sand.

Put filling in crust, mounding in center. Pack topping over and around 

apples (I add chopped walnuts to this topping).  

Bake pie on baking sheet at 350 until topping is golden, about one hour. 

(cover top with foil if browning too quickly). Bake until apples in 

center are tender when pierced and filling is bubbling thickly at edges.

Thank you for stopping by! 

Soon We Will Be Waving Goodbye to Summer - Summer Blooms #6

 

 Butternuts 

As summer comes to a close, the weather is still desirable and the blooms continue to put on a show. The foliage in the mountains has 20% color change. This will wrap up my "summer blooms" series until next summer. The fall series will start in two weeks.

Thanks for stopping by!

xo

Deb