Most favorite time of the year!!

Hi there! I have been meaning to postmany more blogs, however, my camera is not connecting to my computer to transfer pictures. So, until I figure out what is wrong with it, I will have to do pictureless posts or get pictures off-line. This will probably make things not as exciting, but you will have to use your imagination.

Today I went for a walk at Pointe Au Roche State Park and was thinking of all the things that make fall my favorite season. I thought I would make a list and share with you.

1. Big comfy sweaters (no more bathing suit weather, thank goodness)

2. The smell of fall leaves

3. Apple picking

4. Baking with apples

5. Driving through the ADKs with leaves that are colors you have never seen before

6. Planning for the upcoming holidays and what I am going to make everyone for christmas

7. Apple-cinnamon scented candles

8. The smell of burning wood on a crisp cool day

9. Farm stands

10. Thanksgiving

11.Going to the Pumpkin Patch

12. Carving pumpkins

13. Fall Harvest

14. Canning tomatoes

15. Sunflowers

16. Football pot luck dinners

17. Yankees games (hopefully they have made it to the playoffs)

18. Handing out candy to trick or treaters

19. Knowing that I will be seeing my family a lot for the holidays

20. Hiking the ADKs

I am sure there are many more things I love about fall and if I think of more I will add them later. What is you favorite season and why?

Pot Luck Dinner with friends!

Thai Chicken Satay Skewers w/

Peanut Sauce

Mini Spanakopitas

Lots of food and it all had not arrived at this point

I have been wanting to host a dinner for quite a while. I love to cook for people and think catering would be an awesome job. I know I can cook well, however, time management is a huge weakness that I need to improve on before I can even think about having a buisness. Anyway, I was hoping to do all the cooking and put out a wide array of appetizers. Realizing that I am not made of money, I decided on a pot luck dinner and had to choose a few items off my list to make. I made Thai chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce, mini spanakopitas (also known as spinach pies), roasted garlic bulbs for spreading on bread, and an apple pie (from the apples in my previous post). Joe made mac-n-cheese from scratch with roasted jalapeños and Anaheim peppers, Colby and cheddar cheese, and a pretzel crumb topping. It was very spicy, but so tasty! Heidi (friend and co-worker) made goulash and brought tea cake from Rambach's Bakery. Sam (friend and co-worker) brought brownies with peanut butter chips and challah bread. Katie and her boyfriend Chad brought roasted potatoes, roasted asparagus with balsamic, and a veggie frittata. So you are probably imagining that there were a ton more people attending this pot luck to help eat this insane amount of food, but you are wrong. Just the six of us. It was worse than Thanksgiving. Talk about "food coma." And holy left overs. I am not allowed to touch sweets for like the next who knows how long. I sent everyone home with giant plates of food and still had a lot left over. With tummies full and my cooking addiction fulfilled for a while, it was a success.

Apple Jacks Orchard

Joe, happily picking away!

YUM!

"Goat Mountain"

Coming for food

Love them and want my own!!

This past weekend, Joe (my love) and I went to Apple Jacks Orchard. We went last year and picked the most delicious Macouns and Macintoshes bigger then our heads. Unfortunately this year, the Macouns werent quite ready, but we picked a half bushel of delicious macs and cortlands. Later that day I made an apple pie (Better Homes & Gardens recipe) for a pot luck dinner that I had the following day. Emm it was so good. As for the rest of the apples, they will probably go with Joe to work in his lunch, and I will probably cut them up and eat them with Peanut butter. There will be no more pies for a while, as the winter weight is already packing on.

Also, if I were a pet goat, I would want to live here and play on their "mountain". Its amazing and they seem to really enjoy it. Last year while we were there they escaped and were scattering everywhere. It was too funny.

Gift Baskets

"TASTE of NEW YORK"

"Breakfast in Bed"

I made this basket for a friends wedding! I love making baskets with as many local items as possible. So far I have made a "Breakfast in Bed" basket, a "Taste of New York" Basket for a bridal shower raffle, and a Hiker's Gift basket. Unfortunately I do not have a picture of the hiking basket, but it included natural bug spray, cliff bars, a pocket knife, homemade trail mix, mini toilet paper roll, dog treats (for the dog obviousley, lol), and a few other items.

The "Breakfast in Bed" basket includes, local adirondack roasters coffee, maple syrup, strawberry-rhubarb jam, honey from my uncle's apiary, Tazo tea, my homemade granola, and New Hope Mills Buckwheat pancake mix.

The "Taste of New York" basket was made up of all products made in New York. It included:

Michegan Sauce, Borderview Deli, Champlain, NY

Coffee, ADK Coffee Roasters, Peru, NY

Maple Syrup, Jordan, NY

Honey, Haine's Apriary, Auburn, NY

Chocolates, Candy man, Wilmington, NY

Pancake Mix, New Hope Mills, Auburn, NY
NYS Reisling, LongPoint Winery, Aurora, NY

BBQ Sauce, Dinasaur Barbeque, Syracuse, NY

Pumpkin Hill

Our walk after lunch through the meadow
Inside the Bistro

To the meadow we go...

Emmm...

Pumpkin Hill Bistro

My beautiful Mom and nephews

So I'm back home visiting my family for just about a week and I thought I would introduce you to some more of my family and the things I love about being home. This is a picture (along with a few others) of my mom and two nephews, Andrew and Kyle. We are at the most adorable little restaurant, the Pumpkin Hill Bistro in Aurora, NY. Every little detail has been thought out. From salad served in mini colanders with a pie tin underneath, to your bill being brought out in a mini clay pot or tea cup. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was even better. We ate out on the porch that overlooks a meadow and Cayuga Lake. There was a slight breeze with the sun peeking through. After we walked a short trail through the meadow. What a lovely afternoon!

P.S. I have to apologize and say that these pictures are out of order, but I am very new to this blog business and will hopefully get it figured out sooner than later.

Delicious Birthday Cake and my Loves!

I made this cake when I was home visiting my family. I got to spend my grandma's birthday with her. I wanted to make a very special cake for her, as I usually do when I am around to spend her birthday with her. The recipe for the cake is from The Farm Chicks website. Its a dark chocolate butter cake, but I added home made ganache, fresh raspberries, and the flowers. My Grandma plays a huge part in why I love to use my imagination, cook, and craft. She is the most wonderful person has taught me so much (along with my grandfather, he is wonderful too!). She had me rolling meatballs at the age of 2 or 3, so I'm convinced this is partly why I love to cook so much. Anything I cooked up as a kid, she would pretend to love. My grandparents are true country folk, that live a simple, yet wholesome life style. I just love them!

Weekend in Vermont

So I'm very upset with myself. I went to Burlington, VT and FORGOT my camera. What a great first post that would have been. I did find a few good pics on the internet though. We got to see Lady Circus and the Mickey Western band on Church St., which was very entertaining, ate at the Vermont Pub and Brew, and Penny Cluse for Breakfast. I would have loved to snap a photo of my huevos rancheros at Penny Cluse Cafe, they are to die for!! I adore Burlington. People are so friendly, home is right across the lake, we finally get to stare at the ADK Mountains vs the Green Mountains, and I love the people's style, anything goes (even though I believe Burlington was said to have had the worst dressed people in the country, lol, I disagree). Anyway, it was a lovely weekend, but would have been even more lovely had I remembered my camera.