Walkin' On Sunshine Day 18

"In every walk with nature

one receives far more than he seeks."

~John Muir

Hi Sunshine Walkers! 18 days down - only 3 left! How are you doing?

Also, a very warm welcome to Deb! I realized today that I hadn't announced her as a new member - and she is doing a great job!!! :-)

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup
8 servings

4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
6 potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups chicken broth
1/2 pint half-and-half
½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
optional toppings - extra bacon, extra cheese, sour cream, chives, salt and pepper

In a large stock pot saute onion in butter until tender. Add potatoes, chicken broth and enough water to just cover potatoes. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked. Add half and half and bacon. Add cheese and stir until completely melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with choice of traditional baked potato toppings and enjoy!

Linked to Gooseberry Patch Recipe Roundup

At last!

My daughter and I have been watching

for these at the grocery for weeks!

Today - they were there!

An Autumn Hutch

Dishes are my weakness...

I usually can resist, but autumn colored plates and bowls priced at $1 a piece at the grocery ... well, I just couldn't help myself! I brought my treasures home, paired them with items I had on hand and gave my hutch a little fall makeover! :-)

A sweet little find...

... an acorn soap pump.

Dollar Store - I heart you!

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 17

Alrighty, we only have four days left! How did everyone do today?! :-)

I'm on a mission...

Pink Mexican Sugar Cookies

3 dozen

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

several drops red food coloring

extra sugar

Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg and mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Add food coloring; mix well. Shape dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place balls on cookie sheet and flatten with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 12 minutes at 350°. Cool completely and enjoy!

I am trying to recreate one of my husband's favorite childhood treats - pink mexican sugar cookies! He has fond memories of both grandmothers taking him to a neighborhood bakery in the valley of south Texas for these special cookies. He enjoyed these today, but we are thinking the cookie needs to be denser - maybe more flour next time? Stay tuned...I'll update the recipe next time I try a batch!

Edited to add - he has also requested that they be "greasier". :-) Though, I don't think I can, in good conscience, use more than one cup of shortening at a time! ;-)

Harvest Fun

An afternoon at the

"Haunted Hay Maze"

and

"Pumpkin Patch"!

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 16

"A vigorous five-mile walk

will do more good for an unhappy

but otherwise healthy adult

than all the medicine and psychology in the world."

~Paul Dudley White

Five days left! Anyone still walking on sunshine? :-)

King Ranch Chicken

King Ranch Chicken

12 servings

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
2 tablespoons butter

1/2 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

18 corn tortillas
3 cups cooked, diced chicken
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine soups, broth and tomatoes. Set aside. Saute onion and pepper in butter until tender. Lightly grease a casserole dish. Layer 6 tortillas, 1/3 of the chicken, 1/3 of the onion and bell pepper and 1/3 of the cheese in the casserole dish. Pour 1/3 of the soup mixture over layers. Repeat layers two more times. Sprinkle with chili powder and garlic salt and bake for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Linked to Gooseberry Patch Recipe Roundup.

Autumn Puzzles

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com

"Pumpkin Time " by Walt Johnston

This picture reminded me of the puzzle we worked last year...

an autumn scene from the "Americana" series by Charles Wysocki.

It was a gift from my sweet sister-in-law.

This fall we'll be working on...

downtown Austin from the "Picturing the Past"

series by Rod Chase.

It was a gift from my mother and daddy.

My new Ravensburger "Stow & Go" puzzle mat will come in handy!

Do you like to work puzzles in the fall? :-)

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 15

"After dinner sit awhile,

after supper walk a mile."

~English Proverb

How are the sunshine walkers doing? We only have six more days left! :-)

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie

8 servings

for filling

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup beef broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes in puree
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
for mashed potato topping
6 cups peeled and chopped potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk

salt to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

paprika

Cook potatoes. Meanwhile, make the meat filling. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and celery in the butter, stirring often, for about 5 to 6 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until beef is done. Stir garlic and flour into beef mixture. Stir in beef broth, canned tomatoes, herbs, and worcestershire sauce. Gently simmer for several minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to a large buttered casserole dish. Preheat oven to 400°. Mash cooked potatoes with butter and sour cream, adding milk until desired consistency is reached. Salt potatoes to taste and spoon evenly over filling. Sprinkle cheese and paprika over top. Bake for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool for several minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Magic Muffins

This recipe comes from the back of the Malt-O-Meal box! We love Malt-O-Meal in the fall and winter and these muffins are yummy, too!

Magic Muffins
12 servings

1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup Original Malt-O-Meal hot wheat cereal, dry
1/2 cup sugar
2/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine all ingredients; stir until moistened. Pour into greased or paper-lined muffin tin, filling cups 3//4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until center is firm to the touch.

Supper Menus
October 20th-25th

Monday
shepherd's pie, lettuce and tomato salad, dinner rolls
Tuesday
king ranch chicken, ranch style beans
Wednesday
out for supper
Thursday
baked potato soup, country white bread
Friday
kung pao chicken, white rice

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 14

"Walking: the most ancient exercise

and still the best modern exercise."

~Carrie Latet

I unexpectedly had to leave town today right after worship and didn't return home until after dark, so I didn't get my walk in. I really missed it and am looking forward to a long one tomorrow! How did everyone else do? We're not done quite yet, but I am really feeling the habit setting in, are you?! :-)

Laura Ingalls Wilder's Gingerbread

12 servings

"This was one of Laura's favorite recipes. There is nothing quite like the aroma of gingerbread baking. Serve this warm or at room temperature. It is delicious with applesauce or with cream that has been whipped to soft peaks and sweetened just a little."

~from The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup molasses

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup boiling water (measured in a 2 cup or larger measuring cup)

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground gloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 13x10x2 inch pan. Blend sugar and shortening; mix in molasses. To the boiling water add the baking soda and mix well. Combine the flour, spices, and salt. Combine the sugar and molasses mixture with the flour mixture and the water. Mix ingredients well and pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until center of gingerbread tests done. Enjoy with a glass of cold milk!

Also from the cookbook...

"Laura Ingalls Wilder, like other celebrities, was sometimes asked to share a favored recipe. To such requests, Laura invariably supplied her gingerbread recipe, a lifelong favorite. The gingerbread became widely known when it was published in a special Laura Ingalls Wilder issue of the Horn Book Magazine in 1953. In the years since, Laura's gingerbread has been the feature of thousands of celebrations held in her honor all over the world."

Sun Rise...Sun Set

I am anxiously awaiting the time change. Are you? I'm ready for the sun to get up when I do. ;-) I enjoy knowing when the sun is going to rise and set each day, so I print out a calendar each month to track the times. You can go to the site below to print out a customized calendar for where you live. :-)

Sunrise Sunset

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 13

"Thoughts come clearly while one walks."

~Thomas Mann

It was a busy day for my family today! Both children played two soccer games each, so we were at the fields for quite awhile. Then a special 85th birthday celebration for Giggle's grandmother. :-) Home for a steak dinner ;-) and then my walk! I had to walk tonight because...it's becoming a habit! :-) Yeah! Who else walked today? :-)

Walkin' On Sunshine Day 12

"After a day's walk everything has twice its usual value."

~George Macauley Trevelyan

Day Number 12...who's walking on sunshine?! The weather outside my home is just beautiful today - during my walk I really did feel like I was walking on sunshine! ;-) Have a great weekend Sunshine Walkers! :-)