Rustic Roasted Vegetable Tart

Rustic Roasted Vegetable Tart

4 servings

1 small eggplant, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry
1 tablespoon cornmeal
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Combine vegetables, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Transfer to an 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan. Bake at 450° for 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and moisture has evaporated, stirring every 10 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal over a greased 14 inch pizza pan; place pastry on prepared pan. Spoon vegetable mixture over pastry to within 1 1/2 inches of edge. Fold up edges of pastry over filling, leaving center uncovered. Bake at 450° for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cut into wedges and enjoy!

This is a new recipe we tried this evening. It went over better with the girls than the guys. ;-) I think I would prefer it on a regular pizza crust. It is really pretty, though! :-)

Jessica Simpson's Chicken and Dumplings

Jessica Simpson's Chicken and Dumplings6 servings

3 tubes croissant rolls
1 small rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat removed from bones
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400º. Roll out the cans of croissant sheets and separate into diamond shaped sections. Place a small handful of rotisserie chicken on each diamond, fold dough over and press ends together to create dumplings. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with one layer of dumplings. Combine soups and chicken broth; pour over dumplings. Season with salt and pepper and bake until the dumplings are tender and cooked through and the top is brown and bubbly - about 30 minutes. (I laid foil across my pan about halfway though, because the dumplings were browning too quickly.)

Yummy!!! I got this recipe from my friend Giggles. Thank you Giggles - these were so easy and so delicious!

Also, I just had to add, my family came home from soccer practice tonight, and of course wanted to know what was in the oven. I replied, "Jessica Simpson's Chicken and Dumplings". My daughter said, "Oh? She cooks??" ;-) Haha - yes, she does, and she cooks well! :-)

Fresh Green Beans and Sauteed Tomatoes

4 servings

fresh snap green beans (enough for 4 servings)

1 package grape tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon parsley

a pinch of garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Cook beans until desired tenderness; drain and set aside. In a saucepan, sauté tomatoes and seasonings in oil over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add beans and toss to coat.

I love these eyes...

Photo taken by my daughter. :-)

What's this?

Yes, it's a hard boiled egg. :-)

But it is also, the perfect visual to discuss

the Earth's crust, mantle and core! ;-)

Thoughts on Kindness

"Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

~attributed to both T.H. Thompson and John Watson

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear

and the blind can see."

~Mark Twain

"You cannot do a kindness too soon,

for you never know how soon it will be too late."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The kindest word in all the world is the unkind word, unsaid."

~Author Unknown

"...always try to be kind to each other..."

I Thessalonians 5:15

I taught my Bible class to remember this verse, by asking them, "What happens at your house at 5:15?" Is Daddy getting done with work? Is Mommy trying to get supper on the table? Is everyone hungry? Is the phone ringing? Is the dog barking? Are the children fussing? Then it's a good time to...always try to be kind to each other! :-)

"The only preparation for tomorrow

is the right use of today."

~author unknown

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow..."
Matthew 6:34 NIV

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com

"Autumn Bonfire" by Raymond Knaub

Supper Menus
September 29th-October 4th

Monday
take out hot wings
Tuesday
jalapeno chicken enchiladas, spanish rice, pinto beans, apple upside down cake
Wednesday
chicken and rice, baby carrots, fresh green beans and sauteed tomatoes, dinner rolls
Thursday
chicken and dumplings, lettuce and tomato salad
Friday
rustic roasted vegetable tart, caesar salad
Saturday
birthday cookout

And the winner is...

drawn by my daughter,

comment #67 -

"Amy" the mother of

one year old twins!

Her comment -

"Fall is my favorite season and the 28th is my twins first birthday!

Yay! Happy fall!"

Thank you to everyone that entered the First Day of Fall Giveaway! I just have more fun finding out who is reading Heritage Schoolhouse. I will be taking some time this week to make my way around to visit all of your blogs and make some new friends - I can't wait! :-)

Amy, please leave your e-mail address in the comments of this post. I will email you to get your mailing address and your fall gifts will be on the way straight to you! :-)

It's Johnny Appleseed's Birthday!

"Johnny Appleseed, born John Chapman (September 26, 1774 – February 18, 1845), was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apples to large parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. He became an American legend while still alive, largely because of his kind and generous ways, his great leadership in conservation, and the symbolic importance of apples." ~from Wikipedia

Johnny Appleseed’s Song

Oh, the Lord's been good to me.

And so I thank the Lord

For giving me the things I need:

The sun, and the rain and the appleseed;

Oh, the Lord's been good to me.

Oh, and every seed I sow

Will grow into a tree.

And someday there'll be apples there

For everyone in the world to share.

Oh, the Lord is good to me.

Oh, here I am 'neath the blue, blue sky

Doing as I please.

Singing with my feathered friends

Humming with the bees.
Oh, the Lord is good to me.

I wake up every day,

As happy as can be,

Because I know that with His care

My apple trees, they will still be there.

The Lord's been good to me.

I wake up every day,

As happy as can be,

Because I know the Lord is there

Watchin' over all my friends and me.

The Lord is good to me.

“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap,

but by the seeds you plant.”

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Anyone can count the seeds in an apple,

but only God can count the apples in a seed! :-)

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com

"Apples in a Wood Bowl" by Peggy Thatch-Sibley

“Come said the wind to the leaves one day,
Come o’re the meadow and we will play,
Put on your dresses scarlet and gold,
For summer is gone and the days grow cold.”

~from an 1880's children’s song

illustration courtsey of www.allposters.com

"Shades of Autumn" by Kent Wallis

The Birth Place of Texas!

Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site's
~Barrington Living History Farm~

Home School Days - "Childhood in Early Texas"

"Visitors can step back in time and are encouraged to participate in daily activities of this 1850's cotton farm to better understand what life was like over 150 years ago. Learn how to drive oxen, help plant and harvest crops, and try your hand at spinning or making soap.

The living history farm is a representation of the farmstead founded by Dr. Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas.

The Anson Jones home is an original structure built in 1844, moved to Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site as part of the Texas Centennial Celebration in 1936." ~from the brochure

Scenes from Barrington Living History Farm!

Would you like your house to smell like fall?!

You would? Then head on over to Kelli's blog and bake these gingerbread cupcakes!

Thanks Kelli! :-)

Jalapeño Cheese Cornbread

Ever since a sweet friend of mine

(who just started her own blog!)

mentioned jalapeno cornbread,

I have thought of nothing else!

Thanks Giggles! :-)

Jalapeño Cheese Cornbread
6 servings

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 tablespoon vinegar with milk added to make one cup)
1/4 cup oil
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped or 3 jar jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Combine first six ingredients; set aside. Whisk the eggs, buttermilk and oil. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Stir in jalapenos and cheese. Pour into a greased 9 inch square baking pan. Bake at 400° for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares or wedges. Serve warm with butter and enjoy!

Linked to Gooseberry Patch Recipe Round Up

First Day of Fall Activities

Coloring for older children -
coloring book fun
These pages are so beautiful, you'll want to color, too! :-)

Cross word puzzle, word search, and more -
homeschooling holidays fall

Fall crafts and worksheets -
enchanted learning themes fall

First Day of Fall Giveaway!

I'm celebrating the first day of fall with a giveaway! :-)
To enter, please leave me a comment on this post.
Next Sunday evening, September 28th, I'll draw the winner.

The winner will recieve...~a nine piece Wilton "Leaves & Acorns" cookie cutter set
~a Pumpkin Spice scented candle
~a Happy Harvest pumpkin
~a bag of Hershey's Kisses, milk chocolate flavor
~a bag of Hershey's Kisses, "candy corn" flavor!

Good luck and thank you for entering!

Wonderful Things of Autumn...

pumpkins
gourds
hot cocoa
Indian corn
scarecrows
acorns
squash
apples
leaves
squirrels
knitted scarves
harvest moon
school books
bonfires
football!
roaring fires in the fireplace
quilts
howling winds
drippy candles
corn candy
hay rides
warm sweaters
homemade soup
apple cider
popcorn balls
carnivals
homecoming
doughnuts
candy
costumes
thankfulness
sharpened pencils
pink erasers
game nights
movie nights
county fairs
turkey and dressing
pumpkin rolls
cinnamon rolls
hunting season
caramel apples
bobbing for apples
back to school clothes
roasting marshmallows
puzzles
tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
cranberries
"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"
roasted pumpkin seeds
flannel sheets
oil lamps
long books
mums on the front porch
hazelnuts
cinnamon sticks

new crayons

It's the First Day of Fall! :-)

Autumn's Appeal

Swirling leaves of gold and crimson
Drifting on a chilly wind
Slowly settle in the meadow,
Heralding the summer’s end.

Sunlight fades a little faster
With the passing of each day,
Crops wait ready to be gathered –
Nature’s bounty on display.

Evening’s song grows ever softer
As birds start their southern flight,
While the first fire in the fireplace
Warms a cold and frosty night.

Autumn days bring sweet contentment,
Time to slow life’s hectic pace;
Time to linger in the beauty
Of fall’s majesty and grace.

~Ruth Fiori Poynor

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com

"Shades of Autumn" by Kent Wallis