I’m addicted to blogs. Particularly blogs by strong, creative women who cook, or make art or both. One blog that I’ve become addicted to is called Kitchen Sketches.  Stephanie makes these fabulous collages, which are so inspiring. And she writes about food and cooking a lot. Recently she posted this fabulous recipe for Pumpkin-Coconut cookies. I love anything Pumpkin, from soup, to cake, to cookies? And I love Coconut, especially in cookies. I had also never heard of the combination so I had to give it a shot. They were delicious. The coconut was subtle, but provided a nice texture to the cookie, while the pumpkin was slightly sweet and a touch savory.

PS: No Wednesday Walk this week, I totally forgot!

(photo from etsy)

I’ve been trying not to buy anything lately. No reason really, other than I already have too much stuff, so why add more? But there are a few things that might make me give in to the impulse.

These adorable hats are one. I mean, it gets cold here and a baby girl needs to stay warm, right?

And check out these earrings…. perfect for all those holiday parties!

This bowl... how does he do that?

And this table runner…. again, the holidays are approaching.

And these plates. Just because they make me smile.

I’ve always loved this tree; it has so much character. But every since someone gave it a pair of eyes, it really makes me smile.

(The little Boston Terrier at the base of the tree makes me smile, too!)

I love Butternut Squash. And Acorn Squash. And, well, any other type of squash that’s out there. Unfortunately, Husband does not feel the same way I do. Daughter and Dog enjoy it, but, well… Anyway, I spent the afternoon with Jen and Lisa and I brought along a Butternut Squash Pizza. It was loaded with the squash, roasted Vidalia onion, sage and feta and served on a store-bought flatbread. I made something similar a couple years ago with my Sister and her Husband (he likes squash) and I’ve always wanted to make it again.

The recipe is below, and it includes my sister’s editorial notes. I left them in because they were very helpful. Enjoy!

Caramelized squash pizza

1.5 lbs squash, peeled and sliced very thin
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, sliced thin
1tsp dried crumbled sage
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
6 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp mashed garlic
2 pre made medium pizza rounds
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese

Preheat over to 325 degrees
place sliced squash and onion in baking dish and toss with rosemary, sage, 1
tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 3 tbsp olive oil to coat. Cover with foil or tight-fitting lid.

Bake about 1 hour or until squash is tender and onions begin to caramelize
Remove from oven and increase temperature to 375 degrees. (We actually
cooked our pizzas at 425).

Mix remaining olive oil with remaining salt, pepper, and garlic. Brush each
pizza with garlic mixture. Sprinkle on parmesan cheese and top with
caramelized squash, onions and crumbled feta cheese.

Bake at 375 or 425 for 15 minutes (both times we extended til at least 18
min). Remove from oven and serve.

I think ours had to bake higher and longer because we bought raw pizza dough
from the pizza place. If you use a Boboli or something like that it would
only take 15 min max.

I started the day at the Eye Doctor and took some shots on the walk back to my car. I totally spaced that my eyes would be dialated, and I’d have really no idea what was in the viewfinder of my camera. I took this shot from in front of my car in the parking ramp. It looks a lot better now than when I shot it.

remember?

(post created and posted from my iPhone using the WordPress app)

I’ve been listening to a Lullaby CD over and over and over for the past 7 months. Surprisingly, I’m not sick of it. In fact, there are a couple songs that have stuck with me. Well, the melodies all stick with me, but there are a couple that have strong messages.

Like these lines from “When you Wish Upon a Star”:

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

And from “Simple Gifts”:

‘Tis the gift to be happy, ’tis the gift to be true,

‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain’d,

To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

Nice, don’t you think?

A couple weeks ago I received a postcard in the mail for the “Maiden Minnesota 2009″ event. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the event, but basically, it’s an evening featuring local, women-owned creative companies. There are dresses and jewelry and cupcakes and purses. What else does one need, really?

We bought a few apples, like a few dozen apples, a few weeks ago. As I was reading blogs and linking from one to the next I found a whole lot of apple recipes I wanted to try. Last weekend I tried two of them, both successes.

For dinner, Husband made this beautiful Chicken & Spiced Apples dish from Eating Well. The chicken was tender and full of flavor, and the apples lended a beautiful sweet and tart flavor to the plate.

For dessert, I couldn’t help but make this Apple Custard Pie. I found this recipe on a blog, and I have no idea (I’m so sorry), where I found it. I used a store bought crust, because if you remember, I don’t do pie crusts. And the rest came together so quickly. Sliced apples, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, and then a mixture of half-and-half, vanilla and an egg poured on top. Do the layers again and pop it into an oven. I wish, oh, I wish, I could remember where I found this recipe. The pie is soooo good. It’s not too sweet, the apples make it healthy, and the store bought crust was passable. But I’m not a crust snob. Let me know if you want the recipe. I’d be happy to type it up for you. Once I remember where it is!

I think a scarf in this color, don’t you?