Pumpkin-y goodness...

I love Autumn in general, and October in particular.  Do I enjoy October because it means my birthday is imminent, or do I enjoy my birthday because it's surrounded by my favorite things?  

I don't usually go out for trendy things, but I liked everything pumpkin before there was pumpkin everything.  Diego's birthday is two days after mine, and he likes pumpkin-y things too.

I noticed Pumpkin Spice pudding in the store yesterday, so I picked up a couple of boxes.  I thought I might make a trifle or something for next Sunday's dessert.

Two days ago I picked up the jar of Pumpkin Butter.  If I follow through on my intentions, we will enjoy some of it this afternoon on some warm-from-the-oven homemade bread.  Yum!

Seven random thoughts on the 7th...

1.  One more day of company.  Sister-in-law will be picking up m-i-l on Friday morning.  I have been cooking at home almost exclusively.  We've been out to eat only twice in three weeks.  Today the hubs was going to the grocery store and asked if I needed anything.  I said, "I don't know.  What do you want for supper?"  "WHATABURGER!" says he.  I will remind him of this when he complains about me not cooking sometime in the future.  :)

2.  I needed thread today (for a sewing project before m-i-l leaves), so rather than drive to the city, I broke down and went to the new WalMart.  It's only been open two weeks!  I was hoping I'd make it at least a year without stepping foot inside.  :(

3.  Monday was quilting-at-the-library day, and it was a UFO (UnFinished Objects) day instead of a common-project day.  I got all the pieces for my mystery quilt cut while I was there.  That means I'm only three months behind now.  LOL  

4.  The weekend coming up I will be: staying in my jammies, ordering pizza, and having a TV marathon.

5. We don't have pretty Autumn leaves here, but the slightly lower temperatures and humidity levels are SO welcome!

6.  I have to remember to renew my driver's license!

7.  I've taken a three-week hiatus from decluttering while company was here.  It is time to start gearing back up...after my jammie, pizza, and TV weekend.  :)

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

I can't remember the last time I posted 'What I'm reading Wednesday.'  I have been reading as you can see on my Shelfari book shelf (lower right margin under my blog list) or on my Reading List page (linked under the blog title photo) where I usually give a very short review of each book I read.

This week I'm reading Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier.  It is the story of Mary Anning and her contributions to science by her fossil finds in 19th century Lyme Regis, England.  The author has me yearning for a seaside holiday.

Speaking of seaside holidays, these photos from Cath at Home of the Tessellated Pavement in Tasmania has fed my coastal dreams this week.

Sunday desserts...

Pecan Pie Cupcakes

As usual, when I started to think about what to make for today's dessert the main criteria was something that would not require a trip to the grocery store.  I settled on this recipe, and it only requires five ingredients (which were all in my pantry), and it is super easy.

Pecans, butter, flour, brown sugar, eggs...that's it.  These are made in a mini muffin pan, and the author says not to fill more than 3/4 full or you will have a mess in your oven.  Also, she says that Baker's Choice spray is best to coat the pan.  I didn't have any, so I used my spray coconut oil and then floured each section of the tin...wasn't as hard as it sounds, I didn't do a bang up job.

When baking is done, cool for one minute in the pan, then turn them out to cool.  Apparently if you leave them in the pan longer than on minute they are difficult to remove.  I followed the 1-minute suggestion, used an orange peeler to loosen the edges, and had no trouble.

I wouldn't exactly call these cupcakes, though you could decorate the tops with a little whipped cream to make them look a little more like one.  They are definitely a mini, nutty, morsel of goodness.  Here's the interesting part...Carey and I both tasted one when they came out of the oven, and we weren't that impressed with the flavor.  But after dinner, when they were cooled, we liked the flavor much more.  Not sure why that would be, but my advice would be to let them sit awhile before tucking in.

I found the recipe on Lick The Bowl Good.

Snuggle up little hens...

I just put two chickens in the oven to roast.  I had been planning to stew them for use in casseroles, but the slight temperature drop we've had just put me in the mood for a nice roast chicken.  I will probably serve one, and bone the other to use later.

A squeeze of lemon over the top, half a lemon inside each, and the other lemon halves in the pan, a sprinkle of salt and pepper inside and out, and a sprinkle of smoked paprika over the top.  Add a drizzle of olive oil over each.  Bake in a fairly hot oven for a short while, then reduce heat and cover with foil for remainder of cooking time.

I'll probably serve with roasted potatoes and spaghetti squash.  Spaghetti squash seems to be new to my mother-in-law, and she really enjoyed it when I cooked some last week.  Her dietary restrictions have not really been the challenge that I feared they might be, and she seems to be surviving unscathed from my cooking.  :)

M-i-l will be here for one more week.  Two of my brothers-in-law stopped by this morning on their way to their hunting lease.  She was happy to see her boys.

Tonight I am picking daughter up from the airport, and everyone is eager for her arrival.  I loved spending time with the children; however my sleep schedule, iffy at the best of times, has been a real challenge this week.  My fingers are crossed that Hurricane Joaquin will not impact her flight schedule, as she is coming in from the east coast.

edited to add:  Served with roasted parmesan potatoes and a squash casserole, so I could put them in the oven to finish at the same time for easy finish up by husband.  I had to nix the spaghetti squash as my airport run to pick up Kasey was scheduled for dinner time, and didn't want to overtax my husband's kitchen skills.  :)

Making it Monday...barely...

...barely Monday, that is.  It was 1:00 am when I took this out of the hoop.  All that's left is adding some pearls and framing, and we will have something new around the house for Winter decor.   The colors look a little off in the photo...I don't think the fabric is really that beige-y, and the tree color isn't really that dark brown.  Hmmm...I will have to look at it again in the light of day.  I found the pattern here.  

This week Kasey is travelling for work, so I will be running kids hither and yon, and spending nights at their house.  While they're in school, I'll be back home to cook and visit with our visitor.  If I don't get a chance to check in, I hope everybody has a great week.

I'm linking to Bits and Bobs where Cath hosts a Design Board Monday link party.
 

Counting stitches...

I started a Christmas project last night.  It should work up fairly quickly, but I'm not at all impressed with the linen that I purchased from Joann's for the project...very difficult to count threads...and, no, it is NOT my aging eyes!  :)  I have had to pull out quite a few sections, as well as letting some mistakes that aren't too noticeable stay put.  The linen feels rather thin, stiff, and low in quality.  Not very fun to work on.

Other than that I've been cooking and trying to behave.  The former is so much easier than the latter.  :)  

My m-i-l likes the guest room very much, and the visit is going as well as expected.  Though I've been trying to keep the door to my office/craft room closed, she did take a peek in yesterday, much to my chagrin.  Why, yes, there is a "lot of stuff" (code for 'dumping ground') in there...I have a lot of hobbies.  It actually had been looking a lot better in there, but in the last push to straighten up the house a lot got tossed in there for the duration.