We sampled the all new HoHo Merlot & Skinny Mists and paired some Reds and Whites that tasted great!
What was your beautiful this this week?
Blessings
Saturday, November 8, 2014
|
By:
Anita
Beautiful Thing ~ week # 45
I've been making bottling my own wine for several years now. So when Krystle invited me to Wine at Home’s It's Ladies Night! on Thursday from 7-9 pm I was up for some fun!
We sampled the all new HoHo Merlot & Skinny Mists and paired some Reds and Whites that tasted great!
Spending time with my girl, whether we’re shopping, walking, sipping or just sitting together, it’s always a beautiful thing!
What was your beautiful this this week?
Blessings
We sampled the all new HoHo Merlot & Skinny Mists and paired some Reds and Whites that tasted great!
What was your beautiful this this week?
Blessings
Friday, November 7, 2014
|
By:
Anita
Changeling
Everything is changing. Okay, maybe not everything. And certainly not everything all at once.
The leaves have almost spent all their colour and are falling to the ground for another Canadian winter. The temperatures are changing. The Soya beans have been harvested and Winter Wheat is planted. We’re definitely moving deep into autumn.
I like the changes that come with fall, and winter. Trading out capris, t-shirts and sandals, for blue jeans, sweaters and boots is fun. The way the days cool and shadows shift. And of course there is the time change.
Last weekend, we changed our clocks back one hour to end Daylight Saving Time. That wonderful time of year when we gain an hour of light in the morning only to lose the light at night. It was not too long ago, that the annual “fall back” of daylight saving time was a little gift that plopped into my life once every year.
My internal clock though is having a difficult time adjusting back to standard time; and you know, I've been feeling quite grumpy. During times like these, I’m learning the importance of taking care of myself. Getting more rest. Slowing down and expressing my needs more clearly. Sometimes change can be good.
Change isn't usually something I look forward to because it’s often uncomfortable. And yet, change is the only constant.
My prayer is to embrace the changes as God allows them into my life. To remind myself “what if today, we were grateful for everything” .
What about you? What’s your favourite thing about autumn? What lessons are you learning about change?
Blessings
The leaves have almost spent all their colour and are falling to the ground for another Canadian winter. The temperatures are changing. The Soya beans have been harvested and Winter Wheat is planted. We’re definitely moving deep into autumn.
I like the changes that come with fall, and winter. Trading out capris, t-shirts and sandals, for blue jeans, sweaters and boots is fun. The way the days cool and shadows shift. And of course there is the time change.
Last weekend, we changed our clocks back one hour to end Daylight Saving Time. That wonderful time of year when we gain an hour of light in the morning only to lose the light at night. It was not too long ago, that the annual “fall back” of daylight saving time was a little gift that plopped into my life once every year.
My internal clock though is having a difficult time adjusting back to standard time; and you know, I've been feeling quite grumpy. During times like these, I’m learning the importance of taking care of myself. Getting more rest. Slowing down and expressing my needs more clearly. Sometimes change can be good.
Change isn't usually something I look forward to because it’s often uncomfortable. And yet, change is the only constant.
My prayer is to embrace the changes as God allows them into my life. To remind myself “what if today, we were grateful for everything” .
Blessings
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
|
By:
Anita
The Flavour of Pumpkin Season
With Pumpkin month October behind us, I thought I'd share my 5 favourite recipes using pumpkin...
Pumpkin Spice Latté
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more to garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole milk
1 to 2 shots espresso, about 1/4 cup
1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped until firm peaks form
Directions:
Heat the pumpkin and spices: In a small saucepan over medium heat cook the pumpkin with the pumpkin pie spice and a generous helping of black pepper for 2 minutes or until it's hot and smells cooked. Stir constantly.
Stir in the sugar: Add the sugar and stir until the mixture looks like a bubbly thick syrup.
Warm the milk: Whisk in the milk and vanilla extract. Warm gently over medium heat, watching carefully to make sure it doesn't boil over.
Blend the milk: Carefully process the milk mixture with a hand blender or in a traditional blender (hold the lid down tightly with a thick wad of towels!) until frothy and blended.
Mix the drinks: Make the espresso or coffee and divide between two mugs and add the frothed milk. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, or nutmeg if desired.
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
GLAZE:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 Tsp milk
1 Tsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Ingredients:
3 ½ cups milk, or more to taste
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tsp brown sugar, or to taste (optional)
2 Tsp pecan pieces, or to taste (optional)
Directions:
Mix milk, oats, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, salt, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg together in a cooking pot. Cook on medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Sprinkle brown sugar and pecan pieces over the oatmeal to serve.
Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 ½ cups oil
1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree
3 cups flour
1 Tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a medium bowl, cream together egg, sugar, oil, pumpkin and beat until smooth. Mix in dry ingredients. Fill muffin time lined with paper ¾ full. Sprinkle each one with brown sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes until center comes out clean.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
3/4 cup ground hazelnuts
3 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 (8 ounce) package scream cheese, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
4 eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan.
Using a fork, combine gingersnaps, hazelnuts, 3 tablespoons brown sugar and melted butter. Press mixture onto the bottom and two inches up the sides of the pan to form the crust.
With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the pumpkin. Mix in the cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 90 minutes, or until center of cheesecake is set. Allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
Blessings
Pumpkin Spice Latté
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more to garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole milk
1 to 2 shots espresso, about 1/4 cup
1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped until firm peaks form
Directions:
Heat the pumpkin and spices: In a small saucepan over medium heat cook the pumpkin with the pumpkin pie spice and a generous helping of black pepper for 2 minutes or until it's hot and smells cooked. Stir constantly.
Stir in the sugar: Add the sugar and stir until the mixture looks like a bubbly thick syrup.
Warm the milk: Whisk in the milk and vanilla extract. Warm gently over medium heat, watching carefully to make sure it doesn't boil over.
Blend the milk: Carefully process the milk mixture with a hand blender or in a traditional blender (hold the lid down tightly with a thick wad of towels!) until frothy and blended.
Mix the drinks: Make the espresso or coffee and divide between two mugs and add the frothed milk. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, or nutmeg if desired.
Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
GLAZE:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 Tsp milk
1 Tsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Ingredients:
3 ½ cups milk, or more to taste
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tsp brown sugar, or to taste (optional)
2 Tsp pecan pieces, or to taste (optional)
Directions:
Mix milk, oats, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, salt, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg together in a cooking pot. Cook on medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Sprinkle brown sugar and pecan pieces over the oatmeal to serve.
Pumpkin Muffins
4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 ½ cups oil
1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree
3 cups flour
1 Tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a medium bowl, cream together egg, sugar, oil, pumpkin and beat until smooth. Mix in dry ingredients. Fill muffin time lined with paper ¾ full. Sprinkle each one with brown sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes until center comes out clean.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
3/4 cup ground hazelnuts
3 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 (8 ounce) package scream cheese, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
4 eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan.
Using a fork, combine gingersnaps, hazelnuts, 3 tablespoons brown sugar and melted butter. Press mixture onto the bottom and two inches up the sides of the pan to form the crust.
With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the pumpkin. Mix in the cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 90 minutes, or until center of cheesecake is set. Allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
Blessings
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
|
By:
Anita
Happy Harvest
The combine came yesterday to harvest the soya beans {insert happy dance}
It's been a little stressful these past few days.
With the weather that has not been co-operating, frantically trying to find a combine guy and then of course getting wagons or having trucks available. Add to that we need to be sure that you can travel in the field without marking it so that the wheat can be planted. That the moisture of the beans is right for the mill to accept them without paying drying charges or being docked the premium promised at contract signing.
Too often, I fret and worry; not that it does any good, but nonethess... the Farmer on the other hand, is cool, calm and collected. I'm always amazed at the patience my husband has during this time of year.
Blessings
Monday, November 3, 2014
|
By:
Anita
mhmm monday
This no-bake pie from this website goes from prep to plate in 30 minutes; and definitely one for the permanent recipe file. Starting with a cookie and peanut butter cup pie crust; peanut butter filling that is sweet, light and fluffy with bits of peanuts throughout, and then topped with homemade whipped cream and a generous amount of peanut butter cups, peanuts and chocolate. Truly the BEST. PIE. EVER!
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Cream Pie
Ingredients:
24 whole chocolate sandwich cookies
40 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, (wrappers removed, divided)
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
1¾ cups powdered sugar, divided
1 (16.3-oz) jar chunky peanut butter, (approximately 1¾ cups)
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
2 oz milk chocolate, broken into pieces
Directions:
In a tall bowl whip heavy cream with an electric mixer until you can start to see a defined trail through the cream. Add vanilla and slowly add ¾ cup powdered sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form. (In other words when you turn off the blender and lift the beaters out of the cream, the cream stand up on the end of the beater). Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
In a food processor combine cookies and 20 peanut butter cups. Pulse until your mixture is crumbs. Slowly pour butter in through the feed tube. Pulse until combined and crumbs are moistened.
Pour crumbs into a 9” pie plate and press mixture on the bottom and around the sides to form pie crust. Place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
To prepare the filling: Combine cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add peanut butter. Beat until well combined. Fold in ½ of the whipped cream until it is completely incorporated. Pour into chilled pie crust. Smooth with a spatula. Pour remaining whipped cream over top. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare toppings.
Place the milk chocolate in a microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until chocolate is melted. Set aside.
Quarter the remaining 20 mini peanut butter cups.
Sprinkle peanut butter cups over pie. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over pie. Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over pie (or transfer chocolate to a plastic sandwich bag and cut a very small hole in the corner, then drizzle over pie).
Refrigerate until ready to serve or serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Blessings
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Cream Pie
24 whole chocolate sandwich cookies
40 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, (wrappers removed, divided)
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
1¾ cups powdered sugar, divided
1 (16.3-oz) jar chunky peanut butter, (approximately 1¾ cups)
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
2 oz milk chocolate, broken into pieces
Directions:
In a tall bowl whip heavy cream with an electric mixer until you can start to see a defined trail through the cream. Add vanilla and slowly add ¾ cup powdered sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form. (In other words when you turn off the blender and lift the beaters out of the cream, the cream stand up on the end of the beater). Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
In a food processor combine cookies and 20 peanut butter cups. Pulse until your mixture is crumbs. Slowly pour butter in through the feed tube. Pulse until combined and crumbs are moistened.
Pour crumbs into a 9” pie plate and press mixture on the bottom and around the sides to form pie crust. Place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
To prepare the filling: Combine cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add peanut butter. Beat until well combined. Fold in ½ of the whipped cream until it is completely incorporated. Pour into chilled pie crust. Smooth with a spatula. Pour remaining whipped cream over top. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare toppings.
Place the milk chocolate in a microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until chocolate is melted. Set aside.
Quarter the remaining 20 mini peanut butter cups.
Sprinkle peanut butter cups over pie. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over pie. Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over pie (or transfer chocolate to a plastic sandwich bag and cut a very small hole in the corner, then drizzle over pie).
Refrigerate until ready to serve or serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Blessings
Sunday, November 2, 2014
|
By:
Anita
November is..
Diabetes awareness month.
So I’ve updated my Facebook cover photo and I wear a grey ribbon in honour of my son who has to battle everyday with this illness.
Blessings
So I’ve updated my Facebook cover photo and I wear a grey ribbon in honour of my son who has to battle everyday with this illness.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
|
By:
Anita
Beautiful Thing ~ week # 44
As I sat and looked back over the past week, I realized that this was an super quiet week. There seemed to be the mundane sameness to each day. Laundry. Dishes. Cleaning. REPEAT. Until Friday.
Then I found myself at the centre working with this beautiful mermaid.
What was your beautiful thing this week?
Blessings
Then I found myself at the centre working with this beautiful mermaid.
Blessings
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