[chocomouse]

Blue Bag Pepperidge Farm dressing is the star of the meal at my house -- I nibble on it all afternoon as the turkey roasts in the oven! An 11 pound turkey seems to be about the right size for the two of us, with plenty of leftovers. We also had butternut squash harvested from our garden a few months ago, sweet potato for my husband, and fresh green beans. I forgot to cook the carrots.

[chocomouse]

We had Italian sausages and blueberry pancakes with maple syrup for dinner tonight. The snow we got this morning has all melted now.

[chocomouse]

My husband says he doesn't mind running out onto the deck to grill - - even in the snow! And the burgers were great! We haven't had burgers for about 2 months.

[chocomouse]

Dinner tonight will be burgers cooked on the grill -- and the snow is coming down in buckets out there!! I hadn't planned for that.

[chocomouse]

I made caramel chip cookies this morning. Not good. No flavor. I used the chocolate chip recipe on the Toll House bag, the one I always use for chocolate chip cookies. I guess I need to eat a handful of just the caramel chips to find out what they taste like!

[chocomouse]

Today I made scones using a KAF Apricot Sour Cream Scone mix. I had a $10 coupon so stopped at the KAF store on my way home from my volunteer job yesterday. It was cold, dark, and raining, but I raced inside to treat myself. I bought two mixes: the apricot scones and English muffins. The scones are delicious, but won't last long in this house. I've not been pleased with the English muffins I've been making, from a KAF recipe, so am curious to compare them to the muffins I will make from the mix. Does anyone here have a good English muffin recipe to share?

[chocomouse]

Home from traveling, so I made a sheet pan dinner of fridge leftovers. I started with 2" pieces of kielbasa, and added chunks of carrots, parsnips, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, onion, green pepper, and can't remember what else - Odds and ends of veggies, sprinkled with a tiny bit of sea salt.

[chocomouse]

I have Duchess soup simmering on the stove for dinner tonight and a road trip this weekend. We rarely eat in restaurants -- it's expensive and often not very healthy. We'll have an assortment of raw veggies with the soup. I didn't have time this week to make cookies as I usually do for our trips.

[chocomouse]

Dinner tonight was grilled pork chops, and I roasted veggies in the Breville countertop oven. They were delicious with only a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt: sweet potato, onion, carrots, beets, and parsnips. And now I have leftovers to heat up for another meal this week!

[chocomouse]

I made two loaves of whole wheat bread, and added 2/3 cup of mixed grains to the dough. That will be enough sandwiches for a couple of weeks (one loaf is in the freezer).

[chocomouse]

Time for a menu switch to autumn recipes! Dinner was baked haddock, roasted baby potatoes, and acorn squash.

[chocomouse]

The apple cake is excellent. I do not taste even a hint of rum. I think cognac would be better, or even Irish whiskey. I sprinkled turbinado sugar on top, and think the crunchiness adds a lot.

[chocomouse]

I have a French apple cake in the oven now, it's loaded with chopped apples and smells wonderful. Not sure why it is "French", maybe because it has 3 tablespoons of rum in it?

[chocomouse]

I spent most of the day turning a 5-gallon pail of tomatoes into soup. Finally, the end of the tomatoes! Two quarts will go with me to the NY Sheep and Wool Festival next weekend - there's nothing better than a bowl of hot soup after a long day in a cold barn.

[chocomouse]

I made 4 dozen of the Lemon Oatmeal Sugar Cookies today. I used a little more of the lemon juice powder this time and the lemon flavor is quite a bit stronger in the finished cookie. I look forward to taste-testing that flavor again tomorrow - maybe it will be even better.

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