[chocomouse]

I made a new pasta recipe for dinner tonight. It is bite-size chicken breast, spinach, bacon in an alfredo type sauce, on penne. With it, we had a green salad with lemon balsamic dressing.

[chocomouse]

We ate spinach and onions from our deck planters today. A low temp of 22* is predicted for tonight, so I covered the spinach with a sheet folded in half. Lows in the 40s are predicted for the next week or so. The spinach does grow back after I cut the bigger leaves, but it's slow so we get a meal only about every 10 days. I have eaten garden spinach in several past years with Thanksgiving dinner. Today my husband picked 4 bushels of apples (drops) to make cider this weekend. He got Empires, Cortland, and Northern Spy, which is our usual combo of sweet, tart, and tannic.

[chocomouse]

I made two loaves of pumpernickel, with "the works": caraway seeds, black and yellow mustard seeds, dill seeds, dried onion.

[chocomouse]

I made beef stew for dinner tonight, and pulled some dinner rolls from the freezer.

[chocomouse]

We had hamburgers cooked on the grill tonight, as we enjoyed a beautiful warm evening on the deck. We had a high of 72 today, but only 54 predicted for a high tomorrow.

[chocomouse]

Dinner here was fish fillets, french fries, and cole slaw.

[chocomouse]

I have an apple pie in the oven.

[chocomouse]

We ate spaghetti squash stuffed with taco filling: seasoned ground beef, sliced onions and pepper, black olives, mushrooms, salsa, sour cream, and topped with shredded cheddar. We have leftovers for another meal next week.

[chocomouse]

I got my bivalent booster 5 weeks ago, and had only a slightly tender arm one night.

Dinner last night was boneless pork chops cooked in a skillet with sliced onions and apples, with roasted potato quarters and maple roasted Brussels sprouts.

[chocomouse]

I just received this message from KABC:

"Currently we offer two ways to get extra rewards, one based at our brick and mortar store here in Vermont, and one for online shoppers. Here are some helpful details on our in-store benefits.

Baker's Rewards: in Person purchases
Members shopping in our Norwich, Vermont Baker's Store and Café automatically receive:\
5% off purchases of $99.99 and under
10% off purchases of $100 and over.
This discount applies to every purchase with the exclusion of gift cards, Baker's Rewards Plus memberships, and Baking School classes."

This is the first I've heard of the change, but it is fine with me. I did use all my points (except the 5 I had earned at the time they made the change). I also got the notice about making two purchases within 60 days to earn double points, which is how I learned the point system was gone! However, that deal does not apply to in-store purchases!!!

I don't buy much there any more - my two 50 lb bags of Galahad and Lancelot each year, plus pumpernickel, rye, Harvest Grains, Super 10 and the lemon juice powder, which are regulars in my pantry. Of course, when I shop in the store, I always do a walk-about, and seem to always find something new and different to try. I also stock up on the standard flours when local grocery stores sell them for around $4 for 5 lbs, usually in Nov-Dec.

[chocomouse]

We had a frost last night, 10/20; our average frost date is 10/15. All we have left in the garden is Brussels sprouts, and on the deck are onions in planters. We have another 2-3 nights of frost in the forecasts, so after that I will cut down the sprouts. I'll probably leave the onions til then also, and then pull up and leave in the sun to cure for a few days. I've been pulling them as needed for the past few months.

[chocomouse]

We haven't had a killing frost yet, but plant growth has slowed way down, so we cleaned up the garden this morning, except for the brussels sprouts. They were another fail this year, none are bigger than an inch diameter. Also, the fences are put away, so the deer will find and eat them. We are still picking raspberries, but getting only a couple of cups every 3-4 days now. The Brandywine tomatoes we picked 2 weeks ago have ripened on the kitchen counter, but I don't like them. The wrinkly growth makes them a challenge to slice or cut up, and the flavor is poor compared to the other varieties we grow. I won't grow them again. Spinach, lettuces, and onions are still growing in planters on the deck. We had BSTs for lunch (spinach) that were OK. Herbs are growing in the sunroom, and I will soon start new herbs in the Aerogarden and lettuces in planters under the grow lights.

[chocomouse]

I also am ready to make BLJ's molasses cookies, they are a favorite of ours. I just got back from a week in NY and am too tired and have too many really important tasks to take care of first, but they are now on my list!

[chocomouse]

I grew delicata squash for the first time this year, and I've never tasted it. It is curing now, but about ready to eat. I'm not so excited about eating the skin! Just doesn't seem right, after 70+ years of not eating squash skins!! We'll see.

[chocomouse]

Today I baked orange-ginger scones and chocolate chip cookies. The cookie recipe is KAF oatmeal-chocolate chip from their Bake of the Year a few years ago. I'd never tried these, but I will make them again. They are soft and chewy. I cut way back on the amount of chips, as many posters had suggested, so I used a scant 2 cups instead of 3.

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