Pumpkin

I had to try cooking a stuffed pumpkin.

Apples and onions went in.  I sprinkled a bit of goat cheese once it was out of the oven. It lacked the kind of flavor I was looking for.  I wonder if a different kind of squash would do the trick...

When you don't have eggs

You make cheese sandwiches.

Wheat bread topped with muenster cheese a favorite in this house.

 For texture and more flavor, I used a bit of bacon and sprinkled it on the cheese.

The toaster oven gives it the finishing touches and they are served with pears.

This was all very impromptu as I had to use the ingredients I had available at home.

Kleiners

Kleiners, our Danish tradition spanning 4 generations.

You can find a recipe here, and here.

Our batch of sweetness to be enjoyed over Winter Break.

Good Food and Giving Thanks

Halfway through the meal...  I had a a lot of fun preparing the food. All dishes were made from scratch except for 1 cake.

  

The stuffing recipe was found in a Rachel Ray magazine.

The yams were pured and drizzled with maple syrup.

Table decorations.

The tablecloth made by my mother.  She was an avid crocheter.

Chocolate coins - cookies.

The cake from a box.  Fresh whipped cream frosting with raspberries.

The pride and joy of this cook...  the chocolate cheesecake.

The pumpkin bars with homemade vanilla frosting.

Biscotti.  First time I made it.

The dessert spread.

My two precious daughters had a hand in this masterpiece too.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Rosemary

Picking a little Rosemary from the garden to add to the pork roast is precious.

Stuffed squash

Squash.  Stuffed with tomato, onion, and cheese.

It made for a very tasty dinner.

Harvest for Humanity

Harvest for Humanity's garden in Tempe is where I found myself planting beets and weeding the beds.

Okra.

 Okra and the rows we worked.

 Okra flower.

 Peppers.

Eggplants.

Dried sunflowers.

The supply shed.

I little lecture from Denise the organizer (in blue jeans).

 Me planting beets.

Another adult volunteer harvested eggplant for the teen helpers to see.

It was a perfect opportunity for the young middle school girls to learn about growing food.  Read about the group here.

Mashed Potato Pie

This is something my Mother used to make... Except she used rice more often.

Layer pan with mashed potatoes.  Add a layer of meat filling.  Follow with the top layer of mashed potatoes.

I brushed on a coat of egg...

Ready to eat.  Delicious.

Eggplant

I found a way to cook eggplant that makes it easier to eat it.

Slice the eggplant.  Place the eggplant slices in egg to coat.  Place in bowl of bread crumbs to coast again.

Fry in olive oil. I didn't deep fry but I wonder how that would turn out.  I also baked a batch but it is tastier cooked stove top.  Salt to taste.

Home Made Frappes

The McDonalds' Frappe is a popular beverage around our house.

 We found a machine at Target.

It makes frappes;

They are delicious!

This one is the chocolate frappe.

The Urban Farm

Greg Peterson runs his Urban Farm in 

Phoenix, AZ.  It is also his home.  His Saturday tours are fabulous and affordable.

The front yard.

Greg.

Me.

Snowden.

Peach tree.

Vegetables in the front yard.

Yard decorations.

Peach tree trunk.

Greens.

Loofah vine that they call "a volunteer" because its original seeds must have shown up in the irrigation water.

Dried loofah.

Peach tree leaves.

Chicken coup.

The chickens.

Couldn't figure out the purpose of this lot.

Grape vine in the back yard.

Back yard fence,

Herbs in a pot.

A quat tree.

The front yard.

He had about 50 people on this tour.

It was a fantastic experience. It was a cool, delightful morning and I left inspired.

Will be ordering an orange tree for my yard.