Crafting Autumn

How is everyone enjoying the change of the season?  Here in Georgia, we have had up and down temperatures.  It has been in the high 70s which is good enough for short boots but still not cool enough for tall boots.  But this week it is getting warmer.  This weekend it is going to be in the high 80s!  The high 80s!!!  Just when I was rotating my closet and brining out the good stuff.   :(

I am not going to let these high temperatures get me down.  We are going apple picking this weekend.  I plan to dress as Autumn as I can without sweating.  I plan to bake apple pie and make apple butter.  I plan on drinking apple cider and serve chili.  Oh and go on a wonderful hike up in North Georgia which I am praying the temperatures will be cooler.

I promise to share pictures next week of our Summer Autumn Apple Picking Adventure.  I hope everyone is wearing Autumn colors.  We will see how that goes.  :)

September and October hav inspired me to craft.  I have started making coffee coozie to celebrate my obsession with coffee, espresso and Pumpkin Spice Latte.  I am thinking of making ones for Autumn, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Here are the Autumn Ones:

Aren't they cute?  You can purchase them at my Etsy store here.

I have also started crafting Halloween decoration for the house.  I, of course, had that have some Halloween Bunting.

Now I am thinking a Halloween wreath and some other spooky decorations.  I will be crafting like crazy.  October, November, and December are my craftiest months.  I already feel like I am falling behind.  I do not even know what our Christmas card is going to look like this year.   And am I even going to make and send out Thanksgiving cards this year?  Maybe I can just send something Thanksgiving inspired to family and friends instead of a card.  Oh decisions.

I am also crafting invitations and decorations for 3 baby showers.  I am not complaining I love to be busy.

Well, I better go and start planning.  I need to make the pie dough so it will be ready after apple picking. I also need to make vanilla ice cream to go with the Apple Pie.    Everyone is going to be starving after everything.  It is going to be a great weekend.

Talk to you soon,

French Meatloaf

Today, I would like to share my favorite meatloaf recipe.  It was featured in Gourmet magaazine in 2009 but I don't remember how I came across it.  I actually think the recipe was in ELLE magazine over a year ago.  If it was just in Gourmet that means I made it 3 years ago and I am still thinking about it.  And I have to make it ASAP!

The hubby loves meatloaf but he likes the American version, a loaf of ground beef with bacon on top and a ketchup crust.  I don't mind that meatloaf but the french meatloaf has so many different taste and textures.  I promise it is incredible.  It ends up being a cross between meatloaf and pâté.  I know some will say GROSS when they hear pâté but I am sorry but pâté is good.  Oh and this recipe has 3 types of meat, chicken livers, pork, and veal.  Yes, I said chicken livers and it does not have ground beef. But HEY be adventurous and make this meatloaf.  NOW! You will not be disappointed.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROMULO YANES

Gourmet Magazine's French Meatloaf  

RECIPE BY KAY CHUN

INGREDIENTS

1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a rustic loaf)
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb chicken livers, separated into lobes, trimmed, and rinsed
3/4 lb ground pork
3/4 lb ground veal
1/4 cup chopped prunes
1/4 cup shelled pistachios (optional)
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

ACCOMPANIMENT:
Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 475ºF with rack in middle.
Soak bread crumbs in milk in a small bowl.
Cook onion, garlic, and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper in oil in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.
Purée livers in a blender, then transfer to a large bowl. Add pork, veal, prunes, pistachios (if using), thyme, eggs, bread-crumb mixture, onion mixture, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper and gently mix with your hands until just combined.
Transfer meatloaf mixture to an 8 1/2- by 4 1/2-inch glass loaf pan (see cooks’ note, below) and bake, covered with foil, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 165ºF, 50 to 55 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Cover top of meatloaf with parsley before slicing.

COOKS’ NOTE: You can use a metal loaf pan, but the meatloaf will take about 15 minutes longer to cook.


Now I have to make this for dinner tonight because just thinking about it makes me remember how good it is.  All I want is French Meatloaf right now! I guess I need to get to the grocery store to pick up all the ingredients.  I am thinking of serving it with The Chosen One's Creamed Spinach.  Maybe I can try to take step by step pictures and share her recipe with you guys tomorrow.  We will see.

Talk to you soon,

Autumn Wardrobe and Anthropologie

Autumn is almost here and we all know it is my favorite season. Alamanac.com states the Autumn Equinox starts September 22, 2013 at 4:44 P.M EDT.  That is just around the corner so you know what that means.  SHOPPING!!!!

I love Autumn because of the clothes.  Long sleeve shirts and blouses, long skirts, hats, boots and sweaters.  It's cool enough for great clothes but not too cold that you have to cover yourself up and all your incredible clothes with a jacket.  I can already picture it, jeans tucked into fabulous boots!

I have mentioned before how much I love Anthropologie.  I decided to post some of my Autumn favorites so you can start adding to your Autumn wardrobe as soon as possible. 

Here are my two favorite buttondowns right now:

They are just beautiful.  I am loving the embroidery.  And they seem to be thin enough that you could wear them now (since it is in the high 80s in Atlanta still).

Look at these fabulous tunics:

I love tunics because you can wear them with jeans or leggings but they cover up what I want to be covered.  These are really cute and I feel like you can dress them up or down.  I think I am going to be wearing a lot of tunics this Autumn.  

Now let's talk skirts:

Loving these graphic skirts.  I am thinking I need to bottom one now and my husband needs to take me out in it.  I love the top skirt because you could wear with sandals or a pair of boots.  

I am fortunate to live in Atlanta so it doesn't get that cold here.  We can get away with wearing a cardigan or sweater through Autumn and half of winter.  My staple during Autumn is usually a short sleeved shirt, a cardigan,  a pair of jeans, and my favorite Frye boots.  

These cardigans would be a perfect addition to my wardrobe:

They are truly beautiful!

Ok I am done with online window shopping for now.  I hope I got you excited about Autumn.

Talk to you soon,

Orange Cranberry Muffins

Now since summer is over, how is everyone?  We are great and finally getting into the swing of things. Addison is loving being back in school and really likes his new teachers.  His before school and after school clubs have started this week so he has been getting adjusted to waking up early and staying at school late but still getting is homework done.  Diving does not start until next week so then we will see if he can juggle it all.  Diving practice is late this year so he will have to be really focused on his schoolwork.  I believe he will be fine.  He loves being busy.  He hates being bored and complains when he is.  He definitely will not be bored this year.  I am so happy to see him grow into a multi-talented young boy.

Speaking of him being busy.  Addison and his Guncle Daniel just signed up for a 5 mile run.  I know they are crazy.  So Addison will also need to train for this because Addison hasn't run in awhile.  I am so excited that Fall is here and Daniel and Addison are back to running together.  I love the relationship they have and hope they run together for the next 20 years.

Well, I have been promising my Cranberry-Orange Muffin Recipe for awhile.  I finally have time to type and share it.  This is not Addison's favorite muffin recipe.  The Banana Muffin is  his favorite, of course.  But, this might be mine because I love the sweet taste of the orange but the bitter taste of the cranraisans.  Oh and you can use real cranberries, JT just couldn't find any this summer when I started making these muffins.  I am thinking cranberries are only around in the holiday season.  I thought he would at least find frozen ones but he looked at 2 stores and came up empty handed.

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

 adapted from Williams-Sonoma Baking Book

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cranraisins
1/2 triple sec or any orange liqueur
Grated zest of 1 orange

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg, room temperature
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 cup strained fresh orange juice, room temperature

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix cranraisins, triple sec, and orange zest together. Let the mixture, so the cranraisins can plump, about an hour or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Grease a muffin pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg, melted butter, milk and orange juice until blended. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Fold in the cranraisin mixture into the batter until combined. Do not overmix. Spoon batter into muffin pan about 3/4 full.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes.  Insert a toothpick in the center of a muffin to see if it comes out clean.  Transfer muffin pan to a wire rack for about 10 minutes.  Then remove muffins from pan and transfer muffins to wire rack.  Serve warm or room temperature.  Makes about 12 muffins.

*Make sure your egg, milk and orange juice are room temperature.  If not they will cause the melted butter to clump when everything is combined.

Blueberry Muffins and Cranberry Muffins

And that is my Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe.  I hope you enjoy. I still have not perfected the Blueberry Muffin but I am working on it.  I promise to share the recipe when I do.  

Talk to you soon,