Winter Has Arrived!

December 2019

Thanksgiving Day and the weekend were great!  We all knew that snow was in the weather forecast later in the weekend, so refrigerators were stocked with milk and for us, orange juice.  An extra loaf of bread was purchased, too.  The snowflakes did begin to fall.  The holiday vacation from schools was extended to Monday with a Snow Day.  Today is Tuesday and it's another Snow Day!  Winter has arrived!

About 17" of snow was the result of the long lasting snowstorm.  Snowblowers have been working in our neighborhood and the streets are plowed.  This afternoon it does look like suddenly the season changed.

December 2019

 It is New England and the seasons can change quickly!

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Saying Grace"
Norman Rockwell
1951
The Saturday Evening Post Thanksgiving Cover

information compliments
of the Norman Rockwell Museum

Norman Rockwell is one of my favorite artists.  We are due to take a "road trip" back to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA.  With each visit we always refresh our memories and view more of his beautiful works of art.

"Saying Grace" is so interesting and it has so many details!  A grandmother and a boy are giving thanks before eating in a crowded restaurant.  The other customers are watching them with 2 others sharing their table.  Outside the restaurant we can see a train.  What a great painting to remember this Thanksgiving Day weekend! 

Happy Thanksgiving!!    

Enjoy!

~Butternut Squash Bread~

Butternut Squash Bread

Butternut Squash is a favorite vegetable with my family!!  Every year we purchase a carton (bushel) of this orange veggie.  The project in late October/ early November is to steam it and then package it up for the freezer.  So, it is not surprising that I substitute Butternut Squash for pumpkin in recipes all the time.  Butternut Squash Bread is definitely one of my family's favorite quick breads to enjoy during the Thanksgiving Day weekend.  It is a very easy recipe!

While prepping the bushel of squash last week, I had saved 2 Cups of the veggie to bake 2 breads.  You may be thinking - why do this all in one weekend?  Well, it seems that this autumn just zipped by on us.  The squash was in our garage and suddenly our overnight temperatures were frigid.  We did not want to lose the squash, so it became one very busy weekend!  Now, we can enjoy this veggie until we have no more.  It is mashed and ready to be defrosted/ reheated.

Since the Butternut Squash was fresh, I baked 2 breads.  One, we enjoyed in the next few days and the other is now in our freezer- for Thanksgiving Day.  That is another good thing about this recipe- it can be baked early and frozen.  It is easy to defrost it and the taste is just great!

This recipe uses Egg Whites and Olive Oil.  The result is a very light delicious bread.

The recipe is here!  You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry!  Steaming the Butternut Squash is also easy.

This is definitely a "try it, your family will like it" recipe!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

             

Apple Bread

Apple Bread

Desserts with apples as the special ingredient are always a great treat!  Especially in autumn when the newly harvested fruit is available.  One of our favorite treats is Apple Bread.  This is a yummy, moist dessert bread filled with chunks of apples.  A surprising ingredient is orange juice.  This gives the bread a great flavor!

I always bake two of these breads- one to enjoy and the other is cooled/ wrapped in foil and placed in our freezer.  Currently, there's an Apple Bread in the freezer that we will be enjoying over the Thanksgiving Day weekend.  When it comes out of the oven there is always a crack in the center.  Yet, still, I use my cake tester to learn if the bread is ready for the cooling rack. 

If you have never baked one (or two) of these breads, add apples to your grocery list.  Then, take out your bread pans and you will be on your way!  It is that good!

Apple Bread

Oven: 350°F    Time: 65 Minutes    
**Makes Two Loaves

Ingredients:
4 Cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
1 & ½ teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
********
2/3 Cup Olive Oil (for baking & sauteing)
2 Cups Orange Juice
4 Egg Whites
2 Cups finely chopped peeled Apples (5- 7 Apples depending on
     size)  Cortland or Empire Apples are my faves to use.

Method: 

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add Olive Oil, Orange Juice & Egg Whites (slightly beaten)
   and stir.  
3. Add chopped apples and stir in.
4. Pour batter into greased bread pans.
5. Bake at 350°F in preheated oven for 65 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in middle of loaf.
6. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from pans and continue cooling on wire racks.

After the breads have cooled we always want to "taste test"!  One bread is placed on a serving dish and slices can then be enjoyed.  The other bread is wrapped and placed in our freezer.  It is hard to resist the temptation to defrost that apple Bread that is sitting on the shelf in the freezer.  :)   

Yummy!
Enjoy!

Autumn Memories!

In the past 2 weeks the leaves on our trees and bushes suddenly erupted into beautiful shades of copper, red, orange and yellow!

It has been a gorgeous view wherever we walked or drove in our area.

Looking down one street an arc of color greeted us.

Now, we hear the hum of leaf blowers.  We also see and are homeowners raking up the dried brown leaves that have fallen from the trees.  Two nights ago the strong winds and rain changed our scenery.  The above photos are beautiful memories of the Autumn of 2019!

Now, it's time to get to work collecting the leaves.
We did Enjoy!

  

H.......

Enjoy!

An October View

A quick glance!

Every year this is the scene in October whenever we take a quick glance out of our kitchen window!  The golden yellows, the rusty browns and bright red leaves against the backdrop of green pine needles and other leaves.  Even on an overcast day the colors are beautiful.  This is one of the views of New England that is always a keeper!

Enjoy!