Pumpkin Cream Cheese

 

I found this recipe on another blog..link is below.

I decided to use butternut squash instead of pumpkin..we

 have an abundance of these from our garden.

First I used a melon ball scoop to remove seeds. It has sharp

edges and really makes the job easy.

 

 

I added about 1/2 inch water to pan..cooked

about 10 minutes...look at that deep orange color..there

are tons of vitamins..1 cup has 150% of vitamin A of the daily

recommended amount and 63 calories and here's the link to learn more.

http://voices.yahoo.com/butternut-squash-low-fat-rich-vitamin-a-419119.html?cat=22 

and best of all I know where it came from...grown without the use of pesticides.

 

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix...I love nutmeg, which

was not in the recipe, so I added a pinch.

 

This is really a quick recipe..less than 15 minutes..

less if you use canned pumpkin... and

you have almost a cup of homemade Pumpkin

Cheese Spread..It's so good I am going to double

the recipe next time.

Butternut squash can be substituted in any recipe that

has pumpkin as an ingredient.

My daughter makes this and serves as a dip with

ginger snap cookies..yummy..she is such a great cook.

 

So here's the recipe and the link to the blog...

 

                                                  Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

                                                 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
                                                 3 tablespoons brown sugar
                                                 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
                                                 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
                                                 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
                                                 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
                                                 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

                            1. In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy.
                            2. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth.
                            3. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
                            4. Enjoy!

http://www.theoldcupboarddoorblog.com/

Signs of fall, santa,snowman,reindeer

Spider/hurricane lilies are the first sign of fall at our house.

They started blooming a couple weeks ago

Just finished a batch of these..I'm thinking...

should I make a wood base for them to

sit in..they will stand but tip over easy.

pattern by: Olde Country Cupboard

 

Craft shows are now a reality..just around the corner.

We only do 2 shows in the fall..this year went

really fast for us. 

 

Make it a great day!!

 

Life is not about the number of breaths we take..

but the moments that take our breath away.

author...unknown

Datura...Moonflower

This plant is in Tennessee at my sister's house.

She gave me my plant that I posted earlier.

As mentioned in the link below, it is the most romantic

plant you can have in your garden.

This is a beautiful flower...but beware..it's quite poisonous, to people and pets

especially the seeds

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/annual/moonflower/ 

Do you eat grapes

I don't buy grapes that often but I did this week.

When it comes to produce, white vinegar is the most

important item in my kitchen.

I put the grapes in a bowl and poured approx. 1/2 cup

of vinegar (vinegar kills bacteria) over them and then poured the

 same vinegar back into the cup and poured it over them again. The glass

on the left iswhat the vinegar looked like. The second glass is plain water

I poured over the grapes after the vinegar and the glass on the

right is plain water.

What do you think?

Does it change you mind about vinegar?

Do you rinse or wash or your produce?

I also use vinegar on the produce that comes from my

garden if I will be eating it raw.

Whether it is from the store or the garden, you

never know where it has been or

what has been on it.  Broccoli, at our Walmart

is not wrapped...so that doesn't come home with me.

I buy it from another grocery store where it is wrapped.

When I make a salad, I put all my ingredients (lettuce,

broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, bell pepper- anything

raw) in the salad spinner and pour about 1/2 cup vinegar

and about 2 pints water and swish around with my hand and

spin the water out.  I was surprised..it changes the taste of

the salad..and for the better...tastes really fresh.

Here's a tip for extending the life of cauliflower and broccoli.

Cut into pieces.

Wash in the vinegar solution,same as above, drain (don't rinse

with water)put on clean towel and let it air dry for a little while.

Then put in a zip bag with a dry paper towel. The towel absorbs

the moisture...too much moisture will cause it to spoil.

 It will last 2 weeks and be as fresh as the day you

bought it..and the cauliflower will not get the dark spots.

If you shop in Publix, you already know it is at the top of

the list for being the best. Moving here to South GA over

12 years ago the only grocery stores were Winn Dixie and

Harveys and one more..can't remember the name, it closed a long

 time ago...Publix was a 45 to 60 minute drive fromwhere we lived. 

There was a Walmart which was very small and about 7 years ago we got

a Walmart Supercenter.

Publix opens in a couple weeks and we are so excited.

There's going to be lots of good sales and some competition. 

I did a little more canning

Pickled Jalapeno Peppers and Banana Peppers

                                  I removed 90% of the seeds so they would not be to spicy.

I believe this is a Honeysuckle we planted last year.

Really pretty plant and easy to control.

I hope everyone has a really great weekend.

We will be working Saturday..daughter and son-in-law

moved into a new house..we are part of the clean-up

 crew.. it will be a lot of fun.

Maxie

Progression Photos of Moonflower

11:50 a.m.

2:20 p.m.

5:38 p.m.

5:38 p.m.

8:25 p.m.

9:22 p.m.

My sister gave me this plant about 6 weeks ago.

I was going to plant it in the garden but these summer

temps of 100 I decided to leave it in the pot

and I am so glad I did. It probably would not have  bloomed

if I had replanted it. I fed it with blossom booster 3

month fertilizer and it sits just outside my garage.

We have had quite a bit of rain and the plant has more

than tripled in size. At one stage of the blooming it looks

like a folded white hankerchief.

 Click on the pictures for a

better view. The only down side of this plant is that the

bloom only last a day.

I hope everyone has a really great day!

Maxie

Another Birthday

Saturday is my husband's birthday and he

requested a strawberry cake. This recipe is

so easy. Start with a cake mix..I used a pan

that is a little larger than a 9 x 13

One 16 oz bag of unsweetened strawberries.

I added Stevia - the frozen berries are slightly tart,

sweeten to taste

Put in the blender..frozen or slightly thawed..add

cold water until they are the consistency of

applesauce..I leave some chunks too.

Take a wooden spoon and poke holes in cake about

1 1/2 inches apart.

Pour strawberries over cake... the liquid

will fill the holes

I spoon the cool whip in spoonfuls over the

strawberries..it can be a little challenging to spread. 

Smooth cool whip over cake..with a spoon, pick up

some of the strawberry puree around the edge of the pan 

and drizzle over top.

Cover with foil and refrigerate.

If you can wait..for the best flavor..eat the next day

Fresh strawberries can also be added to the top.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JERRY

My walk in the yard this morning

Morning Glory

Crept Myrtle

Turkey made from a propane tank

Brass Bed - Strawberry plants are behind flowers

Zinnia - they look so vintage as they are dying

Zinnia

Zinnia

Black Eyed Susan

Gerber Daisy

This is a sweet potato vine growing in one of my

compost beds.  I had 2 sweet potatoes that we did not eat and

they started sprouting...so I buried them in the compost

early in Spring. Did you know if you put a sweet potato

in a jar with water a plant will grow. 

Great project for kids.

Cotton is growing in the field in back of sweet potatoes.

Marigolds

I call this a trumphet vine

Bell Pepper plants - lots of small peppers are still

on the plants

Eggplant is still hanging in there.

Hope everyone has a really great week!

Maxie