Birthday Brunch

Abbey will be turning 18 on Monday so we celebrated today with a family birthday brunch.

Aunt Abbey with Noah and Silas

Sweet little ones gathered around to sing and help blow out the candles
(Shae, Noah, Abbey, Caleb, Keri and Silas)

Along with my sister & brother-in-law, my mom, daughters Jill and Jamie, and niece Suzanne, my brother and sister-in-law stopped by with their sweet grandchildren in tow.
(Silas, Maxwell, Julianna, Harrison, Noah, Shaela and Keri)

The Menu
Homemade Birthday Cake
Baked French Toast (will post recipe soon) with Three Berry Compote
Orange Cranberry Muffins
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins
Fried Apples
Baked Ham
Baked Eggs and Cheese

Back on Track

~ ♥ ~

Show and Tell Friday ~ Daddy's Glasses

Among my siblings, I am the most sentimental. My mom is pretty sure that when she gives me something I will hang on to it and value it because of the tie it has with family.
*
This pair of eyeglasses belonged to my dad when he was a boy. He was born in 1921 and probably wore them around age 6-8 years old.

The name of the optician is on the back of the glass case. What a surprise to learn this company is still in business and has many locations (some still on Chestnut Street) in the Philadelphia area. In my search, however, I was not able to find any history on J.E.Limeburner Co.

I don't have a photograph of my dad wearing his glasses (he probably disliked them) but I found one when he was just a little guy.
Doesn't he look dapper in his knickers and cap!

~ FSW ~

~♥~

There is lots more Show & Tell Friday at Kelli's place... just click on the above button.
Why not join in? Love to see your Show & Tell!

Pumpkin Roll

umm... this delicious dessert is all about autumn flavors. And the cream cheese perfectly complements the pumpkin. Recipe right from the Libby can!
Warning... lots of pictures.
For the filling... combine the softened cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar.
Oh, yes!

Preparation of the 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan.
Powdered sugar sprinkled on towel.
Adding the pumpkin to the egg and sugar mixture.
Stirring in the dry ingredients.
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake 13-15 minutes.
Immediately invert onto towel.
Gently pull away the waxed paper.

Roll up in the towel.
Allow to cool.
Spread with the filling and re-roll.
It is a good as it looks!

LIBBY'S PUMPKIN ROLL

This easy pumpkin cake rolled around cream cheese filling is simply delicious.

Preparation time: 45 min Baking time: 13 min Cooling time: 30 min Chilling time: 1 hrs

Yield: 10 servings

Cake Ingredients:

		Powdered sugar
3/4		cup all-purpose flour
1/2		teaspoon baking powder
1/2		teaspoon baking soda
1/2		teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2		teaspoon ground cloves
1/4		teaspoon salt
3		LAND O LAKES® All-Natural Eggs
1		cup sugar
2/3		cup LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin
1		cup chopped walnuts, if desired

Filling Ingredients:

1		(8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1		cup sifted powdered sugar
6		tablespoons LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1		teaspoon vanilla
		Powdered sugar, if desired

Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan; line with parchment or waxed paper. Grease and flour paper; set aside. Arrange clean thin, cotton kitchen towel on counter; sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl; beat until thickened. Add pumpkin; beat until well mixed. Stir in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with walnuts, if desired.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched. Immediately loosen cake from edges of pan; invert onto prepared towel. Remove pan; carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake in towel while hot, starting with 10-inch side. Cool completely on wire rack.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in small bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Re-roll cake. Wrap in plastic food wrap; refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired..

Recipe Tip
Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel before rolling up cake so it will not stick.

Nutrition Facts (1 serving): Calories: 400, Fat: 24g, Cholesterol: 105mg, Sodium: 290mg, Carbohydrates: 41g, Dietary Fiber: 2g, Protein: 7g
Recipe and photo courtesy of NESTLÉ® USA and www.VeryBestBaking.com.

Stocking the Cache

Do you have some of these busy little creatures? My yard is full of evidence of their tireless labor to ensure provisions for the coming winter months.

Wikipedia Photo

Wikipedia Photo

The Eastern Gray Squirrel is a scatter-hoarder; it hoards food in numerous small caches for later recovery. Some caches are quite temporary, especially those made near the site of a sudden abundance of food which can be retrieved within hours or days for re-burial in a more secure site. Others are more permanent and are not retrieved until months later. It has been estimated that each squirrel makes several thousand caches each season. The squirrels have very accurate spatial memory for the locations of these caches, and use distant and nearby landmarks to retrieve them. Smell is used once the squirrel is within a few centimeters of the cache. It is one of very few mammalian species that can descend a tree face-first. It performs this feat by means of the backward-pointing claws, one each, on its hindpaws. (from Wikipedia)

~*~

We have a source of what must be a favorite food of our
Eastern Gray Squirrels... Hickory Trees.
I can barely mow the back yard without
tripping on all of the nuts on the ground.
And watch out below as the squirrels scamper from tree limb to tree limb
tossing them down with a loud thud.
Maybe because of all the rain we had this year, but there is an abundance
of large hickory nuts everywhere.

~*~
I actually like this tree ~ it grows fast and has beautiful large
almond shape leaves. It grows very strait and tall
provides cooling shade in the summer.

Above Photo from top left to right:

• Buried in a window box of impatiens
• Buried in a patio planter
• opened on a back yard bench
• Hickory Tree reaching upward
  
• Close-up of nut
• hickory nuts
• an opened shell
• at the base of a tree
• right on the patio steps
  

More evidence of our squirrels constant work are lots of Hickory Trees sprouting up in unexpected places

The Hickory Tree is a tree prized for it's use in tools and equipment because of it's hard wood. The Hickory Tree is also used for fire wood and the Hickory flavor it adds to smoked meats. It is a great tree in areas with high winds because of the tap roots that go down deep in the earth making the trees very wind resistant. Man and animals enjoy the nut from the Hickory Tree.

Hickory wood is very hard, very stiff, very dense and very shock resistant. As stated in the U.S. Forestry Service pamphlet on "Important Trees of Eastern Forests", "there are some woods that are stronger than hickory and some that are harder, but the combination of strength, toughness, hardness, and stiffness found in hickory wood is not found in any other commercial wood."It is used for tool handles, bows, wheel spokes, carts, drumsticks, lacross stick handles, golf club shafts (sometimes still called hickory stick, even though made of steel or graphite ), the bottom of skis and walking sticks. Baseball bats were formerly made of hickory but are now more commonly made of ash. Hickory is also highly prized for wood-burning stoves, because of its high energy content. Hickory wood is also a preferred type for smoke curing meats. Hickory is popular for cooking barbecue, and adds flavor to the meat. Hickory is sometimes used for wood flooring due to its durability and character. (From Wikipedia)

~*~
Not as industrious as a squirrel, but I too like to have available home baked/cooked items in my freezer so nutritious foods are always ready for breakfasts, snacks and pop-in visitors.
What are some food items you like to stock pile?

Oh, Bother

missed a row... all the way back...

here.

WIP

A newly started project...
and one almost finished. But first to the store for a set of six matching buttons.I'll post pictures when finished.

~♥~

Spiced Pear and Walnut Muffins

Spiced Pear & Walnut Muffins

Recipe by Dragon's Kitchen

Makes: 12 muffins
Ingredients:
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 bananas, mashed
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup walnuts
Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease or line muffin tins.
2. Combine the pears and sugars. Toss until the pears are well coated.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
4. Beat together bananas, eggs, oil and vanilla until blended. Add the dry ingredients into the banana mixture; mix well.
5. Fold in pears and walnuts just until combined. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, dividing batter equally.
6. For the topping, combine brown sugar, chopped walnuts, flour, butter and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the muffins.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

 

 

Taste of Autumn ~ Spiced Pear Cake

Spiced Pear Cake

Topping:

1/4 cup butter

1 tbsp brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

2 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled & sliced thin

Cake:

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 rounded tsp ginger*

1 rounded tsp cinnamon*

1/2 tsp allspice*

1/2 tsp nutmeg*

*or substitute 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup applesauce

1 peeled & thinly diced Bartlett pear

Lightly butter or use cooking spray to grease your 9 inch cheesecake pan. If yours has a dimpled bottom like mine, you can add one or two pieces of parchment paper to the bottom to avoid a dimpled pear top. Make thin slices with your 1/4 cup of cold butter, and layer on the bottom of your pan. Sprinkle with a mixture of 1 tbsp brown sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon.

Layer with thin slices from 2 Bartlett pears.

For the cake:

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in bowl. In second bowl, mix 1/2 cup softened butter, brown sugar, eggs, applesauce, and molasses in that order. Mix flour mixture into moist egg & sugar mixture with hand mixer until blended. Once blended, add diced pear and gently fold in with spatula. Pour cake mixture over layered pears in cheesecake pan.

Bake at 350° in regular oven or at 325° in convection oven for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for 30 minutes. Carefully remove from pan and turn upside down onto cake plate.

Note: Place a pan on the oven rack under the cake to catch the butter drips. I baked this recipe before it was updated and ended up having to run the exhaust fan while baking and cleaning the oven afterward. You might also try baking in a non-springform pan.

This recipe was found on an absolutely amazing blog whose author overflows with creativity! Centsational Girl will inspire you with every post!