Theme Food Week: Fall Flavors Week {September}+ a bonus recipe

{cooking}

Theme Food Week: Fall Flavors
    If you remember (or saw) in a previous post I had mentioned the "theme food" weeks that I was going to start doing and make a regular feature on the blog.  In case you don't remember (or didn't see) here's the basic idea..... One week of every month will be "Theme Food Week", with a different theme each month.  Dinners that week (and by week I mean Monday-Friday for the most part) will be dedicated to the theme (although most of the ones I have so far I've only planned 4 nights for because there always seems to be at least one day a week that we end up getting dinner somewhere else).  The goal is to use it as a week to try new and different recipes/foods and to have a little fun with dinner, and break out of the food ruts we tend to get in.  So for September my theme was "Fall Flavors"... pumpkins, and apples, and sweet potatoes, and warm cozy spices...
    Last week was Theme Food Week and the first official week of fall, so it was the perfect week for "Fall Flavors Week".  My husband is not always a fan of non-dessert (or coffee) type foods that have pumpkin or fall squashes in them and he's not typically a very adventurous eater (even though he's a Chef - go figure) so I actually bribed him with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to not complain too much about the food, but even he liked some of these dishes.  (we are sharing Theme Food Week with my parents so I get other reasonable opinions on the dishes other than just my own haha)

{Our Menu For the Week}
Monday: Fall spice rubbed NY strip steaks; Sauteed green beans; and Apple-Bacon-Walnut crostini
{fall spice rubbed NY strip steaks}I made my own fall spice rub blend for the steaks
                                              1tbs Sugar
                                              1tbs Allspice
                                              1tbs Nutmeg
                                              1 1/2tsp paprika
                                              Kosher or sea salt and black pepper to taste
Sprinkle/rub as much of the spice mix as you want onto one side of the steaks before cooking (I broiled ours)
{Sauteed Green Beans}drop fresh green beans into boiling water for a few minutes, then saute in olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
{Apple-Bacon-Walnut Crostini} the recipe is from Entertain, Decorate, Celebrate magazine's October 2013 issue. Unfortunately they apparently don't leave all of their recipes on their website so I can't give you the recipe link, but if you do get your hands on a copy of the magazine, I did make a few small changes, I used goat cheese crumbles instead of blue cheese because my mom and I don't like blue cheese and I also used slices of an Italian bread instead of a baguette since we were eating it as a side dish not an appetizer (also the store was out of baguettes when I went)

Tuesday: Chicken- Pumpkin Soup with whole grain bread
{Chicken- Pumpkin Soup} the recipe is here, and it.is.amazing. even my husband liked it (after adding hot sauce/jalapenos that is lol)

Wednesday: This ended up being the night we got other food (Chinese).  I had planned for that to be Friday, but my schedule for Wednesday ended up being different than what I had expected it to be and also I had forgotten to thaw the puff pastry)

Thursday: Apple, Sweet Potato and Bacon Turnovers; Roasted Red Potatoes; and Sauteed Broccoli
{Apple, Sweet Potato, and Bacon Turnovers} here is the recipe. I think I made ours bigger than they were supposed to be, but maybe not because I ended up with the correct number of them and seemed to have the correct amount of everything... I did mine rectangles instead of triangles too.  Oh and there were no eggs (oops) so I brushed them with olive oil instead of an egg wash so they didn't get quite as golden.  They were soooooo good though! And if you left out the bacon they could even be dessert.
{Roasted Red Potatoes} cut red potatoes into 1 inch chunks and toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and mustard powder.  Roast until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. (you can set the oven temp. anywhere from 350-425, if you're using the oven for something else too it's easier to just roast them at the cooking temp for the other dish.  Obviously they take longer at 350 and less time the higher the temperature)
{Sauteed Broccoli}Same as Monday's green beans, but with broccoli florets

Friday:  Roast Chicken; Wild Rice and Bread Stuffing with Pumpkin, and Apple; and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
{Roast Chicken}I actually just picked up a rotisserie chicken because I knew I'd be too short on time to roast one myself, but when I do I love using this turkey recipe (which I use for Thanksgiving for the turkey), just adjusting the time, etc. for chicken
{Wild Rice and Bread Stuffing with Pumpkin and Apple}This recipe was also from The October 2013 issue of Entertain, Decorate, Celebrate, and is also no longer on their website, but like every recipe I've ever gotten out of this magazine, it was good! (I did leave out the sausage that the recipe called for though because I'm not a fan of sausage).....{I did check on Amazon and you can get a copy of the magazine there or I'm sure you can get it as a back issue from the publisher..... the magazine's website is Celebratemag.com}
{Roasted Brussels Sprouts}Cut sprouts in half (after trimming off stem base and I like to take off the outer layer of leaves); toss in olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; roast until done to your preferred done-ness.  (the note about oven temperature with the potatoes goes for these as well)

And my bonus recipe! I made these Sunday afternoon, even though Theme Food Week was officially over and it was a snack/dessert not a meal it's definitely a "fall flavor"

{Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Rings}

 you can find various recipes for these all over the internet, but here's mine.

3-4 large honey crisp apples
1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup water
Cinnamon
Sugar
Oil for frying

{1} make batter - mix Bisquick, yogurt and water
{2} mix up some cinnamon-sugar in a bowl big enough to dip finished apple rings into (I don't measure, I just dump in some sugar and a few good shakes of cinnamon and mix it up)
{3} cut apples into round slices and use a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter to cut out center
{4} heat oil in fry pan, wok, or deep fryer
{5} dip apple rings in batter to coat and fry, turning once until both sides are golden
{6} dip in cinnamon-sugar on both sides as soon as they come out of the oil and place on a paper towel lined plate/cutting board/cookie sheet to drain and cool
{7} eat and enjoy!

In Memoriam

{making}

Mourning Jewelry
    Unless you are a historian or reenactor (or really into the macabre) you may have never heard of mourning jewelry.  I first encountered it as a Civil War reenactor while researching the 1860's.  The Victorian era was probably the height of mourning jewelry (as it was also probably the height of ritual mourning), but mourning jewelry had been around for more than a century before that.  "This is all quite interesting," you may be saying to yourself right now, "but what exactly is mourning jewelry?".  Mourning jewelry was a way of remembering a deceased loved one, to have something of them remain (especially in times before photography).  A Google image search will give you many good examples of mourning jewelry, often made with hair from the deceased (although they may also simply be black or a painting  of a tomb or willow, etc.) and ranging from simple to elaborate.  You will see broaches and rings, even bracelets woven with strands of hair.  There is also lots of good information and histories of mourning jewelry, but here's a little timeline of some of the highlights in the history of mourning jewelry:
15th C. - England - Earliest known example of a mourning ring.  The ring was decorated with a skull, worm and the name.
17th C. - Skulls popular motifs for mourning rings (early mourning jewelry was almost exclusively rings
17th and 18th C. - Mourning rings have become a status symbol.  Wills would detail the design and distribution for these rings)
19th C. - Using hair becomes prominent.  First in rings and then in broaches and other adornments
19th C. - Jet Mining increases along with its use in mourning jewelry.  Queen Victoria decreed that jet be the only jewelry worn at court for 1 year after Prince Albert's death.  Jet jewelry is the only acceptable jewelry for those observing the first stage of mourning (not just in the British court) with hair jewelry being acceptable in the later stages of formal mourning.
1860's - During the American Civil War soldiers often left locks of hair behind when they went off to war.  If the soldier died it would be made into mourning jewelry.
Early 20th C. - Mourning jewelry falls out of fashion

    When our precious Pomeranian {Gigi} died a few weeks ago it was difficult for both my husband and I.  We had known she didn't have too long to live as she had been diagnosed with advanced congestive heart disease shortly before, but she had been given some medications and had seemed to really respond to them and do a lot better and we thought maybe she would make it longer than we thought even, but then after a couple really good and happy weeks for her she took a sudden turn for the worse and was gone the next day.  After her death I found some clumps of her hair around the house and decided I wanted to make some mourning/memorial jewelry.  I had originally thought to make a necklace for myself and a key chain for my husband, but then I realized I wanted mine to be a key chain as well.  A key chain I would use everyday, a necklace I wouldn't necessarily be wearing every day.   So, off to Hobby Lobby I went to look for bezels and resin to make these key chains.  They have a bunch of different bezels/pendants to choose from and I almost chose teardrop shaped ones since it was for "mourning", but in the long run I decided the heart was better.  I also got little "G" charms and key rings.  I thought I only had 2 clumps of her hair plus some left on her brush.

  Fortunately I found a whole pile of hair that had gotten left by the tub in our back bathroom after her last bath and trim, because my first attempt didn't work out how I wanted it.

I realized I needed something to hold the hair flatter in the bezel.  I got some wallet sized "self sealing laminating pouches" and cut it to fit the hearts and put the hair between the layers.  However the next 3 attempts I must not have mixed the resin just right because it never hardened all the way (ironically the resin in my first attempt hardened perfectly).  Finally after buying yet another pair of heart bezels (I think I bought 6 hearts in total) I finally got it right,  The resin hardened, and I added the "G"'s and key rings.

  And I love that I have a little bit of her with me everywhere I go.

Even if your pet is years from death and even with the issues I had with it, I would recomend this project (or something similar) to anyone.  Just make sure you mix the resin carefully...

Reading List: September

{living}
{*I had intended to post this post last week but our beloved pomeranian - who had been sick for a while and diagnosed with congestive heart disease and not given long to live - took a sudden turn for the worse, literally as I was beginning to type this up, and died less than 2 days later.  Needless to say I am just getting back to this post to finish it up and post it)

In honor of back-to-school, this month's reading list includes some nonfiction books I've read recently that I found interesting (and of course might teach you a thing or two you didn't know before)

Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and The Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak
    I have always loved Nancy Drew. I also knew that Carolyn Keene was a pen name, used by  multiple authors (even throughout the "original" book) and that the "original" books had been revamped in the 60's or 70's, but this book really fills in the who, what, where, when, and why, and reads almost like a novel while doing it.  The author also shows Nancy's place in a changing modern society and how she has always been both modern and nostalgic all at the same time, delighting generation after generation of little girls and grown women alike.


Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer
    This book takes a closer look at a part of The Bard's life that, if you're like me, you may not have ever really thought about before, and about which little is known.  But in the process of telling about the probable life of the woman who married Shakespeare a good picture of the lives of women in general in the time period is presented.  Including some facts that may surprise you.

Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night by Nicholas Rogers
    This book travels through the history of the celebration we call Halloween separating the fact from the folklore.   Following the trail the leads from ancient beliefs and rituals to the Halloween we know (and love) today.  I found some of the modern development of Halloween particularly interesting, and let's face it the history of Halloween isn't something we really hear much about, at least beyond it's connections to All Hallow's Eve and All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day, or the Celtic festival of Samhain.  And of course it's a timely read as October fast approaches.

Neverland: J.M. Barrie, The DuMauriers, and the Dark Side of Peter Pan  by Piers Dudgeon
    This one I can not technically say I recomend as of yet since I just started reading it, but it does promise to be a potentially interesting read, although I'm a bit hesitant about some of the suppositions I feel like the author will be making throughout the book.  Regardless of that though I am interested to read about the connections between J.M. Barrie, the boys who inspired Peter Pan, and the DuMauriers - I never knew there was a connection before.  One thing I would say about this type of book though, is to be cautious of blindly accepting certain conclusions that the author may push.
Even if the book contains plenty of primary source "evidence" remember that that evidence is often carefully curated and possibly edited to support the authors point.  Also consider that we are often looking at primary source materials through a modern filter, sometimes fully understanding the the time period may shed a different light on the material.  As I said I just started reading this one so it may be that none of what I just said applies to this book, but it's something that's always important to keep in mind when reading any book of this type.

A Bit of Fancy for the Fridge

{making}

As I've mentioned before there are a bunch of home improvement/decorating projects that I'm hoping to get done over this fall and winter. (although the majority I would like to get done before Thanksgiving and Christmas - and all the entertaining that goes along with them - hit)  Some of these projects are relatively small and simple (painting the ceilings of the hallways for example), others more involved (replacing the rectangular kitchen table in our tiny breakfast nook with a round table and build banquet seating around the back and part of the side walls of said nook; and redecorating our bedroom), and others have been started but still have a bit of work to be done (our kitchen ceiling makeover; trim molding around the kitchen floors; my monogram gallery wall in the living room), and then there's several places around the house that need pictures/artwork painted and/or made and/or hung.  The kitchen projects (which are part of a longer kitchen makeover odyssey), painting in the hallways and putting together gallery walls are what I really want to get done by Thanksgiving.  Especially considering that several of the kitchen projects have been "in progress" for at least two of our annual "Pre-Thanksgiving Dinners" (a yearly tradition dinner party with some of our friends the week leading up to real Thanksgiving).  Bu,t in the meantime while I've been waiting for my husband to be able to get to the bigger projects (or back to them lol) I have gotten a couple smaller projects done.  One that I am particularly happy about is a little upgrade I made to my refrigerator.....

Probably about 9 years ago I had painted the panels of the door between my kitchen and craft room (which is really the house's dining room, but I need a craft room more than a formal dining room hehe) with chalkboard paint. (keep in mind this wasn't that long after chalkboard paint came out), and it has gotten so much use: as a menu board, a place for notes, the bottom half is great for kids to draw on, and of course special decorations for parties and holiday and seasons.  Of course in the years since I painted that door chalkboard anything has really taken off, and here I was with a good portion of the can of chalkboard paint left over.  A few years ago in a magazine I saw a refrigerator that had been painted in chalkboard paint over the entire surface and thought "hhmmm......" but I have to say I'm glad I didn't jump on that idea, because I like what I ended up with much better.  Another trend that I'm glad to have seen grow in recent years is the use of frames for things other than just pictures.  And so my refrigerator makeover....................

Now there's a couple reasons I really wanted to do something with the fridge. {1} we have a plain white freezer on top refrigerator (which is fine with me because I hate side-by-side or bottom drawer freezer fridges) and {2} our fridge sits in it's own little alcove just outside the main part of the kitchen (a little strange, I know, but the house was built in the 1930's and it works for me) and it's actually the first thing you encounter as you enter the kitchen (from the front hall anyway which is the most used entrance to the kitchen) so I wanted it to be cute.  

So, without further ado, here's how I did it......

{1} Decide how big you want your painted area to be/how much of the door surface you want to cover (I taped up some black paper to get an idea of how big it should be) and sand your fridge where the painted areas will be (or use a self etching primer, but keep in mind that unless it's clear or the same color as your fridge if its anywhere other than only under the other painted areas it will show up, so I just sanded mine)

{2} Blow up an image of a frame that you like the outline of to the size you want the frame on the fridge to be. (keep in mind that it will be in silhouette so the outside edge of the frame is what you really need to look at) trace the outside edge of your frame image (or an actual frame if you have one the size and design you want) with a pencil onto the door of your freezer (or refrigerator).

outline of the "frame" traced onto the freezer door with pencil

{3} Decide how wide (thick) you want your frame to be and measure and draw straight lines to make the inside edge of the frame.

{4} With a fine detail brush, carefully paint along your pencil line for the outside edge of the frame.  Tape off along your straight lines and fill in the frame (you can use chalkboard paint or craft paint for the frame).  Let dry and do a 2nd coat if needed

cutting in around the outside edge of the "frame" using a detail brush

the "frame" completely painted

{5} Decide how wide a border you want to leave between the "frame" and chalkboard (I used that black paper again to help determine exactly how I wanted it to look) and tape off the area you want left blank

using black paper taped onto the refrigerator for figure out the perfect size for the chalkboard

{6} Following the package directions paint the "chalkboard" area with chalkboard paint

{7} *optional* paint a gloss varnish or sealer (such as Mod Podge) over the frame area (I did this on mine because I wanted the frame to be a little different from the chalkboard part and to help keep the paint from chipping)

{8} Prep the chalkboard surface as directed on the packaging (usually by rubbing over it with the side of a piece of chalk after the paint has dried for at least 24 hours) and add cute magnets and accessories ;)

(It absolutely needed the locker chandelier that I got on clearance - to use for parties - at Walmart and decided that it could go on the freezer door, at least for now.  My husband was less thrilled about it than I was haha.) This is the perfect time of year (back to school time) to find little frames and accessories to use on the fridge too, since they sell them for lockers.

I haven't decided yet if I want to paint a chalkboard on the bottom door too or not yet, but of course if you do want to then just resize your frame and repeat the same steps