Autumn food and blooms

Hello Friends,

Can someone tell me where September went??? What happened?? Was I in a deep sleep and miss it?!

It was one of the busiest "Back to School" seasons I can remember... every night there was something...Soccer..school meetings...Karate. I was also involved in a bunch of "Swaps" which I will get to on my next post. In the meantime there was this going on as well...as usual recipes below.

Lots of food a blooms...first up my Zucchini Chocolate Chip cake. If you follow me on Instagram I posted the recipe there as well but here it is.
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cake

• 2 1/2 cups shredded zuchinni 
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup sugar 
• 3/4 cup safflower oil ....Mix these together in a bowl 

Next bowl

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg 

Sift together and add to the Zucchini mix then stir in

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup semi sweet chips

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes in a 9x13 baking pan.
This is not a super sweet or spice version just something light to go with tea or coffee. You could up the sugar and the spices. The crumb was very nice and moisture was good.

Next up... Baked Acorn Squash with Sage and Maple Syrup

•  2 Acorn squash sliced
• handful of sage
• Irish butter...I used Kerrygold  
• Good quality Maple syrup ...mine is form my in- laws property in Upstate NY <3
• S&P

Bake at 450 till tender about 35 min.

The Blooms ...Echinacea,Chamomile and Straw Flower have become fast favorites...YES...we got a new puppy named Oakley and Australian Shepard...I adore him,sweetest thing ever...the crocheted shawl is for a swap...I'm going to be very sad to part with it but the pattern is made up by me and I will be sharing it with all of you as soon as it gets to its owner... who I might add is completely adorable and I cant wait to see her wear it!
Ohh...the biscuits...I used this recipe here..cut the cooking time a bit...they were great!

And how is your Autumn coming along?
Be Well,
Ming

Still on the road...

My dear blog friends if I could ever recommend a way to see this beautiful country of ours it would be to do so via automobile with country music blasting (I was never a fan but when you drive across the U.S. It's just a must!) 

Disclaimer... I only had one of my 5 kids with me so it does make a difference( I would not have done it with more than 2!!)

We drove across to Utah from New Hersey to visit my baby brother and his family. Come see some of the sights below...

Good stuff am I right??? So here is the breakdown.

It took us three days to get there (we were on a schedule)...

Once you get past Pennsylvania  EVERYONE is soooo nice (no judgment here we East Coasters are just a wee bit hard nosed in a good way)...

Missouri's billboards crack me up, fireworks, boots, adult stores, guns and then in between that a spiritual one...

I fell in love with Nebraska yes I said Nebraska...

In Wyoming I saw a cowboy sipping a frapuccino in a Starbucks with enough firearms and ammo strapped to him that he could of taken out the town... My son asked if a Zombie apocalypse was coming ... I asked my brother if it was normal his answer was " Welcome to the Wild West" 

I loved the west ....

You don't go to Utah and not go to a quilt store and a Hobby Lobby... You just don't... Nuff' said ....

We went to Subdance... Robert Redford you done good!!! We saw Don Johnson, he looks amazing!! (Miami Vice soundtrack was going through my head the whole time)... Sundance is a must must see...(best brunch I've ever had!)...

My brother took me hiking somewhere off  

Cottonwood Canyon and picked me wildflowers...sweetest moment...

I finished my Rose City Rollers socks...I love this pattern and think it's a great one for beginners...the instructions are great...

We stopped at a Starbucks whenever we could to collect the "You are here mugs" it was a great way to keep the little guy entertained during the long car rides... Kind of like a scavenger hunt...we got 

11... I can't wait to do a road trip next next summer! 

And of course it was a great visit with my brother and his family. It really was such an amazing experience and blessing <3 

Be Well!

Ming 

 

Summer Road trip

We are bitting the bullet and driving across country from the east coast to Utah to visit family. We have always wanted to do this...yes I'm a bit nervous with an active 8 year old in a car for 3 days..yikes! But so far so good 3 hours in and one Starbucks visit under our belt. 

I will blog via mobile the next few days as my project bag is chick full of goodies! 

On deck first is this gorgeous Madeline Tosh "Free Range Eggs" in Tosh sock for my "Rose City Rollers" 

I thought it was fitting as we are starting out in Farm Country near Lancaster Pennsylvania. 

I'll keep you posted,

Ming 

Summer Veggie Lasagna...

Two things I love about summer...fresh herbs and summer squash.I could eat summer squash almost everyday, seriously I could. So you would of thought I won the the lottery when I found my first summer squash ready in my garden. I don't  know where it came from to tell  you the truth because my other plants aren't showing much yet but, this beauty was there.

It was a stormy day yesterday so I felt it was a good day to make lasagna. I grabbed some Basil and French Tarragon for my sauce and got started.

Now when it comes to my sauce I am a purest. I wanted a very light sauce for this summer dish...Onion, Basil, S&P a touch of sugar, Olive Oil, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese..The fewest ingredients as possible. I added some French Tarragon this time (why you ask??? because I had it growing ;-))  and let's just say I won"t leave home without it again!

I added some other summer veggies I had in the fridge which included zucchini and sweet peppers. I had some broccoli that needed using so I threw that in.as well. I was told last night that this was Rock Star worthy. So I give it to you now...let's face it we all want to be a rock star at some point and I can't sing a lick so I  will do it through food!

Summer Veggie Lasagna

• 1 yellow squash mine was large so you may need two depending on size.
• 2 Zucchini
• 2 Sweet Red Pepper
• 2 cups Broccoli florets cut small
• 1 box Lasagna noodles
• 1 large container ...I used the biggest the store had ... of good quality Ricotta cheese
• Fresh Mozzarella cubed, 1 large log or ball
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 1/2 cup 
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella for topping

For the Summer sauce 

• 2 Cans Chunky tomatoes sauce 
• 1 large Sweet Onion
• a bunch of French Tarragon 
• a bunch of fresh Basil
• S&P
• Sugar in the Raw
• Olive Oil

In a pot heat your olive oil,about 3 TBS and add diced sweet onion. When it starts to sweat add the Tarragon. Saute for about 5 min. Add your tomatoes, S&P, sugar. Now cook at a good simmer for about 25 minutes. Add some grated cheese and at last minute before finishing cooking add the Basil last. Turn off heat.

Cook your noodles, drain and set aside..make sure they are Al Dente so they don't get too mushy when you bake the lasagna. Slice your squashes very thin and as well as other veggies so they cook rather quickly while baking.

Now spread some sauce in the bottom of your lasagna pan...now we start the layers.

1. Noodles
2. Sauce
3. Ricotta cheese 
4. Veggies
5. Fresh Mozzarella
6. S&P
7. Repeat 

Top with shredded Mozzarella cheese and bake covered at 375 degrees Fahrenheit till bubbling about 40 minutes and another 5 uncovered. 

Enjoy!!

 Guess what, we had another storm today ... we woke up to it this morning... but it was a good storm ...distance rumbles and a nice rain...the kind that sounds good and makes you feel very cozy. I really like a dark morning sometimes especially in the summer...it  slows the pace even more...don't you think?? The other thing that was good about it...I didn't  have to go running for cover in the basement! However, I caught a few pics outside before it started coming down so hard. I love capturing raindrops on the flowers <3

Be well,

Ming

P.S. Let me know if you achieve Rock Star status as well after you make the Lasagna ;-)