Conference Cinnamon Rolls!

Our traditional Saturday morning breakfast during General Conference is cinnamon rolls. I made these bags for some friends and delivered them today in time for conference!The recipe is so simple: mix together 5 cups flour, 2 T. yeast, and one yellow cake mix. Stir well (put in a plastic bag) and put into a cute fabric bag, tie with a ribbon and give with a gift tag containing the following instructions.
Easy Cinnamon Rolls
Combine mix with 2 1/2 cups hot water, mix well and let rise until double. Punch down, roll into a 15 x 10 inch rectangle and top with 1/4 c. melted butter, 2 T. cinnamon and 3/4 c. sugar. Roll up longways and cut into 18 slices. Divide between two 9 x 13 greased pans and let raise again. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Frost with cream cheese frosting, butter cream, or a thin glaze. Yummy!!!

Happy Halloween

I am going to make this cute little thing. I visited my favorite stamp store last weekend and there it was. I know it's frivolous and of no value, but it just called to me and I couldn't resist. Fall is my favorite season and October is my favorite month. I don't have time to start a new project today or tomorrow or this weekend, because I have other priorities that are much more pressing. But one day I am going to totally escape from my responsibilities and do this! Like most projects, though, I can make about 10 for the cost of making the one! Maybe I should make some extras!

Fresh Bean Salad

Last Wednesday I found yet another Farmer's Market by surprise in the parking lot of the Northway Mall. I stopped by Carr's to reward myself with a hot chocolate from Starbucks for getting all my nasty chores done before work. And because I'd had no breakfast and I was hungry. And there it was. I picked up a little bag of assorted baby potatoes and these fresh green beans. I didn't even know you could grow green beans in Alaska. The result is Fresh Bean Salad.
Here's my version:
Wash, sort and cut beans and then cook in boiling water for about 4 minutes or so. Cool quickly under cold running water.
In your salad bowl, mix together 2 T. golden balsamic vinegar (or more if you like it more tangy)
2 T olive oil, 1 T. fresh oregano leaves, 3 T. diced red onion or a shallot, and 2 t. grainy mustard. Mix well.
Toss green beans in with dressing and a can of kidney beans. I am not a huge fan of chickpeas in my salads so I left them out.
I served it with some fresh chickpea and pine nut hummus and Croccantini.
Light, yummy and plenty of protein!

Relief Society Activity

Last week our ward had one of those traditional type Relief Society activities that are a bit controversial. But since we are more isolated and bring in lots of friends and neighbors, and keep the items very inexpensive, so far our stake hasn't discontinued them. It was a lot of fun and this is what we did.
Scrapbook picture frames. "BELIEVE" blocks.

Felt ornaments.

Cinnamon roll mix in a bag.

Another picture frame.

Flower hair clips.

Little boy ties.

Magnetic boards. (This one doesn't have the ribbon holder yet!)

Beaded necklaces.I'm already collecting ideas for next year in case I have to do it again.

Alaska Grown!

I finally got down to the South Anchorage Farmers Market (SAFM) today and was not disappointed! Fresh, certified organic (and not so organic) lovely produce from the valley. Lots of vendors selling not just produce, but cheese, honey, jams, bakery items, fresh breads, herbs and some lunch items like ribs and hot dogs. It was a lovely day and so much fun.
I scored fresh romaine, green leaf lettuce, kale, green cauliflower, radishes, tomatoes, parsnips, butter potatoes, beets, broccoli, arugula and dill. The dill smells incredible.
This next weeks menu's will include: a roasted beet and goat cheese salad, potato and kale soup, roasted parsnips and other root veggies with a pork roast, and yummy dill salmon and potatoes. I will figure out the rest!
But today we are heading out to Seward for a belated Labor Day weekend because Dick was sick last week and it rained. We also have a funeral (sort of but not really) to attend there tomorrow. The day is too lovely to waste being indoors! Back east we call this Indian Summer. Here's is just a welcomed blessing!

Fall

Today was so "Fall".
I was stopped at the light near my office and the wind was blowing and the leaves were swirling and it felt just like two of my favorite fall-ish movie scenes - the one from "To Kill A Mockingbird" where the kids are running through the woods and Scout is wearing the ham, and the Halloween scene from "Meet Me in St. Louis" where it's all windy and spooky.
So, even though summer never really came, I am embracing fall. It is, after all, my favorite season. The hanging baskets are still in bloom, there are two weeks left of farmers markets, the grass is still green, there are leaves on the trees, although they are changing fast, but the signs are all there.
Hello hot chocolate, hot soup, hot bread, warm clothes, raking leaves, and the occasional (hopefully) last warm rays of sunshine before the chill sets in. We will enjoy you because you allow us a few more needed weeks to adjust to the inevitable. And thankfully, no termination dust in sight.

Cabin Quilting is the Best

I was indeed fortunate to take a couple of days to sneak down to a friends cabin and spend some time sewing. But because I forgot to click the photos in the right order, let's have a look at what we ate! For dinner, a friend made a tasty chicken tikka masala with couscous and sweet toppings.

Another friend brought ripe peaches so I threw together an impromptu peach cobbler with ingredients I found in the pantry. A quick trip to the nearly convenience store provided some ice cream to go with it.For breakfast the next morning we were treated to zucchini omelets filled with zucchini, bacon, cream cheese and onions. Really yummy!

This was what the days produced, a Kaffe Fassett Twinkle quilt (I can't wait to make mine!), two baby quilts, sample Christmas fabric gift bags, ruffle capri's, and a lovely Alaskcan fabric quilt whose pattern I forgot. Sorry about that.

Madeline's quilt.

Baby boy Western's.

Close up -

Ruffle capri's.

Copycat designer bibs.

The original $18 bib.

Finished products are so wonderful!

The Mushroom Attack of 2010

This post is for Ethan and Savannah to show you how many different kinds of mushrooms we had in our yard this summer. And so many of each! The secret to having so many mushrooms is to have lots of rain and cool temperatures and very little sun. Day after day after day. Perfect for growing these nasty little fungi everywhere. So here they all are. :) I have no clue what they are....

if they are safe to eat...

or where they come from ....

This summer instead of mowing the grass,

everyone went out to mow their mushrooms.

Some people said they were safe to eat...

but I'm not sure about that. This one looks like it would grill up like a burger.

You could roast these like marshmallows!

It was an amazing summer.

So much rain...

so many mushrooms. But times are a changing. The leaves are turning yellow and falling. So we now turn from mushroom mowing to leaf raking. How fun!~