Apple Pie - A fall favorite!

The photo doesn't do it justice, I should have taken a photo of one slice so you could see the yummy inside, but alas...it's gone! From Betty Crocker's New Cookbook:

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash of salt
8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples (about 8 medium)

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in apples. Turn into pastry lined pie plate.

Sprinkle apple mixture with Crumb Topping: Mix 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup firm stick butter until crumbly. Cover topping with aluminum foil during last 10 mins of baking to prevent excessive browning. Bake 50 mins. Enjoy!

Joy

And the art of enjoying life...as demonstrated by Roxy.

Cranberry Spice Leaves and Pumpkin Spice Pumpkins

So Cute! I had a lot of fun making these sweet little shaped soaps. The red fall leaves are Cranberry Spice, and the little pumpkins are (naturally) Pumpkin Spice! Two quintessentially fall shapes and scents to enjoy in the bath. Would be very pretty sitting in a dish in the guest bath, too, if you'll let them use it. ;)

Frugal Life Project: DIY: Metallic Pumpkins!

These are fantastic!!

Frugal Life Project: DIY: Metallic Pumpkins!

DIY: Metallic Pumpkins!
Cheap, dollar store pumpkins...


transformed into stylish, metallic pumpkins!

What do you get when when you take cheap, orange pumpkins and give them a fresh coat of paint? You get fun, stylish and totally cool fall decor! I got various pumpkin shapes from the Dollar Tree and sprayed them with metallic silver paint (around $2 at Walmart). They end up looking like something you'd buy at Pottery Barn - very modern and chic!

Wonderland Weddings

Etsy Twitter Team Celebrates Weddings!

*WHO: Etsy Twitter Team

*WHAT: WONDERLAND WEDDINGS - A NINE DAY EVENT

*WHEN: OCTOBER 1 – OCTOBER 9

*WHERE: http://etsytwitter.blogspot.com/

*WHY: Because there’s love in the air! Great deals and offers on unique,
handcrafted finds that will make your fall or winter wedding memorable.

The Etsy Twitter Team (the authority on Twitter for all things handmade)
invites you to the wedding. Starting October 1 and running thru October 9,
team members will be offering a dazzling display of items that will make
your special day memorable.

Planning a wedding can make you crazy with all the activity that surrounds
it. It’s hard enough to find a dress and a caterer and a band, never mind
thinking about the little extras that make the event fun and memorable. The
Etsy Twitter Team is creating this event for the bride-to-be so she can find
unique items in one place. Our wedding gift to the bride will be great
specials and discounts that will make it easier on her wedding budget.

From October 1 thru October 4, Fall weddings will be featured. A splendid
display of all the Autumn colors will make for a beautiful wedding. Items
for themed weddings - Halloween, Victorian, Goth, and Southern Bell will add
to the fun.

From October 5 thru October 9, Winter weddings are in season - snow white,
sparkling blue ice, warm reds, Christmas and New Year’s. Come and see how
the Etsy Twitter Team can help you have a magical celebration.

Visit the Team’s page at
http://delicious.com/EtsyTwitterTeam

Body Butters are Back!

Just in time for cooler weather! When skin gets dry and flaky, it is a result of both water loss and loss of your natural skin oils. By adding water in the form of a lotion, you add back essential water to your dehydrated skin. With the addition of butters and oils, you keep that water locked in, keeping your skin hydrated and preventing further water loss. That's why I include both water and nourishing butters and oils in my body butter formulation.


Scents currently available:

~Cuppa Chai- tea, vanilla, chai spices
~Punk'in Pie- pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg
~Hot Apple Cider- apples, cinnamon, orange peel
~Pineapple Crush- juicy pineapple
~Fuzzy Navel- peach + orange
~Tiny Bubbles- fruity champagne
~Bohemian- patchouli, sandalwood, spice
~Pure Rehab- unscented
~Caramel Latte- sweet coffee with caramel
~Island Pear- juicy pear + vanilla
~Hawaiian Orange Guava- Satsuma orange + guava

Cuppa Chai-New Soap for Fall

Chai tea is one of my favorite beverages, especially in the fall. That warm spicy blend of creamy vanilla with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Yum!

My Cuppa Chai soap is made with skin-loving, creamy shea butter for a non-drying bar. I also added a real black tea infusion and tea leaves suspended throughout for light scrubbiness.

Sunrise over Lake Huron

Wordless Wednesday

New Fall Soaps!

New fall soaps are ready! Punk'in Pie Soap is back and now a new fall soap, Hot Apple Cider is available. Made with a scoop of real pumpkin, Punk'in Pie Soap smells freshly baked! Delicious notes of warm, creamy pumpkin, spicy cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, topped off with whipped cream.

Tart, juicy harvest apples combined with the warm, spicy scent of cinnamon and a hint of orange peel = yummy Hot Apple Cider in the shower!

Acorn Squash Turnovers

This is a recipe from Rachael Ray's TV show. After seeing these, I went straight out to get all the ingredients and made these for dinner. They were great! Very fall. Of course, my son doesn't like squash so I made his with leftover rotisserie chicken. He loved those, so everyone was happy.
Ingredients:
2 small acorn squash or 1 small baking pumpkin or 1 butternut squash-split in half and seeded
4 Tablespoons EVOO
salt and ground black pepper
2 links cured chorizo, casing removed, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
5-6 sprigs thyme (yeah I totally used some ground thyme)
few dashes of hot sauce (I used a little tabasco)
2 tsp paprika
pinch of ground cinnamon
2 packs prepared pie crusts (not the ones pressed into a pie plate)
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Season cut side of pumpkin or squash with 1 TB EVOO, salt and pepper. Place cut-side down onto baking sheet and drizzle with another TB EVOO. Transfer to oven and roast until tender, 45-50 mins. and let cool.
While the squash is cooling, place a skillet over med-high heat with 2 TB of EVOO. Saute chorizo until golden brown and crispy, 6-7 mins. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and cool.
When cool enough to handle, scoop out the pumpkin or squash. Put into a med. size mixing bowl and combine with chorizo, thyme, hot sauce, paprika, and cinnamon. Season lightly with salt and pepper and reserve.
Lay out one pie crust and roll it out slightly. Cut into 8 evenly sized triangles. Transfer triangles to baking sheet until you have 16 bottoms on the baking sheet and 16 tops.
Divide filling among the triangles on the baking sheet, leaving room at the edges to seal the pockets. Brush the edges with egg wash then top each triable with the top wedge of dough, pressing lightly around the edges to seal the filling inside. Take a fork and lightly press the ends of the tines into the border of each pocket.
Lightly brush each turnover with egg wash. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 20 mins. Serve!