Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter

Recently I came across a series of books written by Susan Wittig Albert called The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter for adults. The author's style is quite clever. She mixes fact with fiction, so the reader learns more about the life of Beatrix Potter, children's illustrator, countrywoman and conservationist. Each tale has a mystery added. There are problems to solve and the animal characters from Beatrix's books are woven into the storyline as problem solvers. The tales have a fairy like quality about them as the author draws the reader into the village life of the Lake District of England with her descriptive writing. One sentence that caught my attention was the curling mist rising over the marshes and fields like wisps of fairy webs. It reminded me of a photo I posted several blogs back with the mist rising over the lake in the early morning. As I was reading one of the tales, I found a helpful hint: if you carry a small bible in your pocket it can be a good luck charm against any possible fairy abductions. Well that's in case it is a worry to some readers out there!

With the holidays coming up perhaps you will be doing some entertaining. This is an easy appetizer your company will like.

Cherry-Pecan Brie

Directions:

Stir together in bowl

• 1/3 cup cherry preserves
• 1TB. balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Drizzle over 1( 80z ) warm Brie round (rind removed from top)

Top with toasted pecans

Serve with crackers

To Toast Pecans

Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan until lightly roasted, stirring occasionally about 8-10 minutes

Fairy Magic

I have a feeling that childhood has been robbed of a great deal of its joys by taking away its belief in wonderful, mystic things, in fairies and all their kin. It is not surprising that when children are grown, they have so little idealism or imagination, not that so many of them are like the infidel who asserted that he would not believe anything that he could not see.
These words were spoken by author Laura Ingalls Wilder adapted from an essay she wrote in 1916 Fairies Still Appear to Those with Seeing Eyes.
Probably few people know that in addition to writing the Little House on the Prairie series, she also wrote columns for the newspaper. Laura Wilder and her daughter Rose collaborated on a collection of fairy poems. Several year ago a friend, knowing how the lives of fairy people interested me, gave me a book called Laura Ingalls Wilder's Fairy Poems. Stephen Hines introduced and compiled this book.
It is a sweet book and I would like to share one poem

The Fairy Dew Drop
Down by the spring one morning
Where the shadows still lay deep.
I found in the heart of the flower
A tiny fairy asleep.

Her flower couch was perfumed,
Leaf curtains drawn with care,
And there she sweetly slumbered,
With a jewel in her hair.

But a sunbeam entered softly
And touched her, as she lay,
Whispering that 'twas morning
And fairies must away

All colors of the rainbow
Were in her robe so bright
And she danced away with the sunbeam
And vanished from my sight.

'Twas while I watched them dancing,
The sunshine told me true
That my sparkling little fairy
Was lovely Drop O' Dew

Not only was I was drawn to this poem because of its lyricism, but the college I attended had a small pond called Dew Drop!

February 1915

Au unexpected warm fall day calls for celebration: Bavarian Apple Cheesecake
Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 TB. shortening
  
• 1 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  
• 4 cups apples cut in thin slices
• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 sugar
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
  

Directions:

• In a bowl beat 1/3 cup sugar, margarine or butter, 1 TB shortening, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon till combined. Blend in flour and salt till crumbly. Pat into 9 inch springform pan and set aside
• Place apple slices single layer in a shallow baking dish. Cover with foil bake at 400 for 15 minutes
• Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp. vanilla, 1/2tsp. cinnamon beat till fluffy, add eggs all at once beat on low just till combined
• Pour over crust
• Arrange warm apple slices on top
• Combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and almonds, sprinkle over apple slices
• Bake 400 about 40 minutes till golden
• Cool then remove sides and chill 4-24 hours before serving

Moon Magic

Tonight the moon certainly stood out in the night sky much like Monday evening. It was a celestial show and a perfect time for fairies to gather for their evening meeting. I imagine they discuss their work and make plans for next day. Perhaps tonight they might help each other spin fine threads of gossamer to make wings. It is a fact not all fairies are born with wings and it is important each fairy owns several pairs. Sometimes when it is real quiet outside late at night I can hear strains of music. To me that is a sure sign fairies have finished their work and are enjoying dancing by the light of the moon. The following recipe is a tasty treat fairies would love to serve for their evening gathering.

Mashed-Potato Casserole

with smoked Gouda and bacon

Ingredients:

• 6 slices of applewood smoked bacon
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 3 lbs russet potatoes,peeled cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups toasted bread crumbs that have been mixed with 2 TB parsley flakes
• 2 cups (8oz) coarsely grated smoked Gouda cheese

Directions:

• Butter a pan 13x9
• Cook bacon till crisp drain on paper towel, crumble and mix with chopped onion
• Place potatoes in pot and add enough cold water to cover
• Sprinkle with salt cover and boil till potatoes are tender-about 20 minutes,drain
• Return potatoes to pot cook over low heat till potatoes are dry and light-about 2 minutes
• Add sour cream, milk and butter-use potato masher, mash till smooth-better yet try a ricer for this step
• Stir in 1 1/2 cup Gouda and 1 cup bacon/onion mixture
• Season with salt and pepper
• Spread in pan, sprinkle rest of cheese over potatoes
• Top with bread crumbs
• Bake 375 uncovered until cheese melts and edges of potatoes are bubbling about 30 minutes

Captured...The Moon

My early evening walk was a bonanza in terms watching the spectacular rising of the hunter moon. I was able to get several good shots which I am posting for you to enjoy. I numbered them in the order which they were taken 1-5 but they are posted in opposite order. It is amazing how quickly and EARLY it gets dark. Note on # 5 picture a slight wisp of cloud is covering the moon.

Moon Escort

A moonlit night was an inspiration for this free verse

Note: a work in progress

Moon Escort

The moon was following me

every place I went.

A constant companion

that kept me safe

with its visible light.

A gem of jewel

that can out shine

even the brightest star.

This autumn moon

followed me home

on a cool November night.

It pays to be attentive to nights like this when the moon is almost at its fullest. It can be a sure sign that fairies will be out dancing in the woodland. But remember, I have warned you before that people who are lured by their enchanting music and get too close to the fairy rings can disappear from human life for seven years!

I did not have a moon photo of a November night, but thought you'd enjoy thinking about the photo I took of the moon rising over the Atlantic Ocean.

I suppose now that November is upon us you are gearing up for the holiday season and looking over your recipes. I have already pulled out my cranberry/cherry sauce that is great over turkey slices. Try it and see how much better it is than canned cranberry sauce!

Cranberry and Dried-Cherry Sauce

Ingredients

• 1- 12 0z. container of frozen cranberry juice cocktail thawed
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup packed golden brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick broken in half
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1- 6 0z. package dried cherries
• 1- 12oz bag cranberries( found in produce dept.)
• 1/4 cup merlot wine

Directions

• Bring first 5 ingredients to boil over medium heat, stirring till sugar dissolves
• Add cherries and cook 2 minutes
• Add cranberries and cook till berries pop, stirring occasionally about 9 minutes
• Pour into bowl and stir in merlot
• Cool and then cover and chill
• Can be made ahead one week
• Discard cinnamon sticks
• Serve at room temperature

Fickle October Weather

My journal/writer's notebook is a continual work in progress. It is a keeper of my thoughts, new ideas to think about, recording of memorable events and even some sad times. I have written down hopes, dreams and even my To Do List. I usually have several journals going at a time. Recently I was rereading some pages and came across a poem I had written, rather appropriate for today. I borrowed the first line I sit by the window from a poem called Wind Song by Mimi Brodsky for inspiration. This is my poem...

Rain

I sit by the window

and watch the raindrops fall.

DRIP DRIP

SPLASH SPLASH

Across my window pane.

I sit by the window

and wish the rain would stop.

Grey skies

rumbles of thunder

flashes of light

move across the sky.

Rain, rain

pools and puddles

I think I'll finish my book

and enjoy my inside day.

How true this is for me since I am reading furiously to finish the book Driftless by David Rhodes with book group meeting tomorrow.

The following recipe I make every year to serve on November 1.

Tombstone Brownies

Ingredients:

1 package brownie mix

1 6 oz. package chocolate chips

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup margarine or butter

1 package candy orange mini pumpkins

3/4 cup coconut tinted green

black and grey sprinkles (baking section-look little pebbles)

plastic grave markers that say RIP Over The hill (baking section @Joan Etc. or Michaels

Directions:

• Line a 13x9 baking pan with foil, extending foil beyond edges of the pan, grease foil
• Prepare brownie according to direction, spread in pan and bake at 350 about 25 minutes
• Cool pan on wire rack
• Frost with prepared chocolate frosting or try this homemade frosting which is really yummy at end of this recipe
• Starting at shorter end of pan space RIP markers three across and work way down pan making about 12-15 total rows
• Sprinkle a little tinted green coconut in front of plastic marker
• On top of coconut place a little pumpkin
• Sprinkle grey/black sprinkles over whole pan

Fudge Frosting

• In a medium saucepan combine butter or margarine with chocolate chips, sugar, milk and salt
• Bring to a boil stirring constantly and simmer 3 minutes
• Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla
• Beat in saucepan till smooth may have to add a few TB of milk as needed
• An added 3 TB. of Kahlua really heats up the flavor

A Showy Piece

Tonight the moon was a showy piece. Its half moon shape gleamed porcelain white against the deep blue sky. It certainly was a lovely night to take a walk around the neighborhood. The crisp cool air was invigorating and I enjoyed looking at all my neighbors' autumn decorations. This time of year is one of my favorite times. I have had fun decorating inside and out plus adding a bit of entertaining to the month. I am posting a picture I took over the weekend. Through the lens I was able to capture a lake view as well as Halloween decorations on the table. Perhaps some of these recipes will put you in a festive mood as you approach the bewitching night. Later in the week I will post Tombstone Brownies just in time for Day of The Dead, November 1.

Carrot Cake

this recipe can also be baked as cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs beaten
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 TB. cinnamon
• 1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 small can crushed pineapple drained
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup coconut

Directions:

• Beat all ingredients till mixed well
• Pour into a greased 9 x9 pan. I find a glass one works the best
• Bake 350 for 30 minutes-check: make sure toothpick comes clean from the center

Frosting

• 3-4 cups of powdered sugar
• 3 oz. cream cheese softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• start out with 1/4 cup of milk beat and keep adding milk till right consistency for spreading
• use black sprinkles on top of white cream cheese frosting

Warning: Guard this dessert carefully since fairies have been known to leave their footprints behind in the frosting. It is one of their favorites!

Pecan Appetizer

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 1 1/2 cup grated swiss cheese
• 1/3 cup Miracle Whip
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 to 1 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions:

• Beat all ingredients
• Grease a glass pie pan with PAM
• Spread mixture in glass pan
• Sprinkle parsley flakes on top
• Add chopped pecans
• Bake uncovered at 350 about 15 minutes
• Stir after 8 minutes

Serve warm with assorted crackers

Sombrero Spread

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 TB. chili powder
• 1/2 can vegetarian refried beans
• 1 jar chunky salsa mild or medium
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 lb. hamburger cooked and drained

Directions:

• Brown meat with onion and drain
• In a medium saucepan on low heat add all ingredients and cook till smooth and warm for 10 minutes (uncovered)

Serve in a bowl with chips