autumn oats

i've been eating a lot of oatmeal lately. i prefer hot cereal over cold any day.

so i've been playing around with different combinations of oatmeal and the fixings... here is my favorite for this autumn season.

1/4 c. oatmeal

1/2 macintosh apple cut into small chunks

1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice

cook accordingly. i just add water and pop it in the microwave. i know many prefer to make theirs on the stove.

after its heated add:

2 T. pumpkin butter

handful of chopped walnuts

sprinkle of brown sugar

splash of  milk

enjoy!

a cake

this cake was for a boy in love with "ncis". i heard he enjoyed it very much.

have a lovely day. i plan to re cooperate from my weekend.

sweet potato biscuits

today was a make day. the kind of day i have now and again, where i just go crazy in the kitchen. cakes, cupcakes , biscuits, turkey chili. the cakes will have to wait for another day. i'm still working on those. sweet potato biscuits. yummy. my first time making them. here's the recipe if you'd like to give it ago. i would add more sweet potato next time. they were delicious, however with our turkey chili.

in addition to making i did some fall sprucing around here. i am really starting to feel at home here. mostly due to the fact i have more time to spend here now that i quit my bakery job. did i mention that. silly me forgetting details of my life.

yes i quit. i quit for many reasons, but the big one is now i will have time for side baking projects, cakes, and treats. Snacky French isn't just a blog to me. right now its my creative outlet. it will one day be my cafe/ bakery. i am taking a lot of small steps in that direction lately. progress that makes me smile a whole lot more these days.

sunday picnic

yesterday was gorgeous. we thought it proper picnic weather. so we packed up and moved out quickly to catch some of the warmth of the day.

 we found this on the bridge. j + k. put there like it was for us to see. oh the little things. how they delight.

fall love

these are a few of my favorite things...
what delights you about this season we are in?

squash soup.

the cold, rainy weather of late has been tempting me to make soups and stews again. here is a quick and easy soup for fall.

curried coconut squash soup

1 butternut squash
1/2 onion
1 can coconut milk
2-3 c. vegetable stock
2 sweet potatoes
1 carrot
1 T. curry
1 t. ginger

prepare squash first. bake @ 350 for 45min. - 1 hr.
boil water. add chopped sweet potato, onion and carrot. boil until soft.
in a food processor, blend peeled squash, dump in a big bowl. blend sweet potato, carrot and onion. if too thick in processor, add some vegetable broth. mix sweet potato puree with squash. add coconut milk, ginger, curry and remainder of vegetable stock. depending on thickness add more or less stock. heat up on the stove. enjoy.


*thanks noel, for a great recipe i still love to make.

back when and coming soon...

i was taking a look through my photos from autumns past and came across this picture. it was taken two years ago. we had went for an evening walk. stopped there in the picture ,because we found these gigantic leaves and couldn't resist snapping a picture. now come to realize not only is that two steps next to where we live now, but the leaf came from one of our trees. ironic maybe. it makes me so happy to have a home so close to a spot where we have enjoyed coming for years.

speaking of our home. we have painted! there is still some trim work to do, but these are the colors. a little more muted than the lemon yellow that use to be there. we are far from done the kitchen renovations but progress is being made every week.

making deodorant

deodorant...i know its not typically one of those things you would want to try and make. i am not a fan of regular deodorant. i have only found one kind that i have ever liked... its discontinued. poof, vanished one day off the shelves. so i have been looking for something that doesn't smell too much, doesn't have aluminum in it, and actually keeps me from stinking to the high heavens. so i happened upon this blog passionate homemaking and this recipe for deodorant. its gotten rave reviews so i thought i'd give it a go. i have been using it for a couple of weeks now and i think i've found the deodorant that works for me! the only downside is applying with your fingers. a small price to pay for something that truly works for me!

first friday fun

a few weeks ago, jason and i got the opportunity to go to first friday in lancaster city. my sister lives in that area and works in a gallery downtown. she's been telling me for a long time, that we should come out for this, so we took her up on it finally. we had a great time hopping galleries, thrift stores and an antique warehouse. (she was there, i promise) i just don't have any pictures of her or jason. whenever i'm back in a city, it makes my heart beat a little faster. i do miss the city life... i love our countryish life right now. i would not trade it. i am just reminded that i need to take more trips into the city more often.

happy birthday today

my two cuties have september birthdays!
bow ties were stitched for the both of them.
had a lovely weekend relaxing.
enjoyed the company of some very dear people.
peanut butter crunch cake! ( enough said)
bones marathon.
doing a whole lot of nothing.
we love birthdays around here!