Wordless Wednesday



Rockin with the rhythm...



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Bookworm in the Making

I really do have the best family in the world.  Aunt Susie surprised me with a big bag of books for Monkey the other day. And when I say big, I mean BIG.  It ripped wide open when I picked it up!   

Most of the books are by Richard Hefter and are part of the Strawberry Library of First Learning.  I regret to say that I had never heard of them.  They really are good books though.  Each one has a strawberry somewhere on the cover identifying it as part of the series.

They are so colorful and bright and full of pictures, Monkey loves looking at them.  And the best part is each one teaches something different.  You have the alphabet...

Opposites...

These probably aren't very politically correct these days, but I like it!

 

I doubt these are even in print anymore, but if you can find them at a garage sale or an old library book sale, I'd recommend them!

Monkey's favorite so far though isn't a Strawberry book.  It's this one:

It's smaller than the rest and she has taken to bringing it with her for car rides.  Just her size.

Thanks Aunt Susie, your the best!

Breaking Down Barriers, One _____ at a Time

I spent most of the morning yesterday with a very interesting group of men from China.  They were all from maize research institutes and academia and came to America to learn about our farming practices.  China is about 30 years behind us in farming techniques and they were eager to learn all they could about how we do things.  At times it was hard to understand what they were saying, as I'm sure it was hard for them to understand me.  The language barrier would prove to be quite difficult, but with the help of a translator and a lot of patience, it ended up being a great experience to talk with them.

One nice gentleman even gifted me with this:

Can you guess what it is?  I suppose if you can read Chinese you probably don't have to guess.  But since I can't and have no clue what the front of the box says I was at a loss at first for what it was. 

A bookmark!  How cool is that?  I wonder if he reads my blog and knew how much I would enjoy such a neat gift...

Yeah, I doubt it.  I'm guessing it's just an easy gift to travel with.  Either way, I love it!

Pumpkin Blondies

Here is one of the new pumpkin dessert recipes I've recently tried.  I used fresh pumkin puree instead of the canned kind and at first it was a little too moist.  Overnight it sat up nicely though and I must admit, it's pretty darn delicious. 

What You'll Need:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

What You Do:

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 9x13 pan.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

In an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until well mixed.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.  Mix in the pumpkin puree.  With the mixer on LOW, add the dry ingredients.  Fold in the chips and pecans.

Spread the batter in prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. 

Cool and serve.

Wordless Wednesday

I don't know what it is about this photo, but I am 100% in love with it.  Could be because the subject is so loveable, I suppose.

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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

If you had to choose between sweet and savory, which would you choose? 

I would pick savory 99% of the time.  That's why when I make recipes using fresh pumpkin I always save the seeds and roast them up.  They are a perfect little snack and with three ingredients, they couldn't be any easier to make.

What You'll Need:

Fresh pumpkin seeds, rinsed with cold water

EVOO

Sea Salt

What You Do:

Generously drizzle a baking sheet with EVOO.  Place the seeds in a single layer on the sheet, stirring to coat. 

Generously sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Stir half-way through.

And that's it, let cool and snack away! 

**Expect some sweet pumpkin recipes coming... I've been trying out some new things!

What a Beautiful Mess

Five months ago I turned 30.  I don't feel 30, but according to my Mom I was most definately born in 1980.  I still find it hard to believe, but I suppose she would remember it. 

If you can rewind back to May and remember the cake my sister got for the surprise birthday party.... remember how awesome it was? 

Well guess what?  It made it onto the Cake Wrecks website as one of the Wreckies of the Month!  I'm sure the baker would be very proud.