Apple Strudel: A Fall Favorite

Fall always changes my appetite.   I leave the taste for fruit salads behind and long for more comfort foods. One of my favorites is Apple Strudel.  This year I wanted to add a healthy touch to the pastry and substituted 1/2 cup regular flour with a 1/2 cup of flax seed flour to add in some Omega 3 to the mix.  As you can see below in the picture, the flax seed changed the color of the pastry a tad.  But don't worry, it only enhanced the flavor.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup regular flour
1/2 cup flax seed flour
3 large apples, chopped
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 brown sugar
1 stick margarine
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon




Get to Mixin'!
Make a pastry out of 1/2 cup of regular flour & 1/2 cup of flax seed flour, 1/2 stick of margarine, and a tablespoon of water (Adjust if necessary).  Roll pastry up with apples in side like a jelly roll.  Cut in 1 inch slices, sugar and spice.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.






If you happen to get in the cooking mood, give this a shot.  I promise you won't regret it.  Serve with a scoop of ice cream and your taste buds will jump for joy!

Fresh Halloween Decor Ideas!

Is your Halloween Party in need a few fresh ideas but you don't have the funds to buy tons of new decor?  I've got some money saving ideas for you!  My daughter-in-law, Cassie, had a great get-together last year for Halloween.  Her decorations were a hit!

Instead of spending loads of cash, go to the Dollar Tree and get yourself some construction paper & poster board.  Some black, purple, green, and orange sheets should do the trick!  You might want to grab some stick glue and glitter, if you don't have any at home.  Not everyone has spray glue on hand, instead use some cheap hairspray, that will help your glitter to stick. Get ready for some ideas!

1. Everyone's got the goblins and pumpkins all over the yard but how about cute and simple Halloween words?  Try this bit!  You might can use some old coat hangers to unwind and make a stake in the yard to prop up the letters.

2. Cut out your own clever little Halloween inspired critters (bats, mice, spiders, etc) and strategically place them around your house.

3. Use your imagination and create your own "monsters" to peak outside your windows for your guests to giggle at.












4. And lastly, also at Dollar Tree, I bet they will have some colorful buckets somewhere!  So gather some bright colors and cut out some Halloween critters to tape or glue onto the buckets.  You might could even put a tea light in the bottom of the bucket to make them glow at night.







 Well folks, thats all I got!  Does anybody have any ideas they would like to share? 

Stuffed 'Possum'

Like any other Mammy, my most favorite treasures are my grandchildren.  Heath is my 3rd grandchild.  He was given a stuffed opossum by his Nana (my mom, Nancy).  Now this long tailed creature has become his favorite tag along.  Opossum was dragged by his tail to just about every event in the day; To church, to bed, to the table, and even the restaurant.  And when we lose it, we go opossum huntin'. Although hideous in theory, this has been quite an adorable sight to see.


While we played he learned a little game-- Maybe you can share it with one of your little ones. 

It goes like this:

Person 1: "I found an ole' dead opossum in the road.  I one it."
Person 2: "I two it"
Person 1: "I three it"
Person 2: "I four it"
Person 1: "I five it"
Person 2: "I six it"
Person 1: " I seven it"
Person 2: "I eight it"
Person 1: "Ooh! You ate it!"

The smallest things can bring the biggest smiles. :)

Appys Debut!

Oh my goodness, the day is almost here!  This weekend, Saturday, October 13, Appys are going to be making their first appearance at the New Morgan Hill Church Bazaar!  The hours are from 7am-12 pm.  It is going to be a blast with all the other crafts on display.  Please come by and say hello!  I would love to hear your opinion of the girls (Appys, that is).

Snakes Alive!

A Copperhead in the wild.
 Courtesy of easttennesseewildflowers.com 

In early fall snakes are on the move. As the weather turns a little cooler many snakes come out to warm in the sun, on rocks or the pavement. During the day  non-poisonous and poisonous snakes are slithering about.  A realiable Appalachian source, my Dad, always says that at night only the poisonous snakes are out. In the Appalachians that means copperheads and rattlesnakes. If you are out at night as the season changes, take care and watch out for those snakes! 

Morning Glory. A Creeping Beauty!

Sometimes the most under glorified plants can surprise you. The Morning Glory is one of them. An aggravating vine in most gardens, but if placed in the right area, with just the right conditions the Morning Glory can take center stage.

They bloom from late spring 'til frost and October is a great month for them to put on a show...

 

Enjoy this plant before the frost comes or...the end of the month when the goblins come out and scare them away!

Appy's are here!

You may have noticed that I dropped the ball on posting recently but I promise, there was a good reason for it! After YEARS of thinking,dreaming, and procrastinating I finally made it happen.  They are finally here!  Our very own hand made dolls named Appys are here to spread the word about the heritage of the Appalachian people.  Their will be several generations.  The first generation is called the Heritage Collection, it is made up of four dolls:  Cherokee Indians, Europeans, African-American, & Melungeons.  

These dolls represent the first four settlers in the Appalachian Mountains. Each doll is uniquely made and has a tag on her wrist that describe who she is and a little bit about her people.  Also included is a form for your little one to trace their own heritage

If you or anyone you know would be interested in Appy's please contact me or have a look at my Etsy page!

The 2nd generations dolls are on their way!