garden's end

There is just something appealing about the waning side of a garden that



makes me happy I live where the seasons change with such artistic elegance.



Wonder if I’ll feel this nostalgic in December??

whoo

When Cedar was teeny tiny he used to make the cutest "whoo face".
Now at nine months old he is doing it again . . .



one month old {seems forever ago}

pepper steak {made easy}

Pepper Steak

12 oz top round beef
4 tsp plus 3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
3 tsp cornstarch
5 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced into thin strips
1 bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 tsp black pepper

Slice meat into thin strips across the grain about 1" long.



Place beef strips in a bowl and add 4 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of rice wine, 1 tsp cornstarch and black pepper.

In a separate small bowl, mix 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp water and 2 tsp cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat a saute pan (or wok) on high heat. Swirl in 1 tbsp oil and add the beef spreading evenly. Cook undisturbed for 20 seconds letting the beef brown. Using a spatula, stir meat, cooking another 2 minutes. Transfer beef strips to a plate.



Add remaining 2 tsp of oil to the pan, add peppers and onions and cook about 2 minutes. Return beef to the pan, add the rest of the sauce and stir fry about 30 seconds until slightly thickened.



Serve over rice with a hearty dry red wine.



adapted from:
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Calories: 235.3 • Fat: 8.9 g • Protein: 35.4 g • Carb: 11.8 g • Fiber: 1.2 g

candles

In autumn when darkness comes early, out come the candles



some were gifts



some are scented



some are not



warm and welcoming



calming



inside and out

wild wild west

Enjoying a week in Fort Collins, Colorado with son #2 and his lovely wife.



To make it even more fun these friends from home came along
with us to visit their son #2 and his lovely wife in Denver.



family and really good friends can see more photos here

view flipcard

Have you checked out the new ways to display your blog?

Change is hard for me so I won't be changing anytime soon but
it is fun to view your favorite blogs in "flipcard" mode.

To view any blogspot blog in this mode just add
/view/flipcard to the end of the blog address.

here is a sample
{click on link below photo}

cornersofmylife.blogspot.com/view/flipcard

squash soup

An autumn/winter favorite that we make again and again every year.

Squash Soup
yields about 8-10 servings

1 large onion
6 medium carrots
3 Tbls butter
2 medium butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
7 cups chicken broth
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
chives

Slow cooker directions
In large frying pan, saute the onions and carrots in margarine for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add to large slow cooker along with squash, broth, salt, thyme and pepper.



Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (until vegetables are tender). With immersion blender puree soup until smooth being extra careful not to burn yourself from "splashes". Garnish with chives if desired when serving.



Stove top directions
In soup kettle, saute the onions and carrots in margarine for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add squash, broth, salt, thyme and pepper; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes (until vegetables are tender). With immersion blender puree soup until smooth being extra careful not to burn yourself from "splashes". Garnish with chives if desired when serving.

some things never change

When my kids were little I loved when they would get a creative idea in their minds and spend the day trying to make it. Now that my son is grown I see he still does the same thing.



He and his football loving friends ordered real buffalo fur



and buffalo horns from an Indian reservation.



They spent hours working on this project.
I suppose the beer helped the creative process {?}.



Here they are ready to leave for the game.
{by the way these three are government engineers - scary?}



It was our pleasure to host these lovely young adults for they weekend as they were in town to attend the Buffalo Bills vs Philadelphia Eagles football game.





weekend photos

two punks

when Amanda shared this punk photo of baby Cedar



it reminded me that I had a similar photo of myself



yep -two punks
one happy, one not so much

we live in all we seek

road trip

We recently took a weekend road trip.



Does the book on tape give you a clue where we were headed?



Maybe the horse and carriage tour passing by?



How about the Headhouse farmers' market?



Yep - Philadelphia to visit these fun city dwellers
{son #1 pictured with his girlfriend on their roof-top deck}

family and really good friends can see more photos here

candy corn tree {repost}

1. Pick a few scraggy branches from your yard

2. Arrange them in a small, tall vase

3. Hot-glue kernels of candy corn in clumps of twos and
threes on the ends and the v's of the branches

4. Set the vase in a small bowl and fill
with the remaining candy corn



Warning: This makes it way too easy to over indulge in candy corn!