Back to School

I love this time of year, new clothes and the smell of pencils and crayons...Then the sweet transition into fall. Soon we will be making apple butter to put up for the winter and caramel apples for Halloween! Have a wonderful school year everyone!

Pennsylvania Dutch Ham & Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups cubed cooked ham
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
8 oz. extra-wide egg noodles, cooked and drained

Heat oil in 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ham and onion and cook until onion is tender.

Stir soup in saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Add noodles and cook until mixture is hot and bubbling.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with glazed baby carrots: steamed carrots with a touch of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

SERVES 4 

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup white
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup sugar

Heat oven to 400°. Grease bottoms of about 12 medium muffin cups, or line with cupcake liners. Beat egg; stir in milk, raisins, and oil. Stir in remaining ingredients all at once, just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately. 

Hurricane Irene in New England

Well, we moved the chickens into the basement to save them from the high winds and rain from the hurricane. We still have power as of right now, which is amazing in the least. Brought in all the plants I could and moved all the outdoor furniture. We are fairing pretty well with the wind, but have had tons of rain. High tides will be at 11 pm. and hopefully there won't be any more flooding. Bless all the people up and down the east coast tonight.

Life's a Dance

Dance- the grace of movement, is truly fleeting, and thus its beauty is ever the more relevant in the obvious metaphor of the impermanence of all things. I have traveled the globe a bit and I can only say that the more I learn about the world and myself, the less, I realize, I know. This world is more vast that even the wildest of our imagination. I have also tried on many ways of living from a very traditional city life to camping, school bus style, out in the woods without electricity or running water. But, what I value most about some of these experiences are the opportunities I have been given to see the world through various different lenses and recognize that we are not limited by creativity or possibility, only our willingness to engage the world fully.

My Love of Beautiful Architecture and Art

Being a lover of museums and history I have a deep compassion for the beautiful architecture and art of the world. Here are a few of my favorites.

Catedral, Barcelona Spain

Cathédrale Saint-Gatien, Tours, France 2010

Psyché ranimée par le baiser de l'Amour, Antonio Canova (1793), Le Louvre, Paris 2010

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

Hello everyone, sorry I haven't been posting lately it just got so busy here. I have started back to school again for my sophomore year in college! I need to get some veggies from the farmer's market to put up. I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer, fall will be setting in soon here in New England and tasks will shift in a different direction. Have a great day and I will be back later. Smiles :)