Making a Fall Wreath

If you haven't yet, read my last blog about Getting into Fall. It will set the mood for this fun activity. As I thought about decorating for fall, I realized that I didn't have a fall wreath, and everyone needs a fall wreath! So I googled it to see if I could find any cool ideas to copy. I found one! It's from a blog called Crafting Mom (I know, I know. Totally nerdy. But I loved it!). Her idea was to make roses with felt and hot glue them onto a wreath. Perfect. So I picked up some felt in a few fall colors and got to work. 

A couple of years ago, I found a 10' strand of branches at a garage sale. I figured I would find a use for it one day. And I did!

 Here are the colors that I used for the wreath: burgundy, brown, tan and gold.

I cut a piece of the branches that was the size I was looking for. I think my wreath is about a foot to a foot and a half in diameter.

Then I had to find a way to bind the branches together. I figured a rubber band would probably be the best choice, and it ended up being pretty easy to do. It would obviously be much easier to start with a pre-made wooden wreath, so I recommend doing that.

To disguise the rubber band, I found a golden yellow ribbon that added a really nice touch to the wreath.

 Now to make the roses. I cut the felt into circles (anywhere between 4" and 8" in diameter). It helps to have special fabric cutting scissors, but as long as your scissors are sharp, you should be fine.

Then I cut the circles into fairly wide swirls. Starting from the center and working my way outside, I begin to wrap the felt swirls into the shape of roses. I used my hot glue gun occasionally to glue the roses together.

 It ended up being easier than I thought it would.

 Baby roses!

I arranged the roses the way I wanted them and hot glued them onto the wreath. My only regret is that I didn't buy use any gold/orange felt roses. I might add some next year, but for now, here's my wreath! 

Getting into Fall!

Man, I've really been slacking on the blogs recently. Life just keeps getting in the way. I've been intentional about documenting things with my camera, but I haven't actually had the time to share them on my blog.

To recap- It's fall. I LOVE FALL! It's not something that I had the opportunity to fully partake in growing up in southern California, and although southern California is one of my favorite places on earth, I truly do enjoy fall on the east coast. Reasons I love fall: the cool, crisp weather (no more humidity!!!); the beautiful colors; anything and everything pumpkin; apple picking; Halloween; Thanksgiving; and coziness. I've been doing my best to enjoy all of these things this fall.

Since I'm new to the whole having my own place thing, I'm still figuring out how to decorate seasonally. I don't really have many warm colors around my house (I love bold and bright), so I decided I needed to tone things down a bit in order to create a suitable environment in which to enjoy the things I love most about fall. So, I went out and bought a few mini pumpkins and gourds, as well as a beautiful golden colored mum. I also found some beautiful leaves and acorns around my neighborhood and have used those as decorations in my table centerpiece.

While all of those things are great and added fall flavor to my house, I felt the need to get a bit more creative, so I took a trip to JoAnn's and found some lovely fabric. Table runner time!

I'm a bit rusty on my sewing, since I haven't pulled out my machine for almost a year, but after a good deal of effort and a lot of seam ripping, I finished my table runner. You can see the miniature  cheesecakes displayed on the final product:

So, to sum it all up: Fall is great, and I've been enjoying it immensely. Stay tuned for upcoming blogs about some great fall foods!

Welcoming Fall's Arrival

I have to admit, I'm still grieving what feels like a lost summer. In the history of my life, this has to be the worst summer (weather-wise) that I have ever experienced. Rain, rain, and more rain. And then there was the humidity and extreme heat. Excluding my 2-week vacation in California, I only made it to the beach once. And that wasn't because I didn't put forth the effort to get myself there. The several weekends that I planned a beach trip (3 hours round trip), it rained. To make matters worse, fall came early this year. I kept holding out for a second heat wave, but it didn't come. So, I spent a lot of time being angry at weather.com and the state of Pennsylvania, and I made it a point to complain a lot to whoever would listen.

All that aside, and now that fall has been around for several weeks, I'm starting to accept (and even get excited) for everything that comes with fall. Pumpkins, pumpkin spiced lattes, apple picking and my favorite cowboy boots. To welcome fall's arrival, Media hosted Fall Super Sunday, a fun day filled with food, shopping, and entertainment. They closed off their main street, and all the businesses set up booths in the street. It's one of my favorite things to do in the area, so I decided to go last weekend. We had great weather and really enjoyed ourselves. Here are some pictures from the day.

A snapshot of main street.

It was a bit crowded, but I made my way around alright.

I got to pet this SUPER cute black lab puppy. Unfortunately, I couldn't get him to look at me for the photo.

Beautiful sky and beautiful buildings.

Seven Stones Cafe- My favorite coffee shop in Media.

This is me admiring all the lovely pottery. I came super close to buying a vase, but refrained.

A fun display of antique bottles.

Rockin my favorite boots.

The start of my owl collection.

A typical Anna face. "Are you kidding me?"

Fun Fall Recipes: Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast

I'm well-aware of the fact that fall is over, but I figured I'd post one more "fall" recipe that will warm both your belly and your soul. I was obsessed with pumpkin this fall. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin seeds. So I decided to explore another pumpkin flavored treat: pumpkin stuffed french toast. It seemed like a simple concept, so I made up the recipe myself. 

1. Purchase a loaf of thick french bread or Challa bread. Cut it into about 1 inch slices. 

2. Carefully cut a slit about halfway through the slices. You may want to carve out a little bit of the inside. This is where the filling will go.

3. In a medium bowl, mix 3 tablespoons softened cream cheese, 3 tablespoons canned pumpkin, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (you can substitute cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) and 3 teaspoons sugar. Blend together well.

4. Using a small spoon, carefully insert filling into bread slices. You might have a little excess on the outside.

 5. Fill all the slices until you are out of the pumpkin mix.

6. In another medium size bowl, scramble 6-7 eggs. You can add a couple tablespoons of milk and a teaspoon of vanilla if you'd like.

7. Dip the bread slices into the egg mixture to coat the entire piece. Then place in a lightly greased frying pan. Cook for about a minute on each side, or until they are cooked through.

8. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

Voila!

Fun Fall Recipes: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

My latest culinary experiment was pumpkin cinnamon rolls. I love cinnamon rolls, and I love pumpkin, so I figured this would be the perfect combination. I researched a couple recipes online, found one that I liked (http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/09/pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls.html), and used it as the basis for my recipe. However, I changed things up a bit and added my own flavor. The directions are pretty much the same as the above recipe. Here's what I came up with:

Dough:
1/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees, not too hot)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm milk
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups (approximately) all-purpose flour
1 1 /4 cup whole wheat flour
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Filling:
3/4-1 stick butter (depending on how much you want)
5 T sugar
1 T brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t cloves

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:




In a large bowl, stir the yeast into the warm water to soften. Make sure the yeast dissolves. Add milk, egg, pumpkin, butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to the mixture. After stirring, add 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour gradually. Stir for 1-2 minutes.

Gradually add the all-purpose flour, a little at a time, until the dough is stiff enough to knead. Start with about 1 1/2 cups and increase if necessary. Place the dough onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. (I didn't need to use the full 2 cups).

Put the dough into a greased bowl. Flip it over to cover the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise for about an hour. The dough should double in size. (I had to let mine rise for longer than an hour).

Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a small bowl and set aside.

Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface (counter top or table is best) and roll it into a 16" x 12" rectangle (you don't have to be too precise about size).



Spread softened butter over the dough and then sprinkle with the sugar mixture.

Roll the dough into a log the long way and slice into rolls using a sharp knife. It helps if you rinse the knife in warm water in between slices. Place the slices in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan (or in two 8 or 9 inch round cake or pie pans). Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for about 45 minutes (they should be almost doubled in size).


Bake the rolls in a preheated oven at 375°F until they're brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center (about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the rolls).

While rolls bake, you can prepare the cream cheese frosting. Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium-sized bowl and warm in the microwave so they are soft. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and cream with a mixer. Add the powdered sugar gradually and blend until the frosting is at a desired consistency.

Once the rolls our done, take them out of the oven. While they're still warm, frost them with the cream cheese frosting. Serve while warm.

Bon appetit!

Fun Fall Recipes: Libby's Pumpkin Roll

One of the things that I love most about fall are the seasonal goodies. Pumpkin, in particular, is something that I can't get enough of during the fall. Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin stuffed french toast... the list goes on and on.

Most people who know me are aware of the fact that I love to cook and bake. While I enjoy finding great recipes and trying them, what's even more fulfilling to me is finding recipes that look appetizing, but then tweaking them so that they're my own. Perhaps it's the "artist" in me that demands creativity and originality, but whatever it is, I enjoy being able to call it "mine."

The past couple of weeks, I've been busying myself in the kitchen with some fun recipes. Here's the first of many pumpkin-based treats that I think you might like:

Libby's Pumpkin Roll
Ingredients:
1/4 cup powdered sugar (for the towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup 100% pure canned pumpkin
1 cup chopped walnuts (I didn't use these)
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar (for decoration)

Directions:
1. PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan (I used a regular cookie sheet); line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Lay out towel on counter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

2. COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts (I didn't use the nuts).

3. BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched.



4. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel (you might need help with this, since the cookie sheet is so hot). Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack (I didn't have a wire rack, so I just let it cool on the counter).



5. BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in small mixer bowl until smooth. I always add a bit of fresh lemon juice for an extra kick. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.



I was thinking that this recipe was going to be a bit challenging, especially the whole "rolling" part. But it was surprising easy, and unsurprisingly delicious. I invited some friends over and made it for dessert. We finished it off that night. Highly recommended!