New Fall Coat

So part of my little shopping adventure this weekend involved swapping out coats at Anthropologie. Gosh I just love this coat! It's a beautiful coral color with a lovely silk polka dot lining. I just love the faux horn toggles!

This me standing outside in 88 degree weather modeling my coat like a smiling idiot.

View of the back...

And it has a HUGE hood.

Current Project

And because I am always crocheting something, I thought I'd post about my current project. It's actually something for me and not a secret present so I can put it up for all to see. I'm just in the beginning stages but I am working on a Christmas Tree Skirt. Right now I'm doing lots of green hexagons. Fun huh? They are easy and I can do then while chatting with David. Or listening to pod casts.

So here is Stage 1: Make green hexagons. I am using the Lion Brand Holiday Homespun in Wreath like the pattern suggests. It's a nice evergreen shade of green with little tinsel like threads spun through it. I currently have 9 done with 11 more to go! Then on to the next color.

Not the most artistic of pictures, I have them set out to "block" aka shape them.

At last....

The first steps towards fall...Pumpkin Spice Coffee at Fresh Market. (I normally do not consume flavored coffees because the process of roasting and flavoring is highly chemical but c'mon is one bag once a year really gonna kill me? Don't answer that!) While Starbucks has their syrup on hand, they are not currently making Pumpkin Spice Lattes yet. Losers. Hel-lo! Yes it may still be hot as hades outside but technically I am in my "Fall" semester so I think we should all consider it fall. So for all of those you out there longing for the smells and tastes of fall....Fresh Market has your entree into the season.

And since fall is now officially in the air (at least in my kitchen) I will be posting some recent fall inspired purchases from over the weekend soon.

Pink Ribbons

The Bernat Yarn company has released 3 varieties of pink yarn in which the purchasing will result in $10,000 being donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I bought a ball of the Satin yarn in Flamingo and created a pink ribbon out of crochet. In honor of my mother and aunt who have both overcome forms of breast cancer, I am creating pink ribbon ornaments. Please let me know if you or anyone else you know would like one and I'll see what I can do about making some in time to adorn your tree.

Pizza from the Leftovers

If you like the Sausage, Peppers and Onions save the leftovers for some pizza. Thanks to Sandra Lee on the Food Network, you can turn one tasty dinner into two. Take some garlic bread (I make my own), a little pasta sauce, your ingredients from the night before and top with cheese. Bake at 400 until the cheese melts and (if you're like us) gets a little toasty. Delish!

Sausage, Peppers and Onions

This is one of the best "sandwich" ideas ever. I don't if it really qualifies as a "sandwich' per se. But I'm calling it that. Anywho. As tasty as this guys are, they are soo fattening. But not if you use turkey or chicken sausage. I personally use chicken sausages because our local Harris Teeter has just started making both sweet and hot Italian varieties. So I cook them up in a non-stick skillet. Then I let them rest on some paper towels because there is a little bit of fat. Next I sauté up sliced onions and bell peppers. While those cook I slice up the cooked sausage. Some people may like to leave them whole but I find it easier to eat in slices. Then once the veggies are done, I put the sausage back in the pan to warm them through. And thanks to Sandra Lee I have a yummy recipe for sweet, spicy and sour mustard. Yum!

Mustard

1/4 yellow mustard

1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

1 tsp. Hot Sauce

1 tsp. Cider Vinegar

New Scarf

Here's a new scarf that I did today. Pretty cute in my opinion. I made this with some leftover yarn from my hat. The buttons I purchased from the fabric store.

It was a fairly easy pattern that I purchased from a girl on Etsy.

Take a look at the final product.

Mihshi

Mihshi comes from the Arabic verb that means to stuff, denoting a preparation of food that is stuffed.

Many of you know that David is not the gourmet in the family. But he can prepare a few Lebanese dishes that are quite tasty. Making stuffed vegetables is very easy. You can stuff just about any vegetable: yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes or potatoes. Essentially you mix together meat, sauteed onions, cinnamon, uncooked rice and diced tomatoes (or tomato sauce if you don't like chunks). Then you stuff the that mixture into your hollowed out veggies. Top with more tomatoes and some water and bake forever!

The end result is delicious. We did a mixture of Roly Poly Squash and Lavender Eggplant. Top your meal with some plain Greek yogurt. Yum!

Moonflower

Just a quick post so that you guys can see the Moonflower in all it's glory. We weren't properly prepared for the last time it bloomed.

Here it is around 7:30 pm.

And then by 8:30 pm...

Full bloom!

Crunchy Oven-Fried Fish

If you haven't ever watched America's Test Kitchen, you should! It's like the Consumer Reports of cooking and cook's tools. On this show, they will take a recipe and try it a dozen different ways and then report to you the viewer the best possible recipe. They take this same approach towards kitchen appliances and gadgets and ingredients. Up here in NC, there show comes on PBS Sunday afternoons. If you can't catch the show, they have a great website America's Test Kitchen. Or you can pick up their magazine of the same name or they publish another magazine called Cooks Illustrated.

Here is their take on oven-fried fish. I cheated a little and used toasted panko crumbs but I'm sure homemade breadcrumbs would taste better. The "goo" you make to dredge the fish through is sooo tasty after it bakes up. The horseradish paired with a squeeze of lemon at the end=yum!

Crunchy Oven-Fried Fish

from the Episode: Fish Made Easy

To prevent overcooking, buy fish fillets at least 1 inch thick. The bread crumbs can be made up to 3 days in advance, cooled, and stored at

room temperature in an airtight container. Serve with Sweet and Tangy Tartar Sauce (see related recipe) or lemon wedges.

Serves 4

4large slices white sandwich bread , torn into 1-inch pieces

2tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Table salt and ground black pepper

2tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

1small shallot , minced (about 2 tablespoons)

1/4cup plus 5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

2large eggs

2teaspoons prepared horseradish (optional)

3tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2teaspoon paprika

1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 1/4pounds skinless cod fillet , or haddock fillet, or other thick white fish

fillet (1 to 1 1/2 inches thick), cut into 4 pieces (see note)

Lemon wedges

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse bread, melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper

in food processor until bread is coarsely ground, eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer to rimmed baking

sheet and bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. Cool crumbs to room temperature, about

10 minutes. Transfer crumbs to pie plate; toss with parsley and shallot. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.

2. Place 1/4 cup flour in second pie plate. In third pie plate, whisk eggs, horseradish (if using), mayonnaise, paprika, cayenne pepper (if using),

and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until combined; whisk in remaining 5 tablespoons flour until smooth.

3. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Dry fish thoroughly with paper towels and season with salt and

pepper. Dredge 1 fillet in flour; shake off excess. Using hands, coat with egg mixture. Coat all sides of fillet with bread crumb mixture, pressing

gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to fish. Transfer breaded fish to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 fillets.

4. Bake fish until instant-read thermometer inserted into centers of fillets registers 140 degrees, 18 to 25 minutes. Using thin spatula, transfer

fillets to individual plates and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

New Jacket

I am ready for fall! Fall is my favorite time of year. The leaves change color, pumpkin spice becomes the flavor choice and the weather is cool and enjoyable. So in my longing for cooler weather, I have purchased a new fall jacket. I just love this sergeant style jacket from American Eagle. Even though I'm no longer a teenager, I find things at American Eagle because they tend to fit people with smaller proportions. Almost all of their jeans come in a short length. And their long sleeved shirts and such don't go down past my fingers.

Don't you just love the new jacket?

So Jealous

David put in his new car stereo yesterday. And I am so jealous! Now he can just connect up his ipod and listen. Wish I had one! Maybe if I ask nicely and bat my eyelashes at him...

Here's the new one getting hooked up.

Look at all those wires. I would get confused but he managed it thanks to a trip to Home Depot and Radio Shack.

Almost done and testing it out. The ipod plugs right and and rests in the cubby below.

The '97 Avalon never looks so fancy. How about a makeover on an '03 Golf?

As promised...my scarf

Sorry for the delay in posting about my scarf. But I had to run out yesterday for some straight pins. And then today I finished up the process known as "blocking". I love the color of this scarf! It's like a paprika shade of orangey-red. And at 100% wool it will be warm for our chilly NC weather this fall and winter. Take a look...

I look a little silly w/ a scarf and short sleeves but that's okay.

And here's a close-up of the texture and color.

It Bloomed!

Patience and a little TLC (okay a lot of TLC) has paid off. My Moonflower finally bloomed. It has taken ages since that little bud formed. But it started opening up last night before our run and was fully open by the time we got back. Unfortunately it was also dark, yes folks the Moonflower blooms at night. David took a picture of it this morning. But it really looked spectacular last night.

It smells so good...just like perfume!

And look at my little baby tomatoes...hope their ready by our first freeze. :-P Starting from seeds has taken me a while.

Crochet Progress

I have been very busy the past week practicing my crochet stitches. Thanks to "how to" books and You Tube, I am making progress. As you can see from the pictures below, I made a cloche hat. Then I adapted a crocheted chrysanthemum for the side. Pretty cute in my opinion. The wool for the hat is super soft.

Here's the hat on it's own.

Not bad huh?

I love my little flower cloche. Sooo 1920's.

Next comes a scarf....

Back from Blog Break

Sorry guys for not keeping up with this for the past week. My mom has been visiting and I guess I've been distracted. But I promise to get back on task. And to prove it, here are some lovely photos of a sunflower bouquet David bought for me. You can get such lovely things from the Farmer's Market.