Autumn Apple Walnut Cake With Caramel Glaze

 

School has begun, Autumn decor is popping up everywhere in stores, enticing us

to embrace the time of telling summer farewell and yearning for autumn.

It's also the time of those wonderful fall flavors including 

apples and caramel.

I just made this wonderful cake.......full of the scent and taste of

Autumn 

Autumn Apple Walnut Cake With Caramel Glaze

1 cup of vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg, cloves, & ginger

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3½ cups Granny Smith apples peeled and finely chopped (approximately 2-3 large apples)

1 cup pecans finely chopped

For the Caramel Glaze:

1/2 cup salted butter (1 stick)

1 cup light brown sugar

¼ cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Preheat the oven to 325°F  Thoroughly grease and flour a tube pan, or alternatively, two loaf pans, to ensure easy removal of the cake once baked. 

Batter:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooking oil, applesauce, sugar, and eggs. Beat together until smooth.

In a separate medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined .

Stir in the vanilla extract.

Fold in the chopped apples and pecans

Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). Place in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 1 hour. Testing by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.

Preparing the Caramel Glaze:

While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.

Stir in the brown sugar and milk, and bring the mixture to a boil over low heat. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer, continuing to stir constantly.

Allow the mixture to boil for 10 minutes until it thickens slightly, then remove from heat.

Stir in the vanilla extract and let the glaze cool slightly; it should still be pourable but not too hot.

Finishing with Caramel Glaze:

Once the cake is slightly cooled and the glaze is the right consistency, pour the caramel glaze evenly over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. 

ENJOY! 

Late August Days

"some days in late August at home are like this,

the air think and eager, 

with something in it sad and nostalgic 

and familiar.

                                                            William Faulkner

This stitched piece is from a vintage crewel embroidery 

kit that I came upon in a junk store. Instead of using yarn,  I used embroidery floss for the 

stitching and added extra flowers to it to make it "my own".

To see how the piece looked before stitching, you can visit my embroidery blog.

Yesteryear Embroideries

 

It's HOT!!

 

(Photo borrowed from internet)

Whether you are on the shore/beach of the lake, in the shade of your front porch, sipping ice tea,

or in your backyard swimming pool, there's no other way to say it..........

it's HOT !!

It seems everyone, everywhere, across our nation and in other parts of the world are 

experiencing sweltering heat.

Any kind work in the flower gardens that needs to be done, I do it in the very 

early morning before the heat finds me. 

The sweet blogging friend, Granny Marigold, asked me how the nasturtiums

I sprouted inside were doing?.......to answer you, dear friend, they were green and pretty,

but as soon as the heat hit, they surrendered and did not make it.

The zinnia and cosmos are doing well and seem to enjoy these hot summer days. The zinnia are just about to bloom.

I have finally been successful sprouting avocado pits. I currently have 4. 

I have tried and tried over the years to grow these with no luck.

This time, I chose the wet paper towel method over the common toothpick method.

It certainly works for me. If you are interested in trying this, I have a good video from YouTube 

at this link

Germinate Avocado Seed in Paper Towel

this shows how to sprout and how to plant

The wildflowers are also vibrant and growing well.

The mesquite trees are putting on their beans

and they, at this time are very pretty with the red and yellow clusters 

hanging on their branches.  Soon the whole ground will be covered with 

drying mesquite beans.  Much of the wildlife do enjoy eating these.

They are mostly enjoyed by rats and mice.

I have been keeping maple syrup bottles after we finish up the syrup

and filled them with colored water to depict the changing seasons .

They make a colorful window in the entry way.

The wild birds have been such a good entertainment lately. Wild Quail have been 

bringing their offspring to feed 

and to get water.

Doesn't this road runner really look like he is running a race?

 

Many of the birds all get along and eat side by side, but 

there are a few occasions when a fight breaks out amongst them.

It adds a bit of comical whimsy to bird watching

The talented person who created this funny short on YouTube has

captured the sentiment well .  You can view it at this link

If Birds Had Arms

I hope this finds all of you enjoying these summer days.

  

Woods are filled with the music of birds, and all nature is laughing under the glorious influence of Summer

Charles Lanman, "The Dying Year," 1840

Hail, Cactus, and Pressed Wildflowers

 

Hello everyone, I hope this finds you are enjoying pleasant spring weather.

We have had lovely pleasant days, days with nice rain, 

some days dipping down into the 60s, many days reaching 100, and 

 one day with tennis ball size hail.  Some of the hail was the regular round tennis ball shaped size,

while some was the odd spiked tennis ball size as in the photo above. 

Once again, I am overwhelmed with the ever evasive prickly pear cactus

that has been taking over our land and everyone else's land around us. 

I spend much time, chopping it up, only to have it instantly grow back in just a few weeks. 

One cactus, I have decided to let grow instead of destroying is this tall one.

It has thorn barbs that are so painful when you get stuck and even more painful to remove. When it is only a few inches high, we immediately chop it up.  But these past couple of years, I found this one growing in the middle of our acres........not close to our house and no one gets close to it except for me when I walk and the wild life who roam here.  I am really glad I have left it alone. It has the prettiest blooms and is about 4 ft tall.

It's the time of year that the moonflower has grown well and is blooming.

The potted flowers on the porches and patio are blooming well.

Last year, our youngest son gifted me a flower pressing book.

A few weeks ago I took a long walk and gathered a multitude of wildflowers

growing along the grounds.

I arranged a dried pressed bouquet and affixed it to card stock

to send to my son.  I just shipped it and I hope it makes it to where he lives without

it getting crumbled and destroyed.

I also made an arrangement in my dried flower scrapbook.

I had so many dried flowers left over that I have devised a storage 

for them in folders that are then placed in a plastic storage container for later use.

Do you pick and press flowers? If so, what do you do with them once they are preserved?

Do you have a special way to store them? I would love to hear!

Here's wishing you pleasant days and safe weather. 

 

 

Flowers and planting

When I do decide to purchase a plant at the local nurseries, I always look for 

a good sale and I usually only buy one or two..........as

you can see........I  purchased a whole cart full.  The local store had

their potted plants on clearance sale for only $1 each......(the yellow daisy pots in the photo)

and large containers that had 3 plants were only $5 each! 

When I peeled the clearance sale tag off, each of these plants had the original price 

of $18.94 each.  I paid $20 for what would have been $151 for plants.

Now.........to try to keep them alive and healthy in this west Texas climate.  In March, we have already had days in the temps of 100.

This year I wanted to purchase flower seed packets of flowers that I have 

never tried to grow before.  Also, living out in the country, we have a large mouse, rabbit, ground squirrel, and deer problem. Anything I plant in the ground.......I either never see when it sprouts or after it has grown a few inches, it is all eaten .  This year, with the different packets of seed, I have used the sunny windows of the house in different areas to sprout and grow the plants. Once the plants get big enough, I will plant them in containers and either cover them or keep them high enough off of the ground , safe from varmints.  I am thrilled that 

Nasturtiums have sprouted and grown well.

I love the way their leaves look. 

I have also gotten marigold, bachelor buttons, Shasta daisy, and sweet peas to sprout. 

One thing I have found perfect for indoor sprouting is the plastic cupcake holders.

I had a lot left over from recent baking projects. These hold the little  seedling cups

and the cover keeps them moist........just like a tiny greenhouse.

Once the seeds sprout and grow about an inch, simply remove the top and the trays 

hold the seedling cups well. 

I have plenty of plastic containers for transplanting, but.........

my son loves these crackers that come in a gigantic size tin. 

Instead of letting him toss them away, I have him save them for me

and I have decoupaged, painted, and stenciled them into 

plant containers. 

I hope this finds pleasant weather upon you and lots of wonderful things

sprouting and growing for you

I wish you all a blessed Easter.

My heart sings with the robins in the rain.

For I remember it is Easter morn,

And life and love and peace are all new born,

And joy has triumphed over loss and pain.

Alice Freeman Palmer (1855–1902), "On a Gloomy Easter"

 

Stop Caring

 

We waste so much of ourselves on things that don't matter and we don't realize this until we face the end of our lives, it is usually only then that we make decisions of what we let go and of what we hang onto.

We think about the things we wish we had done differently. 

and at the end , none of this is what really matters in what we want..........

So....starting now......

1. Stop caring about always being right. Truth does matter, but not when small arguments create large silences and robs you of your peace. 

2. Stop caring about being understood. Do not exhaust your energy on people who form wrong opinions of you. 

3. Stop caring about how your body looks. Don't torture yourself over on whether you look acceptable to others.

4. Stop caring about keeping up with world topics. Not everything requires your attention and not everything is urgent. Pick what you care about and pay attention to that and let the rest go. 

5. Stop caring about old grudges. Don't hang on to resentments. Get rid of mental lists of the wrongs people have done to you in the past. Forgive and let go. 

6. Stop caring about what your adult children think of your choices. You have raised your children, sacrificed for them, worried for them. They are now grown, and maybe sometimes they try to control your choices of out of worry and concern for your well being.  You can still make your own judgement about your own life.

7.Stop caring about not being productive. You have worked, you have lived, it is okay to rest. 

All in all, stop caring too much for the wrong things for too long, giving precious energy to battles that do not matter, 

to appearances that fade, to grudges that only poison ourselves, 

to opinions of people who barely know us,

to an endless treadmill of keeping up with current issues, feeling guilty for not being productive.......

At the end,  we really want peace, to have those we love around us, to know that our life meant something to someone and to not feel that we had wasted it.

We do not have to wait until we are dying to start letting go. 

Don't waste your energy, your attention, and your heart to that which  is going to something that does not deserve it.

Let it go, stop caring about it,  save  yourself for the things that will still matter in the end. 

Life is short.

***(this is a narrative of a video of an elderly lady whose thoughts touched my thinking about how I want to live the rest of my life)

I hope you find this inspiring on how you want to spend the last precious years of your life.   

Happy Valentines Day

 

So I'll sit and rock and be happy,

And meditate mostly on love!...

Love for my mother and dad...

And love for the friends I have had!

Love for the blessings God gives me,

Love for the sunshine and showers,

Love for the creatures God put here,

And love for the trees and the flowers...

Gertrude Tooley Buckingham (1880–1971), "To Ruth Ann"

Reflection

 Every morning holds its own beauty. For me, it is that moment of time when the dark still lingers, yet it is light enough to see the surrounding grounds and the woods...just before the sun makes it's full announcement of another day beginning.  I can never say which morning is more beautiful........just when I think to myself..........

"Ahhh, this is the most beautiful morning sunrise I have ever seen!".....the next morning introduces me to another breath taking beauty!   I witnessed the most beautiful sunrise this morning.  I was greeted with a solid band of soft yellow/orange, darker tangerine, and a layer of red with a hint of blue.  I just stood in in quiet wonder........with not a sound around me, absorbing this gift of a new day starting. 

Our winter days have not been acting as winter days.  We have sunny, warm days, with temps in the mid 60s to low 70s. 

The nights have dipped down to cold........but as of yet, no ice or snow.  With this usual Texas dryness the wind picks up........sending the dry fields dust into the air and making the sky a light brown.

I look back on the past year.....so many issues and situations for us personally have caused me to be glad that we got through the year and it is now behind us. Some issues and situations left us with a loss that , without, getting too heavy and personal, I pray no one knows the feeling of. Yet, within some of this "loss" a lift of the burden of stress was removed. For me, situations like this are bittersweet.  Though the trials and defeats we faced were unsettling, we had so much more of the year with peace, happiness, and goodness in the days. 

And now....a new year.  When once I felt I had to have new plans, new lists, new expectations to be fulfilled.....I now only greet a new era of our life with hope.  Hope that I may have learned from the good...and the bad... from  the year before. Hope that I can handle and accomplish things better, hope on  how to not allow situations to rule over values of what I believe to be............good. I don't need greatness, over performing expertise, admiration or attention .......I just want goodness in all things and in how I live each day.  For me, goodness brings peace. It eliminates drama, stress, insecurities, and grief.  I have the hope that this year will be filled with calm, goodness, and peace.  That is pretty much all I can ask for. That is all I hope for ,as well as for my children's and family's lives and for those I hold dear. 

And now, I send this wish to you.  May this new year, this new chapter, this new era, be filled with simple goodness for you.

Wishing you a very happy New Year!

 

10 Best Heartwarming Christmas Commercials......To wish you a very Merry Christmas!

A Story About Aging - AI Video

Wishing You A Blessed Thanksgiving

 

Taboo Has Found The Path To The Rainbow Bridge

 

He drifted into our lives on a hot Texas day in April, on our 32 anniversary. He was sitting in a wire cage at on outside flea market along with his sister.  I scooped him up, and the man who was giving the cats away warned me......"that one is a diablo".... smiling as he spoke those words. 

I brought him home and named him Taboo.

He was tired and weak and slept all night..........but the next morning, that man's words ran through my mind as a small black fur ball latched onto my wrist and would not let go..........

He was full of spunk and aggression, his claws and teeth sharper than a Texas cactus

He had no fear. He was brave, curious, and very mischievous .......and lovable and sweet.

(cartoon found on Facebook)

I believe this is how he saw himself

For 10 years, no matter where I was, that is where he wanted to be. 

He was my shadow, my source of laughter,

my sweet companion, ...........my angel.

 On this beautiful balmy Autumn day,

I held him close on the vet's table and  within seconds, this beautiful creature with such a strong spirit, drifted out of our lives........ his head gently lying down.....he was gone.

How my heart will miss this bright eyed angel. 

The Most Lovely Harvest Moon Tonight!

 

And Now It's Autumn

 

Although summer is still lingering with it's hot days and the green color that fills the woods, autumn has eased in with the dark of night coming earlier, bringing with it a cooler breeze. 

Commonly growing on the grounds is this sagebrush and each year at this time

it has the little puffy balls.  I was surprised to learn that these are like a puffy tumor caused to grow by the sagebrush because of an insect known as sagebrush galls. When small insects start to eat on this brush, the plant grows these balls surrounding and enveloping the larva of the insect. 

You can read more about this amazing brush/plant at this link

The Amazing Story of Sagebrush Galls 

While the morning glory, zinnia, mandevilla and other flowers are still in bloom, 

the golden orbs of pumpkins can be found at every storefront ............

it is autumn.

The hummingbirds are here feeding and storing up for their long journey to Mexico.

Two bobcat kittens have been entering the yard to snatch a wild bird or some unsuspecting creature during the early morning and then returning to romp and pounce with each other around the water trough in the late afternoon.  

They play just like domesticated kittens do and are fun to watch. The mother bobcat  has come with them to drink while her kittens  play . I can't seem to catch a good photo of the kittens, they are too fast for me. 

I have taken aside a week each month to read through my collection of cookbooks. This past week I focused on cookbooks that have been gifted to me by our children. So many good recipes to choose from.  I selected and marked each recipe that I want to try and have gathered all the necessary ingredients for the pantry and plan to spend the remaining days of the month trying the recipes. 

So far I have cooked a very moist and wonderful meatloaf that has a gravy topping instead of the regular tomato/ketchup topping, with a side of seasoned roasted potatoes and a squash tian. For dessert, the peach cake above.  All has won the approval of my family members .......so those recipes are marked as "to make again"

I have cooked well over 40 years and in all of those years, there are still spices that I have never used.

With some of the selected recipes, I will now be trying cardamon, horseradish, smoked paprika and chipotle chili pepper.  The chipotle chili pepper does cause me some concern.......but it is mostly for just a rub for grilled meat.......so maybe it will not be too intolerable. 

Cardamon is for some baked sweetness and the horseradish is for sauces.  

Have any of you tried any of these spices?  If so, what for and what do you think of them?  I would love to know. 

Here is wishing you pleasant autumn days ahead!

Falling and whirling, and fluttering down,

Beautiful leaves, all crisp and brown;

Decking the grave where the Summer lies,

Under the grey of the Autumn skies...

Lizzie Marshall Berry (1847–1919), "Leaves," Heart Echoes: Original Miscellaneous and Devotional Poems, 1886