October-Fest Eve

If you look at the calendar, we still have a few hours before October. Yet, there sure was a lot of October-Festing going on. I guess since most of my day was seasonally related, I was festing, too.

Took a road trip to Waupaca with my friend Marigene. I didn't have any furniture shopping advice to give her, but sometimes it's just fun to have someone along for the ride. After visiting Stange's, where I got some inspiration for next home improvements, we headed north of town to Christiansen's Orchard.

This wasn't a pick-your-own gig.

They had lots of interesting varieties bagged up, along with various jams, jellies, and apple cider.

All I could think was that I don't have a kitchen right now to do any baking. So...

I bought one of their fabulous-looking apple pies. Still gotta get some vanilla ice cream tomorrow. Then I'll dig into it.

Jim had choir up in Rudolph this afternoon, but when we got home we headed to Whiskey Rapids Saloon to meet some friends for their Oktoberfest celebration.

Caught a few tunes from the Ultimate Polka Band from Stevens Point. Then it switched over to a country band.

Blame it on Waylon is an amazing regional band. Could've listened to them all night but my stinkin' allergies are still messing with me. Still don't fell 100% so wisely called it an early night. Maybe instead of fall allergies, these are just September ones.

I guess it's time to welcome October! Everybody's doing it.

Seasonal Distraction Disorder

It's bad enough the weather is messing with our minds with the fall one day and spring or summer the next. Now we've got the retail sector rushing seasons.

Saw Walmart had its Christmas section started yesterday. Today, our local Pick 'n' Save had this sumptuous seasonal selection.

It appears we have Cinnamon ice cream (upper right) to go with fall apple pies and crisps. Then in the center, we have Pumpkin Pie flavored to transition us from October fall to November fall and Thanksgiving. Then, bring on Candy Cane (top shelf) and Eggnog (bottom).

And which one did I choose? I went with Pumpkin Pie. For now. And yes, I only chose one and cross my fingers there's still some at the store when I crave the next season.

I also didn't want to stand there too long deciding on a flavor. I had to get home and get a few things done. Packing for sister weekend should have been one of them. I leave tomorrow right from a post-work activity and head to Minneapolis, where my oldest sister is flying in from Phoenix. So yes, I should get my stuff in order.

But that ice cream was distracting (and delicious) – and I'm not quite sure what season to pack for. I can tell you we are North Shore bound (there's a lot of lake so it could be anywhere up there, ha). So I know to pack layers. And warm ones at that.

And everything else is just going to have to come together during Pumpkin Pie ice cream hour – I mean lunch hour – tomorrow! 

Apples to Apples

 

When the wake-up temperature is well below freezing, you know there's gonna be some baking going on at some point. I mean what better way to warm up the house than the smell of baked apples and cinnamon?

So tonight between work and the return of The Voice, I chopped up 4 cups of apples – fresh off neighbor Gordy's farm. Mixed them up with some of my tasty Saigon Cinnamon. Placed them on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Then sprinkled a yellow cake mix on top of them, followed by 3/4 cup of melted butter.

Then baked it in a 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes. It smelled SO good. Guess how it tasted?

Even without caramel frosting – which I had on hand for some reason – it was quite delish! Not that I needed any treats after the weekend. I really just needed warmth. And to use up the apples before they went bad. They were fine and I still have more in case the cold weather continues.

Forecast looks like I'll more than apples to get through tomorrow. Some four-letter word that's not rain, wind or cold.

How do you like dem apples?

The Apple of My Thighs

I know fruit and veggies are supposed to be healthy for me. But I can usually find a way to make them unhealthy – yet so much tastier.

With nearly 2 inches of rain in the past 24 hours, it was one of those "stay in and enjoy warm apple crisp out of the oven" kind of days. Yes, please.

Thanks to my sister Renell, who gave me a bag full of apples from her trees when I was Up North visiting Mom last Sunday. It was just the amount I needed! Since I didn't want to wait around for the butter to soften today, I tried this recipe and it did not disappoint.

The cook book needs an editor, though. They never tell you to sprinkle the crumbly mix over the top of the apples. I just knew that from making apple or blueberry oatmeal crisp dozens of times! This is usually the recipe I follow...

It's from my mom. It takes fewer apples but both recipes are for a small pan unless you double the ingredients – which I may or may not always remember to do.

Either way, you win. Especially on chilly, rainy days when you have no place to go. Just time to sit and wait for it to be cool enough to eat without burning your tongue. M-m-m-m! 

I love the taste of autumn!

September Born

When you think about how cold Januarys are in Wisconsin, it's no surprise that there are so many birthdays the 9th month of the year. Nearly half the people in my department at work have September birthdays! Needless to say, the Birthday Fairy has been working overtime.

I do my best to match the treat with the birthday boy or girl's taste. And if I don't know it, I just invent something in my trifle bowl or magic blue pan. No one complains.

Tomorrow's birthday girl likes apples. While it would have been nice to use local ones off a tree, I ended up buying pie filling to make my Caramel Apple Crisp. I am sure the "girl" won't mind. The rest is my mom's recipe. Plus, I found a bonus ingredient.

Did you know the chocolate-maker Ghirardelli now makes caramel-flavored chips? Found them by accident tonight. So I melted a cup of those and drizzled it over the top of the crisp when it got out of the oven. Now it really is a CARAMEL apple crisp!

If it tastes as good as it looks, we're in business.

Just need to remember to grab the Cool Whip and a mighty big spoon when I head out the door in the morning. Then that's a wrap for September treats.

For work, anyway.

Mixed Up

Plenty of people might say I am mixed up in the head for a variety of reasons -- not just that I support the lowly Vikings. But I am not as mixed up as they appeared to be last night. Again.

I was not kidding about our crazy messed-up cable signal, was I? All the pixelation and disjointed audio quickly gave me a headache... which was compounded by the home team's inadequacy. I realized I was not missing much after all.

And no, I didn't win any money in the Packer Pool either. In fact, Carter lost a 2-dollar bet with his old babysitter. Why he deliberately sought out a losing wager is beyond me!

Tonight, unfortunately, that cable mess on just that one station is still mixed up. Just that one station, which happens to air The Voice. So now I am actually missing some scenery (a.k.a. Adam and Blake) that I really like. Phooey.

So I decided to mix up a cake of some sort using apples a friend gave me from her "orchard." Just pulled an Apple Spice Cake out of the oven. Gonna have to let it cool just enough so our mouths don't burn... but it still melts the ice cream on top.

See, my thinking isn't always so mixed up, is it?