Cassy's Fall Quilt

This quilt was made by Cassy, our Make it Mine Sewing Class assistant. She loves everything to do with fall from the changing leaves to the crisp, sunny days to the vivid colors...maybe it's because she has a fall birthday...BTW, happy 18th, Cassy!

Even though she started it almost a year ago, she finished it really quickly--I taught her how to do the binding on Saturday and she was finished by Monday night. Didn't she do a great job?

"Did you make this on purpose?"

When you have a very picky eater, as child #4 is, it is not very often that you get a thumbs-up on a meal you've prepared. Do you feel my pain?
I'm used to it...I don't like it when I've spent time, effort, & resources to present a perfectly good dinner only to have one "no thank you bite" taken...but I'm used to it. (Children 1 through 3 have had their picky moments too!) After 18 years, she is getting more brave and trying a few more foods. But she's a little iffy about things mixed together, as in casseroles or crockpot stuff. And veggies may never be her thing--at least not while she's living under my roof. Glad she's made friends with green salad, even though lettuce and carrots are the extent of her bravery in the produce section.
Which brings me to last night's dinner: Potato & Sausage Au Gratin cooked all day long in my crock pot. Smelled and looked delicious to me...but I was ready for her oft-used "no thank you bite".  I was surprised to see her serving herself a good-sized portion of the creamy stuff. After one bite she asked,
"Did you make this on purpose?"
Really? It was a compliment! She liked it! Her only comment was that she would have liked to have corn as a side dish to add to her bowl. Corn? (Hey, that's kind of a vegetable.) And you want to mix it in? You betcha I'll have corn next time!

Red Potato & Apple Sausage Au Gratin
2 c. sliced sausages (I used Al Fresco Brand "Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage")
4 c. quartered raw red potatoes
1 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. shredded cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. yellow mustard

Parboil potatoes 10 minutes. While potatoes are cooking, brown onions and sausage together in a skillet.
Spray crock pot with non-stick spray. Combine drained potatoes with sausage and onions. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top. In a small bowl, combine soup, spices and mustard. Stir soup mixture into potato mixture. Mix well. Place in crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.

Pumpkin-Banana Muffins. Oh yummy.

My house smells so good. You get the full effect when you walk outside and then come back in. Is there anything better than the smell of pumpkin & cloves & nutmeg & cinnamon at this time of year? I had oodles of bananas (why do I buy that too-big bunch at Costco?) that needed to be dealt with. Just had to make Grandma S's Pumpkin-Banana Bread recipe. The bananas make it a little milder than some pumpkin recipes, but you can't taste the bananas at all. Be warned: you'll have muffins and muffins and more muffins. But they freeze well. I usually half the recipe but today I wanted to make some with chocolate chips and some with cinnamon chips & raisins. Quite spectacular results.

These guys are the best kept secret around! Hershey's Cinnamon Chips. They are hard to find but you gotta keep some on hand in your freezer. My friend Monica gave me my first bag. What a good friend.

My favorite muffin-making tools: This pan makes the cutest little loaf shaped muffins. And the Pampered Chef scoop is awesome.

Banana-Pumpkin Muffins
3 ripe bananas, mashed
6 eggs, beaten
2/3 c. sour milk
1 lg. can pumpkin
4 c. sugar
5 1/2 c. flour (I use half white and half wheat)
1/2 c. oil
3 tsp. soda
3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon (I use 3 tsp. because I like a little more flavor)
1 tsp. nutmeg (I use 2 tsp.)
1 tsp. cloves (I use 2 tsp.)
chocolate chips (I use 1 bag for half the recipe) 
or cinnamon chips (I use 1/2 bag for the other half of the recipe along with 1 c. raisins)


Bake at 325 for 20 to 25 minutes. Don't overbake.