MY FIRST AWARD!!

I just received my first blog award!! It surprised me and made me so happy! It was the first thing I told everyone at dinner. It came from The Treat Girl. I love her blog and visit each time I see her on my reader. It is like visiting with a friend! She loves her jars and does a Whats In It Wednesday which is so sweet. Take a look!

Hey, how about those YANKEES!!!

So, now I get to share this award with fellow bloggers, which is so nice to be able to do!!!

1.) Thank and post URL to the blog that gave the award.

2.) Pass the award along to 6 brilliantly over the top blogs (blogs you love!) Alert them so they know to receive the award.


I'm nominating these 6 blogs:

1. The White Flower Farmhouse. This beautiful, serene blog posts about a lovely country, antique shop on the North Fork of Long Island and the improvements at her own 100 year old farmhouse (sigh). Can't wait to get out there one day to the shop!
2. Bella Rustica -Just look at the things she makes for her shop and you will see why! She is a very compassionate animal lover and is very involved in lab rescue. If puppies melt your heart, run on over! She is also making a big move right now.
3. Bake at 350- if you go there today, you will see why she is over the top. Have you ever seen such yummies? I told her I would bake my way through her blog-Julia style! Cookies!
4. Beneath My Heart. When I visit Traci, it is like visiting a friend. She does and says the sweetest things. Her craft work is amazing...just see what she does with glue! After she did this, I lie awake at night planning to try it too!
5. Fifi Flowers Her artwork is so beautiful and she is so prolific! Every day something new! She must paint in her sleep! Go see her pretty Paris prints! Reading her blog is a little trip to Paris! We could all use that!
6. Joy Beadworks has a simple and sweet blog that doesn't make me feel inadequate! Nice ideas-clever, pretty jewelry in her shop and fun with her family!



3.) Copy and paste this quiz… Change the answers, ONE word only!!



1-Your cell phone? LG En-V

2- Your hair?  overdue

3-Your mother? heaven

4-Your father? heaven

5-Your favorite food? pizza

6-Your favorite drink? diet pepsi

7-Your dream last night?  food shopping-

8-Your dream/goal? beachhouse

9-What room are you in? guest/office

10-Your hobby? numerous

11-Your fear? unemployment

12-Where do you want to be in 6 years?  financially-secure

13-Where were you last night? home

14-Something that you aren’t? competive

15-Muffin? pumpkin

16-Wish list item? mattress!

17-Where did you grow up? Long Island, NY

18-Last thing you did? cooked

19-What are you wearing? jeans

20-Your TV? on

21-Your pets? lab

22-Friends? sweet

23- Your life? happy

24-Your mood? calm

25-Missing someone? yes!

26-Vehicle? Commander

27-Something you aren’t wearing? shoes

28-Your favorite store? TJMaxx

29-Favorite color? yellow

30-When was the last time you laughed? at dinner

31-Last time you cried? month

32-Your best friend? gone

33-One place you go to over and over? Target

34-One person who emails you regularly? Uncle Vito

35-Favorite place to eat? Chili's

So, thank you again to The Treat Girl for bestowing an award on me and my blog! I will try to be more worthy and post more often!!!

BNOTP Colonial Candle Giveaway!! & Country Music Search

Go to a very exciting week at BNOTP! Colonial Candle is generously sponsoring a Give-a-Way everyday this week, Monday-Friday, here at BNOTP?!  A new Give-a-Way every day this week! Go here and check it out and all the Met Monday fun, too!

My  husband wants his ipod updated...I like, but he loves Country and we don't have a Country station anymore. Not very fair, just because we live in NY....Anyone have some new favs that I can get for him? He loves it all!
Anyone see this? Born Again American? The marine should get a contract!

Happy Birthday!!!

     Sixteen years ago, on October 30th at 2:12 am , our youngest was born. We  brought him home to the house we live in on October 31st. (They really do rush you out!)  His sister and brother came that morning with their Dad, met him and we packed up! We arrived home on a rainy, Halloween Sunday . Needless to say, the doorbell rang every few minutes!

        He grew into the sweetest, funniest liitle guy and is a wonderful person. Everyone who meets him says he is so polite, friendly and helpful. He goes out of his way to help the older folks on the street...brings up their papers and pails...amazing. He's a very good student, plays three sports and  is on several service groups at school (Key, SPARC,SADD). That's what you wish for...that they grow to be a good person. He has good examples in his sister and brother, too. His dad and I are so proud! Am I bragging? Well, I get this day to do it, right?

        

Happy Birthday, Todd!!!

Pumpkin Dinner-Pumpkin Dessert!

I linked up to  Foodie Friday!

      I just finished baking some very yummy soft pumpkin cookies.  But, first let me tell you about the dinner. Pumpkin Soup. Delicious, creamy, buttery...mmmm. The 15 year old gave it 2 thumbs up and did not tell me to pack my knives and go! The husband loved it, but I figured he would.

Here it is:

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped (I used garlic salt/powder as I didn't have garlic)

2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
1 can (14 1/2 fluid ounces) chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (15 ounces)  Pumpkin
1 can (12 fluid ounces)Evaporated Milk
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions


Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and sugar; cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until soft. Add broth, water, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, evaporated milk and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Put mixture into a food processor or blender (in batches, if necessary); process until smooth. Return to saucepan. Serve warm. (I think a dollop of sour cream would be nice as garnish-I had riccotta, so I went with that and it was good!)

Delish!!!!!

With it, I had gotten an email from Boston market, so we had this!!!

Go to:

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?BostonMarket/45e8befc6b/fcb58b23b8/5fcf297c1c

Where you can get a meal for a dollar! Click on online coupons. This is over 11/1 (if you can't get it, email me and I'll send it. It says to forward to a friend!!)

      Then, I was feeling the pumpkin, so I decided to make these. My son wanted Pumpkin bread but these cookies are like cake or bread-soft and sweet!!

Pumpkin Cookies


2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup canned  Pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

(sorry my silpat did not know there was a photo op or it would have cleaned up...works great, tho')

Bake  for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle Glaze over cookies.

For Glaze:
Combine 2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth. ( I made much less! I used about a 1/4 cup c sugar and a liitle milk, etc. and had enough for a thin glaze).

They are really soft -like little cakes!

Where's Waldo

      It takes me forever to post, but I had to put this up.....College kids have all the fun at Halloween...party on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday &  Saturday!!! Of course he needs  several  costumes! I will update!!

...and try to get a better pic! He bought a white hat, white sweatshirt, painters tape and red spray paint to make the shirt and hat...He's got his mom's spray paint skills!  Mail bag and Harry Potter glasses complete the look! Don't overlook the piles of laundry in the background! Thanksgiving break can't come soon enough! This is his real look, by the way!

Mom's Clam Sauce -a little different

I am linking up to:

Foodie Friday &

Southern Hospitality Recipe Party

southern hospitality

designs by gollum

Here is my Mom's clam sauce recipe. It's probably a depression recipe from her early married days. It is the clam sauce we very often had on Fridays....sometimes with a fish stick or two. (They must have been bigger then because now my boys can eat 10!)

Clam Sauce
1 chopped onion
vegetable oil
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1/4 tsp.salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp ground cloves
dash cayenne (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't-if you like a kick-do it!)
bay leaf
1 can chopped clams (I usually use 2 or 1 chopped and 1 minced)

Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil and saute  chopped onion about 10 minutes. Add can tomatoes and paste and broth from clams putting clams aside. 
Add the rest of the ingredients but not the clams yet.

Cook about 20 minutes while getting linguine cooked and ready.

After pasta is ready and sauce has been cooking, add the clams to the sauce and heat through right before serving. Take out the bay leaf!
Serve over linguine with Italian or French bread-sopping up the sause is heaven!

Glass of wine, crusty bread-YUMMMMMY!

Look at my Banner! White Wednesday,too!

     My banner used to be very simple, but pretty.  Now I am so lucky to have this beautiful statement of my motto in a gorgeous sign!

A few weeks ago, I was so fortunate to get this sign from the very, very talented Rita at  Mamabellarte.  She was looking for new ideas in her 100th post for her beautiful signs that she creates for her shop.  You have to follow the link and read it! She has chickens and...well, you should see!

When she made this for me, it was so special because, besides being a nice "slogan" seen everywhere, it has special meaning to me! When I was 21 or graduating college, my parents gave me this pendant...

Looking back, I can't believe they even had pendants with Live, Love, Laugh.  My parents liked it because  of the song, "Blackbird"., "..live, love, laugh and be happy".  They are both gone now -something I still can't believe-and I think of them when I wear  the pendant -which is all the time.

When I had children, I would sign cards with live, love laugh, too. So, after all these years it is important to me and how surprising when I see signs in stores with that line!

     Now to find the perfect spot for my beautiful sign! Go to her etsy shop or her Mercatino and see the amazing work that she does. She is such an wonderful artist and had gorgeous pendants that she solders...she gives classes if you are fortunate enough to live near her and goes to market with her wares! You can click on the sidebar or in this post to enjoy her blog!