Welcome to the Cook's Corner!

It's been a while since I've shared some of my family's favorite recipes with you so today I will give you two of our best fall treats! The photo of the ingredients above is for "Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies". Years ago when Mr. Panache and I first were married, his wonderful Mother shared this recipe with me. I had eaten pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin soup but NEVER pumpkin cookies!

Ingredients:

3 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

~~~~~

5 Cups Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

2 Teaspoons Nutmeg

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

~~~~~

1 Large Can Pumpkin Filling (unseasoned)

1 Package Chocolate Chips - 12 oz.

1 Cup Walnuts, chopped

Here is my Pumpkin Cookie Jar. It's the perfect place to store the MANY cookies this recipe makes. Last year I displayed my cookie jar in the center of my kitchen table. To embellish the jar I used a few fall floral picks to form a wreath around the base.

Directions:

Combine sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla using electric mixer or hand beater.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon together.

Add pumpkin and dry ingredients alternately to the liquid mixture, mixing well with a spoon. Then add chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350* for 10 minutes.

Makes about 6 dozen

(That's enough to share with neighbors and friends! Or you could just eat them all yourself but don't get mad at me if you can't fit into your favorite jeans afterwards! ;-)

Here's a great tip from Grannie Annie (my Mother-in-law):

Use an extra small ice cream scoop to drop the cookie batter on the baking sheet. It makes the job a lot easier and you have uniformity in size.

After you make your Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies, pack up a little hamper with some sandwiches, cookies and a thermos full of pipin' hot cider or coffee and take a stroll down this tree-lined lane with your favorite guy. In my case - 3 favorite guys!

Fall is a wonderful time for hosting a harvest-time get together or football party. We are always looking for quick and yummy receipes that we can fix in a hurry! Below is a new recipe that I found on bhg.com
Blue Cheese Ricotta Dip
Ingredients:
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
8 ounces blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola or Maytag, crumbled (2 cups)
2 tablespoons apple cider or milk
Freshly ground black pepper
Snipped fresh chives or your favorite herb
Green and/or red apple slices
Breadsticks or crackers
Directions:
1. Allow ricotta and blue cheese to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. In a medium bowl stir together the cheeses, mashing with a fork until well combined.
2. Stir in the apple cider. Add pepper to taste. Spoon into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with chives. Serve with apple slices, breadsticks or crackers. Makes 8 servings.
This dip would also make a great spread for a fresh, grilled burger on game day!
Nothing causes me to catch my breath more than the beauty of God's creation. I have always been in love with the colors of Autumn. This is a picture from Maine. One thing I would love to do is take a road trip through New England during the fall stopping at little Bed & Breakfasts along the way. Maybe Mr. Panache will read this and take a hint!

I also promised to share another of my family's favorite cookie treats -

Outlandish Oatmeal Supremes

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Flour, plain

2 Eggs

3/4 Cup Coconut

3 Cups Quick-cooking Oats

~~~~~

5 Tablespoons flour, plain

1 Cup Milk

1 Cup Vegetable Shortening (Like Crisco)

1 Cup Granulated Sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

~~~~~

To make the Oatmeal Supremes:

Mix the first eight (8) ingredients. Drop by teaspoon on non-stick cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 350* for 8 minutes.

Baking Tip:

Use parchment paper to line you cookie sheet. It makes for better browing and easy cleanup. Again, try substituting a small ice cream scoop for a teaspoon when dropping the cookie dough onto the sheet.

~~~~~

To make the Cookie Creme:

Cook flour and milk to a thick paste.

Chill mixture in refrigerator.

Mix shortening, sugar, salt in a bowl with electric mixer.

Add mixture to paste one tablespoon at a time.

Mix until smooth.

Place a teaspoon of filling on the bottom of one Oatnmeal Supreme Cookie, top with a second cookie to make a cookie sandwich. Makes 20 servings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you will enjoy these family favorite treats. This weekend I will be putting the finishing touches on my outdoor decor and giving the house a good cleaning. I am going to a Christmas Craft Fair with my friend early Saturday morning. I hope to get some great pictures I can share with all of you next week. Until then,

Live Life Beautifully!

~Alisa

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Hello! Welcome back! It's been a while since I've had a regular post.

Many of you know that I've had a lot going on this summer. To recap, in July I moved my retired parents to NC to be close to me, in August Mom had some severe high blood pressure issues and then a week later we thought that Dad had a stroke. Thank God, we took him to the ER and after a CT scan and X-rays, the Doctor ruled out a stroke and diagnosed Dad with Bell's Palsy. That was good, I guess. Much better than hearing that he had a stroke. After some medicine and some time, most of the symptoms are gone and we are expecting that within another two weeks all will be normal. Following that, I heard from my best friend, Bella~Mella, that her 12 year old son was diagnosed with brain cancer. You can read about this situation on Bellamella-Melanie.

Through all of this, God is in control and Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever! No matter what trials we go through on this Earth, we know "all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose..." Romans 8:28

So, I say it's the most wonderful time of the year because

"this is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it"!

FALL or AUTUMN has always been my favorite time of the year. There is just something about harvest time that gets me excited and expectant- the deeply saturated colors; the cool, crisp morning air; the metamorphosis we watch with our own eyes as summer gives way to a new season. For us nesters, we hear the call to change our scenery - to add vibrate color to our interiors and to bring a little of the Earth's bounty indoors.

(The picture above was an Everyday Tablescape used on my dining room table throughout September and October. It was updated in November to display a Ceramic Turkey centerpiece.)

Next week is the official Fall Nesting Week. Time to put away the summer, cozy up the house, perhaps change the scents of candles or aromatherapy to spicy, woodsy fragrance and settle down to the routine of school and the rituals of football, fundraisers and falling leaves.

(My breakfast table was the ideal place to display a ceramic cookie jar shaped like a pumpkin. By adding a trio of floral sprays and gourds, I was able to create a seasonal centerpiece in under 3 minutes.)

So, I revisted my pictures from last year's fall nesting. I've been looking for new inspiration and I am determined to re-work what I have. I may add a couple new items but for the most part I've decided that by rearranging existing furnishings and accessories,
I can reuse my current collection of fall decor.
(A fun, foam pumpkin rests on a grouping of grapevine, foliage and feathers. The little white picket fence was added to mimick Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin Patch tradition.)

(This hutch was a focal point that clustered fun Halloween decor in a monochromatic manner.)

(A fresh, fall door wreath set the tone for the transition from Summer to Autumn. The bright green ivy leaves add end of summer panache.)

( This Trophy Urn provided the perfect place to display a collection of Fall foliage and berry sprigs. The color variations of brown and black were my inspiration for the mixed and matched table linens.)
If you get into the Fall Nesting thing, I'd love to hear about some of your traditions or rituals that gets your nest ready for Autumn!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Some of you were following my "30 Days, 30 Tips to Budget Friendly Home Decor". I was able to post 10 tips before life got crazy and I was overwhelmed. I plan to post a new tip at the end of each regular post until I've finished my last 20 tips.

Day 11 - Tip 11:

Ribbon Works!

For an instant update andpop of color, purchase a big spool of ribbon. Use this ribbon to embellish lampshades, curtain panels or sheets, shower curtains, decorative pillows or throws. No need to sew, just use a hot glue gun. You can unify mix'n match pieces by adding common trim and pulling accents colors from other fabrics or prints used in your room. Ribbon is so cheap and places like Hobby Lobby and Michaels offer gorgeous ribbon sold by the spool. Most of the time you can find 50% off sales and you can pick up 30 feet of ribbon for $5!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks again to everyone praying for Andrew! We are so appreciative! May God richly bless you for your faith and your compassion!

Live Life Beautifully!

~Alisa

Where's a Techno Guru when you need one?

Hi there! In case you've checked for my Tablescape this week, I've had a little technical difficulties. For some reason which I have yet to figure out, I can not import new pictures from my digital camera. I really need a Techno Guru to help me out! So until I get this little problem solved I will be stuck posting inspiration pictures from the net or old pictures from my files. On Wednesday I posted about how I am already in the mood for Fall. I thought I would share this simple photo of a lovely Autumn Tablescape. I think the white tablecloth gives a fresh face to this fall table. Many times we think of rich, saturated color during the fall months but this table proves that you can add warmth and coziness to your table without adding heavy color. Here are some tips for achieving this casually elegant look:

• Keep it FRESH. Build upon table linens that are white or ivory then layer in the warm colors of fall - gold, green, touches of orange and rust.
• Use variations of SOFT COLOR. Notice the monochromatic color of the dishes. The colors are all within a similar color family and the intensity of each color is ever so slight. This lends a clean, modern look to the table.
• Feature an EYE-POPPING CENTERPIECE. When using a subdued color palette in your linens and dishes, opt for a show-stopping centerpiece. Here colorful candles, miniture pumpkins and gourds do the trick.
• Add a touch of whimsy. The single pressed Maple leaf tucked beneath a slim leather strap is all the adornment needed for these classic ivory napkins. The pressed leaves give a nod to nostalgia when as an elementary student, you would gather leaves and press them between pages of a book for use in a science project.

Hopefully, I will be able to correct my camera problem soon. I have some wonderful pictures to share of my NEW GLAMOUR master-bath and a trip to the BLACK LION of their annual Summer Tent-Sale. On Monday I will begin posting "30 Days, 30 Tips to Low-Budget Home Decorating". I hope you will join me! Until then,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa