Hot Apple Cider

I was "researching" mulled apple cider recipes on Pinterest (of course!) and began to wonder what the difference was between apple juice and apple cider.

Maybe you're savvy to that information but I was not.  Cider is raw apple juice that has not undergone a filtration process to remove coarse particles of pulp or sediment, whereas the juice has.  Removing these particles helps the apple juice stay fresh longer.

Here is a mulled apple cider recipe from Pioneer woman, Ree Drummond, that tastes SO good!  It's not difficult to make and includes an "adult version" with rum.  I skipped that part this time.  I used store-bought apple cider since I didn't have fresh apples...or a juicer.  The only thing I would do differently next time is cut the amount of maple syrup in half.  

Hot Apple Cider

Ingredients

• 4 whole Cinnamon Sticks
• 1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 8 whole Allspice Berries
• Orange Peel From 1 Orange
• Lemon Peel From 1 Lemon
• 1/2 cup Maple Syrup
• 6 cups Unfiltered (fresh Squeezed Is Great) Apple Juice
• 1/2 cup Dark Rum (optional)

If you have whole cloves, the conversion is 3 whole cloves=1/4 tsp ground, so use about 1 1/2 whole cloves.  If you have ground allspice on hand instead of whole, the conversion would be 6 whole berries to 1/4 to 1/2 tsp, so I would suggest using a healthy 1/4 tsp.  I used a vegetable peeler to remove the orange and lemon peels to avoid getting too much of the pith (white stuff).  Add a cinnamon stick to each cup when serving to "fancy" it up a little.

Preparation Instructions

(Adapted from AllRecipes.com.)
Place cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, allspice berries, orange peel, and lemon peel in a medium saucepan. 

Pour in maple syrup and apple juice, then bring to almost a boil. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and serve in mugs.  Serves 12  YUM!

Fresh Apple Cake

One of the ladies at our last American Legion Auxiliary meeting made this wonderful apple cake.  It was so good that I in turn made it for the next American Legion meeting (we serve a meal, dessert and beverages to the men) and I thought I'd share it with you as well.  It was a big hit! It's perfect for fall, especially if you have fresh, home-grown apples.

Fresh Apple Cake

     4 cups diced apples

     2 cups sugar

Mix well and add:

     1/2 cup vegetable oil

     1 cup chopped walnuts

     2 well-beaten eggs

     2 tsp. vanilla

Mix together the following:

     2 cups flour

     1 tsp. salt

     2 tsp. baking soda

     2 tsp. cinnamon

Whipped topping optional

Add together above mixture and mix well.  Generously grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Turn batter into pan.  Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour.  Delicious served with whipped topping.
Refrigerate leftovers.

Serves 12

Haven in the Hollow's Vintage Hallowe'en Playlist

Planning a Hallowe'en Party in the Hollow

Pick the type of party

A witches afternoon tea with the gals or an adult costume party at night are just two of many possibilities.  Personally, I like to host a night-time costume party for adults only.   It's wise to mention "adults only" on the invitation to prevent awkward situations.

Pick the date

Weekends are best.  I don't buy into that whole “it can't be after Oct 31^st“ but it should be as close to that date as possible.  This year I chose Nov 1^st since it's a Saturday and conveniently my weekend off from work.

Pick the time

I like to start my parties once it's dark, so 8 p.m.  A witches tea could be in the afternoon.  One thing I learned the hard way...have an END time!  For a night-time affair, 4 hours is more than sufficient.  Ending at the "stroke of midnight" has just the right amount of eery to it, don't you think?

Choose your guest list

Keep in mind the size of your house and what type of mood you want to set.  I usually stick with close family, friends and co-workers. Be flexible if you decide to post an open invitation at work.  I have found that R.S.V.P.'s just don't elicit a good response like they used to but I still include one on my invitations anyway.

Choose your invitations

This can be as simple as buying a pack of invites at Wally World, creating a facebook event page and staying paperless or going overboard and choosing everything from the wording, the font and the design and creating them yourself.   (Guess which category I fall into?) 

Choose your décor

For me that means planning ahead...WAY ahead.  After all, I have a mantel theme to decide on, a dining room scene to design, props to create and the living room, kitchen, entryway, hallway and bathroom to decorate.  And don't forget the outside witch vignettes, the pathway lighting, the carved jacks on the steps, the porch decorations and the graveyard.  Whew!  I actually start planning in July.  Also, I can not stress the use of Pinterest enough as a source of inspiration!

Choose your menu

You can serve desserts and drinks only, feature scary and gross dishes for guests to try or offer a variety.  Sometimes guests will even offer to bring a creation of their own.  Take any special dietary needs into consideration for your guests:  I have a relative who is gluten

free so I try to rise to the challenge and always offer fare she can eat and drink as well.  There are loads of recipes for food and libations online to entice you.  

Choose your music

I take my party play lists very seriously.  There are a lot of songs out there to fit the bill, depending on your preferences.  There are CD's with scary sound effects along with different genre's of songs.  See the post on my Vintage Hallowe'en Playlist.

Choose your costume

The sky is the limit, but do bear in mind your role as hostess and don't pick anything that is difficult to move in.  I'm a witch every year but I vary my costume, including a different hat.  One trap I seem to fall in every year is allowing myself enough time to get ready.  Plan ahead! 

Tips

If you are having a full-blown party don't forget to include some games to prevent things from dragging along.  Also, if you are having a costume party, consider having a contest as well.  Mention this on your invitation...it encourages guests to become more creative with their costumes.  The prizes can be little gifts, goodie bags, store-bought trophies or you can make your own.  You can pick judges or have the guests vote on each other.  I opt for the latter of those two choices.  I have a voting station set up where guests can "cast" their vote.  *cackle*

Never underestimate the value of a good minion...or two.  A girl needs a few reliable minions to help her pull off this extravaganza.  If you have a few close friends who can assist you with the food and final preparations the day of, make use of them!  My sister and cousin are well-qualified and invaluable in this department.  My husband is often cast in the role as well, mostly for outside set up.

Consider hosting a pumpkin carving party for your close friends a few days prior to your party.  Provide a meal, the pumpkins, patterns and carving tools. Display everyone's creativity the night of the party. Any cocktails should probably be served AFTER the sharp, pointy objects are put away.

Make notes from this year to use for the next party...things to do again, things NOT to do again...last minute inspirations you couldn't pull together this year but still want to do.

 

Consider safety

Have pathways to the door lit well enough for people to see.  I line my sidewalk with Witch Lanterns hung from short Shepard hooks.  The porch steps have lanterns, lit pumpkins and this year I plan to add some strings of lights hung from the ceiling.  You can balance the spookiness with safety with some sensible planning on your part.  Do a pre-party trial run the night before just to make sure.

Take special care on where to place live candle flame. Inside virtually all of my candles are artificially lit. That way there's no chance of something getting tipped over and/or someONE getting burned.

I always offer safe rides to anyone who may have imbibed too much.  My husband is the DD.  We have never had to utilize that option, but it's still a good one to have in place.  Although alcoholic drinks are a part of the offered menu, my parties are not meant to be drunken affairs.  I always offer non-alcoholic beverage alternatives. 

The bottom line is, no matter how simple or elaborate your party will be, don't over plan to the point of not enjoying the process. 

White Chicken Chili

As I pinned the 458th recipe to my Pinterest recipe board, I chided myself and thought OK I need to actually TRY one of these once in while or what's the point?  With that being said, I made a grocery list for the most recent one I had pinned.

I had always wanted to try a white chili recipe, but hubby had always kind of balked at the idea.  So I didn't tell him what it was...just that it was soup and it had chicken in it.  Well, it was a hit...very yummy and not too labor intensive either!

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

4 cans white beans (I used Northern)

2 cans white corn (you could even use regular corn)

3 cups chicken broth

2 cans diced green chilies 

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 medium onions, chopped (I used 1 1/2 Tablespoons onion powder)

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon oregano

1 Tablespoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

4 cups shredded chicken breasts

1 24-oz. sour cream

Combine broth and cubes.  Add all spices.  Simmer for a few minutes.  Add green chilies, corn, chicken, beans (and the chopped onion, if you used that).  Cook for 15 minutes.  Add sour cream and stir.  Cook for another 5 minutes.

Normally, making any kind of hot soup in June, chili nonetheless, would not be the greatest idea.  Turns out I picked a cool, cloudy day to try it on.  It's always a surprise when I actually cook from scratch during gardening season anyway.  *wink*

I got this great recipe from Scarlett at http://www.madeitateitlovedit.com/2012/05/white-chicken-chili.html

The fluff that Fairy Flies are made of

A couple of years ago I was weeding in one of the gardens that happens to be located along the drainage ditch we have on our property.  The ditch is lined with every size of limestone rock you could imagine and follows the slope of the wooded hillside.  There was a cool, gentle breeze wafting down from the top of the hill, giving me some relief from the humidity.  I glanced up appreciatively and noticed what I thought was some "fluff" from a tree or plant floating along with the breeze.  It landed on one of the Witch Hazel leaves next to me.  Then I noticed a few more.  Then one moved...that's right...it crawled! What on earth?! 



This fluffy creature is called a Woolly Aphid.  They are sometimes referred to as a "Fairy Fly", among other nicknames.  Due to their whimsical appearance, some parents tell children that they carry wishes, live in tulips and much like fairies, are born every time you make a wish on a dandelion.

On the more practical side of things, Woolly Aphids are not generally much cause for alarm, although they can cause rather unsightly damage to plants. They feed by inserting their needle-like mouth parts into plants to withdraw the sap.  They feed on the leaves, buds, bark and even the roots. As they feed, they produce a sticky substance known as honeydew, which can cause "sooty mold" on the plants.

I haven't laid eyes on them since that day.  I've never noticed any type of damage I could attribute to their feeding habits and I abstain from using any type of insecticide or pesticide.  I find them to be beautiful creatures and I love the fairy tale version of their existence.

Resource:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriosomatinae

Booney Hat Days & Gardener ADD

Huh?  A boonie hat is a hat issued to the military when they are deployed to the desert, i.e. Iraq.  My hubby gave one of his to me after he retired and since I almost lost him during his second deployment, I am very sentimental about said hat.  It works great for shielding my face from the sun and now that he has stopped nagging me about wearing it properly (the rank goes in the front and the name goes in the back...yes, dear)  I gladly wear it when I garden.  I have begun to fondly refer to the days I get to spend out in the gardens as "booney hat days".  And today was one of those days...FI-NALLY!    


                     ⊰✿ It's Thyme for my dirt manicure ⊰✿            

When I can get outside at the beginning of the season, I refer to my excitement and the pinging back and forth I do from one task to another, maybe finishing them maybe not, as "gardener ADD".  There's just so much to do and I don't know where to start.  The term fits a little more appropriately then I'd like, but there it is...Indoors there are seed packets everywhere and seedlings under plant lights in the basement and garden plans and nursery catalogs (aka gardener porn) EV-ERY-where.

ANYway, today was slightly windy but the sun came out and it was more than tolerable. I cleaned up the asparagus/rhubarb bed and the tiered ever-bearing strawberry bed that I had put in last fall.  The rhubarb is doing well and the asparagus is starting to push through the soil. This is the first year I will be able to harvest the asparagus.  I am currently researching some companion plants for that particular bed.  I happened across a Leopard Frog among the leaves and was serenaded, as I toiled, by a House Wren. I purposely place a wren house near the potager for this very reason.

               












Yup, perfect day.  There are bound to be more.  I hope you have been able to get out there and get your hands dirty too, fellow gardeners!

Pota Phadraig & the origin of Irish Coffee

St. Patrick

Pota Phadraig

The custom of imbibing alcohol on St. Patrick's Day comes from an old Irish legend.  As the story goes, St. Patrick was served a measure of whiskey that was considerabley less than full.  St. Patrick took this as an opportunity to teach a lesson of generosity to the innkeeper.  He told the innkeeper that in his cellar resided a monstrous devil who fed on the dishonesty of the innkeeper.  In order to banish the devil, the man must change his ways.  When St. Patrick returned to the inn some time later, he found the owner generously filling the patrons' glasses to overflowing.  He returned to the cellar with the innkeeper and found the devil emaciated from the landlord's generosity, and promptly banished the demon, proclaiming thereafter everyone should have a drop of the "hard stuff" on his feast day.  This custom is know as Pota Phadraig or Patrick's Pot.  The custom is know as "drowning the shamrock" because it is customary to float a leaf of the plant in the whiskey before downing the shot.

Irish Coffee

The Irish Coffee was created by Irish chef Joe Sheridan in 1942 at the Foynes airbase (replace by today's nearby Shannon International Airport) near Co. Limerick, Ireland.  The story goes that a flight returned to the airport after attempting to reach New York during a winter storm one evening.  Sheridan ran the airport's new restaurant and mixed up the first round of Irish Coffee for the stranded passengers and the name came about with the following exchange...

"Hey Buddy," said a surprised American passenger, "is the Brazillian coffee?"  "No," said Joe, "that's Irish Coffee." 

The Irish Coffee was a huge success and became a regular drink to have at the airport.  In 1953 a travel writer by the name of Stanton Delaplane brought the recipe to the United States, drawing it's attention to a bartender of the Buena Vista Hotel in San Francisco by the name of Jack Koeppler.  The cream kept sinking when Koeppler tried to make the drink so he traveled to the source to learn the correct way to make this new coffee drink.  As the story goes, he ended up offering Joe Sheridan a position in the American Buena Vista Cafe where you can still get a great Irish Cofee.  As witty as the Irish tend to be, this is how Joe Sheridan explained how to make a true Irish Coffee...

                  Cream - rich as an Irish brogue

                  Coffee - strong as a friendly hand

                  Sugar - sweet as the tongue of a rogue

                  Whiskey - smooth as the wit of the land

 Irish Coffee

4 oz. strong, rich hot coffee
1 oz. Irish whiskey
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 oz. lightly whipped cream

Pour the sugar then the coffee into a warmed Irish coffee glass, mug, or other heat-proof stemmed glass.  Stir until dissolved.  Add the Irish whiskey and stir again.  Float the cream on top by pouring it over the back of a spoon.  Do not stir again, instead drink the coffee through the cream.

I use Jameson Irish Whiskey

A wee taste o' the Irish

You will come to find that I am quite fond of my Celtic heritage, including some Irish.  I am on a mission to find a tasty Guinness stew recipe and thought I'd try a desert recipe as well.  Here is my version:

Linda's Guinness Stout Beef Stew

2 1/2 lbs stew meat, cut into cubes

1 tsp. Celtic sea salt (you may substitute regular salt)

1 tsp. freshly-cracked black pepper

3/4 cup flour, divided

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 12 oz. bottle Guinness Extra Stout, divided

3 large carrots, peeled and sliced

1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-in pieces

4 cups beef broth

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

3/4 cup pitted prunes*

Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper.  Dredge the meat in the flour, shaking off any excess.  Add the meat to the pan and  cook approx 6 minutes, turning to brown all sides.  Remove beef from pan.

Add the onion to the pan, then saute for 4 minute.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Add 1 cup of Guinness and stir for 1 minute, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add remaining ingredients and cooked meat.  Bring to a boil, then cover.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally.

Combine remaining Guinness with 1/4 cup flour until dissolved.  Stir into stew until thickened. Remove bay leaf and prunes.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.   

Makes 4-6 servings

* the purpose of adding the prunes is to reduce the bitterness of the stout

The Guinness Brownies recipe I tried is from Abby at Confabulation in the Kitchen and they are quite yummy! 

Guinness Brownies

Ingredients

1 cup flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt*

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate (chopped or measured chips)

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups Guinness Extra Stout beer, room temperature, no foam

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease 9x13 pan. (I used glass.)

2. In medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.

3. In double boiler over low heat, melt butter, bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate chips. Stir constantly until melted. Remove from heat.

4. In large bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Add spoonful of egg mixture to chocolate mixture to cool it off (you don't want to cook your eggs.) Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat well.

5. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and beat until just combined. Whisk in beer. Pour in chocolate chips and stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan.

6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes (checking for doneness starting at 25 minutes). Brownies are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let brownies cool to room temperature before cutting.

Pictured below is one of my first attempts at tablescaping, so be gentle.  I picked up the faux cabbage leaves at a local shop (thinking of using at Easter as well).  And I just love those PartyLite sheep!  The ceramic cabbage fits in nicely, I think (again, could double for Easter).  

 

The bowls are from "The Friendly Village, England 1883" by Johnson Bros.  The pattern was adapted from an original hand engraving.  They remind me of an Irish countryside cottage. I have been eyeing them at the local consignment mall and then they went on sale.  Who could resist?

Hubby pronounced the stew a success and judging by the way the brownies keep disappearing from the pan, I'd wager they were a hit as well.  

In the beginning...

there was a middle-aged woman who moved back "whence she came" with her retired military husband, two older teenage boys and a big dog.  We had always known we wanted to move back to this area.  

Northeast Iowa is so beautiful with it's rolling fields, wooded hills, limestone bluffs, rivers and creeks.  So we built a house next to his parents, on their rural property, and settled in.  The back of our house meets up with a sloped, wooded hillside.  Our talented excavator was able to produce a gentler incline near the house so that a dreaded retaining wall (cost + appearance = UGH!) wasn't necessary.  Then it occurred to me...what WAS I going to put on that hillside?  I am not-so-very talented in the original creativity department.  I will readily admit, however, that I can and do draw inspiration from others.  An internet search turned up oodles of free garden plans on the Better Homes and Gardens site. www.bhg.com/gardening/plans

I especially seemed drawn to the ones geared toward attracting birds and butterflies.  And that, dear readers, is when the nature bug bit me, clamped down and refused to let go.  I tend to procrastinate, take on way more than I can accomplish in a specific amount of time and obsess.  I'm also easily distracted...oh look, a Junco!

  So this should be fun!