Spinach Souffle #HolidaySideDishes

Easy and Delicious this creamy, cheesy, side dish is the perfect side dish for whatever you are serving this holiday season.

It's time to share Holiday Side Dishes......

Magically Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake and a Book Review #SundayFunday #LitHappens

This Magically Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake takes only 2 ingredients.  Yes, you heard me right....2 ingredients.

All Hallows Eve is nearly upon us.  In Horror, I realized I still had not used my Jack O' Lantern pan.  I have a kitchen and garage full of specialty pans, tools, and gadgets.  I try to use them at least once a year so I am not overcome with guilt and horror LOL.

Carving Pumpkins and Eating Pumpkins with the Angel Face and Little Miss M

The Angel Face and Little Miss M brought their moms over yesterday to carve pumpkins and have lunch.  We had a great time and I thought I would share our day with you.

Celebrating Day of the Souls with Carbonada en Zapallo and Trapiche Cabernet Sauvignon #WorldWineTravel

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.  I received wine for tasting purposes with the understanding that I would write an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post.

I am in full-on Halloween mode here on the Farm.   All Hallows Eve is right around the corner and I have been making lots of fun foods and meals to celebrate.  When I was lucky enough to receive a bottle of Trapiche Cabernet from Mendoza Argentina for this month's World Wine Travel, I wanted to continue the celebration.

Enjoying a Spot of Tea with Mabel Beaumont

 I just finished reading The Last List of Mabel Beaumont.  I did a lot of reading while on vacation recently and ran out of material.  I went onto my library app and downloaded this novel that they recommended based on other choices I have made.

Salad topped with Lobster and a Review of The Island

I had originally named this post Lobster Salad, however, not wanting to confuse any readers who might be searching for a traditional lobster salad made with mayo, celery, and herbs, I changed the title to Salad topped with Lobster.

Tender mixed greens topped with Lobster Claw Meat and drizzled with a Citrus Dressing is a wonderful light lunch or first course.

Kheer to celebrate Diwali #SundayFunday

This spice-scented rice pudding studded with almonds and dates is not as thick as the rice pudding that I normally serve but it is certainly as delicious.

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are celebrating Diwali......

Apple Pie Cookies and the Weekly Menu #CooktheBooks

All the goodness of apple pie baked into small cookie form so you can enjoy them anytime. 

After reading our Cook the Books Club October/November Selection, The City Baker's Guide to Country Living, I was inspired to make these cookies.

Cod and Cranberry Stuffing Bake #CranberryWeek

Cranberry studded stuffing topped with a cod fillet in individual little casseroles make an adorable presentation for a holiday meal.

It is a Cranberry Celebration today.......

Pecan, Pear, and Blue Cheese Madeleines #CakeSliceBakers

Tender, savory, little cakes studded with pears, pecans, and blue cheese. Perfect as an appetizer on their own or as part of a charcuterie board with a glass of wine or cocktail while awaiting a holiday dinner this season.  

We are nearing the end of our bakes for this year's Cake Slice Bakers selection, Gateau; The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes.  

Barton & Guestier Chateau Magnol and Instant Pot Beef Brisket #Winophiles

Beef Brisket doesn't have to take all day.  You can feel free to go to work, run your errands, go on a shopping spree, or go for a hike.  When you get home, pull out your trusty Instant Pot and dinner will be ready a short time later.

I paired this dinner with a Bordeaux Blend from Barton & Guestier for our French Winophiles event this month......

Casper inspired Deviled Eggs #MoviesandMunchies

Thrill your little ghosts and goblins before they go out begging by serving up these spooky, spidery, deviled eggs with their dinner.

Gnudi inspired by Murder in Siena paired with a Merlot Wine #MerlotMe

Gnudi is a cousin of Gnocchi, made using ricotta cheese instead of potatoes.  It is light, fluffy and delicious.  It is similar to the filling you might find in ravioli but without the wrapper.

I was inspired to make this dish after reading Murder in Siena by T.A. Williams.......

Cranberry Orange Chicken Thighs #CranberryWeek

Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs Marinated in an orange and cranberry mixture before being transferred to a baking dish and popped into the oven.  A perfect fall meal.

We are celebrating Cranberries this week.......

It was a Dark and Stormy night #SundayFunday

It was a Dark n' Stormy night here on the farm.  All the family had taken their little goblins home after the last pool outing of the year, and Grammy and Grampy were ready to relax. 

When Grampy asked what he could get for me, I asked for this cousin of a Moscow Mule made with Dark Rum instead of Vodka.

Diving the Red Sea

Exodus 14:28  The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

We just returned from diving in the Red Sea.  We did not see any chariots or charioteers under the sea. However, we did see all the glory and awesomeness of our God!!

Celebrating our Homecoming with L'Ecole Merlot and the Weekly Menu #WinePW #MerlotMe

It's October.... which means we are celebrating Merlot here with the Wine Pairing Weekend Gang.  I was happy to receive wines from L'Ecole Winery and Chelsea Goldschmidt.  I was not home to accept delivery as I was in Egypt so it was exciting to see what wines arrived while I was gone.

I opened the bottle of L'Ecole for our first dinner home on Wednesday evening.  I will be opening and pairing the bottle of Chelsea Goldschmidt soon and will be sharing those notes with you during this celebratory month.

Cruising the Nile and visiting Temples

 

Our Egyptian Holiday continued on Day 4 with a flight from Cairo to Aswan.  Our tour group met us at the airport and took us to Philae Temple before we got to the Cruise Ship to enjoy lunch.

The temples are amazing and we "read" the hieroglyphics that tell the story of the temple and its purpose and history.  Each temple has its own story.  

The cruise ship was lovely and we were all starving and more than ready to enoy the scrumptious lunch they had prepared for us.

Our group had the entire Nile Cruise Ship to ourselves.  The staff was extraordinarily welcoming and accommodating.  It was another blisteringly hot day, so while the some went on a shopping tour to Nubian Village, we stayed back and I enjoyed a massage while Frank visited with others at the pool.

Day 5 was spent visiting more temples and the Crocodile Museum.  It was another blisteringly hot day and while I enjoyed the Museum (it was air-conditioned) the temples all started to blend together for me.  They are interesting, however, I could have done with seeing yesterday's temple and just reading about the Kom Ombo and Edju Temples.  They all tell a different story but are basically rocks, carvings, sculptures, and hieroglyphics.

Crocodiles were deities of the Egyptians and, as such, were buried and mummified in a sarcophagus.  It was a very interesting tour.

It was 117* out this day and the Temple of Edfu nearly did us in.  Can you tell??  This is also the day the first of the group started getting ill.  I think we all succumbed to the lack of sleep, extraordinary temperatures, and trying to fit 2 weeks of tours into 1 week. 

It was very nice to be back on the cruise ship to relax and recoup as we traveled from Aswan to Luxor.

I enjoyed all the tours and learned a lot but my favorite times were those spent with friends, relaxing, and visiting by the pool.

Day 5 we swapped out the big boat for a smaller one as we headed to Valley of the Kings, the Temple of  Queen Hatshepsut, and Colossi of Memnon. 

There were shopping stalls to walk through as we headed to Valley of the Kings.  Let the bartering begin.

Here is Grampy modeling a hat that I bought for the Angel Face.  I bartered down the price to half of what was being asked and still think I paid too much LOL.

It was a jam-packed week as you can see.  The following day we had a 4-hour bus ride to the Red Sea to hop upon the yacht that was to become our home for the remainder of the trip.  Stay tuned for that week of our adventure.

Visiting Kings, Riding Camels and Seeking Chariots

We are home from our Egypt trip.  It ended with some concern because of the war declared in the neighboring country of Israel.  All flights went through without a hitch, thankfully.  

I am going to share a bit of our vacation with you.  We left Detroit at 7 pm on September 24 and arrived at our hotel in Cairo around 4 am on September 26.  We ate breakfast and then hit our room for several hours.  When we awoke and went outside, we were amazed that we could see the Pyramids from our hotel.

This is how we spent our first day in Cairo.