Preparing for our First Dinner Party of the Season, a Book Review, and the Weekly Menu

Happy Day before All Hallows' Eve!!!  I am excited to be having our neighbors over for our annual Halloween dinner.  

V is for Vegan

This easy, healthy, protein-rich dip takes only minutes to make with canned chickpeas and a food processor.  It is perfect with fresh vegetables and will satisfy all guests at your gathering, since it is completely vegan-friendly.

V is for Vegan.......

Chana Pulao #SundayFunday

I made this delicious Rice Pilaf with Chickpeas in the Instant Pot.  It makes a hearty meatless meal on its own, but we enjoyed it as a side to our Vietnamese-style baked chicken, which I will be featuring in our next Eat the World Challenge.

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are sharing South Asian Cuisine today......

Honey Mustard Chicken Foil Packets and the Weekly Menu

This fall has been unseasonably warm, so I took advantage of the Indian Summer and made one last grilling recipe while I still could.

Don't worry if the weather isn't cooperating for the grill.  You can bake these packets in the oven for the same delicious results.

It's Crocktober: Let's Break out those Slow Cookers

The leaves are changing, the weather is crisp, and the smell of burning leaves and bonfires fills the air.  Fall is here.  It's time to put away the grill, pull out the slow cooker, and serve up this delicious Pork Loin with Cranberry Gastrique. 

Wild Mushroom Frittata #SundayFunday

I served up this delicious Wild Mushroom Frittata for lunch while my sister-in-law was visiting from California and had a friend over.  It is a quick, easy, and elegant brunch dish or light dinner.  I served it with a kale salad and croissants.

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are cooking up Wild Foods today......

Banana Chocolate Bundt and the Weekly Menu

I had some overripe bananas on my counter that were beginning to attract fruit flies.  It was time to take action!!  I turned them into a delicious cake to serve my brother and his wife, who were visiting from California.

Practically Magic Margarita #HalloweenTreatsWeek meets #MoviesandMunchies

This fun, spooky take on a Margarita gets its festive color from blueberries and pomegranate juice.  A perfect treat for the adults this year.

This is our final day of Halloween Treats Week.  I hope you have enjoyed it.

Spooky Spiderweb Brownies #HalloweenTreatsWeek

Turn that pan of Brownies into a Spooky Halloween Treat for your little Ghosts and Goblins this year.  They will be delighted when you bring dessert to the table.

Pumpkin and Pomegranate Molasses Cake #HalloweenTreatsWeek

A simple cake flavored with Pumpkin, Fall Spices, and Pomegranate Molasses baked up in a decorative Jack O Lantern pan.

Welcome to Halloween Treats Week.......

U is for Umami

Umami: the taste sensation that is produced by several amino acids and nucleotides (such as glutamate and aspartate) and has a rich or meaty flavor characteristic of cheese, cooked meat, mushrooms, soy, and ripe tomatoes.  Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary

One of my favorite ways to add Umami to a dish is with Miso.  Miso is a soybean-based paste that adds a savory, sweet/salty flavor to a dish.  I used some to make these delicious Miso Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

U is for Umami......

Cranberry Pecan Boule #BreadBakers

This lovely bread is chock full of Autumnal flavors.  This no-knead yeasted bread is baked in a Dutch oven to help it hold its shape and is studded with dried cranberries and pecans.

The Bread Bakers are going NUTS today............

Halloween Pot Pie #HalloweenTreatsWeek

Serve up a warm, comforting dinner before sending your little goblins out begging this Halloween.  This classic dish gets festive when you cut the pie crust into fun pumpkin shapes.

Pumpkin Patch Brownies #HalloweenTreatsWeek

Surprise your resident ghosts, goblins, and ghouls with this easy, cute, semi-homemade dessert.  The Trick is to start with a boxed brownie mix and canned frosting to make this Treat.

Welcome to Halloween Treats Week.........

Ghostly Pop Tarts #SundayFunday

These fun little semi-homemade Pop-Tarts are a perfect surprise for your little Goblins as Halloween approaches.  

October is here...A chill is in the air; the leaves are changing, and neighborhoods are being decked out for the first holiday of the season.  I have already started celebrating the holidays; my house is decorated for Halloween, and Halloween Treats Week starts tomorrow, but today we are celebrating Pop-Tarts with the Sunday Funday Bloggers...

Sālād-é-Shirāzi #EattheWorld

This fresh, crisp Persian salad features the best of your garden's bounty as the season ends.  Toss tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions with a mint-and-lemon vinaigrette. It is the perfect side dish for whatever you are serving for dinner.

We are traveling to Iran today as we Eat the World.......

Sweet Memories of a Vineyard Visit and the Weekly Menu

This month, Camilla of Culinary Cam is hosting our Wine Group and has invited us to celebrate harvest season with a Vineyard Visit.  Cam and I met as bloggers in the same groups and soon became real-life friends, meeting up whenever I travel to California. 

I last visited with her in person when we met up at her friend's specialty store, Quail and Olive in Carmel, California, this past April.  We also visited the Big Sur Winery Tasting Room located in the same plaza.  

Not a vineyard visit, but we did get to visit with the owner, Lenora, and learn about her wonderful wines. I made this stop to see Cam when my granddaughter and I were on our way to the San Francisco airport after visiting my brother, who lives in the little town of Santa Margarita, home to Ancient Peaks Winery.

We visit Ancient Peaks Tasting Room each time we're in the area, but I haven't been to their vineyards.  Santa Margarita is right outside Paso Robles, and when I visited my brother years ago, we got to visit a vineyard where we met another of my blogging friends who became a real-life friend. Lori of Dracaena Wines kindly met us at her vineyards, gave us a viticulture lesson, and offered us tastings of her wines.

Camilla took this photo of Lori teaching and me learning. She drove down from her neck of the woods to join us for this fun outing way back in 2021.  It was such a great day with great friends and family.  

Lori has since opened a Dracaena Wines Tasting Room in Downtown Paso Robles, and we had the pleasure of visiting her there on subsequent visits.  I have belonged to Dracaena Wine Club for many years now and always look forward to my shipments. 

I didn't think I'd be able to participate in this month's Wine Pairing Weekend event.  September and early October have been very hectic. Larry and Mary have been visiting here in Michigan this month.  We have had several birthday celebrations, including the arrival of our newest grandson.  When Cam sent out a reminder about this event, I decided to take this walk down memory lane.  I hope you have enjoyed my memories as much as I have enjoyed sharing them.

Two other bloggers in our group are sharing their vineyard experiences.  Please drop by and visit:

• Missouri Wine Harvest 2026 by Our Good Life
• Popelouchum + Randall Grahm: Lunch in the Vineyard named 'Paradise' with the Original Rhône Ranger by Culinary Cam

Larry and Mary left yesterday morning for the west side of our state for a last visit with Mary's sister before boarding the train back to California, and things are quieting down around here.  We are taking our Little Miss M to a skating party tomorrow afternoon and then going out to dinner with John before attending a Tribute Concert for the Eagles.  

Sunday, we are taking dinner over to Jessica and Julien's.  I can't wait to see my Angel Face and to get in some snuggles with her new brother.  On Friday, we will be at the hospital with Roz, who is having knee replacement surgery.  I will take dinner over for her to have when she gets home.  

I hope to get back into my regular schedule of working out each morning, and I am excited to start thinking about the upcoming Holiday season.   Happy Fall, everyone. What foods do you crave as the weather cools?

Saturday

Out for dinner before Concert

Sunday Supper (at Jessica's)

Hummus with Mini Pitas and Fresh Vegetables

Beef Stew

Biscuits

Zebra Cake

Meatless Mexican Monday

Black Bean Burritos

Tuesday

Sloppy Joes

Potato Chips

Wok Wednesday

Pork Chop Suey

Steamed Rice

Thursday

Out for dinner before choir

Friday-Dinner with Roz

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Chewy, tender oatmeal cookies studded with chocolate chips and plump dried cherries.  A perfect Fall treat.

Butternut Squash Cake #SundayFunday

This delicious spice cake starts with butternut squash, which keeps it moist and adds a light sweetness to the dessert, with the only additional sugar coming from pure maple syrup.

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are sharing Winter Squash Recipes today......

An Exciting Week here on the Farm and the Weekly Menu

September went out with a bang around here.  My brother, Larry, and his wife, Mary, arrived from California in time to celebrate his and Angel Face's birthdays.  We went out for dinner at a revolving Sushi Bar that has become Angel Face's favorite restaurant.