I do work all week, but was lucky enough to come home early today and do some holiday party baking with Tim.  Kyla made these cookies for Halloween and they were fantastic, so we whipped up a batch this afternoon for a party tonight.  I think we both need to work on our decorating skills, but they are still pretty tasty.  Also, persimmon pudding is in the oven.  Persimmon pudding is one of those desserts you either love or hate.  I am a total convert, despite not having grown up with persimmons.

One more (long) day at work before three days off out of four.  I am looking forward to calling people, lounging, reading, eating and movie watching.

Every time we make these Spiced Pecans, people ask for the recipe.  In fact, people are still emailing Tim from St. Mary’s asking for the recipe almost 3 years later.  They really are delicious and the recipe comes from Miles, Tim’s grandpa who I never got a chance to meet.  The recipe is pretty simple and perfect for the holidays (read: easy and make ahead), so I thought I would share.

Miles’ Sweet Spiced Pecans

1lb pecans

1 egg white

1 tsp water

1 tsp cinnamon

1tsp salt

1 c sugar

Mix the egg white and water together in a bowl.  Add pecans and stir to coat.  Sift sugar, cinnamon and salt together and add to the coated pecans.  Put in a lightly greased brownie pan and cook at 200 degrees for one hour, stirring a few times.

C’est tout!  Bon Appetit!

When peaches are in and ripe, I will eat them with every meal.  However the season is short, and come winter I will be craving my favorite fruit.  Today I peeled, sliced and mixed up 18 cups of peach pie filling.  Portioned out into individual freezer bags, I have enough for three pies this winter, with a few left over for instant snacking.  Come winter, I’m set.  Week 27?  Making pie filling. Not exactly instant gratification, but talk to me again in January.

I have also been sewing my tiny pieces together, and out of 320 blocks to make, I have 230 done.  I am running out of 1 1/2 inch pieces though and may not have enough fabric to finish without introducing something additional.

The rest of this Sunday afternoon will be spent reading about Bananas.

Really.

One of my favorite summer dinners…Zucchini Frittata from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop, one of my favorite veggie cookbooks.  This dish is delicious, easy and made from local eggs and zucchini from our garden.  The best part?  Its even better the next day.

I’ve been sewing my 320 blocks together and have 170 completed…so on my way.  Though I may be running out of small squares of fabric.  Not sure what the solution may be.  And knitting again…a pattern with cables that is really easy.

Yum!  We picked the rest of the spinach today and the strawberries are coming in spades!  Perfect makings for a big lunch.

After harvesting the spinach and arugula, I have put in the last of the summer crops including another sweet pepper, cilantro and a canteloupe.

So far planted in my garden are lettuce (2 kinds), thyme, basil, parsley, arugula, spinach, radishes, cabbages, snow peas, swiss chard and two tomato plants.  I think by next week there will be strawberries ready to eat and the lettuce is getting close to being ready.  I was going to hold off on the tomatoes, but today was so beautiful I bought two at the market and stuck them in the ground.  If I stagger the planting of tomatoes, I hope that they ripen at different times.   Just a thought.  Only thing eaten so far is rhubarb, which will still come up next week.  The tulips are done blooming, but the wisteria and azaleas look beautiful.  Irises are almost ready.  I’ve bitched about the rain, but everything is so green.  What a difference it makes to have leaves on the trees.  My mood increases just by looking outside and seeing color.

Tim now has less than a week to go!  Yay.  Now off to finish Week 17….

I skipped making anything last week due to work and leaving town, but will make up for it this week by making TWO things.  Item for Week 16 (last week) is finished, but will be in a surprise package that will be shipped at the end of this week.  Photos to follow early next week.  Item for Week 17 (this week) is in process and will also be done this week despite having to cut the main fabric part 4 TIMES.

Savannah is a beautiful city, and I was so happy to be there for Regina’s party.  A beautiful city, perfect weather, homemade southern cooking, good company and some sweet-ass sweet tea are the perfect ingredients for a long weekend get away.  I really needed it.

Schoko-Bananen is a banana flavored candy covered in dark chocolate that a co-worker brought back from Germany specially for me!  I adore it, AND its fun to say.  I think the world would be a better place if there was more banana candy and all beauty products smelled like grapefruit.

Tim is in the final stretch for his papers for the semester.  Send good thoughts.

So the Year of Making Stuff isn’t limited to crafts and such, it can also be food.  Didn’t you know,  I also make the rules.  So, today I laboriously made candied citrus peel.   The result?  A great big sweetly sarcastic Thanks-A-Lot to Martha Stewart.  The recipe (which  won’t even bother to link to.  You know how to use google) called for grapefruits, oranges OR lemons.  No mention of limes, but she DOESN’T say to NOT use limes.  So I used limes with my grapefruit, and I can tell you that LIMES ARE BAD for this particular endeavor.  Too bitter.  And because I cooked them with the sweet sweetness of the grapefruit, I think the whole batch is a wee bit too bitter to really enjoy.  They look pretty though, right?

I also got a new tattoo yesterday and am now off to plant some baby spinach before the rains come tonight!

Eggplant hair clip made for Meagan, my partner in crime organic community gardens.  In two weeks or so we will be starting work on our veggie garden in one of the library plots on 6th street.  It will be an experimental year, but we hope to have lots of starter donations and in return, donate our produce to Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard.

Also, Ashley and I tied in our annual Oscar prediction challenge.  So we both have to make each other something….a surprise.  So I better get to work.  Hint: Its something I’ve never made before.

Swedish Cookies and Cakes showed up at the library, so I thought I would take a stab at something I haven’t ever done before.  Baking doesn’t give me near the pleasure that cooking does, but I am often happy with the result.  Who doesn’t like home baked goods?  I love meringue cookies, and the cookbook has recipes for plain, almond and cardamom flavored.  I couldn’t resist making the cardamom.  They are quite tasty!  I don’t really like the piping part, but next time I would use the biggest pastry bag tip, which I think would be easier. There are a few other recipes in there I would try, and maybe Tim will be so inspired to make some homemade pretzels.

And?  We actually have SNOW!  I love it.