Just an Apple Pickin’ Minute!

With apologies to my Southern friends who have cotton pickin’ minutes!

We have been going to the same farm to pick apples for 20 years.  It is down by the ocean hidden in a residential neighborhood.  I guess at one time it was mostly farm land.

This is a Mutzu, very similar to a Granny Smith.  There are about 10 different varieties you can pick there. 

This one weighs a whopping 1 lb and 7/8 oz!

Lily picked this one.  She left it here by mistake and called to remind her Nana not to turn it into pie!

It doesn’t take long to fill the bag.  Here’s my youngest gson selecting the perfect apple. They are low so even the littlest can pick!

But I did turn some into this…

Dipped in chocolate, slathered with caramel, and dusted with toasted walnuts.

It’s a big apple, so when we have company I make  a few and slice them to serve with the other desserts.

Last year, after Tgiving these pans were marked way down at the WSonoma Outlet. (My friend Carol from There’s Always Thyme to Cook told me I was talking about CTS so much WS was going to be mad at me! )

She has a wonderful apple recipe posted there!

I made some, using a pumpkin, nut, recipe.  Cream cheese icing in the middle.  Some are dipped in chocolate, others dipped in glaze and sprinkled with sugar.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  Very warm here on L.I., beach weather.

Thanks for visiting !

I am linking to

Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie for Favorite Things

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday

A Bushel of Apples

It is Apple Time!  Time to dig out the old apple dishes, a bargain purchase from Christmas Tree Shop years ago.

Not the best quality, but at 15 dollars for service for 12, I got my money’s worth from them!

I had A LOT of trouble with the light today, don’t know why!

They are more a burgundy than red, so I layered a black cloth, a burgundy topper, black charger, rattan charge and then the plate.

I decided to add in the natural charger as I was using a wicker rocker filled with apples as the centerpiece.

 

There’s a band of green on the plates, so I used apple green candles.

Apple salt and peppers sitting on little green glass leaves.

Little resin apple scatters on the plate. My friend Marigene at In the Middle of Nowhere gave me the idea to use them as knife rests!  So that’s what they have become!  :)  And I found them at CTS.

Black napkin

I used a green bee stem and a tall clear with black bottom stem glass. There is black in the basket and around the apples on the plate.

 

An apple pick marks the place.

For dinner, panko fried chicken with apple gravy. I just made the gravy with apple cider and some chopped apples, a few minced onions.  Brown the onions and apples in some butter, add the apple cider and some chicken broth, thicken with a bit of flour and simmer.

And an Apple Tart.  So easy!

Here’s last  year of the apple table. Light was much better that day!

Thanks for visiting!  Please stop in at

Susan’s Between Naps on the Porch for some more tables.

Tabletop Things~ Cart Content Expose

I promised a peek at some of the things that were in my cart.  I know you are dying to know!  :)

I just had to have ANOTHER cake pan!  This is  by Nordic , called Harvest Pumpkin , and it was 4.99.

I sure hope my gkids grow up to love baking, cause they are going to have a large inheritance! ( of cake pans,  ie!)

I can’t wait to see how the cake comes out!

Lime green embroidered spider web napkins, 1.00

Perfect with the green apples in the spider web cupcake stand I showed you in the last post.

These gold plates were 1.00 in the supermarket, and I thought they would go well with these mats and napkins, all 1.00 at CTS.

  

These are lined in burgundy cotton, $1.

These burgundy rings were 1.00 for all of them at Savers.

I didn’t buy these, but my friend, you know who did!

I did buy a set of these cute Nikko salt and peppers, 8 for 1.99.

How about these high heeled Christmas stockings.

A must have?  :)

My sister who lives in TX called me this morning to say she was at the new Christmas Tree Shop that just opened in Dallas.  She was having a lot of fun!  So all of you who are waiting for it , it’s coming to a spot near you, someday!

Thanks for visiting, hope this qualifies for Tabletop Tuesday as I am joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life.

I am also joining Tam at The Gypsy’s Corner for Three or More Tuesday.

Fall Arrives at CK

I have put it off as long as I could!  I still didn’t drag out the decos, but here are a few of my Favorite Things for Fall.

Mounds of blue asters that come back every year! I know , they are perennials, but I am always so happy they return!

Of course, one of my favorite things, any time of year is…

Shopping! 

This week I was at CTS twice.  Mon. with my 2 sisters, and Fri. with my dear friend Gail.

My sister from TX  was here for her HS reunion and was thrilled to know CTS is opening in Dallas next week!

Mon. I missed the The Tablescaper by minutes, but she called me to tell me how bad she had been.  Afterwards we compared notes. :)

I’ll post some of the bargains Monday, but this one reminded me of Happier Than a Pig in Mud, Lynn.

She must get them!

And this, well, this was a bargain!

Spider web cupcake holder. 

There was a big sign that said 4.99, but it was tagged 14.99.  BUT, they were very nice and charged me the 4.99 and quickly removed the sign that was wrong!

Hope everyone has a great Summer Sunday, the last of 2010!  I am joining Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie for Favorite Things and The Tablescaper for Summer Sundays.

As the Days Dwindle Down~Blues & Greens

OK, pumpkin people, this is it.  I will put away my summer things.  But remember in February how so many gave summer the bums rush! :)

We are eating on the deck again.  I hope you don’t mind.  My dining area is hosting my frig.  We are expecting a new one tomorrow and the alcove had to be made ready.

An aqua bowl holds a spike plant surrounded by scallop shells from the Bay.

I found these napkins at Tues Morn.  Blue and green plaid.  1.99 for 4, a good size too.

Two settings have a lighter green mat and fish ring, and 2 have a darker green mat and aqua ring, just to mix it up.

The mats are 1.00 at CTS, the rings are both from the WS/PBarn Outlet.

Rattan charger from Pfaltzgraff on sale .

Little fish ramekins from there too,

Green plate is Dollar Tree

Aqua is CTree Shop, .84

Both blue glasses from CTS too.

The blue pitcher is from Dansk, as is my everyday flatware.

Pull up a chair, and enjoy these last precious days of summer.  The Bay breeze is cool, you may need a light sweater!  But this is the last summer meal outside here .

So next week, I am falling into Fall!

Thanks for visiting and please join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.  Be prepared for pumpkins!  :)

Wordless Wednesday~ It’s a PEAR ent

I am also joining Sue for Rednesday. 

Recipe here.

Got Milk?

Back to School!  Here the first day is tomorrow.

My gkids went back Tues.  But since they don’t live close, I am sending them some virtual milk and cookies!

 

I had a big chocolate Easter Bunny in the frig.  It was excellent chocolate and I didn’t want it to go to “waist”, :) so I smashed it up and made some chocolate cookies.

 

With hugs and kisses for the kids!

My friend, The Tablescaper was supposed to come out last night, for the weekend, but the weather forecast for today was not beachy, so they stayed home. The sun just made it out now!

I was going to bring the cookies over for her kids.  :(

It was a real simple recipe, that I am sure many of you have used.  I had never tried it before.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/cake-mix-cookies-viii/Detail.aspx

I used a Duncan Heinz Devils Food that was going to expire soon.  I always keep some on hand for emergencies.

I used the chopped up bunny instead of chips.

They may not be as good as made from scratch, but darn close!  And they smell like chocolate heaven!

Cute little lunch box on sale in AC Moore for .99.

I bought it to make Lily a sewing kit.  I should have bought more, as they are a great container to put cookies in to  give away!  I wonder if they have any left?

I also bought a few of these clear paint cans for .99, marked down from 4.99.

I have a few ideas, but maybe some of you very crafty ladies would share some of yours?

Cookies and milk, always a favorite thing on a Sunday or any day!

I am joining Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie for Favorite Things and The Tablescaper for Summer Sundays.  Next weekend will be the last of the summer season according to the calendar . Enjoy the last days of this glorious season!