Hello, Everyone.
Across the street, my neighbor's trees are turning colors... one in particular is now full of orange/yellow/melon colored leaves. SOOO pretty!! Our little apple trees still have some green leaves, but they are turning brown. Thinking that the Hubby hasn't watered them as well as he should have. But this summer was very busy and too many things going on to remember,,, not to mention we were gone for more than 3 weeks, after my Mother passed away.

This picture doesn't show the pretty orange and melon in the leaf colors... too bright out, I guess. Taken with my phone.

Speaking of fall colors; I usually redecorate for Spring, Fall and Christmas. I'll share with you, Dear Reader, a couple of my fall colored decorations and quilts. I have several, but most need to be quilted yet....

Here is my Jewel Box made in pretty bright and cheery fall colors...

I can't figure out how to turn the picture around... darn it..... Hope you get the idea, anyway.

This picture is of the Jewel Box wallhanging I made to go with the quilt.

I made these several years ago. Finished the wallhanging,, but hadn't finished the quilt until this June. I had a local friend, who does longarm quilting, quilt it. I really love these quilts!!! They add brightness, color and joy to my home!  It took me about 3 or 4 years to collect the fabrics for these. Then made them and FINALLY have them done and reading to use. Well, I should say, almost done.. the binding on the quilt isn't done, yet.... but plan on getting that done soon. 

There  are a couple other fall quilts that need quilting,,,,hopefully, they will get that done soon! Just need to send them out and let an online friend work her magic!! Then I need to have some Christmas quilts quilted!! My bucket list has a Longarm quilting machine in it,,,, but that will have to wait for school to be out and me finding a job! LOL!!!

As fall arrives, it's been a time of changes. Days are shorter, cooler and winter is just a snowfall away.  Lots of changes have occurred!! Health issues, changing programs at school, family births and my Mama's death are just a few that have made a profound affect on my life. I'm still working on my weight and health, and still dealing with the loss of Mom. Her birthday is in November. She would have been 81. I miss her sooooo...... I've also made changes in lessening stress in my life... some of the changes necessary for that were not met with understanding... but I can't worry about that anymore. What is done is done.... although, if I was wrong in how I dealt with the one change, God will guide me. So far, it's feels so much better, and I can keep in touch with those who really care.

So, Dear Reader, have a grand day. Prayers for your health and happiness going up.

Please, leave a comment.... Do you decorate for the seasons? Do you have quilts or projects that take you years to finish, too? I'm  hoping I'm not the only one! hehehehehehe

Roasted Tomato soup/sauce

Again, I have a bunch of tomatoes that need to be used, but not enough to can. SO, thought about roasting them with some onions, & garlic to make a roasted tomato soup/sauce

This is a picture before roasting in the oven....
Cut tomatoes in half, I did core the stem end. You can squeeze the tomatoes a bit, if you don't like the seeds, to get most of them out.
I left the skins on the garlic, so it won't burn.
Cut a large onion in 3rds

Tossed all of this in some olive oil, basil and salt. For this amount I used about a 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp or more of dried basil.  (you can use fresh basil)

Bake in a 400 F oven for about 45 minutes, or until the skins on the tomatoes start to turn dark.
Take out of oven. The skin on the tomatoes should slip right off with little trouble.
Slip the skins off of the garlic, too. 
Place all ingredients into a food processor and whirl until the consistency you like... I like it a little chunky. OR you could use a stick blender if you place the ingredients in a bowl or pot.
If you have more than you can do in the food processor, do it in batches.

Place your lovely mixture into a pot and bring to a simmer, along with a couple cups of broth (chicken or vegetable broth), cook for a few minutes to let the flavors marry. Perhaps, a teaspoon or so of fresh lemon or lime would be good in the soup, too!!!

At this point, you can eat this as a soup, or use as a sauce. The soup idea sounds good to me, so I will serve in soup bowls with a crusty artisan bread, or maybe a wonderful grilled cheese sandwich!! Sounds good to me!!

Garnish with some fresh basil and a bit of sour cream or half&half.

OMY Goodness, the house is smelling soooooo good right now!!! The tomatoes, garlic and onions are giving off the most wonderful aroma!!! Wish we had smellavision online!!

As a sauce, Dear Reader, you could use on pizza, or in a pasta dish. Add different or more spices, like oregano, or thyme. Rosemary would be a good addition, too. You can also cool the sauce and put into ziplock bags, then place in freezer for future use. Right now, our freezers are really full

This is what the tomatoes, garlic and onions looked like 20 minutes into roasting....As you can see, the tomatoes skins are very rippley, so will come off very easily!

Sorry about the resolution of the picture. I took it with my cell phone and don't know how to change  light and all the stuff. Hopefully, Dear Reader, you will get the idea anyway. :)

Yesterday's Chicken Tortilla Soup was a hit with my guys! The hubby loved it, and really like the little 'kick' from the jalapeño.I garnished my soup with some tortilla chips, Tillamook Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, and some sour cream. It was VERY good!!!

I'm still sick today with a bad cold. Can't talk, either...... some will say that is a good thing!HEHEHEHE!! Stayed in bed for most of the morning, while looking on my laptop and doing some homework. It's almost 3pm already!! Gosh darn... time sure goes by fast.

Wednesday's exams at school weren't too bad. I felt awful and sat away from  everyone in the room, so I wouldn't give this crud to them. I got a 96% on one of the exams, the other exam grades haven't been posted yet.

Well, I need a nap...... after the tomatoes come out of the oven, that is. So, I'll close for now. 

Dear Reader, do you have ways of using up too much of something? I am very interested! Leave your suggestions in the comment section! I really look forward to reading comments.

Blessings to you.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Dear Reader, This is my Chicken Tortilla Soup that I made today for our dinner!! Picture isn't very good, but the soup is!!!

So, here is how I made it. This is a big pot full, so adjust as needed for how much you want.

I took left over chicken from a roasted chicken... just pulled it apart in larger pieces. For those who want exact measurements.... sorry, I didn't measure,,, but about 3 - 5 cups of chicken would do.
2 - 32oz boxes of lower sodium/no MSG Chicken broth
2 - 10oz cans of Ro-Tel Mexican Lime & Cilantro Diced tomatoes.
2 - 15.5oz cans of Chili Beans (S&W is the brand I used)
1 - 15oz can of black beans
2 Tbsp chili powder (adjust to your taste)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 small jalapeño, finely diced (left in the seeds and membrane)
1 small bag of frozen corn
2 tsp of Mexican oregano

I just added everything to the pot and it will simmer on low for a couple hours and then be served with tortilla chips, sour cream, wedge of lime, cheddar cheese and a bit of cilantro. 

You can adjust the spices and saltiness. I am pretty salt sensitive, so usually don't add a lot it. If you like a thicker soup, take some tortilla chips and crush finely, then add to the soup.. let it simmer for a few minutes. The tortillas should thicken the soup. The Hubby will probably add some hot sauce or pepper sauce to make the soup spicier. 

Looking forward to dinner tonight!! YUM!!! Plus, I have a bad cold, and this will help the sinuses to clear a bit.

If you try this,,,please, leave a comment about how you liked it, or didn't... Any changes? Tell me that, too!

Off to take a nap,,, head is pounding.

Take care, Dear Reader. 

WOW,,, second post of the day! LOL!!!

Dinner was great! The crockpotted chicken was very tender and moist..... although my crock cracked...... I had placed the cold chicken in the crockpot, covered it with the sauce, and then turned it on.....about 10 minutes later I hear this big CRACK... then 2 more smaller ones..... BOO HOO... I should have know better. I should have placed the grate in the crock..... Good thing that I put the chicken and sauce in a crockpot bag. I can see the crack when I took the chicken out at dinner time, but it isn't cracked all the way through,,,, so not sure what I should do....still use it, or toss and see if I can get another one?  Dear Reader, if you have any ideas, please, leave me a comment... I really would appreciate knowing what you would do.

Anyway, the chicken was great! So were the roasted red garnet sweet potatoes! When I roasted and pealed them, I added a little bit of real maple syrup.. SOOOO good! I also use up some Bountiful Baskets zucchini, brussel sprouts and carrots !!! I cut up the medium sized zucchini into bite size pieces, grated the carrots, and cut the brussel sprouts in half... used 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of extra olive oil in the frying pan,,, then added the veggies, along with a sprinkle of garlic powder.... let it cook for a few minutes, then turned the burner off, put a lid on the pan, and the veggies were perfectly crisp tender when dinner was ready!!! I thought it tasted great!

Along with the chicken, veggies and sweet potatoes, I warmed up some rice/quinoa/garlic mixture. The guys liked the dinner, welllllllllllll the son isn't fond of sweet potatoes, but he ate the rest. 

I started to clean up the kitchen, but feel rotten, so will do that tomorrow. This cold, that I woke up with, got me down today, and I'm studying for the first exams that are tomorrow!!! SO much information!!!! Good stuff, though.

Today, on Dr. Oz, there was a Dr. who is using a different food pyramid than the one the government use to use, to show people what types of food to eat. (the pyramid has now been changed to MyPlate, though)... anyway, it was interesting to listen to the other Dr. today. His base is veggies,,, all sorts of good veggies..... Dr. Joel Fuhrman is the name of the Dr, and his book is called "Eat to Live"... I thought from what I heard him say, it sounded like a great way to eat.



I'm not sure that those in my Dietetic Tech program or the instructors would think it is sound and scientific, but just looks good. More research is in order... I may go buy his book... just to read. I think it's is based in the vegetarian type diet. Which isn't a bad way to eat either. Not sure I would do the all raw part either.... More on this after I do my research.

Here is a salad recipe from Dr. Fuhrman's website. VERY nutritionally dense!

Triple Treat Cabbage Salad

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• SALAD
• 2 cups green cabbage, grated
• 1 cup red cabbage, grated
• 1 cup savoy cabbage, grated
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup dried currants
• 2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds
• DRESSING
• 1/3 cup soy, almond or hemp milk
• 1 apple, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup raw cashews or 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
• 1 tablespoon Dr. Fuhrman's Spicy Pecan Vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dried currants
• 1 tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds, lightly toasted*

Instructions:

Mix all salad ingredients together.

In a high powered blender, blend soy milk, apple, cashews and vinegar and toss with salad.

Garnish with currants and lightly toasted sesame seeds.

I just may try this one soon!'

Off to do a little more studying, then take some aspirin and go to sleep!

Sleep well, Dear Reader, and have a grand tomorrow. :)