Fall

Do you ever feel like you're a character in Rocky Horror Picture Show? I feel like I'm doing the Time Warp. I've been making fall crafts... but I have to start on Christmas... and there is a special project I'm working on for Spring! Uh, what day is it?

Okay, focus, Kimara... fall... Halloween... Christmas stockings... no, no, no. HALLOWEEN, HALLOWEEN. Okay, I'm back. Halloween. So... here is my completed Paint Bucket Jack-O-Lantern. If you were over at Wee Folk Activities last week, hmmm... was it just last week? Anyway... if you were over there, you would have seen the Jack-O-Lanterns Bug, Fairy and Pixie made for Trick-or-Treating. I started mine last week... at least I got it primed and painted, but I finished it up today. I got the idea for these last spring when I turned some paint buckets into planters for my front steps.

Although the Jack-O-Lanterns themselves do not take a lot of time... the leaves aren't even embroidered, can you believe I ACTUALLY let felt go unembroidered?... but you do need to allow for plenty of drying time. So, if you would like to make your own Paint Bucket Jack-O-Lanterns for trick-or-treating or household decorations, get started soon. I plan to use mine as a decoration Pre-Halloween, then use it as my candy bucket for handing out treats. The directions for the Paint Bucket Jack-O-Lanterns can be found HERE or with our FREE Patterns. Enjoy!

It is funny to see how many people think "soup" when they think fall. Makes sense. After a day in chilly weather, not only are we looking for nourishment, we want warmth and foods that hug us! I would like to thank Megan for sharing her recipe for LENTIL AND ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP and her story of how it became a family favorite. This is a vegetarian soup, but whether your family is vegetarian or not, it is nice to plan one or two meals a week that are meatless. When soups sound as yummy and hardy as this, I'm sure even the die-hard meat eaters will love it! Make sure you visit Megan over at  Ducks In A Row. It's always nice when friends, even new ones, drop in! Remember, if you have a favorite fall recipe you would like to share, email it to us at weefolkart@yahoo.com.

I stumbled across this recipe in one of my myriad of cooking magazines (I don't recall which one) but it has become a fall staple in my family. It features vegetables that are still growing in my garden this time of year and it's hearty in spite of being meatless.

If it weren't for this soup I still may not know what a leek or a parsnip look like. Seriously. I had to read the signs in the produce section to find all the ingredients for this soup the first time I made it! I guess because, with the exception of Sunday dinners, the meals of my childhood consisted of easy entrees (we ate a lot of Hamburger Helper) and we didn't have a garden - I just never learned much about the more obscure vegetables.

Now that I have a family of my own and a garden of my own, I'm thoroughly enjoying using a variety of fresh food to create meals and ensure that my daughter is familiar with ALL the items in the produce section!

LENTIL AND ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP (I'd rate this recipe as easy)

1/3c. parsnip, peeled and chopped
1/3c. potato, peeled and diced
1/4c. green onions, chopped
1/4c. leek, chopped (white part only)
1/4c. carrot, chopped
1/4c. celery, chopped
2t. olive oil
1 can vegetable broth
1c. canned, diced tomatoes
1/3c. dried lentils, rinsed
1/4c. dry red wine or vegetable broth
1t. Worcestershire sauce
1/3c. fresh cilantro, minced

Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large saucepan and saute the parsnip, potato, onions, leek, carrot and celery for 3 minutes.

Add the broth, tomatoes, lentils, wine and Worcestershire and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 40-55 minutes until lentils are tender.

Just before serving, stir in cilantro..

This is the pattern I used when crafting our Wooden Autumn Forest. It's always fun using different materials to make the same pattern. I made this Autumn Oak Block Applique in golds, but it could be done in oranges, reds and browns. I designed it to fit our 6" x 6" applique blocks but you can enlarge or reduce the pattern to meet your needs. How will you use it? The pattern for the Autumn Oak Applique Block can be found HERE or in our FREE Applique Patterns. Enjoy!

NOTE: On the pattern, the stitches used in the leaves are labeled as "detached lazy daisy" and in the glossary, the stitch is shown as "detached chain". The lazy daisy stitch is a variation of a chain stitch, and the "detached lazy daisy" and the "detached chain" are simply a single chain stitch. So, if you need help with the stitch, check our glossary under "detached chain".

We would like to thank Stacy for sharing this recipe for Mulligatawny Soup. I Love Mulligatawny soup. We use to vacation every year in Vermont, and there was a restaurant that had this on its menu. I'd think about it throughout the year, and it was always one of the first things I ate when we got to Stowe. Never made it myself... I will now! Here is Stacy's recipe and her comments.

My mother was not a very adventurous cook. She made basic meatloaf, pot roast and tuna casseroles because my dad had "simple tastes". She found this recipe for Mulligatawny Soup in one of her women's magazines, and something about it caught her fancy. I remember she had to go out and buy curry powder. I think she was as surprised as anyone when my dad actually liked it! It became the one "exotic" dish she made. As the years went on, she got a little heavy handed on the curry, and I know I liked it even more. But I'm including the original recipe.

As soon as fall hits, this is the first cool weather food we make. It is a fairly easy recipe. The recipe says it feeds 8 but if you're using it as a meal, like we do, I think 6. I hope everyone enjoys it.

MULLIGATAWNY SOUP

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup diced onions
2 diced carrot
4 diced celery ribs
3 tablespoons flour
4 teaspoons curry powder
8 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup diced tart apple
1 cup boiled rice
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 cup hot cream or unsweetened coconut milk

Directions:
Sauté onions, carrots, and celery in butter.

Stir in the flour and curry powder and cook for about 3 minutes.

Pour in the broth and bay leaf and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add apples, rice, chicken, salt, pepper, thyme, and lemon rind. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Stir in hot cream or coconut milk right before serving.