Mr. Prof designer home

Yesterday we had our Son/MaryAnn and Aidan over for brunch for MaryAnn’s birthday.

Besides the Egg Bake we had sausage links, Sour Dough toast and fruit
It went from this…

To this…

To this….

End result…

Aidan was preoccupied with hit little cup of Nutter Butter cookies – so nothing mattered at the moment…don’t know where his mind was but he sure was quiet.

After brunch he kept busy with his new Crayola coloring book and Magic Markers
 

Darren bought MaryAnn her Tony Romo Jersey
  

So on to the bored part…we had been so busy pretty much the entire month and now nothing…nothing to look forward to until the 20th of October when we go to PA for the Wholesale Show – it can’t come soon enough – I’m getting PA withdrawal. It will be one year since we made the trip and that’s just not a good thing!
Not even anything happening around here…no shows, no parties, no dinners – but I do have orders I’m working on and that’s good. Plus I really should get my mind in gear with some new ideas for next August for the Lititz show and the Artisan’s Porch Walk shows. Time does go by faster than ever it seems and it will be here before I know it.

    And….today I’m transferring all my files onto Flash Drives.  I have a few but they are small in storage space so today I bought one with a large enough file to hold ALL of my photos and website and other things can go on the other drives. 
I’m getting way too many photos on the computer.  Plus at the moment NOTHING is BACKED UP so it had better not crash while I’m in the process or I will have lost EVERYTHING important.  And YES, I do back up on the Flash Drives…but last night I cleaned them all off to start over and that’s when I discovered not a single one was large enough…so please say a silent prayer for me today.

And for the Ark…well it has been raining here since last Sunday….every single day and night…off and on, off and on…just pouring when it does come on so it makes you not to even want to leave the house. Very gloomy. I need some kind of pick me up and quick!
If I was a drinker (for pleasure that is) I’d have my husband light the fireplace and sit back, read and gulp sip on a Mimosa!
How’s that for bad behavior - and on a weekday at that!

Where does the time go – this month just started and it will be October when we wake up tomorrow…It feels like Sept. just started. I know the older one gets the time flies by, but this is ridiculous – is it just me?  Or do you feel time is just going by way too fast ?

I had thought maybe it’s because we plan so far ahead for things, or maybe we are wishing our lives away wishing for the next ‘fun’ thing to happen.
I wish I could just sit back and not think about tomorrow and then maybe it wouldn’t get here quite so fast.  What’s the answer.

So my blogging buddies (Thank You) and all others that come visit me from time to time (I thank you too)…I hope I didn’t run on too long.
Guess for not having much to say today I did go on and on didn’t I ?

Have a great weekend and wishing you all a beautiful October!

Blessings,

Karen

For many people this time of year means only one thing - football. Even if you aren't into the game itself, there's always delicious food to cook and eat. In honor of football season I thought tailgating/party appetizers would be a great theme for the recipe swap. I was pleasantly surprised by the popularity of this theme. I'm proud to say this was the swap with the highest number of participants at 28 people. Woohoo!

Whatever team you root for, whether you prefer college or NFL, I'm sure you'll enjoy the recipes below.

Nicole enjoyed her Italian Appetizer Bites during a recent football game:


Caitlin loves having an excuse to make football food and she loved this recipe for Crispy Baked Thai Chicken Wings:


Heather is a football fan and loved her recipe for Buffalo Chicken Tenders:


Katie and her toddler both enjoyed the Ham and Swiss Double Pinwheels:


The Cooking Nurse was a little wary of her recipe for Brat Bruschetta but ended up being pleasantly surprised by this fun twist:


Jaida loves dips and pizza so she thought her White Pizza Dip was a great football snack:


Ashley, a newcomer to the swaps, loved her recipe for Grilled Sriracha "Poppers" so much she's already got plans to make them again when she tailgates in a few weeks:


Brianna isn't a big football watcher (like me), but she enjoyed making and eating her recipe for Buffalo Chicken Rolls:


Coleen enjoyed her BBQ Chicken Dip:


Jessy had planned to take some of her Prosciutto and Fontina Pinwheels to a friend, but they were so delicious she and her husband couldn't part with a single one:


Lishie's husband is a wing fanatic so her recipe for Baked Buffalo Wings was a perfect addition to their game-day spread:


Melissa loved the idea of putting Hot Artichoke Dip in wonton cups:



The Cookaholic Wife just recently started experimenting with different burger toppings and found out she loved this recipe for Tailgate Sliders:


Jey's recipe for Oven Fried Pickles made the cut for game-day:


My recipe for Philly Cheesesteak Eggrolls with Spicy Ketchup was perfect for this Philly-area girl:


Krystal had my recipe for Potato Slabs:


Maryanna's recipe for Corn and Jalapeno Nachos is great because each chip is individually filled with all the yummy toppings:


Melissa put a buffalo chicken spin on her Cheesy Chili Chip Dip:


Ellie really enjoyed watching a game while eating her Chile-Lime Chicken Wings:


Jenna enjoyed her Chicken Cordon Bleu Rollups:


Peace, Love and French Fries loved her Soft Pretzel Bites and Beer Cheese Dip:


Melissa brought her Spinach Artichoke Dip to a recent family gathering, where it was a huge hit:


Jill took inspiration from her recipe to create Mediterranean Chicken Calzones:


Lindsay took a trip back to where she used to live with Hot Crab Dip:


Mary Ellen simplified her recipe for Creamy Sundried Tomato Pesto Dip:


Vicki, a swap newcomer, made Thai Shrimp and Scallion Dumplings (no photo).

I’m always late to the party when it comes to things like this.  But here I finally am… a newbie on Pinterest. 

If you’re on Pinterest and want to follow along as I pin, click here or click the Pinterest link on my side bar. 

What a clever idea… organizing all things that inspire in one spot.  I’m digging it! 

I’ve been collecting images of kitchens with subway tiles, as I think we’re headed in that direction with our new kitchen.  Late to the party on that one too! 

Hopefully not too late that it will look outdated in a few years.  To me, subway tile is classic.  I  suppose time will tell!  What do you think?  Is it timeless or a trend already on the way out?

On a different note, I want to give a big shout-out to Rebecca Razo for including some of our bedroom and bath images in the Fall issue of Bedrooms and Baths.  Thank you Rebecca!

Now that it's officially fall I'm in full-on comfort food mode. Of course now that my mind is off summer and stuck in fall the cool temps we had recently have been replaced by heat and humidity. Typical East Coast weather, unfortunately. That didn't stop me from making Biscuits over Creamed Chicken for Sunday dinner, though.


Once again Cassie delivered a great recipe. I tried making my own cream of chicken soup, and SP thought it needed a bit more chicken flavor, so I might look into those chicken bouillon cubes the next time I make it from scratch. I would also add some chicken stock to thin out the sauce since mine was a little thick, probably because of the homemade soup. Those things aside, this was a great comfort-food meal that I'll definitely be making again.

Biscuits over Creamed Chicken
Adapted from Cassie Craves

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups cream of chicken soup (make your own recipe below)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen carrots
1 cup frozen corn
6-8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 can refrigerated biscuits, cooked according to package directions

Combine chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk, chicken broth, salt and pepper, peas, carrots and corn in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Stir in cheese.

Nestle the biscuits in the creamed chicken mixture, or pour the creamed chicken over the biscuits.

From Scratch Cream of Chicken Soup
Slightly Modified From Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
Dash of paprika
2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour

In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two.

In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.

As the weather gets colder and I find myself gravitating toward rich, creamy (read: fatty) meals, I'm rediscovering salad. A nice side salad with lots of veggies and a light vinaigrette dressing not only adds a healthy component to a fattening meal, it helps cut through the richness.


I love making homemade salad dressing because it takes next to no time to throw together and I can control the ingredients. This is my standby for simple green salads. Lately I've been using spring mix, romaine hearts, shaved carrot, chopped mushrooms and tomatoes in my salads and thyme from my garden in the vinaigrette.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 shallot, finely minced
4-6 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped off the stems
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine mustard through pepper in a bowl, cup, salad dressing container, etc. Stir/whisk to combine. Slowly add oil in a steady stream, continuously whisking to emulsify. I like a tangy vinaigrette so I use less oil, an even amount to the vinegar. Adjust to your personal preference and season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.