Harvest Festival 2009

We've brought back the tradition!

Grab a seat, a cup of cider, and tell us YOUR favorite fall tradition!

Here in Arkansas, it is definitely fall. The trees are turning beautiful colors and the first frost is just around the corner. I'll miss all my lovely flowers but before they're all gone - except the violas - I'm enjoying them thoroughly. 

I won't have another suspense novel released until Feb. 2010 but wanted to drop in and say hello just the same. I have finally updated my personal website, www.ValerieHansen.com so you can stop by and visit if you like. In the meantime, break out the mufflers and mittens and stay warm. It's a great time to curl up by the fire with a cup of hot tea and a good Love Inspired book.

Blessings,

Valerie Hansen 

I will have to remember this on Thursday! Sounds like fun.

We're so glad to have you Moody Lady. I hope you stop by throughout the week, as we'll be having several different activities and contests.

My dad is in Florida, and I talked to him yesterday to hear him go on and on about the 90 degree days they've been having. I can't imagine not having seasons.

Yumm, Ellen, that looks good -- and very festive for Halloween!

I don't use the oven much in the summer so as soon as it cools down- watch out!!

I found this recipe a few years ago in a Kraft Magazine:  Turtle Pumpkin Pie  (yummy!!)

• 1 Honey Maid Graham Pie Crust (I usually make my own)
• 1 cup cold milk
• 2 pkg (3.4 oz each) Jello-Vanilla Instant Pudding
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp caramel ice cream topping, divided
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp pecan pieces, divided  (I use more)
• 1 8oz tub Cool Whip topping.

Pour 1/4 cup caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans.  Beat milk, pudding mixes, pumpkin and spices with whisk until blended.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip.  Spread into crust.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour.  Top with remaining Cool Whip, caramel and pecans just before serving.  Makes 8-10 servings.

I'll be honest and say I add a bit of brown sugar sometimes too! 

Got this from my stepmom...   "Hobo Pies"

• 1-2lbs of ground beef, lean is better.
• Baby Carrots
• Onions
• Garlic
• Potatoes- I usually use the red ones.
• Favorite beef seasonings
• And whatever else you wish to add

Turn on the grill.  Mix up the ground beef.  I like to add Chicago Steak seasoning, Mrs. Dash, pepper and sea salt.  Form into patties- the thicker they are, the longer they take to cook. Slice the potatoes kind of thin.  Take a good size piece of aluminum foil per patty- add the carrots, however much garlic you like and whatever else you're adding.  Fold and seal it.  Set on the grill and cook 30-40 minutes. 

The cool thing is you just throw it together.. no rhyme or reason and there's no wrong to it!! 

They sound soo yummy! I think I want to try them all.

I think it makes me happy just thinking about it.

There's still a little more time to enter, so share your recipes!

I just saw on one of the other threads about the Harvest Festival, so here I am!

One of my favorite recipes is for chocolate chip banana muffins. They're easy, fairly quick, and they make the kitchen smell wonderful! (They also freeze nicely and can be warmed up in 45 seconds in a microwave.)

Ingredients: 3 medium-to-large really ripe bananas, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. of vanilla extract (I use the real thing), 1/2 cup brown sugar (well pressed down). **  2 cups of whole wheat flour, 1/4 tsp. of salt, 1 tsp. of baking soda. ** About a half cup of chocolate chips (I use Hershey's Special Dark).

Tools: 2 bowls, stirring spoons, measuring spoons, muffin baking tray, muffin cup liners.

Directions: Preheat oven to between 350 to 375 degrees (I use 360, but my oven tends to bake hot.) Whisk dry ingredients (except sugar) together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mash the bananas thoroughly and add in the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla (mixing each as you add it). Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones until blended. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the mixture into lined muffin tray. Bake about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the largest muffin comes out clean (if there's chocolate on it, that doesn't count). Makes 12.

The whole wheat flour makes it slightly healthier. I have also made these using Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (decrease to 1/4 cup well pressed down). You can substitute nuts for the chocolate chips if you like. Adding too many chocolate chips will result in less banana flavor, so a good handful will do. For freezing, put the leftovers into a freezer bag. Enjoy!

Have you thought of substituting Splenda or maybe stevia as the sweetening agent? Would it make a difference? I'm always looking for ways to cut down on the sugar impact. I haven't tried stevia yet, but several people have recommended it. Not sure how we'd get the browning effect. Maybe add a little molasses.... Using whole wheat flour cuts down on the glycemic index a bit, too. It might also be possible to substitute about a half cup of bran for a half cup of the flour. Perhaps even to use spelt flour instead of wheat. The original recipe called for using 1 whole egg and 1 egg white, but I switched it to 2 whole eggs. It might work to substitute something like Egg Beaters...

You are the winner of the recipe contest!! Your name was drawn in the uber-scientific way by our own Camy Tang.

I got caught up at the school getting kids, then Camy called, so I told her, "quick, pick a number!" She didn't even know what she was picking. :)

Email me with your snail mail addy at dream.eharlequinhost@gmail.com

Congrats!

Thank you (and thank you Camy)!  That was so cool, I haven't won anything in years!!! 

And todays challenge was really fun... I'd never heard of the Craftie Ladies of Suspense so I had to do some research and ending up spending a long time looking at the website for the Craftie Ladies of Romace and the Craftie Ladies of Suspense. 

Hope everyone is having a great day!  It was supposed to rain all day and we actually had about 2 hours of clear, gorgeous blue skies!

Do we have a little time for this one, Dream? I love the Craftie Ladies of Suspense. They're all wonderful authors!

I don't even have the ghost of an idea for NaNo this year. If I come up with something in time, I'd love to participate again. You go, girl!

Yummy recipes! I'll have to try and remember to grab my zuchini bake recipe tomorrow. I'm not going to look for it now. LOL 

My favorite fall pasttime is going for a drive in the country taking picture of all the beautiful colors. WNY is a great part of the country to live in except for being right dab in the middle of that pesky snowbelt!

My least favorite fall tradition, catching a cold/flu mix. Seems to happen every year. I think my allergies make me prone to sinus infections that always sprial out of control. I'm up at this ridiculous hour because of it. UGH

Steph - We were in FL last Oct and were able to swim in both the motel pool and the ocean. I didn't do the ocean, but DH did and the kids. I loved FL in the fall.

Army Angel - that pie sounds yummy & the hobo pies sound great too. Yep and fall does mean fall cleaning and cleaning out closets. I've got a huge bag to go to our local Vets group (they pick it up).

I agree this is the time of year I start using my oven and the smells that go all over the house are really nice.

when my parents leased a horse for me---I was in middle school, it was Christmas Day and they insisted that we go to the barn and give the horses some apples, carrots for Christmas.  I had NO idea what was in the works and when we drove up, my trainer was standing in the driveway with Rosie who had a giant red bow on her halter.......I have never been more surprised than that!

I love that!!

The past few days here have been freezing, but today and tomorrow, it's supposed to warm up. I think that's the frustration with fall in Colorado. It can range from hot to cold, and you never know what you're going to get. I will say, though, it's been much colder than usual. Anyone else having unusual weather?

For my 40th birthday my mother and sister planned a surprise birthday party with a Cowboy Chuck Wagon and Cowboy Poetry performers.  Everyone dressed in western attire and had a full chuckwagon dinner!

I love decorating the house in the colors of fall.  And although trees change  around Thanksgiving here in Texas that doesn't mean I can put out pumpkins and colorful swags of leaves (artifical).  It is a mental break from the long, hot summer.  Growing up in Colorado, I'd love to make a yearly pilgrimage to the mountains, but I never seem to make it.  I promise myself next year.  This year I made it.

I'm in Florida, but the northern part. So we get a touch of seasons. Our winters are short and mild. I'm beginning to think fall will never get here this year. Although I see by the latest forecast that it is supposed to be in the low 70s by the weekend. We've been having record heat for this time of year which is usually so nice with temps right around 80 degrees with no humidity.

I think you all are talking about surprises. When I was teaching school and about to get married, my class really surprised me. My principal came to my room while my kids were supposed to be at music class. He told me I had to see what my class had done. He was very stern, and I thought for sure they had gotten into big trouble. I had some troublemakers in that class. He took me to an empty classroom where my kids had set up a surprise party for me. I cried. It was so unexpected.

that was too funny- everyone should have at least one thing they indulge in that's solely theirs!!   Mine is the jar of Dark M&Ms- but it's an all year kind of thing!!

the fall dessert I rarely indulge in but absolutely love- Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake (sad thing is we server it at work!!!)  Never, ever, ever (!!!) read the nutrition info on something like that- I think 'eeeeeeeeekkkk' was the sound I made when I accidentally came across it (was putting it in the freezer at work a few years ago)... and funnel cakes that you find at the fairs!

The winner of Kit Wilkinson's book with the suspense questions is.... ELLEN!!! Congrats Ellen. And thanks so much for sending your snail mail already. :) 

The winner of the Leann Harris prize package is.... KATE!!! Congrats! Email me at dream.eharlequinhost@gmail.com with your snail mail addy.

For those who haven't won anything yet, there are still more prizes! We'll be giving some away at tomorrow night's chat (8pm Eastern in our chat room). PLUS, Allie Pleiter will be visiting us tomorrow with a super fun game (and prize), so you won't want to miss out. And to wrap it up, we'll be doing something else on Friday.

Hope you're all having a great time!!

Dream