Appetizer Turns Meal...

 

This is a wonderful addition to your holiday bounty.  So much cheaper to make than to purchase in those little jars!  If you are not a fan of Velveeta you can substitute 2 cups shredded colby cheese but I love the super smooth consistancy of Velveeta. Enjoy!

Fall is here....

Ok, so maybe raking leaves isn't all that exciting but I love the way our yard transitions from the abundance of late summer to a clean, spare beauty.  I look on it as a a framework for all the icy spendor of winter.  I can't say how amazing I think Eastern Oregon is in the fall and winter, full of warm colors and then dark & light greys with sunsets tinged in hazy soft pinks and blues all balanced by fresh, clean snow.  Gorgeous!

And the food!  It is cool now and our freezers are full from all the produce of summer.  So I bake, braise and simmer our darker days away...filling the bellies of those I love with food that I have done my best to make as sensational to their tastebuds as I they are to my heart.  Sounds kind of overblown I know...but I do love that cozy, warm feeling winter brings.  I spend lots of time deciding what I am going to make for Thanksgiving, wishing my extended family was closer so I could cook for them as well but I am grateful for my children and my husband that I can share with them.  This year my daughter and I will work on the baking together...I confess I am a control freek and this will be the first year that I do that but I have gotten better over the past year at sharing and she has become quite the baker as well so I think it will work out great!  I always do the baking the night before so its super fresh and I think we are going to do mini pumpkin pies and a large caramel apple pie and maybe a six layer cake this year...if we get more guests anyhow- plus we always make desserts for the Salvation Army dinner!

I hope that you are enjoying fall in your hometown with your loved ones as well.  Happy soup making, beef braising and treat making for Halloween!  My next post will give an early option for thanksgiving leftovers but it is super yummy any time you want a comfort food that doesn't cost a fortune to make.  Happy Fall Everyone!