To think I finally got around to  fall decorating just yesterday – it was quickly tackled since I work best under the gun.

My mother made spur of the moment plans to visit us for Thanksgiving and my husband informed me that he was bringing a colleague over for dinner last night. So, I:

• quickly put a wreath together and hung it on the front door
• waded through my holiday decorations in the attic and came up with mantle decor
• arranged five small pumpkins on the front porch
• filled a bowl with gourds from Sam’s Club (stored for the last three weeks on the counter in my laundry room)
• sprayed Bath and Body Works “Cinnamon  Clove Buds” throughout the house

This decorating experience accounted for about 20 minutes of my life yesterday. It’s a good thing it was short and sweet, considering I will need to change my motif in about 3 weeks . . . It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

“The place, with its gray sky and withered garlands, its bared spaces and scattered dead leaves, was like a theater after the performance–all strewn with crumpled playbills.” – Henry James, The Turn of the Screw

The potato, sweet potato, rutabaga, parsnip and carrot (to name a few) - recipes abound for these unpretentious treasures.

Mashed Potatoes

15-18 peeled, quartered potatoes

8-12 tbl. butter

1/4 – 1/2  cup hot milk

Place potatoes in salted boiling water for 25 minutes until tender. Place in a standard mixer with a wire whip attachment. Break up lumps, then begin whipping, adding butter. Whip until smooth.  Slowly add the hot milk adjusting for a proper consistency. Blend until creamy. Serve piping hot with your choice of garnishes. Season to taste. Serves 10-12

The following recipe was uncovered by my daughter in the November 2007 issue of Bon Appetit. We customized it by adding the cranberries and pecans.

Smashed Rutabagas with Ginger-Roasted Pears

4 pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 1/2 tbl extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbl fresh lemon juice

1 tbl crystallized ginger or equivalent powdered ginger

1 1/2 tsp sugar

3 firm pears (about 1 3/4 lbs), peeled, cored, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

5 tbl butter

1 tbl chopped fresh thyme

Coarse kosher salt

Cook rutabagas in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400° F. Grease large rimmed baking sheet. combine oil, lemon juice, ginger, and sugar in a large bowl. Add pears; toss to coat. Spread on prepared sheet. Roast until tender, turning pears every 10 minutes, about 35 minutes total. Drain rutabagas; return to same pot. Mash to coarse puree. Stir over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates, 5 minutes. Add cream, butter, and thyme. Mix in pears and any juices from baking sheet. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

“Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.” – Proverbs15:17

I alleviate the risk of a holiday disaster by first preparing and serving these dishes in a less stressful atmosphere.

I can rest easy, knowing that my newest creations will be enjoyed, not just tolerated, or worse, just pushed around on a plate.

Here is my latest take on a tried and true classic, the traditional pumpkin pie.

Just Another Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbl. cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

6 eggs

1 29 oz. can (3 cups) of pumpkin or equivalent fresh pumpking puree

24 oz. evaporated milk

Pastry for a nine-inch pie

Mix sugar and spices together in a small mixing bowl. Combine thoroughly. Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add pumpkin and sugar mixture and mix thoroughly. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Divide the  mixture between two pie plates lined with pastry. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to bake for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good . . . ” -Psalm 100:4-5a

My camera is as busy as anyone’s shooting the foliage as I watch the leaves fly. However, part of me misses the greens of summer . . . After all, I’m not certain I look forward to  taking inventory of our jackets and boots as we wait for you-know-what.

So, I’m going to take one last glance back at summer this weekend by making something that definitely brings green back into my life . . . PESTO.

This recipe is adapted from one that I found in a beautiful source -”Heart of the Home” by Susan Branch.

Basil Pesto Sauce

2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry (discard stems)

5 Tbsp. pine nuts

4 Tbsp. butter

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1/2 cup olive oil

Saute the pine nuts and the garlic in the butter until the nuts are a light golden-brown. Remove from the heat and cool for a few moments. Place the pine nut mixture, cheese and the olive oil into a food processor and blend until you have a smooth sauce. Serve over your favorite pasta.

For another lovely pesto sauce, visit Organizing Mommy.

“Pounding fragrant things — particularly garlic, basil, parsley — is a tremendous antidote to depression. But it applies also to juniper berries, coriander seeds and the grilled fruits of the chilli pepper. Pounding these things produces an alteration in one’s being — from sighing with fatigue to inhaling with pleasure. The cheering effects of herbs and alliums cannot be too often reiterated. Virgil’s appetite was probably improved equally by pounding garlic as by eating it.” – Patience Gray, cookery author

I have come to the conclusion that I spend my life worked up over trivial matters. I’m completely O.K. with this in general; however, this tendency actually rules my life at times. Take, for instance, Friday morning. I spent what seemed like hours searching for my red pen. As a homeschooling mom, I utilize a red pen quite often and I am very fond of it.

Now, I have several dozen around the house waiting for use. But, on this particular morning I could not locate even one. I was beside myself. I needed to correct papers and I could only manage this with my red pen. My children offered me several other options but I could not push past my own stubborn resolution to use that red pen.

This entire event paralyzed my morning. Oh, somehow I managed to correct papers and move the kids in the right direction. At some point I transitioned into my packing mode since we were heading out in the early afternoon for a weekend in Michigan. But when I look back on Friday morning, all I can recall is that search for the elusive red pen. I think I’m going to switch ink colors next week several times just to shake up my life. I obviously do not get out enough.

We did manage to make it up to our northern Michigan home by Friday evening. It is beautiful up here. Fall is definitely peeking through the trees. The leaves have not actually started changing colors yet. However, there is an edge to their appearance, a dullness to the foliage, that warns of the coming of fall.

The air is crisp, but not yet cold. It inspires that “everyone needs a sweatshirt around the campfire” feeling.

My garden definitely is hinting of fall. That is because it really is just a pumpkin patch punctuated with sunflowers. The pumpkins are looking beautiful. This was such a low maintenance garden. I love it. Now, I have sunflowers for the kids to gather into bouquets and pumpkins for fall decorating. It’s just another trivial matter, but it’s lovely.

Fall also brings a transition in the kitchen. Think chili, French Onion Soup, stews, pies, and breads . . . . Below, I’ve shared my recipe for chili. It is a terrific meal for this time of year. Besides being warm and delicious, the perfect compliment to crisp evenings, it is easy. This particular recipe makes a large quantity, allowing for convenient leftovers. This can be so helpful on long schooldays. It is easy to reheat and makes a terrific after-school snack. It actually gets better as you reheat it. So enjoy!

Chili

2-3 lbs hamburger (extra lean)

1 large minced onion

4 cloves minced garlic or equivalent garlic powder

2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

2 28 oz cans tomato sauce

2 6 oz tomato paste

5 16 oz can red beans (or substitute Northern white beans)

4 tbl chili powder

2 tsp crushed basil

1 tsp ground pepper

½ cup Merlot or equivalent red wine

In a large Dutch oven, brown hamburger with garlic and onion. Cook hamburger completely. Drain liquid. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer for at least 45 minutes or up to 3 hours. Serve with grated sharp cheddar cheese, diced onions, and French Bread.

“Yet He has not left Himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” - Acts 14:17