Another Fall Day...

Just finished baking our Cherry/Almond Scones, which my husband says "turned out great." Since he has eaten a half dozen of them, I guess they must be acceptable. The freezer is beginning to bulge, so will have to share more with friends. Next project is a really healthy French Boule (Bread) that has a lot of seeds and whole grains in it. One thing is for sure, the house smells really great, which seems to bring people inside for a taste. Don't you just love baking? Tomorrow's project will be homemade cheese. Picked up all the needed ingredients today. Can't wait. I have an overflowing herb garden (all grown in pots outside), some of which will become part of the cheese.

Just got a call from a friend who is at Greenbluff (our small farming community where we buy our fresh produce). She is looking for the farms where Bill shopped yesterday. Who says we don't influence others by our actions? We are already planning to can peaches together, but that will be another whole story.

A Fall Day in the Northwest...

Yesterday we awoke to cooler temps here in Spokane. It had rained during the night and everything was beautiful. Greens are so much greener following a rain.

Fall weather always makes me want to cook and it didn't take long to get into action. I pulled out my Grandmothers donut and cinnamon roll recipe and mixed it up. I used it to create a cinnamon raisen bread. Once the dough was set to raise I couldn't contain myself. I had picked up some horseradish root the day before so I grated it (had to turn on all the fans and open all the windows!). Once all the sinuses in the neighborhood had been cleared, I mixed the grated horseradish with vinegar, salt and sugar and sealed it. It's so beautiful. Homemade horseradish is much whiter than the brands you can buy in the store. Whenever I need a smoother horseradish to serve I simply mix my homemade with a bit of real mayo and it's done. It's also great in cocktail sauce served with shrimp.

My husband went back to Greenbluff (our little family farming area) and picked up three flats of raspberries, a flat of blackberries, ten pounds of cherries and various veggies. He helped me bag and freeze most of the berries, saving out some for our enjoyment. I will be able to make jams, smoothies, pies, whatever from the frozen as we move into winter. As for what we didn't freeze, I have been requested to make up Cherry/Almond Scones and Raspberry Crumble today.

Once I had the bread baking I painted a background for the second floral painting I am doing. Then we took on our grandkids so their parents could celebrate their wedding anniversary. All in all, it was a wonderful day. I slept a bit late today, but then that's the reward for being productive.