Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Gingerbread Acorns



In celebration of 

National Bundt Cake Day

I'm joining





~ Acorn Cakelets ~

Majestic and long lived, 

many varieties of oak trees grow in Texas.




And with oak trees

come an abundance of acorns!




Squirrels scurry about to

gather their store for the winter months,

but I, too, like to gather a few of these

icons of autumn for a festive natural touch.




Autumn is when I like to use one of my

favorite teapots with its acorn finial.




And white linen napkins embroidered

with acorns and rusty brown oak leaves.




The current arctic blast pushing

cold temps as far down as the southern states

has us enjoying a cozy fire in the living room.





And these little gingerbread acorn bites

are the perfect addition for afternoon tea.




I've set out two cups

with the hope that you will join me.




Care for a bit

of sugar with your tea?




This little hand carved box

is one of the treasures I found

on my recent trip to Paris.




I don't use sugar in my tea, but couldn't

leave these petite sugar packages behind.

They make the perfect tea time souvenir

from favorite Paris Tea Salons,

especially when served in the antique French box.




A recipe for spice cake made into

three-dimensional treats filled with a

cream cheese icing came with the cakelet pan.




More yummy and delicious 

bite sized treats!




~ Acorn Cakelets ~

Printable Recipe




If you are looking for a savory treat,

the cakelet pan is also perfect for 

mini cornbread bites to serve for Thanksgiving.




You can use a packaged mix

or mix up your favorite cornbread recipe.





Old Fashioned Gingerbread

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1tsp ground ginger
1 cup dark molasses
1 tsp soda
1 cup boiling water

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and molasses.  Mix throughly.  dissolve soda in boiling water and add to batter.  Mix well.  Pour into greased 9"x11" pan and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.  When cool, dust with powdered sugar.  ( This is a cake like gingerbread.)


The recipe calls fora  9"x11" pan to bake the gingerbread and serve it as a piece of cake.  To adapt the recipe to bake in the acorn cakelet pan, I fill each cakelet half full, about 1 tbs. of batter, and bake till a toothpick comes out clean.  About 10-15 minutes.  Let cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the pan.  Using a toothpick helps lift out the acorns.




I purchased my pan at William Sonoma several years ago, but these versatile pans are still available from a variety of sources on line.   Click the link above for Nordic Ware site.

National Bundt Cake Day
November 15, 2014

Joining




Friday, November 7, 2014

A Queen Visits My Garden



A Queen stopped in

 to visit my garden recently.




A Queen butterfly, that is.

Queen butterflies, Danaus Gilippus, 

are cousins to the Monarch butterfly.  





Queens and Monarchs 

share a striking resemblance,

though Queen butterflies

have a darker brown ground color.





Queens are moderately large butterflies 

with a wing span of close to three inches.





Common to the southern US, 

Queens are frequently seen here in Austin

and like to feed on milkweed and 

the nectar of many flowering plants.

This visitor seems to like

the blue mistflower blooms.





Unlike the Monarchs, 

Queens do not migrate long distances, 

but rather travel to closer destinations with dry conditions.





Male and female Queens 

share the same markings except that

the male has a a dark scent-pouch 

on its dorsal hind wings.

As you can see in the photo above, 

it was a male visiting my garden.



Friday, October 31, 2014

Bewitched!






Oh, my!

 Look who appeared on my

door stoop late Monday evening.





She must have flown in to join her

sisters of the Black Hat Society

who reside here at Hyacinths for the Soul.





Meet Fredericka!





No doubt Fredericka, with her rosy cheeks

and sunny disposition, will fit right in.

She has her own special wand for 

spreading good deeds.





There is another chapter 

of the Black Hat Society who 

live in our neighborhood.





Come in closer and let 

me introduce you.





Miss Maddie, the witch of the moon,

the stars and the grateful hearts,

Is also the one with the pumpkin carts.





Zelda always wears a fancy cape

and is never without her kitty, Moonscape.





Zora, getting a bit up in age,

Leans on her broom to assuage.





Minnie, quiet and shy,

tightly holds her kitty when they fly.





Gertrude, or Gertie as she's known by her friends

is gracious, and generous, and never offends.





Sweet Molly May can be found 

at the pumpkin stand,

Eager to help and lend a hand.





Over to the side 

you'll find yet more.




I suspect that you wished

YOU lived next door.  





Have A Witchie

Screamie Screamie

Happy Happy

Halloweenie





Bewitched ~ to enchant and delight


Thursday, October 30, 2014

A Boo~tiful Night!



A group of girlfriends have

enjoyed a dinner group for over 30 years.




Cindy was our hostess this month,

and her beautiful home was ready for Halloween.

Want to take a look?





This charming vignette on a bed of crispy fall leaves 

sets the mood on the entry table.





Sweet Faced Witch





Pumpkin People





See the chandelier reflected

in the mirror.





It gave off a festive glow .   .   .





As we dined below.

These are the party favor treats from everyone.

I forgot to get a shot of the lovely meal.

~ Chilled Avocado Soup ~ Quiche ~ Green Salad ~

Delicious!





This tray showcases a collection of 

Halloween pins collected through the years.





This one in the kitchen holds

a coven of folk art witches.





The breakfast room buffet

offers a whimsical vignette.





A jolly jack-o-lantern and

a witch in flight.





Whimsical pumpkin people

by artist Dan Dipaolo.





Chunky Jack





Three Black Cats





Trick or Treaters,

the work of Lori Mitchell,





March across the shelves of

a kitchen baker's rack.




Hope you enjoyed a peek into

Cindy's beautifully decorated home.

Joining