happy anniversary : )

today is a very special day.  it's my parents' 36th wedding anniversary : )  congrats, mom & dad!  they got married on october 19th, 1974 on a beautiful fall day, after dating since the age of 15.  this past weekend we celebrated by doing some of their favorite (fall) activities.  we went on a house tour in the adorable town of lambertville, nj and then had a delicious dinner (thanks, han!) of turkey stroganoff. 


lambertville house tour

some other special things about today?  craig & i met exactly 5 years ago today.  (i love that we met on my parents' anniversary!)  little did i know 5 years ago that i would planning a wedding (and life) with the guy i talked to at the library : )

another fun thing?  today begins abc family's 13 nights of halloween!  every night from now til halloween they'll be playing fun/spooky/halloweeny movies and shows.  yay!

happy 10.19.10!

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barn sale (a.k.a. first weekend with my new camera!)

this past weekend my parents had a barn sale at their house.  it was the perfect weekend for it.  sunny.  cool.  fallish.  han, my sis, made homemade bread, apple pies & crisps and delicious soups.  (some to sell and extra for us to enjoy : )  it was the perfect way to welcome october. 

and, even better, craig surprised me with a new camera on friday!  my digital camera is very old and has been slowly dying, and i was in desperate need of a new one.  then, my mom loaned me hers, but it doesn't auto-focus.  a few blurry shots are ok, artistic even, but it gets old quick.  thanks for the new camera babe...i love it!

hope you enjoyed the picts from my new toy : )  i'm lovin' it.

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squash, acorn squash

when i was grocery shopping today, i came across a squash display.  spaghetti squash.  butternut squash.  and (ahha) acorn squash.  feeling inspired and "fallish", i was compelled to purchase said acorn squash and craft a hearty meal.  stuffed acorn squash it is...

stuffed acorn squash for two

1 acorn squash
1/2 large vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 frozen veggies (i chose corn & peas)
1/4 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup red sauce
5 tsp maple syrup (i know that's a weird way to write it, but you'll see why...)
cinnamon
curry
salt
garlic, chopped

preheat oven to 375.  cut acorn squash in 1/2 and scrap out seeds and place cut-side up on a baking sheet.  i didn't have butter (oh well) so i did a light spray of butter-flavored cooking spray, a drizzle of syrup (1 tsp on each half) and a sprinkle of sea salt and ground cinnamon.  on to the filling...


i then sauteed the onion, (defrosted) veggies, garlic (about 1 tsp) and turkey.  i seasoned the filling with another dash of cinnamon & curry, salt, 1 tsp of maple syrup and the red sauce.  then i spooned the mixture equally into the two halves (there was a little extra for craig to enjoy) and covered both halves loosely with foil.

then i put the squash in a preheated 375 degree oven and baked it for 30-40 minutes, until flesh was getting tender (check w/ knife).  i then removed the foil, drizzled each 1/2 with 1 more teaspoon of syrup and baked for another 15-20 minutes.

the best way to enjoy it is to scoop out all the tender squash and mix/mash/mush with the fillings and dispose of the skin.  (it may not be pretty, but it tastes so good!)
yummy!.

first signs of fall

happy fall!

fall is almost here!  can you feel it?  (i can.)  as you know, i love this time of year - it's my fave : )  so, i've been getting very excited when i come across signs of autumn in my travels.  i can't help but smile when i see pumpkins on porches, leaves getting a touch of crimson or feel a crisp fall breeze brush by.  ahhh, fall....  you're so wonderful.  welcome back.

pumpkins

fall leaves

the first official day of fall is september 22 (and here in bucks county, pa it's supposed to be 90 degrees.  yuck!)  anyway, i still plan to usher in fall and all it's splendor.  here are a few ideas of how you too can celebrate the autumnal equinox.

-rake some leaves (i'm not big on manual labor, but it is fallish...)

-enjoy some cider

-visit an orchard and go apple-picking (the ultimate fall excursion)

-bake something "harvesty" (i suggest pumpkin bread...yum!)

-enjoy a fall cocktail : )

feeling fallish, yet?  i hope so.

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