Falling Leaves, Cool Days = Comfort Food

 

 

 

The wind and the rain blew through on Friday night, bringing cooler temperatures and bringing all these leaves down, in my backyard. It not only feels like fall, but the sight of fallen leaves means it looks like fall, here in the Midwest. We are surrounded by trees, so this is only a small taste of things to come. It means a lot of raking, from now through November, but it is also very beautiful.

Whenever the weather turns cool, I immediately think of cooking comfort food. For dinner on Sunday, I cooked an old fashioned pot roast, with all the trimmings - carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy. Megan and Melissa were home for the night, so we had an early birthday dinner for my husband :-

Also, I needed a dish for a potluck party this weekend, and I made Baked Broccoli and Cheese. I have had this recipe forever, and it is a simple, crowd pleasing, comfort food when you need to bring a side dish to a party. The recipe can easily be doubled for a crowd. Or, it goes great with chicken, for an easy family dinner.

Baked Broccoli and Cheese Recipe

2 T. butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 T. flour

1 cup milk, heated

1/2 lb. Velvetta cheese, cut into cubes

salt and pepper to taste

6 cups cooked broccoli, chopped

1 tsp. butter

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 T. butter. Sauté onion in butter, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in flour; cook 30 seconds. Whisk in hot milk, stirring until thickened. Stir in Velvetta until melted. Add salt and pepper. Combine cheese sauce and broccoli and pour in 2 qt. baking dish. In a 1 cup glass measuring cup, melt 1 tsp. butter in microwave. Stir in bread crumbs. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top of broccoli mixture. Bake, covered at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Bake uncovered, 5 more minutes. Serves 4 to 6.



More about the party I took this dish to, tomorrow. Enjoy the start of your week.



Vicki



Linking this post with these friends this week :-)

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50th Birthday Celebration

My friend celebrates her 50th birthday today and I hosted a party for her, last night. We had a wonderful time and were able to sit outside both before, and after dinner, since the night was so beautiful.

I wanted to bring just a touch of fall to the celebration, so I used green and gold and kept the details simple, yet elegant. I was able to use the last of some blooms from my garden in several bud vases, and since we would be sitting outside later in the evening, an abundance of candles helped set the mood.

An acorn detail, adorned the centerpiece candle on the table, for just a hint of fall.

The piña colada flavored birthday cake was perfect for an adult birthday party, and was delicious, with flavors of pineapple and coconut.

The key to easy entertaining, is to have everything set up before the guests arrive. Then, you are able to sit and enjoy the company of your friends, instead of being alone in the kitchen all evening.

Our plan for the evening was to meet at my house for pre dinner cocktails, go to dinner at a lovely restaurant on the water, and then return for cake and champagne. A couple of husbands, graciously offered to drive us to dinner; adding to the fun of the party.

The dinner was amazing, with beautiful atmosphere and delicious food. Our waiter was nice enough to take a group photo for us at the end of the evening. Memories with girlfriends are so precious and it is especially important to celebrate these milestone birthdays together.

After dinner, back on the patio, we toasted the birthday girl with glasses of pink champagne and enjoyed the beautiful evening, laughing and talking. It was a 50th birthday celebration we will all remember, because we were together.

Have a wonderful weekend :-)

 

Vicki




Linking this post with Kelly's Korner and A Stroll thru Life

Between Naps on the Porch

My 1929 Charmer

Alderberry Hill

 

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Thoughts for Thursday...gardening, books, entertaining, etc.

My yard really needed some color to fill in where a lot of the flowers are dying off, so I planted a few mums here and there. It is earlier than I usually plant for the fall and I might need to replace them later on in the season, but it makes me happy to see the colorful, new blooms. I also cut back some of my perennials, so it is really looking bare in many spots. We have a lot of leaves falling already, so I think fall is on its way, a little early, here in Michigan.

This is a sneak peek of my table decorations for the 50th birthday party I am hosting for a friend tonight. I am setting up a table outside on the patio and wanted a fall theme, but subtle colors. I am using greens and golds and this candle I found at Home Goods yesterday was perfect, with the leaves and touches of gold. Tomorrow, I will have a post on the whole celebration, with photos of the table. I have a busy day ahead today, but don't you just love entertaining and getting your home ready for guests?

I just ordered this book from Amazon and really look forward to reading it. Carole Radziwill is the widow of Anthony Radziwill, who is the son of Lee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedy's sister. Carole was also close to John Kennedy, Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. The memoir tells the story of Carole's struggles with the untimely death of her husband and two of her closest friends, in a short period of time. Carole is currently a cast member on the Real Housewives of New York and her grace and wit on a show not known for these attributes, make me interested in learning more about her life.

 

Happy Thursday! I will be back tomorrow with party details :-)

 

Vicki

 

linking with life of love

 

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