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Sunday, November 8, 2009

~Fall Garden Tour and Fall Party Finger Food~

So yesterday I flashed back to what was blooming in my yard last year. How about a tour today? The front is still looking presentable with small spots of color here and there. I love that the grass stays green in the winter here.


This wall flower is having a revival.


This little 'Orkney Cherry' hardy geranium has been a work horse this year. I don't think its skipped a beat for months.


'Josephine' is giving me one final bloom. I believe all of the clematis have had a modest reblooming this year.


The hollyhocks are hanging on


Cheery little feverfew is still putting on new flowers


'Magic Carousel' is magically still blooming!


And hardy salvia 'Hot Lips' is having a nice mid fall showing. We went down to about 12°F and it came back this past spring like it didn't really mind at all.


No flowers....but the purple smoke tree has got some pretty jewel tones going on.


My little red & white mini is looking cute


I wish this abutilon would start blooming for me a little sooner than November! But I'll enjoy it while I can.


Gazania is still giving me some spectacular sunburst flowers


And the giant begonias are loving this cool damp weather we've been getting.


All in all..not too bad for November! We've had a couple of very light frosts, so these blooms that remain are the survivors of the pack. Looking back through these pics I notice that out of whats blooming most are red, white or pink. I'm using this post as my contribution to Mosaic Monday. Go HERE to check out all of the cool mosaics listed at Little Red House



So what's been going on in my kitchen? Well we had the pleasure of attending a fall themed party at the home of our friends Jim and Alice, so I used that as an opportunity to whip up some goodies. Like this snack mix of caramel popcorn, caramel flavored candy corn and salted peanuts.


And these Savory Rye Snacks waiting for the oven. This is a yummy recipe I got years ago from Taste of Home. It's great as a a dip with fritos too! And your eyes do not deceive you..that is pumpernickel, not Rye. I picked up the wrong package! They were still good.


Savory Rye Snacks
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sliced green onions
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
  • 1/2 cup chopped ripe olives
  • 1/2 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
  • 1 loaf (1 pound) snack rye bread
In a bowl, combine the onions, cheeses, mayonnaise, mushrooms and olives. Spread on bread slices and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 4 dozen.

I made a couple of mini tart pans full of Sweet Dough Sweet Potato Pies. You can get the recipe HERE on my brother's website, Cajun Cousins...he's got lots of our family recipes there. Sweet Dough pies are a cajun tradition. The dough is like a sugar cookies.


And finally my most selfish contribution to the party...this delicious Amaretto Peach Pecan Sauce served over cream cheese. Selfish because I love it so much that I made it so I could have some! The recipe was shared by my friend Belinda one of the best cooks I know! She is also very generous with her recipes and I love that about her.


Amaretto Peach Pecan Sauce over Cream Cheese

1 16 oz jar of peach preserves
3 Tablespoons of Amaretto (I think I used a little more than this....)
1 cup of toasted pecans
1 block of cream cheese

Mix the first 3 ingredients. Serve over softened cream cheese. Wheat Thins are great with this.

Note: Belinda sent a tip for the toasted pecans. 2 minutes in the microwave works well too! Make sure to not burn them.

21 comments:

ellen b said...

Very nice! What great blooms you still have. Oh my that pecan sauce over cream cheese looks wonderful...

{oc cottage} said...

Those are some really cool flowers!!!!

m ^..^

eileeninmd said...

Beautiful flowers and mosaic. The food looks so yummy especially the peach pecan sauce with cream cheese.

Alicia said...

Mosaics and food...wonderful! Thanks for sharing and you are quite the gardener!

Ebie said...

Beautiful mosaic! I love the gazania! Your goodies are making me hungry!

Ebie's Mosaic.

Wildflowerhouse said...

Not only are your flowers lovely and your mosaic fantastic, but you had to make me hungry with all those yummy goodies. !! Sharon

Bonnie said...

Your fall garden is lovely and I just may have to try the recipe too.

Marsha said...

Sigh...to see blossoms in Nov is just so wonderful to see. All of yours are gorgeous. How wonderful that Hot Lips is hardy for you - here it is an annual and I just love it. I also quickly googled the 'Orkney Cherry' geranium and it is only zone 5...another sigh :)

Your appetizers look and sound great. I'll have to check out the cajun cousins for more of your family favorites. Great post and mosaic!

Carol said...

Your garden still looks beautiful in November, Suzy! Love your mosaic, all gorgeous shots!

and the party food, looks so good! I think that the Rye snacks look great, even better in Pumpernickel.

Foley said...

Your blooms ar gorgeous - I'm so jealous!!

Love the mosaic..

The Amaretto Peach Pecan Sauce over cream cheese has my mouth watering!!!

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

Today? Just turn the knife, please! I love how you pair garden and kitchen, Suzy! Great photos and recipes.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

I am definitely going to try the sauce over the cream cheese recipe.
How nice to see flowers still blooming in other places.

Debbie@Mountain Breaths said...

Suzy, lucky you that you still have a beautiful garden in November. Love your mosaic, all fantastic shots! All that party food is making me hungry. I'm saving all the recipes :-)

Carol at Serendipity said...

The flowers and the mosaic are wonderful but the sauce on the cream cheese is superb!

Carol

My Slice of Heaven said...

Pretty mosaic and your recipes sound delicious...thanks for sharing them!

My Slice of Heaven said...

Pretty mosaic and your recipes sound delicious...thanks for sharing them!

Marice said...

what a beautiful flower mosaic and the food look sooo yummy!

u may view mine if u have time

Cynthia said...

Suzy, i'm not sure what you normally have blooming in your part of the U.S. this time of the year, but it looks like an abundance to me. Beautiful front yard and lots of beautiful colors in the blooms and leaves. ... The pictures made for a gorgeous mosaic.

What a haul you took to Alice's party. Everything looks tasty but I'm craving your special popcorn mix AND the Savory rye snacks. Rye or pumpernickel doesn't make any difference to me, both are good. Thanks for the recipe.

Cathy said...

Your garden has so much color for November. Heavy rains over the weekend wiped out anything that was left in mine.

The peach pecan sauce on cream cheese looks soooo good. It scares me to think about how much of that I could polish off.

Cape Coop said...

I just found you blog - THANK YOU! I'm quite inspired by the flowers that you've grown. AND the food that you have cooked!

Evi said...

Such beautiful flowers Suzy and the food looks delish!! I'll be visiting your blog more often...:)

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