~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.