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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Mosaic Monday ~Halloween and the Last Day of October in my Garden



Just a few more my garden..last of October..Hello November!


They hydrangeas are faded, but still pretty


A few tiny dancers left


Prince Charles clematis having a last little show


Mini red rose looking pretty still


Ornamental cabbage - almost like a flower


I did do some fall cleanup - these cute new gloves didn't stay clean for long.


It was a crazy night of trick or treating - but so fun seeing all of the little kiddies.


Hope everyone had a good one and lots of leftover candy!

I'm joining in on Mosaic Monday this week. Check out all of the mosaics at Little Red House HERE.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Flashback Friday ~Boo to You



This Flashback Friday I'm looking back to Halloweens past...


2005 - I wish we had "Funkins" for all of these!


2006 - Randy does the carving :-)


2007 - He always picks a cute not too scary pattern


2008 - This might be my favorite..or maybe the owl


2009 - Funkin Punkin...he's back this year and maybe another????


With all my travels ( I was gone again this week..this time for work) I feel like I've been neglecting the bouquet and kitchen parts of the blog! So here is a Halloweeny dahlia from 2006


And some cute maple leaf shaped biscuits I made last year. Just use any biscuit recipe or even canned..then cut out in fall or halloween shapes and TADA!


Hope you all have a Happy and safe Halloween weekend!

If you have a flashback of any kind to share add your link below!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Flashback Friday ~Home Again Home Again


Well I'm back from vacation. We spent a week back home in Louisiana at my parents. So it was a week of flashbacks. I always love to visit my home state especially to enjoy those things that I don't see every day up here in the Northwest. Every once in a while when I'm feeling nostalgic I break out into song....Oh I wish I was in the land of cotton...... hehe..sorry I couldn't resist.



But I was in the land of cotton this past week! The fields were being picked and I had to stop and snap a shot of the pretty white fluff.


Or was it the land of sugar cane? Sugar cane fields always remind me of driving to my grandmother's house and maybe having a bowl of gumbo waiting :-)



Or the land of alligators? Look...up on the shelf above Randy's head. I made him pose in front of the cypress stump salad bar at a favorite restaurant in my hometown called Tunks Cypress Inn where you can get a bumper sticker that says I ate Alligator at Tunks! Or at least you could back in the day.


The Rapides Parish Fair was going on while we were there, so I got to relive that through they eyes of my great niece



Not really a flashback, but I had to throw in her Jigs imitation. She kept this up for the whole week :-) Jigs was not amused.



I got to spend the day with my nephew and my other great niece. Talk about a flashback...she looks just like he did when he was a baby. Which by the way seems like it was yesterday and here he is with a baby of his own and one on the way!


An image I will flashback on often...the two greatgrandbabies on my Mom's lap. I love those little girls!!!!!! And my Mom of course!



It was fine Louisiana fall weather while we were there....blue skies, temps in the 80s...not too humid. Perfect for strolling my parents yard. This begonia is a REAL flashback. These plants have been in their yard as long as they've lived there..since the late 70s and who knows how long since then. They are perennial and love the hard pack clay and shady spot they are in. I've tried moving some but haven't had success...they just love their spot.


And one of my favorite plants in my parents yard....their monster fig tree. Unfortunately for me the figs ripened in July.



While in the area we traveled over to my brother's house in Conroe for an annual family gathering and trek to the Texas Renaissance Festival. I actually planned our trip around this weekend. Its a blast and we even have fun on the shuttle bus there and back :-)



Flashback 500 years :-) It was "fantasy" weekend, so even more people watching material walking around than normal. Like this little gnome that trudged past me.



Fairies floating around



Castles around every corner


And brothers in costume.


Its the kind of place that lets you be a kid again! When was the last time you swung on a swing? Okay...last week....er..... But was it a giant swing swung by a man in tights?????? I think not!


Hope you enjoyed my flashback this week. If you have a flashback of any kind that you'd like to share add your link below.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Flashback and Foodie Friday ~Chicken Tortilla Soup and a Fall Farmer's Market Day


Earlier this week I was in a soup mood. That's what happens when the days and nights get cooler. Back home in Louisiana we call it gumbo weather :-) I made a tried and true one that I love called Chicken Tortilla Soup - so this is my flashback to many other cool fall nights! Mostly opening cans, but it still is homemade in my opinion! No fancy picture...just the bag I put in the freezer for an even quicker meal on another night.


Chicken Tortilla Soup
From Meals on the Move, Rush Hour Recipes by Holly Clegg -she has some of the best "lighter" recipe books around.

1 onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic (I use more like a tablespoon)
4 cups chicken broth
1 24 oz can tomatoes, diced
1 12 oz can tomato puree (I use tomato sauce and some of the roasted tomatoes I did this weekend)
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into chunks
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 16 oz bag frozen corn (I used 1 drained and 1 undrained cans of corn)

Condiments:
Tortilla chips, crushed (Holly suggests you bake your own for lightness)
Shredded cheese - I used a preshredded mexiblend
Sliced green onions
Avocado sliced
Sour cream

Saute onions and garlic in a little olive oil or a pot coated in non stick spray until tender. Add broth, tomatoes, tomato puree, chicken, chili powder, cumin, and lime juice and bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat and cook until chicken done (15-20 mins). Add corn and continue cooking 5 more minutes (or do like me and just put it in with the other stuff). I serve mine with crushed tortilla chips, a nice helping of shredded cheese and if I'm on my game sour cream and a sprinkle of green onions. Makes 6 really nice servings..8 if you stretch it.



Today (at least for a while) was one of those beautiful fall blue days with very interesting cloud formations. I found myself stopped in traffic several times on my way to work this morning and I was so mesmerized by the clouds I snapped a few shots.


In spite of the blue skies there was also a misty fog hanging low


I would have liked to lay down on the ground and watch the clouds go by instead of driving into work!


Part of Downtown Tacoma on the ramp coming off the freeway - don't worry...we were at a dead stop.


It was really a perfect lunch hour to walk down to the Thursday Broadway Farmer's Market. This is the Hotel Murano which is kitty corner from my office building. They have some gorgeous glass artwork on display.


I love the detail on this building on the way down to the market


The fall market has fewer booths and fewer people...but more leaves!


Flowers were mostly dahlias..which is okay by me. I love them.


There's some neat architecture to look at down at the Market too....like this crumbling facade


Fresh produce ran mostly to root veggies and apples..with a few other fruit thrown in. I picked up a couple of Honey Crisp because they are my favorite. Before I moved out here apples were Red, Green and Yellow :-) Now I know names!


My favorite crepe stand was not set up today, so I opted for my second favorite..the Peruvian booth. I normally get the Tamal, but opted instead for the anticuchos...kind of like chicken shish kabobs. They were very Yummmmy.



I ate in this little plaza and enjoyed the gorgeous skies...which by the way were gone within an hour of taking this shot.


Luckily I brought dessert back to the office to console myself. Mango Lemonade from the Peruvian stand and the most awesome almond filled croissant from a little pastry stand called The Last Bite.


Hope everyone has a great weekend. Kitchen Bouquet is going on hiatus for a week while we travel to Louisiana. See you when we get back!

If you have a flashback of any kind that you'd like to add put your link below!


I'm joining in over at Foodie Friday this week. Check out the other posts HERE.
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