A Few of My Favorite Things...

It's official! Fall is really here now! This week I have realized I don't decorate enough for fall. I mean, I usually put out my fall decorations a week or so after Labor Day and they stay out until the day after Thanksgiving.

That is a loooooonnnnnnggggg time! And while I put up some decorations...

I have decided that when all things fall go on clearance I am going to get more for next year! I mean, if I am going to leave decorations up for a longer period of time than I do my Christmas decorations then I think they need to be a bit more substantial! Or maybe that's just my excuse to go hunt down some fabulous finds!

Last week was my birthday and I began celebrating a little early (okay...maybe a LOT early)! One of my favorite (and extremely altered) Pampered Chef recipes had been on my mind so I just had to make it along with a fabulous Strawberry Almond Spinach Salad that a friend of mine had shared with me several years back. They were so yummy I thought I would share them here! Seriously super easy and a quick meal for those busy fall days! Plus the variety you can do with this is endless! I'm thinking about trying a breakfast one for Christmas!

Chicken Gruyere Crescent Ring

Ingredients:
2 cans crescent rolls (I think Pillsbury gives the best results)
2 regular size cans (or one large) white meat chicken (drained)
1 can Ro*Tel tomatoes (buy the diced ones) (drained)
1 can Cream of Chicken & Mushroom Soup
3/4 to 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste.


Lightly spray a large round cake pan (I use the round Pampered Chef Stone Baker Pan but I don't see why any large round wouldn't work...it just needs sides on it).  Unroll one can of crescent rolls and place the triangles around the edges of the pan forming a circle with the pointed sides hanging off of the edges onto the counter. Unroll the second can of rolls and place them in the exact same direction as the other ones but in-between each of the previous ones . The overlapping bottom edges make a donut shaped bottom to the dish (you know...with a hole in the middle as in the picture above).  Next, mix the remaining ingredients together and scoop into bottom of crescent ring. Finally, take each point of the crescent rolls and gently stretch them up and over the top of the filling tucking the point underneath the edge of the center of the bottom. Place in the oven and bake at 400 degrees until brown and bubbly. For me, that is 20 to 30 minutes!

That gives me just enough time to create this salad! Of course...with this recipe you can make all the changes you want for your own taste but this is my all time favorite salad!!

Strawberry Almond Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
Baby Spinach
Sliced Almonds
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Sliced Strawberries
Low-fat Poppyseed Dressing
Mix together and enjoy! Yum!

Having a chef for a son is really nice on your birthday! These are what he blessed me with that morning! These Maple Nut Bars are the exact recipe found here but dipped in nuts after the icing is applied. WOW! They made the perfect breakfast! My husband also made a fabulous dessert table for the family but I will share those recipes another time...





Until next time...Blessings and Happy Harvesting!!!  
 <><  ><>

The Three F's...Fall, Family, and Food!

Yes, I know, Fall hasn't "officially" arrived but school is in full swing again, we've been blessed with cooler weather, the stores are all decked out in fall colors and I know the foliage in NW Arkansas will turn brilliant colors in the next few weeks. So...for me it's FALL!!!!

Inspiration Point, AR

This weekend we had the opportunity to go "harvesting" to some great places around Eureka Springs, Rogers, and Springdale. I have recently acquired a couple of vintage Starburst pattern glasses that my mom got from oatmeal when I was a child and now I am obsessed with finding more! Today I feel I hit it big and found these!!

While I know these aren't super valuable, I'm so excited to begin this collection. They just give me a great feeling of family heritage and childhood memories. I can't wait to find more!!!

Now that I'm in the spirit of Fall, I had an overwhelming desire to make something with apples, cinnamon and caramel! Inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest (of course!) I made these yummy and super easy Caramel Apple Walnut Cinnamon Twist! They were A-MAZING...or so my husband proclaimed! So here is what I did...or some would call it my "recipe." I prefer to just call it a guide because you can make it your own very easily! :)

Caramel Apple Walnut Cinnamon Twist

1 can Pillsbury Caramel Rolls

1 medium apple (pick your favorite)

1/4 c finely chopped walnuts

1/2 c brown sugar

1/8 c water

1 T. brown sugar Karo syrup

Cinnamon

Extra fine sugar (or regular would work also)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop apple into small pieces. Place chopped apple, walnuts, brown sugar, water, and Karo into small saucepan and cook until the mixture thickens (I probably cooked it 10 minutes at a pretty good boil) stirring almost constantly. When this is done set it aside and butter or spray a 12 cup muffin tin. Divide the apple/nut mixture evenly into the prepared muffin tin. Open the can of Pillsbury Caramel Rolls and set the caramel aside. Unroll each roll and pinch off about 2 1/2 inches or so from each roll to enable there to be 12 rolls instead of the eight given in the package. Take each unrolled piece and twist it like you would a bread stick and place it on top of the apple/nut mixture. Piece together two of the pinched off pieces to complete each of the last four muffin tins. Sprinkle cinnamon and extra fine sugar (just however much you would like...depends on your taste) over the dough and bake for 15 minutes or until brown. Let cool for 5 minutes and invert onto a large platter or do like I did and just use foil! :)  Divide the caramel icing among the 12 muffin twists. The warmth of the rolls will melt the icing! 

This was my variation...I am sure you will put your own twist on this and I really hope you will share with me when you do! 

Happy Harvesting!!