Simple pleasures.....

.....can always be found in the garden. 

 

 

 

Enjoy your day! 
 

 

Carbs and sugar

Let's face it, sometimes we just need those carbs and sugar to get us through the dreary cold long days of winter.  I usually eat healthy but I must admit, I still have my cravings, especially in the winter. 

 

Today was one of those days.  I was in the mood for chocolate cake.  So I baked a chocolate cake with vanilla icing and while it was baking the whole house smelled good.  That alone can make one feel happy!  So I poured myself a cup of coffee and enjoyed every single sweet chocolately bite.

 

Then for dinner I made Stromboli with marinara sauce.  Carbs and cheese, yum!  I added a side salad for good measure. 

 

 

Do you crave carbs and sugar over the winter?  Maybe it has something to do with light and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). 

 

Well, tomorrow is another day.  Maybe I'll do healthy tomorrow.     



 

Winter nesting

 

 

Being a spring and summer kind of person, it's hard for me to get through the winter time.  Today is cold, rainy and dreary, as it has been for awhile.  I push ahead on days like this.  Feeling confined to the house, my nesting gene will usually kick in.  A little decorating, maybe rearranging my dish cupboard, watering my house plants, or baking a pie. 

 

 

 

 

Hubby and I have an ongoing scrabble game, a puzzle on the dining room table, and lots of books to read, not to mention time spent on the computer ~  Pinterest can be addicting as I check out all the home décor, gardening ideas and recipes. 

 

 

 

  Napping is a part of winter time nesting, too.  At least Otis thinks so. 

 

Looking forward to spring, how about you? 

 

 

January cold

 

Hello my friends and family.  How are you?  I realize it has been a while since my last post, and here it is, mid January already.  Not very much has been happening at Mourning Dove Cottage.  The January cold has hit us and we have been having dreary gray rainy weather...day after day after day, but this morning, there it was, the sunshine!  What a nice surprise.  The months of January and February tend to get me down and I find I would rather like to hibernate with the bears until spring comes.  I filled the bird feeders and Otis and I enjoyed the warm sunshine for awhile. 

 

I am reading "The Shoemaker's Wife" by Adriana Trigiani.  Most mornings I curl up with a good book by the fire and a nice hot cup of coffee.  I've also been cleaning out and organizing closets and cupboards, and doing some redecorating after the holidays. 

 

Maybe spring isn't too far off.  I have hyacinths starting to bloom in a pot in the garden. 

 Until next time....

 

Christmas

Christmas will soon be upon us, my friends.  There is a flurry of activity at our house as we get ready for the holiday.  What a joy to spend time with family ~ and this year, our daughter, Amy, from NY, and Bruno and the two grandchildren, Esmé and Felix will be coming south!   We don't see them very often, so this is a real treat.  And, of course, our oldest daughter, Jen, and Rob, and granddaughter Maddie, will also be here.  I couldn't ask for more!  

Our tree is decorated, most of the shopping is done, and gifts are wrapped.  The stockings are hung..... one for Esmé, one for Felix, one for Maddie, and one for Otis.  
That gives me time for cookie baking and a few more decorations here and there.  

This time of year I like to cozy up by a warm fire with a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy the the pretty lights of our Christmas tree before the celebration.  

I hope all of you have a wonderful and joyous holiday!  And as we go about our activities and preparations, let us not forget the really true meaning of Christmas.  

  

The fall garden

I wanted to snap a few photos of the garden this week while we still had flowers blooming and bees buzzing.  Sunday the weather changes for us and there will be frost on the pumpkin when we wake up on Monday morning.  

We had a fire in the fireplace this morning to warm up a bit and to take the chill off.  I guess this is what we can expect for November.  Enjoy your day!

Recipe for Tomato Pie

 Hello friends.  I thought I'd share a recipe with you today.  I first tasted tomato pie at the "Tomato Pie Cafe" in Lititz, Pennsylvania when we visited in September.  It was so delicious, I just had to make one. 

I used the last of the fresh tomatoes from the garden and fresh basil.  This pie is made with fresh chopped tomatoes, basil and onions, topped with a mixture of shredded cheese and mayonnaise, baked in a pie shell.  

The recipe I used was from Simply Recipes.  

Tomato Pie ~

• 1 9-inch pie shell
• 1/2 yellow or red onion, chopped
• 3-4 tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped, to yield approximately 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sliced basil (about 8 leaves)
• 2 cups grated cheese (combination of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack, or Gruyere or Mozarella)
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (Tabasco)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Pre-bake the pie shell in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned.  

2.  Lightly salt the chopped tomatoes and set them in a colander over a bowl to drain while you are pre-baking the crust.  Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the chopped tomatoes.

3.  Sprinkle a layer of chopped onion over the bottom of your pre-baked pie crust shell.   Spread the drained chopped tomatoes over the onions.  Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.

4.  In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Tabasco, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground pepper.  The mixture should be the consistency of a gooey snow ball.  Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.

5.  Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes.  

A savory pie that is absolutely yummy!   

NC State Fair

The North Carolina State Fair is held every October in Raleigh, North Carolina.  It's always a fun time to go and see, and eat!  We usually go on "Hunger Relief Day" which gets you in free with the donation of five non perishable food donations.  All the donations benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC.  Our daughter, Jen, works for the Food Bank (Digital Media & Database Mgr), and she's always there on Hunger Relief Day.  

We entered one of our marble rollers this year in the Toy Division, but, unfortunately, no ribbon.  That's ok, we still had a great time.

Here are some photos of the fair.  The gardens are my favorite!  

 Our blue marble roller, you can see in the background.  The winner this year was a wooden train.  

  Galen and I just had to try the fried mac and cheese!  

 

The cloggers.


 That would be me, and our daughter, Jen, having a pimento cheese BLT at the "La Farm Bakery".  

 ...and, of course, ice cream!