(Not Quite) Wordless Wednesday: Winter on Fall

Leaves that once belonged to Fall

Dancing brown at Winter's call. 

~

Leaves designed 'and all by Him'

God, our maker, up above

In His wisdom and His love.

~Katherine Smith Matheney

(At Window's Call)

Winter finally came to Chicago last week. 

The bleak brown and grays of fall were blanked with several inches of white. 

Sledding, snowboarding, and hot cocoa quickly followed!


Linked to: Project Alicia, Live and Love Out Loud

(Not Quite Wordless) Wednesday: Old Trees

"It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, 

as for the subtle something, that quality of air that emendates from old trees, 

that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit."

 ~Robert Louis Stevenson 

(Some shots of fungus on old trees that I captured on a recent fall hike.)

Linked to: And Then She Snapped, Through A Photographer's Eyes

(Not Quite Wordless) Wednesday: Recognizing Him

People see God every day, they just don't recognize Him. ~Pearl Bailey

Linked to: Live and Love Out Loud, And Then She Snapped, Through A Photographer's Eyes

(Not Quite Wordless) Wednesday: Bittersweet October: Red

"Bittersweet October. 

The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, 

perfect pause between the opposing 

miseries of summer and winter."  

~Carol Bishop Hipps

Linked to:

Through A Photographer's Eyes,

Sugared Candy Corn Cookies

These have been a favorite of my children for a couple of years now.

This year I added some melted chocolate to one of the layers and they were a big hit! 

Sugared Candy Corn Cookies
((Printable Recipe))

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

food coloring
1 ounce melted chocolate
1/2 cup sugar for rolling after the cookies are baked

Directions:
1. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. (I find it sticks to the sides better if I wet the inside of the loaf pan slightly.)

2. Mix the flour, salt and baking soda together and set aside.

3. Combine the butter and sugar together and beat at medium speed until creamy.  Add the egg and vanilla. Continue beating until well mixed. Reduce the speed to low and add in the dry ingredients.  Beat until well mixed.

4. Divide the dough into thirds. Leave 1/3 of the dough uncolored and press it into the bottom of the loaf pan. Color 1/3 yellow or make this dough chocolate by adding the melted 1 ounce of chocolate to color the dough. (I also added a tiny bit of dark cocoa powder to boost the color even more.)  Press this into the pan as the middle layer.  Color the last 1/3 orange and add this as the final layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Invert the loaf pan and peel off the plastic wrap. Place the layered dough on a cutting board and cut 1/4 inch slices.  Cut each slice into about 6 wedges, trimming as needed. Place about 1 inch apart on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for 7-10 minutes.  Cool for 1 minute on a cooling rack and then dip each cookie in the reserved 1/2 cup sugar.

Featured on: Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen, TasteSpotting
Linked to: Crazy for Crust, Today's Creative Blog, This Chick Cooks, Sweet As Sugar Cookies,
Recipe Lion, Gooseberry Patch, Katherine Martinelli
(Adapted from Land O' Lakes)

(Not Quite Wordless) Wednesday: Fall

A hike in "our woods" from last fall.  

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." ~Albert Camus

Linked to: Live and Love Out Loud, And Then She Snapped

Halloween Votive Jar Candles

The kids and I made these cute little guys last fall. They were so happy to see that I brought them back out to add to our fall decor.  This makes a great, easy Halloween craft for the kids.

Halloween Jar Votive Candles:

You'll want to start with some empty jars. I love Bonne Maman (and no, I'm not getting paid to say that.) The jam is delicious, has no high fructose corn syrup, and the labels soak off easily. We reuse these as jars for food storage, drinking glasses, and now crafts. :)

Cut some green, white and orange tissue paper into 1-2 inch squares.

Take some white school glue (such as Elmer's) on a disposable plastic plate and thin it with a little bit of water (or you can use mod podge if you want to be fancy.) Use a disposable foam brush to "paint" on the glue. Work in small areas and lay on the cut tissue squares as you go. Keep adding more glue, gently covering the tissue you have already laid as you go.

Add the facial features with cut pieces of black paper.

Dry. Light. Enjoy.

Linked to: Today's Creative Blog