Catching Up

 

It's been a couple of busy weeks since I've written here. I went to Florida to attend the wedding of a dear friend's son during that time. It was a beach wedding with palm trees and beach oats waving in the sultry breeze at the edge of the clear blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It was beautiful. It was hot. It was good to be with our friends, but I realized that I could never be happy living in a place of endless summer. Little lizards skittered along the pavement and up the sides of buildings as plentiful as ants. At night, the frogs sang love songs; they were as big as my hand.

At home, I've been fall cleaning--getting ready for cold weather (and snow ♥). I still have a bit more to do, but I made good progress this week, despite Luke's coming down with a fever. An hour west of here, there is a frost warning tonight. It seems so early to me, but already the trees are beginning to change. I wonder if it will be an early winter. It is currently 50° F outside.

My roses are in their last flush of the season, and they are so lovely. My orange "Brandy" tea roses are especially beautiful--I think they could win at the Fair if I entered them in the rose show. 

The other day, my children and I decided that pugs aren't really dogs. They are something else entirely, although we are not sure what. It is possible that they are alien beings from outerspace (we think). They might be part cat. And walrus.

Yesterday I made one of my family's favorite recipes: The Best Baked Donuts Ever. It is from an old cookbook that I received as a bridal shower gift twenty-five years ago, called Applehood and Motherpie. These faux donuts are scrumptious and make a perfect fall morning breakfast or afternoon treat:

Oven: 350° F                       Yield: 42 mini donuts

1 c butter softened
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
3 c flour
4 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 heaping t nutmeg
1 c milk
1/2 t cinnamon

1. Blend 1/2 cup plus 2 T butter with 1 cup of the sugar. Add the eggs and mix well.
2. Stir together flour, baking soda, and nutmeg. Add to the butter and sugar mixture.
3. Blend in the milk and mix together.
4. Fill greased mini muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake until donuts are golden brown (15 to 20 minutes).
5. Combine remaining 1/2 c of the sugar with the cinnamon.
6. Melt remaining 6 T butter.
7. While donuts are still warm, roll them in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar.

YUM!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Susan ♥