The Perfect Fall Dessert

Maybe some of you have noticed on our sidebar the blog 

"The Iowa Housewife". 

Yesterday, Myrna and Sue posted a very good apple 

recipe, perfect for this time of the year. 

Here is a link to the apple cake post. 

Okay, I just realized they call them "Apple Nut Bars". 

These are unique in that it is all mixed in 

the pan on the stove.  I did mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, and then poured everything into the butter/brown sugar mixture. 

Here is the wonderful goodness out of the oven.  

Yum! 

I call it Apple Cake, and by any name, it's good! 

I'm sorry to say that this little guy (Jester) is not feeling well today. 

He lost his breakfast and spent the morning while I painted, on the couch 

in the living room.  Every time I went back and forth, I checked on him. 

His gum color is good (thanks, Dr. Jill) and he is a little more peppy this afternoon.  

I'm glad. 

I'm also off to another baseball game this evening, there are only a few left. 

Another gorgeous NE Kansas day! 

Wednesday Morning

I have the camera on the deck again this morning, and enjoy watching the birds (and squirrels) as much as I enjoy the nightly visitors in the pasture. 

Two days ago, I wrote about these: 

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and traced it back through two websites for the recipe, which is 

HERE. 

But of course, I altered it.  

Here is what I changed (assuming you are going to look at the recipe: 

I used roasted chicken from Sam's club. 

I used a can of cream of mushroom soup with garlic, instead of cream of chicken.

I used Pillsbury Grand Flaky biscuits. 

This was delicious, and took me about ten minutes to make.  It is a fast, comforting meal. 

You simply squish the biscuits down into your Pam-sprayed muffin pan, 

fill them with the chicken, vegetables (frozen), soup and cheddar cheese, with a little salt, paper, garlic powder and onion powder in them, shove 'em by spoonfuls into the "cups" and bake them for about 20 minutes at 400.  O.My.Gosh. 

I have a lap band, and don't generally eat much bread.. it's a treat to me... 

I ate two of these.  

I'm going to make them for Nathan. 

YUMMMM.  Keith had two, too. 

I read the recipe, didn't measure a thing, and came out perfectly for eight biscuits.  Next time, I'll halve it and cook just some biscuits, too. 

I've had some failures with Pinterest recipes, so I go back and make sure the pin leads to a real recipe before I pin or re-pin it, but this one filled the bill for sure. 

These last two weeks, I have been under the weather a little.  If I have not commented on your blogs, I am very sorry...I am having trouble sitting at the computer for long periods (thought it may not seem so, seeing my pins!).  Yesterday, I must have hit the wall, because I went back to bed after chores and slept for six hours!  I'm feeling better this morning and trying to get some things done around here. It is gray out again, after a gorgeous moon last night. 

Do you see the moon reflected in the pond?  I climbed up on a ladder on our porch after I took this shot, and changed the setting on the camera.  I always forget to change settings...

Much better. 

In seconds, the reflection in the pond was gone, and the moon was well up. 

How can people NOT believe in God?  It just boggles my mind, because surely, He is the only one that can give us such beauty in the world. 

And that picture, by the way, is the BEST I have ever taken after almost nine years of full moons here at Calamity Acres. 

I added a blog yesterday, too, to our featured blogs.  Gary Louck's has a wonderful nature blog... he doesn't post really often, but oh, my, his photography is wonderful because his subjects are.  I love to see all the wild birds and critters in his posts... take a look and you will see.   I'd like to feature some blogs off and on, so that people get a look at what others are blogging about. 

I have a feeling this is going to be a two-post day.... 

Monday Mish Mash

Because I've decided to paint our interior... after 8 years, it sorely needs it... I have been paying particular attention to colors on rooms I see on the web.  One thing I have already told Keith... we are not having the television as the focal point of our lives (and yes, I am the one who watches more than he).  I try not to turn it on too often in the daytime, but I do watch at night.  I just don't like the idea of an "altar" to a tv in the living room. 

Two favorite blog names, the first I think is one of the all-time best names: 

Sheeps and Peeps

And the other: 

Dances with Horses

Both link to the blogs.  

Another thing I've been seeing on Pinterest and Houzz.... loft beds... as in a loft over another room with a bed in it, and usually, a skylight to look out.  How do these people change the sheets, when there is no headroom and you can't stand up to change them?  Scrambling across the bed?  No, thanks. 

I rank them up there with exposed shelves in the kitchen, catching grease and grime on the things displayed, usually dishes.  Ugh. 

Keith was off today, and working on greenhouse plans.  As we stood talking in the kitchen, I swear I saw a robin hop by in the yard!  A Robin, on January 21st!  Unheard of here! 

Several people (and my wild thing friend Jill) mentioned to me that we should feed through March, not only because the natural feed will be gone by then, but the wilding's babies will be in the process of being born.  We're going to.   On the days we have no garbage (and by that I mean edible food) I have inexpensive dry dog food in a can out in the yard.  Yes, I'm a sap. 

Keith made something wonderful for lunch today: 

Here it is, in the pan cooking. 

It's a banana/egg concoction he found on a health website, and does not know which one. 

Mash a banana, add one egg and two egg whites (for the protein).... 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon honey (and a little)... and mix it all together.  Cook in a pan with a little oil.  

Oh my, it was good. 

Here is what it looked like.  It was very good, and nice to have something light and warm for lunch. 

Today I put the camera out on the deck, where we keep a water fortex and some feed.  It is so interesting to see the different kinds of birds coming to eat and drink... and there was one mystery bird.  I'm going to upload it, and also a flock of blue birds who happened to come to drink.  I changed the water 3 times, because it kept forming a rim of ice, and I had to carry warm buckets 3 times today to the henyards, because the water kept being sucked up by the starling hordes.  (or freezing) 

Here is the mystery bird: 

It's grey, with an elongated body.  Does anyone know it? 

I have another video that is really something, I hope you agree.  

I don't know why they load with a "band" in the middle... maybe it's the video itself, but on my computer it's as clear as day. 

We have been visited by our first raccoon, and it is the biggest one I've seen in a long time.  8 years and we have never seen raccoons here.  I'll show it to you tomorrow night. 

Addendum:  10:00 PM

I realize from looking at the above video that it is just not large or clear enough for you to see, but at one point there were 8 bluebirds around the water fortex, both male and female!  I have never seen so many bluebirds in one place as our deck this morning.  It was incredible! 

A Turkey and Her Girl

I look enormous in this picture, like I have gained back all the weight I had lost.... I haven't.  I think it's the angle.

But generally, this is what it looks like when I do chores.  Clarabelle follows me around and sits and listens to me.  She had been down in the high grass you see in the distance laying an egg.  She was having a little treat, too, as I still had some bread in the bucket.

Here is the name of the recipe magazine I got the good hamburger macaroni casserole from.  I've fixed it twice, and the kids and Keith and I all like it. It's a Better Homes and Gardens publication.

This is the actual recipe, and I think if you click on it you can biggify it to be able to read it.

It makes a wonderful casserole, and there are lots more in the magazine that we are going to try.  Keith actually doesn't care much for macaroni and cheese, but he liked this.

I just had to show you our neighbor's cat Smoky, surveying the world from the seat of their mower.  Kathy told me he likes to lay on the seat of her husband's Harley, too!  Smoky turned up in our garage last winter, and I am so glad he found a great home at Kathy and Troy's, he's a beautiful Ragdoll!