Life really can be a picnic!

Everyone loves a picnic! This blog is about some of the things I love the most, and the term "picnic" just about covers them all. First of all, a picnic has to include food; simple food that is easy to fix. Next, you need someplace fun or different to visit; a nice, peaceful location. And of course, you always need to take along a good book to read and a well-used quilt to spread everything out on. So, there you have it! Easy recipes, good books, fun quilts along with some interesting, down-to-earth places to visit. You can even take your family or a friend or two if you want.



Thursday, October 11, 2012

October Party

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."--Franklin D. Roosevelt


     I love the second Thursday of every month when I get to be a part of a team of women who provide a luncheon for all the elderly women 70 and over in our community.  Not only are these ladies very nice; they are also very appreciative of everything we do for them.  The youth in our world today could learn a lot from our older generation.  Today we served this special group Dinner in a Pumpkin.  I was surprised that it was easier to fix than expected.




Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 medium sized pumpkin                                ¼ tsp. pepper
1 lb. ground beef                                             ½ tsp. garlic powder
½ cup chopped onion                                      ¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup diced celery                                          1 can cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup diced green pepper                               1- 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts
½ tsp. salt                                                       1-7 oz. can sliced mushrooms
                                                                        3 cups cooked rice


Wash the outside of the pumpkin.  Cut off the top to make a lid.  Clean out the seeds and stringy pulp.  If you wish you can draw a face on the pumpkin with a marker.  Put pumpkin on baking sheet lined with tin foil.

In a large pan, brown the ground beef.  Add onion, celery and green peppers and cook until vegetables are tender.  Add salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Add soy sauce and soup.  Cook until warmed through and add water chestnuts, mushrooms and cooked rice.  Spoon mixture into pumpkin.  Put the lid on and bake at 350 degrees for 1-1 ½ hours.  Serves 6-8 people  Enjoy eating the cooked pumpkin with the casserole.


This cute quilt came from a quilt kit purchased at Thimbles and Threads in Draper.  My daughter found it during the Fall Shop Hop last year.  She fell in love with it and she helped me make it this past month.  It's called Scary Cat Tails.  I love the little pumpkin bells we found to put on their collars.


    

     These are probably my favorited kind of cookies.  I love the raisins with the chocolate chips.  It's like eating chocolated-covered raisins in a pumpkin cookie.  The cookies are even better the next day, if there are any left.


Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

¾ cup sugar                                                      2 cups flour
¾ cup brown sugar                                           1 cup oatmeal
¾ cup butter                                                     1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs                                                              ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon                                                1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. nutmeg                                                    1 cup raisins
1 tsp. vanilla                                                     1 cup chocolate chips

 

Cream together the sugars and shortening.  Add the eggs and mix well.  Stir in the spices and vanilla.  Combine the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, and salt, then alternate stirring this mixture and the pumpkin into the sugar mixture.  Add the raisins and chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed in the batter.  Drop by large teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet, and bake at 375° for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned on top.





     I read this book with my youngest daughter a few months ago.  We both enjoyed the story.


    


     I love this dessert even more than pumpkin pie.  I love it with real whipping cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  I got this recipe many years ago from my friend Jacquie.


Pumpkin Dessert

1 cup biscuit mix                                                         ¾ cup sugar
½ cup oatmeal                                                             1 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar                                                      ¼ tsp. cloves
¼ cup butter                                                                ½ tsp. ginger
2 cups pumpkin                                                     ½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
1 can evaporated milk                                                ½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp. salt                                                                     2 Tbsp. butter
2 eggs                                                                            whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix biscuit mix, oats, brown sugar and butter.  Press into a 9x13” baking dish.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Mix all other ingredients except nuts, brown sugar, butter and whipping cream.  Beat and pour over crust.  Bake 20 minutes.
Mix nuts, brown sugar and butter.  Sprinkle over filling and bake again until set ( 15-20 minutes).  Cool completely and serve with whipped cream.
 
 

 






 

    

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