Friday Foto Friends #47

Autumn photos I've taken around the neighborhood through the years. My old apartment window view, Vanderbuilt Mansion back area with view of the Hudson, My Sister's burning bushes also her driveway looking down the road the tree on the left is no longer there. In that order. Click to view larger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you're interested in joining the Friday Foto Friends you can visit Debbie by clicking on her name. Until next time dear friends have a lovely weekend.

Autumn Apple Muffins

Here is a favorite muffin of mine this time of year when apples are fresh off the trees, a delicious and easy muffin. Great for your family, guests or just for yourself they can be made ahead and can be frozen besides. For me it's always hard just to have one and so with a freshly made cup of coffee I might have two.

Autumn Apple Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup sweet butter, melted
1 cup apple - peeled, cored and chopped


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 6 or 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners. Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together milk, egg and butter. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Fold in chopped apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

NOTES:   I use a 6 large muffin pan and I don't use the salt but that's me. Usually 1 good sized apple will make a cup chopped.

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Have a blessed day my friends, until next time.

I so look forward to your comment as I appreciate your visit here. Today and always, I am thankful for your warm welcome and for being a friend to me.

Tuesday 4 Meme #4

Time again for this week's Tuesday 4 Meme. I hope you enjoy doing this one along with me and answer in comments or copy and paste and answer on your own blog.

Statistically Speaking
1.  Does solitude help or hinder your creative pursuits?:   Definitely helps it as I create better when I'm left alone.

2.  What relative do you most resemble in personality?:   A mix of many as I am one of a kind *S*.

3.  List one good thing about being you:   My ability to not let life bother me no matter what it brings.

4.  What's the first thing you think about in the morning to get you going?:   Thanking The Lord for another day and His blessings. Then a cup of coffee to get me going as I'm an early morning person who's up before the sun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~For those who don't know blogger, It is possible to post blog entries ahead. I usually upload a week's postings at a time unless it's a special post of recent events. The reason why I'm explaining this is because this week I've been offline for I haven't been feeling up to par and I didn't want you thinking I ignored visiting you. Even now it's not easy adding this paragraph here. the arthritis and carpel pain in my hands make it hard to type. Hopefully I'll feel better soon. So, until next time dear friends have a blessed day ahead.

The Artists Corner #4

I love bronze sculpture placed on benches all over the world. Here are three that caught my fancy. I call it "Sculpture & Human Interaction"

Woman giving advice to the man on the bench who was sketching the building, but had become petrified with age. :) - Camino Frances 2015

Sit-by-me "Newspaper Reader" Statue and Woman reading together - Buffalo, New York

The bronze man reads 'The Island Times' on a park bench and doesn't like the man reading over his shoulder. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hope you enjoy me presenting artists and their paintings here on my blog every so often, just let me know what you think. Until next time dear friends and family, be blessed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I so look forward to your comment as I appreciate your visit here. Today and always, I am thankful for your warm welcome and for being a friend to me.

Friday Foto Friends #46

Yesterday was the beginning of Autumn and hopefully we'll see Fall colors in all their brilliance here. To see majestic waterfalls in Autumn in New York State is a joy to behold. Beauty that only Our God can create. The top one is Niagara Falls, NY, the bottom one is Letchwood State Park, NY and the third is the Elevation of Silver Springs, NY. Click on photos to see them larger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you're interested in joining the Friday Foto Friends you can visit Debbie by clicking on her name. Until next time dear friends have a lovely weekend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I so look forward to your comment as I appreciate your visit here. Today and always, I am thankful for your warm welcome and for being a friend to me.

Hudson River Cruise

It was a perfect day spent with my sister and perfect weather. First brunch at our favorite diner George & Sons in Hudson, NY, then down to the river where we took a 1:00pm boat called The Hudson Spirit for a two hour ride on the Hudson. Here are some photos with views of going under the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, the Hudson Athens Lighthouse and a couple of other river sights along the river to show Fall colors are starting to appear. Click on photos to see them larger.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I came home happy but tired. Hope your day was as nice as mine. Have a day of blessing my friends.

I so look forward to your comment as I appreciate your visit here. Today and always, I am thankful for your warm welcome and for being a friend to me.

Unconscious Mutterings #2

Here's this week's Unconscious Mutterings meme. It's fun and all you do is answer with the first thought that comes to your mind for each question. Usually one word answers will do.

I say ... and you think ...?

1. Flat ~ Broke

2. Machine ~ Sewing

3. Arthritis ~ In my knees, hands and back..I hate it!

4. Forks ~ Spoons and knives

5. Task force ~ N.C.I.S. Love Gibbs! :)

6. Beads ~ Rosary

7. Striped ~ Bold ones

8. Dumpster ~ Giant Garbage Pail

9. Piggy ~ Bank

10. Badge ~ Of Courage!

Now you try either on your own blog or answer here in comments.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I'm away today with my sister on a day cruise on the Hudson River. Hopefully I'll take photos to post tomorrow. It should be fun. Have a lovely day my friends and until next time be blessed.

I so look forward to your comment as I appreciate your visit here. Today and always, I am thankful for your warm welcome and for being a friend to me.

Tuesday 4 Meme #3

Time again for this week's Tuesday 4 Meme. I hope you enjoy doing this one along with me and answer in comments or copy and paste and answer on your own blog.

Favorites What's Yours?
1.  Favorite Outfit To Wear:   Comfortable tunics or t-shirts and slacks.

2.  Favorite Hair Color & Style:   Blonde  (or silver blonde as I call myself now LOL)  and medium shag or pixie in the summer.

3.  Favorite Kind Of Shoes:   Sandals, loafer types or ankle boots in winter. I stopped wearing high heels a few years ago as I'm more into comfortable shoes now.

4.  Favorite Ways To Relax:   In my recliner with a cup of coffee or by my laptop writing poetry or blogging, or watching TV and my DVDs. I also read hardcover books to relax.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Until the next time dear friends have a blessed day ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I so look forward to your comment as I appreciate your visit here. Today and always, I am thankful for your warm welcome and for being a friend to me.

The Artists Corner #3

You don’t necessarily need fancy qualifications or expensive equipment to get started. What is required is talent, sand and water and whatever else is needed. All around the world artists are at work creating fantastic sand sculptures during sand contests in hopes of winning the prize. Here are three I found I liked. Click Photos to view larger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I love this kind of stuff. Hope you enjoyed seeing it too. Until next time be blessed my friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I so look forward to your comment as I appreciate your visit here. Today and always, I am thankful for your warm welcome and for being a friend to me.

Friday Foto Friends #45

As soon as I saw this photo.gif animation I just knew I had to post it for today. I call it "Flower Power"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you're interested in joining the Friday Foto Friends you can visit Debbie by clicking on her name. Until next time dear friends have a lovely weekend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I so look forward to your comment as I appreciate your visit here. Today and always, I am thankful for your warm welcome and for being a friend to me.

Easy Cream Cheese Squares

Got this delicious and real easy recipe from Allrecipes.com. I'm an anything lemon in desserts but I also like vanilla goodies and will be making these for the holidays.

Cream Cheese Squares

Ingredients:

2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract  (I might use lemon)

1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
Press one can of the crescent rolls into the bottom of the prepared pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Spread over the crescent layer. Unroll the second can of crescent rolls and lay them on top of the cream cheese layer. Do not press down. Pour the melted margarine over the entire pan. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is crisp and golden.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Let me know if you make this or thinking of making them, I'm curious to know. When I make them I'll let you know how they came out. Until next time dear friends and family, be blessed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I so look forward to your comment as I appreciate your visit here. Today and always, I am thankful for your warm welcome and for being a friend to me.

Tuesday 4 Meme #2

It's time for another one of my Tuesday 4 Meme. Hope you join in and either answer here in a comment or copy and paste the questions to answer on your own blog.

If You Could Only You Would:
1.  If you could only choose any place on earth to live..you would?   Live here in New York.

2.  If you could only buy anything you ever wanted..you would?   I really don't crave anything special but if I had the money I would buy a nice small stone English Tudor cottage to live in.

3.  If you could only do whatever your heart desires..you would?   Make it a better world to live in.

4.  If you could only write a great novel about (any genre)...you would?   Probably write a great mystery novel with a real suprise ending.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I hope you join in and play along too. In the meantime dear friends have a blessed day ahead.

The Artists Corner #2

This week I'm featuring a painting by one of my favorite artists Mark Shasha. He is an American artist and also an author of children's books, illustrator and educator. His subjects are often familiar and are usually inspired by the textures and light found along the New England coast where he lives and works. This is one of the oil paintings from his site titled, "Island Times ©".

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Today would be my brother's birthday. We never celebrated his birthday after 2001 as he wanted it that way. It's hard to believe he is gone 9 years already. He was our oldest sibling and today he would have been 80 years old. He is missed. I don't ever remember seeing him without a smile on his face. He will be remembered in church today too. That's all there is for now my friends. Have a blessed weekend and until next time be blessed.

Friday Foto Friends #44

The beauty of birds. I just love them. Here's a bluejay and a humming bird. I'm only sorry I didn't take the photos.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you're interested in joining the Friday Foto Friends you can visit Debbie by clicking on her name. Until next time dear friends have a lovely weekend.

Vintage Doughnuts

Here's an easy doughnut Vintage Recipe. I found this one from "Things Mother Used to Make (1914) recipe book" online. As a young girl, doughnuts were plentiful in our house as my father used to make them almost every weekend. He had his own doughnut shop at the age of 18. It was a sideline for him and his oldest sister Mary. He was a bricklayer mason by trade. When he married my mother he went back to his trade full-time but never stopped making doughnuts at home. I thought I would post one of his favorite desserts. This is not his recipe, being a typical Italian male cook, he never shared his with us. This is posted exactly as it was written.

DoughnutsIngredients

1 egg
1 cupful of milk
1 1/3 cupfuls of sugar
2 teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar
1 teaspoonful of soda
piece of butter the size of a walnut
1/4 teaspoonful of cinnamon or nutmeg
salt
flour enough to roll soft

Directions

Beat the egg and sugar together and add the milk and butter. Stir the soda and cream of tartar into the flour, dry. Mix all together, with the flour and salt. Cut into rings and fry in deep fat. Lay them on brown paper when you take them from the fat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I leave you with this very wise quote by me ~Toni Taddeo~, "A cup of coffee in one hand, a freshly made doughnut ready to dunk in the other. What else is there?"....[G]...   Until next time be blessed.