Autumn’s Splendor

Fall has arrived. The landscape looks as if God took a set of oil paints and colored in the trees with beautiful shades of gold, red, orange and brown.  A dab here, and a dab there. It’s so pretty that it is actually distracting, driving down some of these country roads. The combination of all of these colors sets off vibrant contrasts and a beauty that is in a word: gorgeous.  I am reminded that Everything has its own season, time and purpose in this life. The trees will shed their leaves, but the promise of Spring still holds.

The past few days have been lovely with mild temperatures and lots of sunshine. But the days are shorter and it won’t be long until colder temperatures set in. Here’s to breaking out the cozy flannel sheets, tossing a down comforter on the bed, getting the fireplace in good working order…and enjoying the comforts of home.

Why not try my recipe for Pear-Raspberry Cobbler right here or perhaps enjoy a pleasing cocktail for those chilly winter nights? Click here for some fabulous drink recipes that are great for sharing with friends, or just treating yourself. 

Thanks for letting me share.

Warmly,

Blair

Some Fabulous Things Only Come Around but Once (a Year, that is!)

Is there a certain product that you have a special affinity for?

Possibly your fondness only grows deeper because this product is only available during certain times of the year.

The Shamrock shake, example.  How about the Eggnog shake?

Or that whole collection of General Mills monster-themed cereals, (Franken Berry,  Count Chocula, and  Boo Berry)! 

Some great things only come around once a year. You know what I’m talking about.

The McRib sandwich, Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice latte. 

How about Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies?  Or my favorite, the Tag-Alongs.  I wrote a poem about these cookies once. Seriously. Want to read it? Click here, folks. My fondness of food brings out the poetry in me.  But I digress…

 Mmmm, how about Chick Fil- A’s famous hand-spun milkshake in Peppermint Chocolate Chip? You can find this right now at your local Chick Fil-A.

Sooooo delicious. Though, I think that any milkshake flavor that Chick Fil-A puts together is A-Okay.  After all, they go through the trouble of hand spinning those shakes, then adding whip cream and a cherry.

Are your taste buds starting to roll?

Speaking of rolls, you might add a couple of rolls to the waistline if you happen to stop by the Dunkin Donuts for the seasonal Boston Scream Donut.  This delight is only available at select Dunkin Donut stores and will only be in those bakery cases until the end of October.  Get ’em while they last, people!

 Can you just smell that Wawa’s coffee brewing for people on the go?  Pumpkin Spice will greet weary folks needing a quick caffeine fix and some gasoline to go.

And this brings me to mention another lovely Pumpkin Spice coffee blend that just comes out but once a year.

Sigh.

Green Mountain Coffee Pumpkin Spice coffee made in those handy K-cups for the Keurig machine. 

Now, Pumpkin Spice is a lovely flavor that I discovered last year.  And last fall, I bought a few extra boxes of the product before it disappeared from the store shelves. But before long, not one tiny K-cup of Pumpkin Spice was to be found in my cupboard.  Did I mention that I’m the only coffee drinker in the house?

So when I saw that I could actually find cases of this product at the local “big box” store, I was thrilled.  And like a squirrel storing away acorns for the winter, extra cases of Pumpkin Spice were purchased to get me through…

…until at least next Spring!

Warmly,

Blair

Thrifty Rum ‘Rita on the Rocks

When I made this delicious drink, I had a hankering for something sweet, salty and with the pleasant taste of one of my favorite drinks: The Margarita.  I’ve been in love with margaritas for well over a decade, and needless to say that if my name wasn’t “Blair” and if I had been born just south of the border, then my Momma would have done right to name me Margarita.  But I digress…

Today I would like to share with you a simple recipe for the satisfying Rum ‘Rita. I’m calling it the Thrifty Rum ‘Rita because it is inexpensive, and let’s face it – who doesn’t like to save a little money these days?  So, whether you are a starving artist or someone who just likes to watch their spending, you will find this Rum ‘Rita hits the mark and won’t dent your food budget. It’s so simple and satisfying, you’ll be tempted to invite the neighbors over to enjoy Rum ‘Ritas with you on that warm summer afternoon.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Tall glass

Great Value Margarita flavored Drink Mix (sold at Wal-Mart and found by the powdered drink mixes)

Rum (your favorite brand)

Syrup (use what you have…corn syrup, maple syrup, strawberry syrup. Whatever!)

Table salt with a few dashes of sugar

Ice (crushed)

Wal-Mart makes a line of delicious drink mixes under the Great Value brand-name. The margarita flavored mix is simply a lemon-lime flavored refreshment, sold in powder envelopes that you can mix up like a pitcher of Kool-Aid.  Make a 2 quart pitcher of the margarita flavored drink using 1 envelope/pouch of the drink mix. Now you’re ready to prepare your Thrifty Rum ‘Rita.

First, rub a small dab of syrup around the rim of your drinking glass. (You’ll use a small amount to provide some stickiness. This will help the salt adhere to the edge of the glass.) Now, pour some salt in a small dish and turn your drinking glass upside down to rub the edges of the drinking glass into the salt. Table salt works just fine, but if you want to punch up the flavor a bit, sprinkle a few pinches of sugar into the table salt and rub the rim of the glass into the salt/sugar mixture.

Now that your tall glass is sufficiently coated with the salt along the rim, fill the glass (about 3/4 full) with crushed ice. Pour your margarita flavored drink mixture into the glass over the crushed ice, and complete the drink by adding a shot of your favorite rum.

Stir, and enjoy!