GIVEAWAY WINNER AND ON THE MENU MONDAY

THE GIVEAWAY

STONEGABLE ENGLISH TRANSFERWARE GIVEAWAY!

The winner of the

ENGLISH TRANSFERWARE

$60.00 Gift Certificate

is...

ALYCIA NICHOLS

from Tablescapes At Table 21

Congratulations, Alycia!

A BIG Thank You to Nancy from Nancy's Daily Dish
for her generosity!

Winner was chosen by Random Number Generator

ON THE MENU MONDAY...

As a former elementary school teacher, time is marked by holidays and seasons! September is really the unofficial beginning of my internal calendar year! It is also apple month!

Because I worked where 25 people loved me all day long (first grade) September was filled with apple themed learning activities... apple bulletin boards, apple stickers, apple stories, apple seeking field trips and we even made homemade applesauce and dried apples. We grouped like apples and counted apples and colored apples and found the stars inside apples! Did you know that apples make great block prints when painted and stamped on brown paper?

Apples abound and were all around in September!

I stopped teaching after 11 years when I had my first child but September continues to still be apple month for me!

This week I hope to take a little field trip of my own to our local orchard to pick apples for applesauce. Making applesauce is a September rite... it makes me feel good! So easy and so very very delicious! And the aromas wafting through my house are splendid!

To see an APPLE PRIMER~ everything you want to know about many varieties of apples~ click the APPLE PRIMER picture on my sidebar.

Even though I am excited to get out the pumpkins, I am living in the "apple" moment! How about you... what does September mean to you?

Here's What's ON THE MENU...

MONDAY
Salmon Pinwheels
Homemade Rice-A-Roni
Baked Kale

Homemade Rice-A-Roni
3/4 cups rice
1/2 cup angel hair pasta, broken into pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 TBS oil
1 TBS butter
2 3/4 cups hot water
2 chicken bullion cubes (or more if you like a real hearty chicken flavor)
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add rice and pasta. Cook until slightly browned.

Meanwhile, add bullion to hot water and dissolve. When rice is slightly browned, add water and put a lid on the skillet. Cook until gently simmering. Cook about 20 minutes until the water is absorbed and the rice and pasta are soft. You may need to add a little extra water if it gets too dry. Take off heat and add parsley.
Printable Recipe

Recipe: Baked Kale
This is a great side dish. Kale is fabulous when it is baked (I usually call it roasted). Very crispy and full of flavor. I will add a spritz of fresh lemon when it comes out of the oven. This recipe comes from Fajdich Times a blog filled with great recipes and fun posts! You will love your visit~ click HERE for this healthy and delicious recipe.

TUESDAY
Homemade Spaghetti And Meatballs
Ceasar Salad

WEDNESDAY~ GIRLFRIEND LUNCHEON
Grandpa Tom's Shrimp And Corn Chowder
Neiman Markus Chicken Salad On Crossiants
Raw Apple Cake and Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

photo credit

Recipe: Grandpa Tom's Shrimp And Corn Chowder
My sweet sweet friend Lisa from Simply This And That posted this delicious sounding and full of decedent ingredients soup. Besides that, she is just the most dear girl!!!! To get this soup recipe and visit my lovely friend, click HERE

Recipe: Neiman Markus Chicken Salad
I have had this geat chicken salad as I am sure many of you have over the years. This is a must have recipe! I am so thrilled that Pat from Pat's Pink Apron was kind enough to share it last week at ON THE MENU MONDAY! This is a recipe that you just have to savor... just like Pat's yummy blog! To get this fabulous recipe and visit a very lovely lady, click HERE.

Recipe: Raw Apple Cake
This cake is scrumptious! When I was young girl just learning how to cook, the recipe for this cake was one of the first I collected~ and I have been making it ever since! A perfect September treat.
3 cups apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp good vanilla (I like more~ double it)
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Put flour, sugar, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix oil, eggs and vanilla. Pour the oil mixture into the flour mixture and stir BY HAND. Add apples. Mix. The batter will be VERY stiff. Add walnuts and stir.

Dump out into a well greased tube pan. Bake for 1 hour or until the center of the cake it done. I find that this cake usually needs more time than 1 hour.

Remove from oven and cool. Serve with ice cream.
Printable Recipe

THURSDAY
Balsamic Pork Chops
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Carrots

Recipe: Balsamic Pork Chops
4 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup flour
1 TBS paprika
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 handful parsley, chopped

Mix flour, paprika, rosemary salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge the pork chops. Set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add pork chops. Brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.

Add chicken broth and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil. Scrape all the brown bits from the bottom and side of the pan. Reduce the heat till the liquid simmer. Return the pork chops to the pan and simmer for 8~ 10 minutes, until the pork chops are done.

Serve with pan sauces, garnish with parsley.
Printable Recipe

Recipe: Roasted Carrots
These are so sweet and caramelized... a savory sweet!
1 bag of baby carrots
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put carrots onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until the carrots are slightly browned, deflated and soft. YUMMY!
Printable Recipe

FRIDAY~ SLOW COOKER DAY
Whole Chicken In The Slow Cooker AND Bonus Chicken Stock
Mashed Potatoes (extra from the night before)
Roasted Green Beans With Garlic Oil

Recipe: Whole Chicken In The Slow Cooker
1 whole chicken, rinsed well
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
2 stalks celery, rinsed and quartered
1 large carrot, rough chopped
salt and pepper

Salt and pepper the cavity of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with 1/2 the onion and 2 pieces of celery. Add the remaining vegetables to the slow cooker.

Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken.Put the chicken in the slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours or until the chicken is done and falling off the bone.

To Make Stock:
Take the chicken off the bone and use for dinner (you will have lots of leftovers!)
Pull out all the vegetables in the liquid.
Put all the bones back in the slow cooker along with 1 quartered onion, 1 stalk of celery~ rough chopped, and 1 carrot~ rough chopped. Add 5-7 cups of water, a TBS chicken bullion granules or a little more. Put on the lid and cook on LOW overnight. When you get up in the morning your home will smell wonderful and you will have homemade stock!

Discard all ingredients in the slow cooker except stock. Cool, put in containers and freeze.
I would love to hear how you use slow cooker chicken! Comment, please!
Printable Recipe

SATURDAY
Porchetta Autumn Roast

Recipe: Porchetta Autumn Roast
My friend Nancy from Nancy's Daily Dish posted this yummy main dish last week and I knew it would show up on the menu. Doesn't it look scrumptious? And it scream FALL! Nancy has a fabulous blog and is the owner of the most beautiful Transferware shop I have ever seen! She is so gracious and creative. You will love her as much as I do! To get this wonderful company worthy main dish click HERE.

SUNDAY
Chili Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Veggies and Dip

Recipe: Chili Stuffed Baked Potatoes
leftover frozen Chili (see Chili recipe below)
Large baking potatoes
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick potatoes with a sharp fork several times. Drizzle a little olive oil on potatoes and put them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour until done.

Split baked potato and fill with chili to overflowing. Top with cheddar cheese and a big dollop of sour cream.

Recipe: Slow Cooker StoneGable Chili
StoneGable chili is a little sweet... a little spicy. It certainly is a little different and delicious! I married a family recipe with a gourmet recipe I love. Serve it over rice and sprinkle some good cheddar cheese and crushed tortillas over the top. YUMMY! Pass the sour cream and chopped green onions too!

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 large onions, peeled and chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced finely
1 large green or red pepper, chopped
1 large can of stewed tomatoes
1 can kidney beans or black beans, rinsed and drained (I combine the two)
2/3 - 1 cup of catsup
1/2 -2/3 cups chili sauce
2 TBS chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper
a sprinkle of taco seasonings from a packet (if I have it, I use it)

To make the slow cooker version, brown meat, onions and peppers. Add the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low.

Printable Recipe

Other dishes ON THE MENU...