I almost immediately began to bite my tongue after the word “this Sunday” since the parties I usually throw entail weeks and weeks of planning and cleaning, but quite honestly, I would just love to have an excuse to deep cleanse and tidy up my house again.
Sure, I could always use one of my days off to clean up, but the house just never seems to feel as cozy as it does before and after a party for some reason.
A house during a party is such a magical time, I think. Everything you’re used to in your daily environment becomes completely transformed. I love the way the bathroom looks, all neat and orderly, with a cinnamon candle flickering upon the toilet bowl. I love the freshly vacuumed living room, the sofa adorned with gently folded quilts, soft music humming faintly in the background. I love the way the food looks laid out on my kitchen table, each item placed carefully in their particular spot, awaiting a hand to pick and gobble them up. I love the peacefulness that lingers in the air after the party is over, the silence, the fragrant candles licking up the ends of their dying flames…
You can just say that I love the feeling of throwing a party- knowing that for one night, your house is intended for something special, something other than its regular routine. It’s really a celebration of the home; sharing with loved ones the fortune of having a fluffy pillow to rest your head upon when the day is done.
For all these reasons, I’ve been toying with the idea of throwing a party this Sunday. Whether I have the gusto to muster something like this up in a week, is completely different story.
But I’ve come up with a rough draft of the menu, regardless. So far, this is it:
Spiced Pumpkin Waffes (Courtesy of Country Living Magazine)
| INGREDIENTS |
| 2 1/2 cup(s) | all-purpose flour |
| 1 tablespoon(s) | baking powder |
| 2 teaspoon(s) | cinnamon |
| 1 teaspoon(s) | ginger |
| 1/2 teaspoon(s) | baking soda |
| 1/2 teaspoon(s) | salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon(s) | fresh-ground nutmeg |
| 1/4 teaspoon(s) | cloves |
| 4 | large eggs |
| 2 cup(s) | buttermilk |
| 1 cup(s) | pumpkin purée |
| 1/2 cup(s) | dark brown sugar |
| 1/4 cup(s) | (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted |
| 1 teaspoon(s) | pure vanilla extract |
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat a waffle iron. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl and set aside.
- Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin purée, sugar, butter, and vanilla in another large bowl until smooth. While whisking, add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.
- Generously coat the waffle iron with vegetable oil and cook the batter in the waffle iron as recommended in the manufacturer’s instructions. Repeat with remaining batter.
… Hopefully I can find a waffle iron somewhere, because I don’t believe I have one. Hmm…
Apple Butter (Courtesy of Country Living Magazine)
INGREDIENTS
| 5 pound(s) | cooking apples, cored and quatered |
| 1 cup(s) | apple cider |
| 2 tablespoon(s) | orange juice |
| 1 cup(s) | brown sugar |
| 1/2 cup(s) | granulated sugar |
DIRECTIONS
- Make the Apple Butter: Combine the apples, cider, and orange juice in a large Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft — 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat. In small batches, purée the apples and any cooking liquid through a food mill. Return the purée to the Dutch oven, add the sugars, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook, still stirring, until the purée thickens slightly — about 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Transfer the butter to a clean jar and cool completely. Store refrigerated for up to 1 month.
Maple Country Turkey Sausage Recipe (Courtesy of Tastebook.com)
INGREDIENTS
- * 2 pounds ground turkey
- * 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- * 2 tablespoons grill seasoning
- * 2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus additional for drizzling
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, maple syrup and grill seasoning. Work the meat to combine all the ingredients then form patties 2- to 3-inches round.
- Place a large skillet over medium high heat with EVOO. Brown patties in the skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side. Place the patties on a baking sheet, drizzle them lightly with oil, and finish baking them in the oven until they are golden brown and reach an internal temperature of 165°F, about 5-6 minutes.
Light and Fluffy Spinach Quiche (Courtesy of AllRecipes.com)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 8 ounces shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with foil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and milk until smooth. Whisk in eggs. Layer spinach, cheese, and onion in pie shell, making several layers of each. Pour in egg mixture. Place quiche on prepared cookie sheet. Cover quiche with foil.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove cover, and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until top is golden brown and filling is set.
Fresh Fruit Salad (Courtesy of AllRecipes.com)
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh strawberries, halved
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 2 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
- 2 bananas, sliced
- 2 cups seedless grapes, halved
- 1 (8 ounce) container plain or vanilla yogurt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- In a large salad bowl, combine strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, bananas and grapes. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, sugar and vanilla; mix well. Serve with fruit.
… And that’s all that I have in mind for now. Ambitious, huh? Well, we’re just going to have to see what happens during the course of this week!
