One foot firmly planted in summer, the other is edging towards fall...

As we straddle the change in seasons, I feel like one big contradiction...part of me is screaming, "No, I am not ready to give up the warmth of summer" all the while another part of me is getting ready to hunker down and prepare for winter. I saw this picture on Facebook yesterday and I remembered all the summers that I just floated through as a kid...

The seasonal confusion is seeping into every part of me...one minute I want a light, citrus refreshing kind of drink like this one - it reminds me of the citrus water we would get in the lobby of the Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa lobby for the hotel side of the property. This is from Modern Pioneer's Facebook Page and their blog at http://modern-pioneer.blogspot.ca

1 orange
1 lemon
1 lime
Some Mint Leaves

Cut each of the above into 1/4 slices and remove seeds. Using a Mason jar, add the above and slightly crush them using the end of a utensil but do not pulverize. Add ice and fill container, then fill with fresh water and let stand for a few hours in the fridge, enjoy!!

Then, I get an email from Souplantation about their Asian Ginger Broth that's on the menu this weekend. Well first I pouted (12 hours round trip is too much for a bowl of soup!), then I became obsessed...I wanted Asian Ginger Broth & I wanted it right NOW!

That's okay, have internet...will find it!! I spent a couple of hours surfing the net before I finally found the following recipe on A Virtuous Woman's website at: http://avirtuouswoman.org

Asian Ginger Broth Soup


4 tablespoons finely minced ginger
3 tablespoons finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups cold water
14 cups water
6 tablespoons vegetarian base (see note)

Yields approximately 1 gallon

Combine ginger, garlic and oil in a large pot and saute for 5 minutes. Add cornstarch and 2 cups cold water to pot and whisk to dissolve. Add rest of water and vegetarian base to pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish with any combination of the following items: sliced green onions, shredded carrots, chopped spinach, sliced mushrooms, wonton strips, cubed tofu.

Note: Vegetarian base – Sweet Tomatoes (Souplantation) uses Custom brand vegetarian base powder. You can substitute with a similar base such as McKay’s Chicken Seasoning, or use chicken broth in place of the water if you are not vegetarian.


AND..............

This foot in one camp, one foot in the other isn't just hitting what I feel like eating here and now. It's got me feeling like nesting and I have been following the building of the new Blackfox Homestead on their website, http://blackfoxhomestead.com

I keep praying they will get their project far enough along to work indoors when the snow flies. My investment in this, I don't know...I just feel for their struggles.

There's a part of me that's very interested in the putting up of food & this morning I found a chart on the different apples that are just around the corner from Betty Crocker (one of my favorite recipe sources), if you are planning on canning, check out this link:

http://www.sbcanning.com/2011/07/betty-crocker-apple-chart.html

Doesn't that just scream out apple pie filling, apple sauce, apple juice, apple jelly and on and on to you? Maybe I am leaning a little more to the autumn side of the line, what do you think? Check out this visually inspiring chart:

To make matters even worse, I spotted my first Christmas baking recipe this morning...just sitting there, on the Adventures in Cooking website:

http://adventurescooking.blogspot.ca/2010/03/autumn-brittle.html

It was just sitting there, ready to pounce & worm it's way into my recipe box!

Autumn Brittle
Ingredients:

1 Cup Almonds
1 Cup Cashews
3/4 Cup Pumpkin Seeds
2/3 Cup Dried Cranberries
2 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Golden Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Honey
1 Cup Water
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Butter

Heat the sugars, honey, water and salt in a large pot over a low-medium flame. Use a pot that is larger than you would think necessary because when the mixture begins to boil it will foam up and increase in size. Stir every five minutes or so. Using a candy thermometer, continue to heat the mixture until it reaches a temperature of exactly 302 degrees Fahrenheit. This is very important because this is the temperature at which sugar hardens into a rock-like state after it cools. Pay close attention not to go very far above 302, otherwise you will burn the sugar. It can take up to an hour for the mixture to reach that high of a temperature, so don't get too worried if 15 minutes go by and the thermometer is still at 175.

While the sugar mixture is boiling, place a sheet of parchment paper on top of a shallow pan, about 9 x 13 inches in width and length, and grease the parchment paper. Set aside. Once the sugar mixture reaches 302, immediately remove it from heat and stir in the butter, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries until they're coated in the mixture.

Immediately pour the mixture onto the parchment paper and spread it out into a large rectangle using a rubber spatula. Try to keep the surface relatively even and about 1 inch in height. Place the pan in the refrigerator and allow the brittle to cool for one hour. Once it has finished cooling, remove the sheet of brittle from the parchment paper and break the brittle into pieces using a meat tenderizer or clean hammer. Arrange the pieces on a serving platter and serve. Store excess brittle in a cool dry place.

No sooner do I manage to stop thinking about Christmas......................

and the fact that Christmas is only 129 days away, wouldn't you know I find the Woman's Day Top 20 Crochet Websites & I start thinking about Christmas gifts! Here's the link in case you want some ideas:

http://www.womansday.com/home/craft-ideas/Our-20-Favorite-Crochet-Sites?cid=obinsite

Before I could shake the Christmas presents from my mind................

I am back in SUMMER MODE thinking about Peter Rabbit's Carrot Apple Salad from the http://www.chindeep.com/2012/08/16/peter-rabbits-carrot-apple-salad/ website.

I have to make it, I have to make it TODAY!!

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

2 Tablespoons real mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice

1 teaspoon lemon or lime zest

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon clover honey

2 dashes cayenne pepper

5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal

1/2 tart apple, unpeeled and chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 Tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine yogurt, mayo, citrus juice, citrus zest, vinegar, honey and cayenne in a small bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the carrots, apple, onion, and mint. Mix well. Pour yogurt dressing over and mix until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a little more cayenne if you wish.

And while I am still on the Summer end of the pendulum swing, I will leave you with the following: