A Delicious Fall Recipe

Last week we had a small glimpse of brisk, cool Fall weather which got me in the mood for making this recipe I found on The Pioneer Woman's site.  So even though this week feels hotter than summer (104 on Wednesday) once it cools down again for good this will be something you will surely want to try!  It is easy and very delicious!  


Here is how I made it...

Cut the acorn squash into wedges and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle a little bit of salt.  Pop that in the oven for 20 minutes.

While the squash is baking grab some fresh rosemary and chop it up finely... inhale the wonderful scent of freshly chopped herbs... Mmmm!

Combine the butter, brown sugar and rosemary into a paste...

Take the squash out of the oven and smear the all paste mixture on the wedges...

Continue to bake until golden.  Drizzle sauce over the wedges to help them carmelize.

Enjoy!  


There is the printable recipe from The Pioneer Woman's website.

Goodbye Summer... Hello Fall...

Fall has finally arrived.  Even though I don't live in a part of the country where the leaves change and display a beautiful palette of colors, there are different sorts of Fall colors I enjoy this time of year...

Sunrise in Costa Mesa last week

From sunrise to sunset

Sunset at Creek Park last week

The colors of the season are brilliant and beautiful!

Sunset from up on the hill

The shadows in the afternoon are long and the breeze is brisk.

 At the end of each day it's a wonderful sight to behold.

City lights from up on the hill

It's hard to believe that I started this blog five years ago on September 6, 2006. It really doesn't seem that long ago! Through the years I found it to be a great place where I could share thoughts, memories and photos with family and friends near and far.

This summer I took a brief hiatus from posting and spent lots of time enjoying family, friends and the great outdoors. So as summer comes to an end I am ready to get back into the groove.

My Summer

Sunny days at the beach

warm sand

excited kids splashing in the waves

Trips to the city

exploring monuments of concrete and steel

beautiful ceramic fountain

Serene countryside

majestic falls

snugly, fluffy kittens to hold

Two birthdays and a wedding

family, food, friends

spending many wonderful hours together

Walks in the park, sharing summer bounty

in colors of red, green, purple

enjoying tasty treats

Summer has come and is almost gone

warm memories will stay forever.

Job 38

Job 38 from Grace EV Free on Vimeo.

Vacation Treasures

I've been on vacation visiting my best friend in Amish country in Pennsylvania. We went out antiquing the other day in Smicksburg. This was the best find of the day. Three teacups for $2.50! I love finding little treasures.

Happy First Day of Summer

I started getting in the summer mood a little early by spending lots of time in the pool this weekend! We all got together to celebrate Greg's birthday. I love sunny summer days and good times spent with family and friends.

Summer solstice with the most daylight hours of the year started a little gray but ended in a beautiful sunny afternoon. After my walk in the park I hung out with some of my four legged friends. Coby (the regal one), Rufus (the cuddly one), Zorro (the leaning one), Sunny (the lumbering one), Gracie (the temperamental one) and Machka (the kissing one).

Monsters and Elephants and Lions, Oh my!

It's not everyday you get to create 36 unique "monster" cupcakes for a one year old's birthday party

or paint safari animals cut out of plywood for Adventure week at church but sometimes God surprises me with unique opportunities to use the talents He has given me. This weekend that is just what I did. I worked on baking these a couple evenings ago and then decorated then late Friday and finished them up early on Saturday morning. It was fun coming up with unique designs for each one. Even though the party had to be moved indoors because of the rain we all still had a great time celebrating with Cole.

A month or so ago my friend Laura approached me about painting some animals for the safari themed vacation Bible school this summer. Kim, Tiffany, Hanako and I all worked painting lions, gorillas, and elephants. I can't wait to see how they all will turn out!

I've been learning to listen to the Lord's gentle reminders to use my talents in ways that I never have expected. So whether it is blessing a mom and her little one with decorated cupcakes or the many kids that will attend Adventure Week I'm doing it as unto the Lord!

Circa 1963

Today would have been my parent's 49th wedding anniversary. I don't have a picture from their wedding day but this photo was taken soon after. A friend wrote a fitting description... "In the early 1960s my father (left), a Colombian Émigré, returned to his native country with my mother, a Pennsylvanian farmer's daughter who spoke no Spanish and who was, for the first time, seeing her husband's native country. In this photograph they meet an old family friend (right) on a busy street in Bogota. It was popular at the time for street photographers to take a person's photo and given them a ticket they could later redeem for a developed print - often as a same day affair."

Whirlwind

The last couple of weeks in May have gone by like a whirlwind! Is it really June already? It's been busy but good. The ladies Spring tea at Grace was on the 21st.This was the culmination of several months of planning and preparation. Melanie gave an inspiring talk of the theme of "God's Unfailing Love".

I didn't host a table this year but I enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful tables the ladies decorated. All so different but beautiful in their own way. I am so blessed to be part of such a great group of ladies. They all are an inspiration and encouragement. In the middle of it all I misplaced my camera and didn't get to take any pictures during the tea. Thankfully I found it at the end... Phew! The following day was the art exhibit at church called The HeART of Isaiah. It was sixty-six pieces of art representing each of the chapters from Isaiah. I met up with some of my Grace Group friends and enjoyed seeing every one's creative expressions.

Work was also quite busy. End of May also means the end of a semester and graduation ceremonies. It is one of the busiest times for us at the office. Another record breaking number graduated this year. I stayed away from campus on that day since they were expecting more than 10,000 guests on campus.

Memorial Day weekend has sort of become the "unofficial" beginning of summer. The weather is finally getting warmer and spending time outdoors has been fantastic. I wanted to celebrate by inviting some friends over and making them dinner. It was a fun evening and we all got to take a turn at turning the crank and making homemade ice cream.

Summer also means that the trees are yielding lots of fruit. Apricots are in season now. My neighbor invited me to go pick some and of course I couldn't pass on that opportunity. Today, I made 12 jars of apricots preserves from all the fruit we picked. I love summer!

Sunday supper on a Thursday

Last Thursday after work Grace and I took the train down to Irvine to meet up with Jon, Adam & Edgar for dinner. If you are ever in the Irvine, CA area and want an unforgettable dining experience that will rock your tatsebuds then you must visit Lucca Cafe. This month their "Sunday Supper" normally held on the second Sunday of the month was held on Thursday which was perfect timing to celebrate J's birthday. Chef Cathy Pavlos didn't disappoint. One of the delicious dishes was Raviolo alla Mascarpone (ravioli with marscapone cheese, potatoes, wild mushrooms and thyme; with butternut squash risotto, radicchio, caramelized onions & nutmeg. Mmmm so good!