Getting my Autumn Act Together!

This morning, I've been taking out Autumn and Halloween decos...organizing everything and planning the decos I want to add this year.  Lord have mercy, I now have just as many Autumn/Halloween/Thanksgiving decos as I do for Christmas so I'm only adding a few new pieces this year--all my decos are taking over the garage.

Love this magazine out on the new stands now by Phyllis Hoffman.  Great photos and ideas to get you excited for the season!

My Doctor told me last week that I should gain 5 lbs.  Well my land, I've certainly never been told that!  Since I've been on the "Clean Living" diet during the summer, I lost about 10-12 lbs and for my frame and height, that's probably a bit much.  Okay.  Working on that weight gain today with a scone and some of  my Apple Butter.

LOVE this apple butter for a spread on scones, biscuits, or toast.

Miss Janice's Etiquette Tip:  Remember that jellies or creams should spooned onto the plate not onto the scone.  Then use a spreader and add the jelly to only the portion of scone that you are putting into your mouth.

  You can find the recipe for "Miss Janice's Apple Butter" here.

I'm sippin' some Apple Cinnamon tea from Harney Tea...the perfect flavor to enjoy with my scone and apple butter treat!

Don't y'all just love Autumn?  When I'm done inside the house, I'm gonna plant some Autumn flowers in the garden area.  Y'all have a great day!

Flower Blooming Art Tea

Art Tea. Blooming Tea. Flower Tea. Those are some of the names used for a category of tea that is the dried tea leaves and flowers which are hand-tied into balls the size of a large marble. The other day I had a chance to sit down and really enjoy the latest edition of "TeaTime Magazine" and sip some Flower Tea. I have a been a faithful reader of this Hoffman Media Publication since their very first issue. The magazine is always filled with delightful teascapes, recipes for tea party foods, and interesting tearooms around the Country.
"TeaTime Magazine" is also celebrating National Hot Tea Month during January...you can visit their Facebook HERE and find a lot of great tea ideas!
The Flower Tea I steeped in a glass pot is 'Jasmine Fairy Maidens,' available at Harney Tea. This tea is sweetly flavored with jasmine flowers and has a vegetal flavor. It is a very light tasting tea. The water for this tea should be heated to 180 degrees and the tea ball steeped for 3-5 minutes. When steeped, the green tea leaves gradually blossom revealing a cluster of orange flowers perched atop a sphere of tea, while the jasmine petals blossom upwards. This tea may be infused 3 or more times.
The tea leaves and flowers are shaped into a ball, the size of a large marble...
Flower teas make great centerpieces or may be presented in a goblet.
A buttermilk scone and my homemade strawberry preserves pair well with the very light tea.

Remember that there are many health benefits of tea...it helps to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, aids in digestion and weight loss, and of course the caffeine gives you a boost of energy...a pick-me-up in the afternoon!

Practice hospitality...serve someone tea!

Pumpkin Pudding in Prissy Parfait Cups

Last night I prepared a simple Pumpkin Pudding and served it in some real prissy parfait cups.

Silver parfait cups with etched glass...


This pudding is a real sweet treat for Autumn and very simple to prepare.
The pecan topping adds just a bit more sweetness!
Recipe for Pumpkin Pudding Parfait:
1 cup milk {I used non-fat}
1 15-oz can pumpkin
2 small packages vanilla instant pudding
1 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 cups cool whip

~Topping~
Cinnamon sticks
1 tblsp melted butter
1/2 cup chop pecans
1/3 cup sugar

Pour the milk into a bowl and add the canned pumpkin, instant pudding, and pumpkin spice. Beat the mixture with a whisk until it is blended and thick. Fold in the whip cream. Spoon the mixture into parfait cups. Refrigerate.

Mix the melted butter, chopped pecans, and sugar together and sprinkle on top. Add a cinnamon stick as garnish to each cup.

I found this cute Autumn apron at Hobby Lobby. *Note to self: Stop buying the ruffle skirt aprons...they add 3 inches to each of my hips!

A little Autumn decorations to the kitchen hutch...

And the sideboard...
Thank you for stopping by today to visit with me!

Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins for Bunco

Last night I joined some of the ladies of Bedford Park {my neighborhood} and played some Bunco! Lord have mercy, it was fun...a bit loud, but fun.

We were told to bring goodies and after a long day of errands and shopping in the rain, I wasn't in the mood to fix something time-consuming, so I settled on quick and easy!

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that one of my new obsessions is Pinterest. It is a great place to store and show off photos that inspire you...from home decorating, recipes, fashion, and books to just about anything. I must tell y'all that I'm addicted! So much fun:)

Anyway, this recipe for Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins is all the rage with all the Pinterest peeps. There are seriously just TWO ingredients used to prepare these--Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake mix and a 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree. That's it. I filled my muffin cups almost full, as this mix does not rise much. I baked mine for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Used some cute little dot muffin cups.
Then I placed the muffins on an orange plate and put the plate & muffins inside a festive polka dot cello plate wrap. You can find these at Hobby Lobby. I think a pack of three was $2.99.
Tied it up with a black satin ribbon and attached a little orange tag. Presentation is important y'all!
You can find cute Bunco party printables at the Hoffman Media site here. Love the cute invitations...just right for this time of year!
I also downloaded these scorecards...
More of the scorecards...
"HERE'S WHAT I WORE"

Blouse: Coldwater Creek
Jeans: J Crew
Shoes: Tory Burch

The accessories:
Orange iPhone cover, Burberry cologne, Gold Revas by Tory Burch, 'Red Star' lipstick with a top coat of 'Miss Fizz' both by Chanel, Nail varnish 'Natural Pink' by Chanel, Tortoise headband and necklace by J Crew, Tortoise barrette, 'Oyster Perpetual' watch by Rolex, 'Trinity' wedding band by Cartier, and earrings by Givenchy.
I carried my beverage and the cookies in a black insulated picnic cooler, monogrammed in white. {I found mine at The Pink Azalea over a year ago but I don't think they have them anymore}.
Thank you for stopping by today. Whether you are out shopping, enjoying Gameday, or just resting, I hope y'all are having a fabulous fall weekend!

Pumpkin Pie in a Jar

Last night was "Flamingo Ladies Book Club" night and the book was Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Not sure what the book was about 'cuz I didn't have a chance to read it! In our club, that's okay...we just socialize anyway. I think maybe we mentioned the name of the book and that was all that was said about it, but we had a very nice time...just a wee bit of gossiping and keeping up with what's going on in the neighborhood! I carried Pumpkin Pie in a Jar for the ladies...

If you haven't tried these, they are easy to prepare, delicious, and everyone loves the presentation. I used the Ball wide-mouth, half-pint jars. Then, I used pre-made pie crust to line the inside of the jars.

I then poured in the pumpkin pie mix {I used the recipe from the back of the the Libby canned pumpkin}.

I cut out round cardstock for the labels and added a pumpkin tag with a ribbon.

Not being sure what types of food would be served, I made little pouches for the serveware and attached more tags!
"HERE'S WHAT I WORE"
Skirt: Indigo blue denim by Lilly Pulitzer
Blouse: Peter Pan collar monogrammed in pink by Land's End
Cardi: Lime green by Lilly Pulitzer
Shoes: Orchid pink Revas by Tory Burch

ACCESSORIES:
Pocketbook: Pink courderoy Bermuda Bag by Lilly Pulitzer
Readers: Beachy pink by Lilly Pulitzer
Hair bow: Pink grosgrain
Cologne: Wink by Lilly Pulitzer
Nail varnish: Lovie Dovie by Essie
Lipstick: Laser Pink by Chanel
iPhone cover: Limeade Floater by Lilly Pulitzer
Shoes: Orchid pink Revas by Tory Burch

Cardi clip: Vintage clip by Trifari

Earrings and ring: Monogrammed with my "maiden monogram"--very old!

Wedding band: Rollring Trinity by Cartier

Watch: Oyster Perpetual by Rolex

{I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THIS TEXT IS UNDERLINED! CAN'T UNDO--UGH!!!}

Rainy Night in Florida...Limeade Floater by Lilly Pulitzer

It was "Bring your own" so I carried my Merlot in my Redneck Wine Goblet!
Thank you for visiting with me today. Yesterday, I used my LAST CAN OF PUMPKIN. Today, I'm on the hunt for more!

Quick Fix Southern

Last night I served an easy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole. Of course, I served in style...wearing this cute Autumn apron from my "Prissy Apron Collection", by April Cornell and using my serving tray from Pottery Barn.
This fabulous recipe is from the cookbook "Quick-Fix Southern." This cookbook is packed with over 100 fast and easy recipes for putting great "Homemade Hospitality" on the table in 30 minutes or less!

Rebecca Lang is the author of this cookbook and a food writer as well as a busy Mama. She is a contributing editor for Southern Living magazine and is featured in weekly segments on the nationally syndicated show Daytime. She is also a contributing editor at MyRecipes and writes a monthly column, "Girls Night In," for the site. Her food writing has appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Flavors Magazine, Edible Atlanta, and Legacy Magazine. Having taught hundreds of classes, Lang is an accomplished cooking instructor and travels the country teaching classes in cooking schools.

In addition, Ms. Lang is a food editor for Oxmoor House and has apprenticed for Nathalie Dupree.

An extra helping of Rebecca's Southern hospitality compliments the appetizing recipes that appear in "Quick-Fix Southern." Rebecca groups the 100+ recipes in 10 themes...making it effortless to find the perfect food to fit the mood.

Themes include dishes fit for Tailgating and Gatherings, Busy Weeknight Suppers, and Girls' Night In, as well as delightful drink concoctions ideal for Sipping on the Screened Porch.

Author of Quick-Fix Southern, Rebecca Lang.

The delicious Petite Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole...prissy chicken casserole served in a ramekin!

This old, traditional Southern casserole has been on dining room tables for generations. Rebecca made it much faster to prepare with rotisserie chicken and instant rice. You can make this in a 7 x 11-inch baking dish or used ramekins like I did. I think it's a bit more prissy in the ramekins.

Recipe for Petite Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole:
1 rotisserie chicken
3 cups cooked long-grain & wild rice, cooked according to package directions
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced celery
1 (8.5-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 8 (8-ounce) ramekins with nonstick cooking spray. Remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat off the bone. Use your fingers to shred the meat by pulling it apart in strips. Place the meat in a large mixing bowl. Add the rice.

Heat the butter over medium heat in a small frying pan. Add the red onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Stir the onion and celery, artichoke hearts, sour cream, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and curry powder into the chicken. Spoon into the prepared ramekins. Place all of the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes.

You can visit Rebecca at her website and order this cookbook here or her blogsite here.