I picked up 2 round table tops that are crying out for this treatment....

Fresh stenciling brings a vibrant pop of color to this round farm table! Beautiful work by ◼ Deelite Design llc!

Modello® Designs Ornamental Center Stencil (OrnCen130): ◼ Link no longer valid

Wooden Step Stool - Frontgate

◼ $89, From Frontgate via Houzz

Crafted from solid wood. Steel-reinforced steps. Safety rail adds comfort. Oversized platform locks into place for added security. Rich mahogany finish. Forget flimsy plastic and step up to this high-quality Wooden Step Stool. This step ladder is ready at a moment's notice for lending a helping hand, then folds neatly away in a 2-1/2"-deep space. . . . . . Folds flat for easy storage. 225-lb. weight capacity.

Grand Marnier Apricot Stuffing Recipe

(Great. Expensive.) You will LOVE it!

1 C Diced Dried Apricots
1 C Grand Marnier
1 C Butter (2 cubes) (split in half)
2 C Chopped Celery
1 Lg. Chopped Yellow Onion
1# Herb Stuffing Mix (1 box?)
2 C Chicken Stock (bullion)
1/2 t Dried Thyme (optional,herb stuffing mix has it)
1# Pork Sausage
Salt & Pepper
A cup or so Chopped Mushrooms.
◼ Heat 1/2 C Grand Marnier and 1 Cup Apricots to boiling, then set aside.
◼ Melt 1/2 C of Butter (1 cube) in large skillet
◼ Saute celery, onion and mushrooms, 5-10 minutes.
◼ Transfer to mixing bowl.
◼ Cook sausage til no longer pink,
◼ Add sausage, Apricots and liquid, herb mix and stuffing to the mixing bowl,
◼ Stir to combine.

◼ Heat remaining 1/2 C of butter and stock in small sauce pan til butter melts.
◼ Pour over the stuffing mix, and add the remaining 1/2 Cup Grand Marnier
◼ Stir again. Season with thyme, salt and pepper to taste. (shouldn't need it)

Cook 30 minutes at 375 degrees

Enough for a 21-24# Turkey, but I always make it as a dressing as opposed to stuffing.
Makes 1 big rectangle size or 2 full quiche/pie size pans. Don’t need to grease pans.
Don’t need to cover while cooking...in fact you want the top to crisp a bit.
Reheats easily.
(If you can't find Grand Marnier, use Cointreau® or any other orange-flavored liqueur as a substitute. No alcohol? Use Orange Juice concentrate.)
Other Grand Marnier recipes
Find this recipe and all its variations online - Quick google search
At our house we call this C&D's Apricot Grand Marnier Stuffing, and it has become a permanent part of our holiday menu. This Christmas (08) D tells me that she first found it in the Silver Palate Cookbook. We've both now made vegetarian versions... either by leaving out the sausage or by substituting a vegetarian 'meat.'

Recipes and Magazines

Maybe it's because food isn't my thing, or if I wanted to look at recipes I would've subscribed to a food magazine, but it always irritated me that a goodly section of my gardening and home design magazines were devoted to food. It's like, can't you leave that off for awhile? It's not what I am here for.

But I find now, as I am putting together my own sort of blog version of those two lifestyle things, gardening and home, the food part is creeping in - what we serve for the holidays - a collection of recipes with contributions from friends and family members, the recipes the kids now call and ask for, the ones you pass along to friends...Maybe it is because I am now, finally, at 50, finding myself with time to pay attention to the food and entertaining aspect of life, the gourmet cooking, and all... maybe it is because the kids have developed a bent for just that, and it is fun to join them.

Is it part of the package? Or is it just too cumbersome to set up another blog just for that? Either way, I'll be adding them here. Katie's Fig Recipe, Logan's Vodka Rustica, Chris and Deb's Apricot Grand Marnier Stuffing...and more. If they were sourced, I'll include the sources. Some sources may lave been long obscured by time.

Insidescaping cover

Frostie and ET sleeping on the couch. Both schmeezers (Siamese Crosses), Frostie was a barn kitten, and ET was a wild kitten I managed to catch, and keep.