Butternut Squash and Apples

This one's for my friend Fern. I got her all jazzed up about the raisins, only to see they are not in the recipe. I do strongly beieve that I added some sweet, plump raisins to the mix though. It's been awhile, but this is a Thanksgiving fave. enjoy!


Butternut Squash and Apples


2 # butternut or buttercup squash
½ C brown sugar
¼ C margarine; melted
1 T flour
1 t salt
½ t mace (can use cinnamon or nutmeg)
2 baking apples; core, peel and slice

Preheat oven to 350°. Halve, seed and skin squash, slice in ½” slices. Stir together remaining ingredients, except apples.
Arrange squash in ungreased baking dish, cover with apples and pour sugar/spice mixture on top.
Cover and bake 1 hour.

Feature, Feature, Who's got the Feature?

It seems it's been my week for features. This is a new experience for me but I have to admit, I like it. It has been a lousy week and if not for the ego stroking, I would have considered it a complete loss.
Lousy you say? yes! Lousy! I know it was Thanksgiving and the kids were off school and DH was home from work and we had lots of time.................whoooooooooaaaaaaa. there ya go! Lots of time. That is code for your week is gonna SUCK! The time Gods heard that one and Bam! they threw a party on my week. a cold, painting the house, a cold, laundry, a clod, making jewelry, a cold.

Did I mention, I caught a crappy, head stuffy, coughing, burning eyes, all I want to do is sleep cold? So much for tasting the turkey. so mcuh for making jewelry, cleaning, laundry, shopping, or anything else I had hoped to do. Not to mention, sitting through a show feeling crappy is the worst.


OMG! can I whine! Must be why I like cheese so much. Sorry about that. So, I do believe the title of this post is features. Yes, I had a few. Handmade Fusion listed me on the front page as the featured artist complete with interview

.

That was a special feeling. Not to mention, I was chosen as the first ever featured artist there. I'm sure it was a pull of the hat, but I will fool myself into thinking it was all becasue I am special (works for me, hehe)

I have also been featured in a few treasuries on etsy this week. It's been awhile and it was nice to be recognized by my peers. best of all was today's Front Page feature on etsy



If you are not all that familiar with etsy, suffice it to say, the FP(frontpage) is akin to winning the etsy lottery. Tons of exposure, lots of attention and the ultimate etsy feel good.
I have only had a front page feature once before and it was very short lived. The item sold immediately and poof, I vanished. I have made a few treasuries over my etsy career that I felt worthy of FP status but I was mistaken. It is a great and true honor to make the FP as an artist or a curator. Thankyou justEARRINGS for making me feel good!
I now return to my mundane lifef on the couch with the kleenex, remote and a big glass of Gatorade.

Gobble til you Wobble

Thanksgiving is here and the holiday season is offically upon us. Lucky for the angry pilgrim (DS#2), we haven't come across too much inthe way of Christmas yet. He earned that nickname after getting overly upset and considering knocking on the doors of the overzealous Christmas decorators for completely ignoring Thanksgiving. He was barely over Halloween and bam! red and green, snowglobes and santas, wreaths and reindeer had started taking over the neighborhood. Between you and me, I think he was worried about missing a day completely devoted to food.

That's the nice thing about Thanksgiving. No pressure, no gifts, no rushing or worrying. All you have to do is eat. You eat and eat and eat and eat. then you have dessert. Yet another reason the angry pilgrim was worried. He does believe pumpkin pie to be the perfect dessert. No utensils or plates needed (in his opinion), and no gunking that baby up with whipped cream either. He's a minimalist when it comes to food.

I am thankful for my angry pilgrim and his brother (despite the teenage angst). I could not imagine my life without them. Okay, maybe sometimes I long to travel to Italy with girlfriends or pub crawl through county Cork with an old friend and his guitar, but most days I wouldn't trade them for the moon. I am also thankful for my husband, Mark. Yes, he is cheap and stubborn and ADD, but he is also generous and kind and talented in ways I cannot explain. Now that family of mine that puts the fun in dysfunction, they too make me grateful and blessed. I count my blessings every day that I have with my grandmother.

Today may not be a most traditional of Thanksgivings. It seems many of us are fighting colds and working on projects and feeling like staying home. It just might happen too. Time will tell. So, while we are thankful for our health, today, we could stand it to be slightly improved.
I'm not sure if you have an angry pilgrim in your house or just a grumpy snot fountain, whatever you have, give it a hig, say a prayer and be glad for what you have.
Now GO EAT!