White Sauce... The answer to what's for dinner...

White Sauce:
Mix 1 T softened butter together with 1 T flour
in a small sauce pan on low heat creating a roux

Pour 1 cup of milk into the mixture and slowly bring the temp up until it is bubbly and think..
make sure to keep stirring so that it doesn't scald on the bottom.

You can add any spice you like. I like 1/2 tsp. sea salt and some pepper

Then you can add any type of grated cheese to make a quick mac-n-cheese

I often steam broccoli and boil some type of pasta add the white sauce and some paprika and it's a lovely ... cheap meal that looks like restaurant food.

Making this is easier & faster than going through the drive through, the ingred. are almost always on hand, it's cheap, fairly healthy and kid friendly. Works over rice too.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie...

This recipe is sooo easy.

I usually get some frozen Western Family pies shells (sometime it's the off brand that is the tastiest)

I sprinkle a handful of choc. chips in the bottom. I always use Guittard... best choc. around

Then mix together in a bowl:
3 eggs
1 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter melted
1 tsp. good Mexican Vanilla
1 1/4 cups pecan halves

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 min

Owl Love Box with the Gift Service added...

... includes matching Owl Postcards, pink tickets, brown Sharpie, green apple & caramel candy lollies...
tied with a tiny grosgrain ribbon.
LoVe BoXeS SHoP

Me & My Sister...

Friends Forever...

Halloween Ellie...

thesnippets

is a very cute Etsy shop with lots of fun little handmade critters.

The Owl & The Pussy Cat...

I don't know that this book is the favorite little board book of the children, but It's mine. The illustrations are so intricate. Also, I love Edward Lear and find the story of his life interesting as well. Read it here.

Mmmm... Pie.

I once attended a Sunday School lesson where the class was taught about the 5 love languages. It was a very good lesson. When it was over, I came home and told C about it and asked him what kind of things made him feel loved most of all. If you know anything about the 5 love languages.. it's a hard choice.. Who doesn't like gifts, help, hugs or words of appreciation?

Anywho, C said that he would have to think about it. A week later he said, "Pie... pie is how I like to be loved."

I have a couple of good pie recipes. I love Toll House Pie. I make fabulous Choc. Chip Pecan Pie.. do you see a theme here?

I even got a great recipe from my neighbor for a fabulous fresh peach pie, but I don't really make fruit pie after that..

But, the Pie Pantry does. You have to remember this for next summer. They make great pie and now they are making these darling pie pockets which are simply heaven. Don't miss one next summer.. Put a pie pocket at the top of your to do list! It will make you feel loved. :)

My Fair Lady...

This is my favorite costume from My Fair Lady. My grandmother, who graduated in Clothing & Textiles copied this dress in white and that dress became my mother's wedding dress. She looked so much like this photo.

Anyway, it was so much fun to show this really amazing film to my daughters last weekend. They loved it.

A funny bit of trivia from the stage production...

"The musical had its pre-Broadway tryout at New Haven's Shubert Theatre. On opening night Rex Harrison, who was unaccustomed to singing in front of a live orchestra, 'announced that under no circumstances would he go on that night...with those thirty-two interlopers in the pit.' He locked himself in his dressing room and came out little more than an hour before curtain time. The whole company had been dismissed but were rounded up by the assistant stage manager. The opening night was a triumph."

Eagan Automotive...

For the first time in 10 years.. I had some car trouble. My family recommended this mechanic and I was very pleased with the service here as well. So, if you live in Davis County and have some car trouble.. these guys are honest, quick and priced very competitively.

Busy Bunnies By Lisa McCue...

Baby Book Review...

We love little board books around here. This one is fun because there are things to feel and smell and at the end there is a mirror to see yourself in.

The illustrations are very cute. The words get a little annoying by the 100th read, but the babies love it.

Prima Peonies...

I love this painting...

Another amazing Etsy Artist...

Kwentzell

More Rock Loft Halloween Photos...

Trick-or-Treat!!!

Fabulous Fall Etsy Pin Finds...

SingingTree

TrinketsNH

Zippinning

Beedeebabee's

Premium Lustre Blizzard Pine...

I was looking through the Martha Stewart decorating issue and the corresponding online article and found this laminate that I love. What a pain, but I would love to put this throughout the whole house.. dust and allergies be gone!

Restaurant Review... Sonora Grill... Ogden...

This place does some things very well. It was clean (I'm a germaphobe so that's where I start). They have great chips and tomatillo salsa.. heavy on the lime.. yummmm. They make fabulous corn tortillas.. so soft. The beef melts in your mouth. Everything is incredibly fresh. The prices are very reasonable.. especially if you consider that fact they your entree ought to feed you for 3 meals (the portion sizes are ginormous).
I ordered the shredded beef tacos which came with Mexican rice and re fried beans.
Realizing that Mexican food is my thing and I'm very picky.. my only negative comment is that the food is a bit bland for me. This place is going for the healthy label, and I'm sure the food is healthy as long as you eat just 1/6th of your burrito. The burritos are 4,000 calories if they are 1.
Honestly, I would be running back there if they were a bit more liberal with the onion, garlic and pepper (I love stinky food).. but I realize lots of folks like milder food and not a lot of heat (peppers) in their food.. which is OK. But, then just for me, put a bottle of Cholula and a shaker of sea salt on the table and everything would be just perfect.

New little Halloween Witches will be in

THe ShOp

Today

P.S. Don't forget to sign up for the Halloween Giveaway.. several posts below this. :)

Halloween at The Rock Loft...

Every change of season I love to visit The Rock Loft in Fruit Heights Utah and see all the fun Holiday decorations.
They go crazy! It's like a festival!

... and you really shouldn't miss it.

The July 4th decor this year was amazing...

I love Halloween too...

... and Christmas is right around the corner...

Bun Basket.. A Favorite Spot...

The other day, some of us around here got talking about the fabulous treats there are right in our backyard. So I thought this week, I might highlight a few. The Bun Basket has many of our family's favorites... yummy mint/choc. brownies, the best ever veggie sandwiches, amazing Cheezy Potato Soup, the cutest shape sugar cookies. They also sell amazing wheat breads, my favorite Blue Cattle Truck Mexican Vanilla, some great local jams & honey and fabulous cinnamon roll mix.

Sinful Brownies...

My basic brownie recipe is adapted from Better Homes & Gardens...

Fudge Brownies
1 cup butter
4 squares semi-sweet choc. squares (I use Baker's)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. good Mexican Vanilla (Blue Cattle Truck is my favorite)
1 1/2 cup unbleached flour

Melt choc. & butter over low heat. Remove from heat and mix in remaining ingred. Bake in a 9X13 pan for 30 mins. at 350 degrees. (Do not over-cook)

That's the basic recipe.. and it's fun to play with. You can melt a bag of Guittard mint chips and spread that and then some choc. frosting over the top.

You can add milk, semi or dark choc. chips. I love Guittard choc... it's the very best and this dark choc. is no exception. So how about adding 1 cup dark choc chips to the batter and 2 cups of whole pecans. ... Sinfully delish.

Halloween Starter Kit... Giveaway...

Kit includes: Candy Corn Love Box, Candy Corns, Chocolate Pumpkins and Eyeballs, a set of Dracula Teeth, Halloween sticker, Spinning Spin Top Spiders, Caramel Apple Pops, a book mark to hold your place in a scary book, spider rings and a black notebook and pen to make your Halloween plans in...

Instructions: Everyone is welcome to enter by...

making A SINGLE comment in the comments section

Winner will be drawn Monday Midnight EST

GOOD LUCK!

Michelle is the winner!

Congratulations!