Harvest Soup

Today I'm going to join the CSI Project's fall themed party.  What says "fall" better than a pot of homemade soup, especially one made with pumpkin?  I got this recipe at a Bob Evans restaurant years ago, and it's still one of my favorites.

Harvest Soup

1/2 lb Bob Evans Special Seasonings roll sausage*

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 cups canned pumpkin

1 tsp lemon juice

2 cups hot milk

dash nutmeg

dash cinnamon

salt and pepper to taste

chopped parsley, optional

In large sauce pan, brown and crumble sausage with onion.  Drain off drippings.  Add broth and bring to a boil.  Add pumpkin and simmer 15-20 minutes.  Add lemon juice, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt and pepper; simmer to blend flavors.  Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.  Serves 6-8

*I don't think I've ever used this specific sausage; I just use any bulk pork sausage, usually from Aldi.

Serve with some nice crusty bread.  Enjoy!

Redoing the Mantel, Part 1

This is a before shot of my mantel.  The stars have been there since we moved in, and the rest of it has been pretty much like this since the Christmas stuff came down.



On Thursday, I had seen an old mirror at a consignment shop.  I liked it, but I didn’t think I had a place for it, so I passed it up.  Friday evening I was flipping through some old Country Living mags, and saw a similar mirror on a mantel.  Suddenly I knew that I needed that mirror, and fortunately it was still there Saturday morning.  I snatched it up for $5.

Originally, I was going to leave the stars up and put the mirror on the left side of the mantel, but it turned out to be a little bigger than I had realized.  The stars came down, and I began playing with the arrangement.  See if  you can guess which one I went with.

For the answer, see the post below this one {here}. 

(BTW, the mirror looks a little crooked, but it's not; the reflection from this angle makes it look a little off.)

A:  tried adding some height with the branches.



B:  replaced the branches with urns



C:  replaced the red books (which were part of my “touches of red” scheme) with neutral books



D:  moved book/candlestick arrangement to opposite side and replaced urns with three identical milkglass vases



E:  flipped above arrangement

Which Mantel? Part 2

D

Even though I still have red accents around the room, I preferred the neutral books.  Actually, I was never in love with the red books, but didn’t bother to change them until now.

I chose this arrangement over E, which was basically the same but flipped, because there is a table to the right that has several things on it, and I thought the candlesticks/books were a little more busy looking than the vases.  In combination with the table, it made the right side too heavy, so I tried to balance it by switching sides.

Here is a wider shot so you can see what I mean about the table.  Ignore the rest of the mess, please; it was a work in progress at this point.



I think it would be fun to occasionally get three single blooms, one for each vase. 

So, did you get it right?  Do you think I made the right choice, or does something need to be changed?
For part one of this post, go here.

How Cool Is This?!

So, yesterday I posted about Home Reserve furniture.  I got a couple of comments from people who had less than stellar experiences with the furniture itself.  I also received a comment from Blaine Wieland, the president of the company.

He said they have made improvements to the foam in the last couple of years, and offered me a chair so I can try it out myself!

I spoke with Sandy, the customer service rep, and I can choose any chair, in any fabric.  She is overnighting me a bunch of fabric samples that I chose.  At least until I get them and can see the fabrics firsthand, I am leaning toward the Tux chair in Sundance Latte, a small houndstooth.

I will be sure to keep you informed!

Home Reserve Furniture

Yesterday I rediscovered a company I first looked at a couple years ago…Home Reserve furniture.  There are several styles to choose from, and many fabrics.  It’s made in the USA, prices seem very low (sofas start at $299, chairs at $179), the pieces all have storage under the seats, and you can change the upholstery inexpensively.  I’m intrigued.
There are tons of glowing customer reviews on the website, but I found good reports in several other places too.  The website allows to you choose the style and view it in any fabric.
Tux chair in Kia Turquoise, $251

Brook Loveseat in Jacinta Black, $356

Standard Ottoman in Kirby Black, $129

Of course, there are lots of solid fabric as well.  Some are machine washable.  Price varies with the fabric.
Here are some actual customer photos that I took from the website.  (I hope I’m not breaking any rules here; I assume they are public domain.)




The furniture is shipped to you in boxes, and you assemble it yourself (reminds one of IKEA, no?).  Now obviously, this is not high-end stuff, but I think most of us are not really high-end people, ya know?  At least I’m not.
So, what do you think?  Do you own any Home Reserve furniture or know someone that does?  I’d be very interested in some reviews from people I “know”.

Thrift Store Tales

When my sisters were here and cleaned up for me, we sent a lot of stuff to Goodwill.  I had forgotten about it until I was in GW the other day and saw some of my stuff.  It’s always interesting to see the prices they put on your things.  I once saw my chair that I couldn’t sell at a garage sale for $10 priced at $60 at GW!

So, the other day I saw two pairs of boots that I had donated.  One was a pair of Kenneth Cole Reaction ankle boots with a wedge heel.  I paid $3.99 for them at the Salvation Army, and never wore them.  They were cute boots, but just didn’t look cute on me.  GW’s price:  $15.  (Incidentally, I don’t think they were leather; at the time I thought that I had heard that Kenneth Cole was pro-animal and didn’t use leather, but a quick look online proves that false.  Maybe mine were fakes?)

similar boots

The other pair of boots were knee-high brown pull-ons, again pleather.  They were okay, but not great.  I bought them a couple years ago at a different GW for probably $3, but possibly a little more.  This GW priced them at$12.
Today I went to one of my favorite thrift stores for their 50% off everything Labor Day sale.  I got a couple of things, nothing spectacular, but….
I tried on a pair of jeans (didn’t fit) and found money ($16) in the pocket.  When I checked out I told the girl because I wanted to be completely honest, and she said “bonus for you!”.  So after I paid under $3 for my purchases,  I actually made money on that trip!
Now we know:  check the pockets at the thrift store!

Happy September!

Though most of my life I have loved fall, the last few years it has filled me with some dread of the thought of winter right around the corner.  Of course, I’m jumping the gun a little bit here, since technically there’s still three weeks left of summer, but September has always meant “fall” to me…back to school, apples, colored leaves.  And for whatever reason, this year I’m looking forward to it once more.

“Don't you love…the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.”

Joe Fox, from You’ve Got Mail

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