NAKED NOVEMBER ... 'AND THIS IS THE WAY OF LIFE'

November

(Hubbard Lake, MI)

"Have you ever noticed a tree standing naked against the sky,

How beautiful it is?

All its branches are outlined, and in its nakedness

There is a poem, there is a song.

Every leaf is gone and it is waiting for the spring.

When the spring comes, it again fills the tree with

The music of many leaves,

Which in due season fall and are blown away.

And this is the way of life."

~ Krishnamurti

November

(Hubbard Lake, MI)

THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS ~ 'BE THANKFUL FOR THE MANY THINGS ... JUST TAKE THEM AS THEY COME'

Be thankful for the many things

That make this old world hum;

And if you can't have what you want,

Just take them as they come.

(treasured vintage Thanksgiving postcards)

GRATITUDE AND THANKSGIVING ~ NOVEMBER FULL MOON

"The day, water, sun, moon, night -

I do not have to purchase these things with money."

~ Plautus

NOVEMBER FULL MOON

(Freezing Moon - 'Gashkadino-giizis(oog)'

~ Ojibwe

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"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow."

~ Edward Sandford Martin

AUTUMN GIFT TO 'SWEETEN OUR LIPS' ~ PUMPKIN CHILI

"For ....we can make liquor to sweeten our lips

Of pumpkins and parsnips and walnut-tree chips."

~ Henry David Thoreau, 'Walden' (1854)

Autumn Texture Overlay

(original photo at Franklin Cider Mill, Franklin MI)

PUMPKIN CHILI

~ A delightful autumn twist on traditional chili, rich in flavor and ... the simmering smell ... simply divine!

(a repost seasonal favorite in case you missed it)

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2-3 lbs. lean ground beef

2 large chopped onions

1 chopped red pepper

1 chopped green, yellow, or orange pepper

2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with juice

2 cans rinsed black beans

1 large can pumpkin puree

1 can sliced black olives

1 bottle (12 oz.) Pumpkin Ale

(e.g. America's Original Pumpkin Ale - Buffalo Bill's Brewery

or Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale)

2 heaping Tbsp. chili powder (or more to taste)

2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 pinches of brown sugar

coarse salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

sour cream

chopped green onions

• Cook beef in large stockpot until well browned. Drain excess fat.
• Add onions and peppers and cook until soft. Add tomatoes and juice, beans, pumpkin, black olives, beer, spices, brown sugar, salt & pepper. Bring to boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Adjust seasonings. Let rest a bit before serving or refrigerate (even better) and reheat.
• Ladle hot chili into bowls and, if desired, top with dollop of sour cream and chopped green onions. Warm White Cheddar Scallion Muffins are delicious on the side.

Note: Easy make ahead treat for Thanksgiving house guests.

MID-NOVEMBER MONDAY MUSING ~ 'THE MAPLE WEARS A GAYER SCARF'

Autumn Leaf Abstract

The morns are meeker than they were,

The nuts are getting brown;

The berry's cheek is plumper,

The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,

The field a scarlet gown.

Lest I should be old-fashioned,

I'll put a trinket on.

~ Emily Dickinson

Chrysanthemum 'Flower of the Month' Texture

A FAVORITE NOVEMBER 'REMEMBER' SUPPER ~ ROAST PHEASANT with 'SHOTGUN SAUCE' / PEAR & GOAT CHEESE SALAD

"It (pheasant) is the king of earthly poultry, as the primacy of aquatic birds belongs to the swan. What more exquisite flesh can you eat."

~ Olivier de Serres

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_de_Serres )

~ Pheasant country (Hubbard Lake)

~ Prime pheasant habitat

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ROAST PHEASANT with 'SHOTGUN SAUCE'

~ With Michigan's prime habitat of open fields, forest edges, and marshy wetlands, 'Ring-necked Pheasants' thrive. This delicious recipe pays homage to this stately bird (almost too beautiful to eat) and hopefully my dear friend, Anne*, who verbally shared this treasured recipe, 'tweaked' a bit throughout the years.

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1 dressed and cleaned pheasant per person

vegetable oil

Basting Sauce:

Combination of orange juice, 7-up, and white wine

coarse salt & freshly ground pepper

Stuffing (per person)

1/3 cup cooked wild rice*

2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts

1 Tbsp. fresh thyme

1 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter

coarse salt & freshly cracked pepper

Shotgun Sauce:

1 jar current jelly

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. A-1 Steak sauce

2 Tbsp.Worcestershire sauce

2 jiggers good sherry (Harvey's Bristol Cream)

• Preheat oven to 450-degrees. Sprinkle inside and out of pheasant with salt & pepper. Brush with oil.
• Combine orange juice, 7-up and wine for basting sauce.
• Combine cooked rice, toasted pine nuts, butter, thyme, salt & pepper. Stuff pheasant with rice mixture.
• Arrange in roasting pan. Pop in oven and reduce heat to 350-degrees. Baste every 15 minutes with basting sauce. Do not overcook but roast until internal temperature reaches 160-180 degrees, perhaps 45 minutes depending on size of pheasant.
• Melt current jelly in saucepan. Combine remaining Shotgun Sauce ingredients. Brush with glaze the last 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let rest before serving with remainder of Shotgun Sauce and Pear & Goat Cheese Salad.

Note: 1 cup uncooked wild rice yields 4 cups cooked. Rinse rice and add 4 cups organic chicken stock or water mixed with orange juice for each cup of rice. Heat to boiling, cover and simmer over low hear 40-50 minutes, until grains are tender.

* Thank you dear Anne. This is a re-post in memory of my dear friend, who will live forever not only in the many times I have enjoyed this delicious treat in her home but her glorious way of, no matter what in life was going on, always said when asked, "As we speak, all is fine ...!" Besides this treasured recipe, I treasure/embrace her simple response.

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PEAR & GOAT CHEESE SALAD

~ Adapted from the original book, COOKING the NOUVELLE CUISINE in AMERICA, this flavorful autumn salad of pear and goat cheese is the perfect marriage of texture and taste.

*

1/2 head Boston or Bibb lettuce per person

4 Tbsp. walnut or peanut oil

1 Tbsp. champagne or red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

4 oz. Montrachet or other French goat cheese

1 ripe red pear

coarse salt & freshly ground pepper

• Combine oil, vinegar, mustard, salt & pepper and set aside. Just before serving slice goat cheese into small pieces and quarter the ripe pear, removing core from each quarter and cutting quarters into 1/4-inch slices. Drizzle lettuce with dressing and lightly toss.
• Place salad on left of serving plate, garnish upper right hand corner with pear slices and lower right hand corner with goat cheese slices.

Note: This recipe is for 1 person ... easily doubled or tripled.

MONDAY MUSING ~ 'I LOVE THE FALL' (BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI with SAGE BROWN BUTTER SAUCE)

"I love the fall. I love it because of the smells that you speak of; and also because things are dying, things that you don't have to take care of anymore, and the grass stops growing."

~ Mark Van Doren

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI

with SAGE BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

~ Prepackaged ravioli made this a 'simply' delicious autumn treat

1 (2 lb. 4 oz.) package fresh butternut squash ravioli

( found at Costco)

1 stick unsalted butter

1-2 heaping Tbsp. freshly chopped sage leaves

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• Carefully place ravioli into large pot of boiling salted water. Cook until ravioli begin to float, about 3-4 minutes.
• While waiting for water to boil, in large sauté pan melt butter over hight heat. Add sage. Cook until butter begins to brown and sizzle, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in vinegar.
• Transfer ravioli to pan and toss to combine. Serve topped with toasted pine nuts and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. (Serves 4-6)

'DELICIOUS' AUTUMN ~ AUTUMN VEGETABLE SOUP / HERBED CHEESE BREAD

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

~ George Eliot

AUTUMN VEGETABLE SOUP

~ Delicious, healthy, heartwarming soup, loaded with gorgeous autumn veggies. Slightly adapted from Ellie Krieger at Fine Cooking

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2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium diced carrots

1 medium diced large yellow onion

2 minced garlic cloves

2 cups (1/2 in. cubed) peeled butternut squash

1 tsp. Lawry's seasoned pepper

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

pinch cayenne pepper or more to taste

1 quart organic chicken stock/broth

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or more to taste

2 cups coarsely chopped kale

1 cup chickpeas

• Heat oil in large stockpot over medium-high heat.
• Add carrots and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add squash, seasoned pepper, salt & pepper and cayenne to taste.
• Add stock/broth, tomatoes with juice, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add kale and chickpeas and cook uncovered until squash is tender and kale has wilted, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste and serve with crusty Herbed Cheese Bread. (4 servings ... easy doubled for large stockpot). Note: If not serving cheese bread, delicious topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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HERBED CHEESE BREAD

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1-2 minced garlic cloves

1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (1 1/2 tsp. dried)

1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano ( 1/4 tsp. dried)

1/4 tsp. fresh chopped marjoram (generous pinch dried)

freshly ground pepper to taste

1 large loaf, split in half lengthwise, French or Italian bread

3 oz. shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• Combine butter, garlic, herbs, and pepper in small saucepan and heat until butter is melted. Pour over cut sides of bread and sprinkle with cheeses.
• Wrap in foil and heat in 375-degree oven about 20 minutes or until bread is hot and crusty. Slice diagonally and serve. (6-8 servings)

Dwarf Fothergilla 'Witchalder' (Fothergilla gardenii), pansies, Norway Maple leaves, squash

WELCOME NOVEMBER MUSE DAY (CHRYSANTHEMUM ~ FLOWER OF THE MONTH)

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

~ Albert Camus

CHRYSANTHEMUM ~ LEAVES

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November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.

~ Clyde Watson

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Join Carolyn at Sweet Home and Garden for November Muse Day