Nature Highlights | October

 I hope you have enjoyed October and been able to spend time in the outdoors this time of year.

My favorite pictures this month are the Buckeye Butterfly and the October 10th Sunrise. Let me know if you have a favorite!

Beautiful Asters are part of the fall assortment of flowers. My Asters were a whir with activity from insects seeking nectar and pollen.

I captured pictures of a little bee with his pollen sacks full and a Silver Spot Skipper sipping some nectar.

Comma and Question Mark Butterflies are attracted to carrion which is highly available in October. Here is a well camouflaged Comma Butterfly finding some nutrients in the juice of a rotting tomato. (His head is facing the ground.)

My son was sharp eyed enough to spot a Common Buckeye Caterpillar starting to make an anchor for it's chrysalis. He moved it to a container and it continued the process.

Common Buckeye Caterpillars eat Plantain and Snapdragon. We have both of those plants in our yard but I have never been able to spot a Common Buckeye Caterpillar. 

The chrysalis was pretty small and looked like it would be very difficult notice in its natural environment.

After 10 days the Buckeye Butterfly emerged. It is so amazing to witness a butterfly metamorphosis!

These butterflies are so stunning!

The Buckeye Butterfly limbered up it's wings and made it's foray into the wild.

My son found this Praying Mantis at a playground and brought it to me. It escaped and scampered down my shirt. He was so fast! It was difficult to get a picture of him.

I saw this Crab spider outside our back door by the exterior light. I suppose he lays in wait for the moths attracted to this light. His shadow made me laugh. He looks so much scarier because his larger than life shadow. It would be funny if he knew this and could use it to intimidated predators!

I didn't take very many sunrise pictures this month. Sunrise is getting later and later and the part of the morning that I see on my walk is getting darker and darker. Next month I will get a welcome reprieve due to the end of daylight savings time. Yay! I hate daylight savings time! I know hate is a strong word, but I mean it. Daylight savings time saves no daylight and it is as dumb as the emperor's invisible clothes.

October 10, 6:51a.m.

October 11, 6:54a.m.

October 17, 6:51a.m.

October 18, 6:58a.m.

October 27, 6:55a.m.

And one sunset:

Umm Ali Recipe

 

This is an Egyptian dessert called Umm Ali that I made recently for an International Supper that our Church hosted.

Umm Ali is a little bit like an Egyptian version of bread pudding. This was very good and I highly recommended it. I wasn't sure that I would like it but everything came together with a satisfying flavor and texture.

Puff pastry is baked and broken in pieces into a 9"×13" baking dish.

Among the puff pastry pieces raisins, coconut flakes, slivered almonds, and pistachios are layered.

Smear dollops of plain Greek yogurt over the conglomeration.

Heat the milk sauce and pour over the ingredients in the casserole dish.

Bake 15-20 minutes before it is removed from the oven it is broiled for 5-10 minutes to brown.

Umm Ali is best served fresh out of the oven.

This is the recipe that I was trying to follow: Hungry Paprika Page. 

I had to make a substitutions for one of the Egyptian ingredients and I had to convert all the measurements from metric to imperial.

Here is my version:

Umm Ali

1 pound of Puff Pastry 

6 1/3 cups Milk 

2 cups Whipping Cream 

1 1/4 cups Sweetened Condensed Milk 

3/4 cup Sugar

1/4 t. Cinnamon 

1/4 t. Cardamom

1 cup Slivered Almonds

1 cup Chopped Pistachios 

1 cup Shredded Coconut 

1 cup Plain Greek yogurt 

Bake puff pastry according to the directions on the package. Cool and set aside.

Heat the milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom until steaming. Do not boil.

While the milk heats break the puff pastry in pieces and layer in a 9"×13" casserole dish with raisins, pistachios, almonds, and coconut flakes. Minimize the raisins on the top because they will burn at the broiling step.

Dollop the yogurt on top, evenly, and smear to spread.

Carefully pour over the hot milk solution.

Bake at 350°F. for 15-20 minutes.

Turn on broiler and broil 5-10 minutes until browned on top. 

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Pasta Machine!

Marcato Atlas 150

This is my fancy new pasta machine. My sweet, sweet husband surprised me with this for my birthday. It's beautiful!

He bought this fancy pasta drying wrack, too.

I have rolled out noodles with a rolling pin for years. I always thought it would be so nice to have a pasta machine. The job is so easy and kinda fun with my new pasta machine. I have been making a lot of chicken and noodles. I think I might actually be in danger of making my family sick of noodles. ;⁠)

This is the noodle recipe that I always use: Homemade Noodles. You don't have to have a pasta machine if you want to try them.

Caddie Woodlawn's Family| Book Review

 

Twelfth book for the year. 

Caddie Woodlawn's Family by Carol Ryrie Brink, originally published as Magical Melons in 1939: 193 pages. 

 This book is the sequel to the Newberry Medal winning Caddie Woodlawn. I had not known there was a sequel until a month or so ago when I saw this at the library. I recommend both Caddie Woodlawn and Caddie Woodlawn's Family. They are episodic in nature. Each chapter tells about an episode in Caddie's childhood. She was a real girl growing up in the 1860's in Wisconsin, kind of like Laura Ingalls. She was always going on adventures with her brothers. She can't keep a white dress white and her mother is after her father for letting Caddie do all the manly things like plowing, but she is a fun loving girl who tries her best to stay out of trouble. 

 I admire Caddie's father for helping her find a balance between tomboyishness and ladylikeness. She wanted to be outside and do all the outdoor things. Mr. Woodlawn told Mrs. Woodlawn to let him have Caddie and raise her outdoors more so. He felt that she would have better health by spending more time doing exploring and physical activities outside. 

 I enjoy old fashioned stories especially when they are about real people and they are always more fun if children are involved. There are chapters about school, rivalry, secret good deeds, harrowing stories from the frontier days, seeing the medicine show, caring for neighbors, fourth of July celebrations, and many other tales from growing up in a large family on a farm in the 1800's.

Molasses Cookies | Recipe

 

Molasses Cookies

3/4 c. Butter, Softened

1 c. Brown Sugar 

1 Egg

1/4 c. Molasses 

2 c. Flour

2 t. Baking Soda 

1/4 t. Salt

1 t. Ground Cinnamon 

2 t. Ground Ginger

1/3 c. Sugar for Coating 

Cream together butter and sugar. Stir in the egg. Add the molasses. 

In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. 

Combine the two mixtures. Chill the dough in the fridge for 1 hour.

Shape the dough into small balls. Roll the balls in the sugar for coating.

Place the sugar coated cookie balls on a baking sheet. 

Bake in a preheated 375°F. oven for 8-10 minutes.

Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes and then remove cookies to a wire rack. 

Store in a airtight container...........if there are any left. ;)