Secret Recipe Club Reveal

This is my second assignment with the Secret Recipe Club and I was given the beautiful blog of Without Adornment to choose a recipe from.  It was with great pleasure that I chose the Roasted Vegetable and Sausage Pasta.  This is something my husband and I would love, as we are big fans of all things sausage, and roasted vegetables!



While she has quite a few recipes to choose from, like these Carmelized Pineapple Slices and these beautiful Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa, I was completely fascinated by her photography!  What beautiful photographs, like this post taken in Quebec.

Her photographs show a beautiful soul, and as you dig deeper into her blog, you can find beautifully written essays about discovering herself, such as this line from a 2012 post:


But I didn’t as there was an angel there…

Halloween Outside Decorations Home Tour!

A few of us Halloween fans got together to show you our outdoor Halloween home decorations.  For many, October is one of their favorite times to decorate.  While I am still #1 with Christmas, it is fun to decorate for Halloween because it is all about the kids!

Our Halloween decorations tend to be more on the side of whimsical than frightening.  We have a lot of small children in our neighborhood and I want them to WANT to come to our house to trick-or-treat.  So all the ghosts, scarecrows and goblins are friendly ones at the Steffes house!











Some other friends have their outdoor decorations up and running and you will have so much fun seeing the creativity displayed throughout the blog world  Go and check out:



These lovely ladies have their homes decorated, come and see their lovely decora…

#CreativeCookieExchange: Pumpkin Oatmeal with White Chocolate M & Ms

This month our #CreativeCookieExchange members are playing with pumpkin!  You are going to find all kinds of pumpkiny goodness in the form of cookies, just in time for your Halloween or Thanksgiving fun.

This cookie recipe was inspired by one I saw on pinterest that used chocolate chips.  I was in Walgreen's and saw the white chocolate M & Ms and was sold.  Perfect for pumpkin!



Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate M & Ms by Terri Steffes Prep Time: 8 minutes Cook Time: 8-10 minutes Ingredients (2 dozen) 1/2 c butter, softened1/2 c pumpkin puree1/2 c granulated sugar1/4 c brown sugar1 t vanilla1 1/2 c rolled oats1 1/4 c flour1 t pumpkin pie spice1/2 t baking soda1/4 t salt1 pkg white chocolat m & ms Instructions In a mixer bowl, beat together butter, sugars and pumpkin…

Top Ten Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes

One of the best things about Thanksgiving is being creative with the leftovers!  Do you have a family favorite?  We really don't, because we love to try new things!



Our Top Ten group is focusing and Thanksgiving and Harvest as our Top Ten theme this month.  Go and check out all the participants below for their wonderful contributions.



1.  Turkey Enchiladas.  A very different flavor profile from traditional Thanksgiving makes these an extra tasty treat.




http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/turkey_enchiladas/

2.  This has ALL the flavor profile of Thanksgiving, but with the goodness of something grilled and yummy...


http://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2014/11/turkey-cranberry-brie-grilled-cheese.html

3.  What a fabulous way to use leftover stuffing and mashed potatoes!  Yummy!



http://pocketc…

#BundtBakers: Apple Juice Spice Cake with Caramel Apple Glaze

This month in #BundtBakers we were to use a beverage to inspire us.  I also needed to take a little something to a fall party and so this lovely cake was born.  It was inspired by an Orange Juice Cake I saw on Pinterest.  It was an easy spin to use apple juice instead!

The house smells amazing with the spice cake and the apple.  I used my convection oven and the cake rose and browned beautifully!

Apple Juice Spice Cake with Caramel Apple Glaze
by Terri Steffes Prep Time: 8 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients (12 servings) For the cake1 spice cake mix1 small box instant pudding (vanilla or cheesecake)4 eggs1 c apple juice1/2 c vegetable oilFor the glaze1 c powdered sugar1/c c apple juice1/4 c caramel dip Instructions For the cake, preheat oven to 350. Prepare bundt pan, spray with Pam o…

A Perfect Fall Day: The Frugal Way

What makes fall so special for me, is the wonderful display of color that we get here in Missouri from flowers and trees. The perfect fall day for me is doing a driving trip to see all the fall color around the city.  I always check with the Missouri Department of Conservation to see what the Fall Color Report is around the state.  This was the report as of Friday:


It seems that fall color is a bit reluctant this year with the warmer weather slowing color change in many trees, shrubs, and vines. Species with early fall color are a bit more consistent, but overall color is scattered. Flowering dogwood, Virginia creeper, poison ivy, sassafras, black gum, white ash, persimmon, and sumac have good color, and you may see a few maples and mockernut hickory turning as well. Oaks and many hickory …

Tipsy Tuesday: Pumpkin Pie Martini

Our cooking club met again this weekend and make recipes using cauliflower.  We made pizza crust, wings and soup.  All the recipes were delicious, then Linda brought out her concoction: a Pumpkin Pie Martini.  She and her husband are working on their bartending skills.  I think they mastered it with this drink!


Pumpkin Pie Martini

1 part rumchata
1 part pumpkin liqueur
1 part whipped cream vodka
2 parts half and half
a sprinkle of 5 spice
whipped cream

Shake with crushed ice, strain.  Garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of 5 spice.  Delicious.

You can make it and store it in the refrigerator, too.  Then it is available any time you need it!  Joining my friend, Pam at The Grey is the New Black Tipsy Tuesday.  Come and see all the yummy goodness there!

30+ Fall Home Decor Ideas: It's Friday We're In Love

It’s Friday, and we’re in Love with Fall Decor!  This is the fourth installment of our weekly link-up party, It’s Friday, We’re In Love!  Each week, one of our 8 co-hosts will share featured ideas we LOVE from that week’s theme.


We kicked off our party when Sunny Day Family featured Apples.  Next up Playground Parkbench featured Leaves,  thenCrafty Kids at Home Featured Owls, and last week it waspumpkins at Nemcsok Farms!It is a virtual good time here with all the fun activities!















I am in love with the adorable frameable that you can make using your own printer!  Check out Where the Smiles Have Been for the instructions.



And what about this pillow!  The pattern is free over at Hudson's Holidays!  What a charmer that little cat is!



Then you have to go over to Gen Y Girl and check out her tu…

Cancer and Birthdays.

There is something about cancer survivors.  We find each other, draw strength from one another's journeys.  This is the case of Heather and me, who found each other on this vast world of the internet.  She heard about my journey and reached out, as cancer survivors often do.

My blog is pretty full of my own cancer story, and six years out, I am starting to feel that maybe I have beaten cancer back.  I am too afraid to say outloud that I have beat cancer! because I know too many people who have and reoccurances after ten or more years.  What I will say that is that every day that I am cancer free, I am filled with gratitude.

October is my cancer free anniversary, and this year, since I celebrated my milestone 5 years last year, I have decided to take a quieter approach.  I decorated this…