Fool Proof Pumpkin Seeds

1. Put pumpkins seeds in a strainer and rinse them clean of any pumpkin gook. ( Gook is a gourmet Italian cooking word it means icky cold orange stuff, very technical here LOL)
2.  In a Medium size sauce pot. Bring about 2 and a half almost 3 cups to a boil and put about 1tablespoon maybe more or less according to your taste for salt. Ok so you are going to simmer this for 10 minutes.
3. Drain the seeds into a colander and pat dry. Don't pat all the moisture out, you want a little bit.
4. Spread on a baking sheet drizzle with about a half teaspoon of olive oil.

 

Come To The Dark Side....

All Summer all I have heard is the ominous statement of " come to the dark side."  I started to think I was Princess Laya Star Wars and had married Darth Vador not a bad idea if your a Trekie but I'm not.  I'm just a girl who LOVED and Android.  I was in love with my phone.  My phone knew all my friends,  kept me on schedule, kept me entertained, kept my lists, my pictures, my messages, helped me shop, ohhhh yes and made calls.  My husband who might I add is a talented Recovery Spec. for the Army. ( impressive title right), sigh in Kathleen speak he is capable of driving a big black thingy. Anyway hubby circle around like a buzzard and dying prey or a tow truck driver when your car is finally paid for and is starting to break down every 100 miles.

A little background on this: Hubby's android had died earlier and he had gotten an IPhone which he now thought was AMAZING, and I should have one.  Draw back to his plan I LOVED my  Android.He decided he would just wear me down or wait until my Android finally died, either way I would "come to the dark side."

Every time hubby mentioned giving me an IPhone yet another piece would fall off the Android or it would stop doing something or not connect right or just blink. UGH. Each time it would hiccup he would circle like a mad tow truck driver, with a hope this time I would give in. It became a battle of the wills.  My Android was held together with a Capt. America Sticker I had been given by my son.  It was a joke in my family who was going to last longer.

Finally one dark, gloomy, rainy, day it happened my beloved Android worked no more. It had taken it's last charge, sometime during the night my Android slip without a beep into slumber never to awake again. Tower Truck man finally got his way. I had to come to the dark side. No I was by all means not ready, but I had to go. Coming in for the kill. When my husband gets out of the Army he should consider a career in repossession. (Hook the car and get out of there)  Wasting not a heart beat he was at the store buying me the IPhone of HIS dreams, my new phone. Like a proud Dad he bought all the gadgets that go with it.

I do have to say IPhone owners are like a cult. They are big into their phones and app's.  If you don't love the IPhone they will give you at least a 10 minute lecture on why you should and what app's you should have. As for App's Keyring and Pandora seem to be the two app's always mentioned.

All I can say is the IPhone is growing on me.  RIP my droid the big bad beast made me get an I phone you will always be missed.

Family Fun in the pumpkin patch

Pumpkin picking is another Fall event I love!  I love it so much that yes even though we do it usually at the same farm as apple picking I usually do it on a day all by it self. Ok truth told, I need to do these events on different days for all the energy involved.  Most people go to the store look in a cardboard bin pick a pumpkin from the top and are done. Not us! No certainly not. I need to have a fresh pumpkin from the farm. You know the whole experience, complete with coming home with donuts and cider or it just leaves me flat like Christmas in Florida.

MJ has a great time picking pumpkins and finding "the right pumpkin." It reminds me of the "Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" which thanks to the magic of Itunes we watched that night!

MeadowBrooke is in Wappingers and is the cutest place not to big not to small just right as Mama Bear would say. 

 

Donna Davies At Sleepy Hollow Book Signing

My son met Donna Davies!!!! He was able to get her to sign her book " Sleepy Hollow and the Road You'd Better NOT Follow." Donna Davies was kind enough to take a moment out of her busy book signing and take picture with M.J. Meeting her touched M.J. so much because each time he sees her signature in "just for him."

 

"Sleepy Hollow and the Road You'd Better Follow" is an adorable children's story about the main characters from the legend but told in such a way to keep a child's attention without being to frightening with a modern twist.

 

Sleepy Hollow

M.J. as a treat one night watched "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" the Disney cartoon.  MJ kept talking about Sleepy Hollow and going to see where the famous chase took place. Just by luck we only live 45 minutes from Sleepy Hollow/ Tarry Town.It is a charming, ok ok it does lend itself to being Spooky just look at the road getting there. This is Route 9 headed south about 3 o'clock. Notice how desolate it is!!!!

 

Spooky Hollow cemetery is the final resting place of many people not just Washington Irving.

 

We were able to go down the night they had their block party and parade. MJ had a great time.  Sleepy Hallow has some of the world's nicest cops! They always have time to help a tourist! Thank you Vinny for suggesting Fleetwood Pizza!  What a great pizza!Here is a great tourist tip if you need a good place to eat, ask a cop!Never has failed me yet!

 

 

 

The block party was nice, it had a small town flavor to it.  I was a tad disappointed with Sleepy Hollow having been there a years ago, there were few decorations and no music floating threw out the town.I'm not sure if it was the rain that put a damper on it or the economy this year.

 

 

MJ at the block party dancing

MJ was the GodFather for the blockparty.

 

For M.J. being able to be there made the story come alive even if it is only a story.

 

It is a Story Right !?!

 

 

 

Fall Apples

Fall doesn't come with the first day of school. Fall comes when the first crisp, cool night settles in across the Hudson Valley, after the long hot summer finally lets go.  This is when I start to anticipate all the Season brings with it.  All the Festivals, the apples the pumpkins, the smells, the tastes, the activities and the difference in the sun shine, cooler temperature, and the Holidays are about truly spending time with your family. Fall comes in late September and moves in slowly usually without much notice, until bam you are in the midst of Fall. MMMM lovely luscious Fall. 

New York produces some of the finest apples after all we are known as the Big Apple state. Every year I have been home in the Fall it has been tradition to go apple picking.

This year due to a storm in the Spring the apple crop in Dutchess County suffered this season and was smaller than usual driving the prices higher.

We go every year to an adorable place called Meadowbrooke Farm in Wappingers Falls. They are small, clean, well maintained and really really do a nice job. They have an orchard, a store and a part like a petting zoo that has goats, chickens roaster, and a few rabbits.

M.J. had a blast picking the apples.  It made a nice fall outing.  He loved the chickens.  The Farmers Market carries local and organic produce, honey, syrup, homemade cider doughnuts, and cider.

 

Franken Storm Sandy

Franken Strom, Sandy which ever you chose to call the storm it is still a bad storm!  Stay safe, stay indoors and off the roads if you can. My best advice is spend time with your loved ones, plug in your electric devices while you still have electric, fill a few cooking pots with water and relax

Two links you might find helpful
 http://radar.weather.gov/ridge/radar.php?rid=ENX&product=NCR&overlay=11101111&loop=yes 
     https://login.nyalert.gov/Public/News/AllHazardNewsList.aspx?newsType=ALERT