GLORIOUS AUTUMN: THE DANBURY FAIR!!

DONNA'S SLOPPY JOE'S

Donna's Sloppy Joes

This is a great recipe
for groups and kids ..
especially for Fall and
Winter .. this was my
Mom's recipe and I
added a few ingredients
ENJOY!

Sloppy Joe’s Donna’s
(great
for kids and groups!)

Hamburger
meat maybe two pounds? 20/80%
(sorryI don’t know the amounts..
this is an old recipe of mine!)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Celery diced small 3-4 stalks
Chopped onions 3
Garlic powder or better yet fresh chopped
2 chopped red sweet bell peppers
Salt and pepper
wine vinegar or balsamic maybe 1/4 cup?
Brown sugar about a ¼ cup… taste test it!
The sloppy joes are kind of sweet
Tomato paste (2 small cans) OR
4 tablespoons tomato paste
and 2/3 cups sun dried tomatoes chopped
Mccormick season all seasoning or Italian seasonings
Dash of worstershire
1 package sloppy joe mix

In skillet Cook hamburger meat and drain
Sautee onions, celery red pepper,
in drippings and olive oil
Add salt pepper and seasonings
Add sloppy joe mix, water, vinegar, sugar,
tomato paste
Mix and simmer about 1
hour, better in crock pot simmered for
several hours
Serve on pepperidge farm
onion rolls or hamburger buns
I like this with side of coleslaw
and french fries ENJOY!

THE BEST PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE .. JUST LIKE MY MOM'S!

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Ingredients
• 1 small box of vanilla wafers
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups of egg nog
• 2 cups mashed fresh pumpkin
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of ginger
• 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 egg whites*
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 8 ounces of pecan halves

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a food processor, combine the vanilla wafers, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and pecan pieces. Mix until the crust is smooth and resembles a coarse texture. With the machine running, add the butter and process until all of the butter is incorporated. Remove the crust from the processor and press into a deep-dish 10-inch pie pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the crust is set. In a saucepan, combine the egg nog, pumpkin, brown sugar, egg yolks, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and ginger together. Mix well. Place the pan over medium heat and cook the mixture for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle the gelatin over the filling. Whisk the gelatin into the filling until the gelatin dissolves. Stir in the vanilla. Cover the filling and refrigerate until cool. Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup of the sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are stiff. Fold the egg whites into the pumpkin filling. Spread the filling evenly over the crust and refrigerate the pie for about 1 hour. Using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream and remaining sugar until the cream is whipped and medium peaks have formed. Fold in the bourbon. Spread the whipped cream, evenly over the top of the pie. Garnish the top of the pie with the pecan halves.

*RAW EGG WARNING
Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell

Monday, July 7, 2014

One of my fondest memories ever was going to the Danbury Fair every Fall .. the awesome thing was that I was allowed to take the day off from school to go! It was in the country and that is where I do believe I fell in love with fairs as a child .. I love them to this day! They had a huge probably 20 foot tall statue of a Farmer at the entrance and when I saw that my heart began to jump, I could barely wait to get out of the car.. with my mother saying .. don't forget your jacket.. if we get lost we will meet right below the huge Farmer! We were there !!!!!!

Then they had a parade with the Budweiser wagon and the Clysdales .. always exciting for me to see .. and the milking of the cows .. the baby farm animals with an occasional thrill of seeing baby animals born ... and dwarf bunnies .. prize roosters and farm animals ... and the 4H projects .. and the gorgeous embroidered baby dresses and such and the exquisite handmade quilts..

The great array of food to include Fiske's French Fries, sausage, pepper and onion wedges, and of course a red candy apple .. YUM still to this day love them ... and corn on the cob.

And, of course the rides!! .. But, rides were always secondary to seeing the fruit and vege and the huge pumpkin blue ribbons, and the gorgeous prize flowers and roses .. I think this is where I fell in love with peach/apricot color roses and Lavender ..I never was one for just the ordinary .. I always liked the unusual... I was so amazed at them and the incredible fragrances even back then ... I can remember stepping in that room and having my senses explode!!.. Thinking now how God was planting in my heart a deep love for fragrances.

Oh, and the people ..watching the people enjoying the fair/carnival outing in the crisp Autumn weather was enough to make my heart sing.. ... it was so much fun to be able to wear my Fall plaid shirts and my jeans, and sometimes even pigtails for the fair! Lol ... What nostalgia to even think about it.!! Great memories!

Click on the link below to enjoy hearing Vanessa Redgrave sing "Take me to the Fair" from the movie Camelot .... one of my favorites !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3aML49nMYo

Wishing you rides on the ferris wheel and the Merry Go Round !!!!

Donna Geertz

I forgot to mention the Danbury Fair closed many years ago and there is a Mall on the fairgrounds now ...

Two of my friends posted such special thoughts ... I just had to include them in this blog:

From Lenore Hamilton...Oh Donna........this is so great......Our whole family went to the fair every autumn too and when I was really little until I was about 12, I thought the fair was there for my birthday....lol It was always the weekend of Sept. 30th............I'll never forget that big farmer right at the entrance and the year that my big sister mooed at a cow and when the cow mooed back and my sister was so surprised that she ran out of the barn and just kept running......we all laughed about that for a while. But my favorite show there was the Clydsdales and seeing them perform. Sorry, I didn't mean to go on and on, but thank you so much for the memories. I'm looking forward to seeing you in August.

From Dianna Lynn Carter Hazlewood .. Donsie, Your Fall blog is beautifully Stated. ~ Us little Girls , with wings to fly , Up near the Birds and butter flies . Seems only yesterday my dear , I too was excited that time of year ! the Farris Wheel oh so Tall with magical lights in the night of Fall ~ ~ ~ Oh the smells of cotton candy, popcorn, friends and family ! ~ Us girls would scream at the thrill of rides . ~ At 60 I still vision my Childhood dreams / never a worry / never fear ~ It passed so fast year after year . ~ Our Father God has seen our hearts ~ He blesses us as we age with wisdom again with little girl souls … ~ May we use our knowledge and little girl hearts to reach those who may seek * Gods Peace * ~ ~ ~ ~ My Donsie ! you are special , one of Gods little Angels ~ ….. xoxo Lynn

AHHH THE MOUNTAINS!

What can I say? I am reminded of a quote by George Eliot: "Delicious Autumn, my very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly around the earth seeking all the successive autumns"!

Just seeing the signs for the mountains is enough to send me squeeling in delight!! The memories of leaves turning to burgundy, gold, crimson and russet, and the view from the mountain tops in Fall totally intoxicate me! The drive up through the Smokey Mountains or the Adirondacks, or the Rockies or any other mountains in Autumn are breathtaking. The peace that floods my soul is indescribable. It seems to put life in perspective for me. Where is your favorite spot during this season?

Our Blazing Glory Perfume for Autumn

Experience the essence of Autumn with our incredible scent .. handcrafted by Oh My Creations. As soon as September 1st is here, I start wearing this wonderful scent and I wear it throughout the entire season. Our customers receive so many compliments when wearing this delightful perfume. I have never worn it ever without someone asking me "what is that you are wearing?"!!

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/ohmycreations/2304243/blazing_glory_pure_perfume_for_fall_1_oz_great_buy_/handmade/bath___beauty/fragrance/perfumes

This is not a cologne, but a pure perfume

Blazing Glory is our secret blend uniquely designed as a fall fragrance. At first you will pick up a slight scent of apple and the longer you wear the perfume the apple disappears and you will think you are wearing a beautiful colorful array of the utmost of fall leaves. Absolutely blazing and glorious! Picture below.