Happy Fall Ya'll and Happy Birthday To Me

Let's Celebrate Fall (and my birthday) at Tiffanie's Blog, Three Peas in a Pod!!!

Fall is here and with the season comes memories from the distant past, traditions, and fun times. Fall evokes a feeling of warmth and happiness. The air is filled with falling leaves, crisp cool air, apple pies, warm sweaters, and comfort foods. Tiffanie figured, Why not celebrate this season with fun prizes and sharing memories. So everyday there will be a new theme on her blog that she will ask us to write about on our own blogs and then sign Mr. Linky back on her blog. At the end of each day (midnight) she will pick the winner using Random.org. Sounds like fun, right? And she has some great prizes!! So come on over and join us!

Let's Celebrate Fall Extravaganza will run from October 20-26th.

Honestly fall is my favorite season, and not just because I have an October birthday. All those things mentioned above like, the crisp air, leaves, apple pie ... mmmm, give me that warm fuzzy feeling.

Today's theme at Tiffanie's Let's Celebrate Fall Extravaganza is Favorite Fall Recipes, there are lots of good ones! And I bet each of us have one we could share! I actually have a two to share. The first one that came to my mind is:


My Mom's Russian Tea Mix

2 cups of Tang
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup Lipton lemon instant tea

(also possible to use Lo-Cal sweetened tea mix and omit the sugar)

I mix all these together and store in an air tight container.
When you are ready for a very delicious cup of tea with a fall feel, heat one cup boiling water and add 1 to 2 tsp of mix per cup.

Mmmm, drinking mine as I type. When ever we got fall colds and sore throats my mom made this tea for us ... eventually we asked for it even when not sick ;-)

My next recipe is Swedish Meatballs. I heard the story over and over through the years that this is the recipe that my dad found to make for my mom the day they brought me home the hospital back in 1973. Yep, that makes me 35 today!!! Most years on my birthday we would have Swedish Meatballs for dinner. Oh! and my mom made them for me the day I brought my first daughter home from the hospital.


Swedish Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 cup minced onions
3/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 Tbsp minced parsley
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

mix all ingredients thoroughly
shape into balls the size of a walnut
brown in 1/4 cup hot fat(I use veg. oil)
remove meat balls & make gravy (below)
return meatballs to gravy & cook for 20 min.

Serve meatballs and gravy over mashed potatoes or egg noodles

Gravy:
STIR 1/4 cup flour, 1tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper into hot fat (or oil) in skillet.
STIR in 2 cups boiling water and 3/4 cup sour cream

Let me know what you think if you try either of these. And please share your favorite recipies with us over at Let's Celebrate Fall Extravaganza



Here I am with my kiddos, my parents and my niece and nephew having my birthday cup cake. No Sweedish meatballs this year, though. We decided to order out from a very nice Italian place this year, I wanted real Gnocchis this year and yes they were delicious!!! Thanks Papi for running all the way into St Paul to pick them up and thanks to my sister, Amber, for hosting my birthday dinner at your house so all our kiddos could enjoy running around together! Its tough to take 10 kids out to eat ;-)