Showing posts with label autumn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label autumn. Show all posts

Thursday, November 29, 2012

my favourite things: autumn grasses


...............



one of my very favourite autumny things is wild grasses turning blonde along the roadsides of southern ontario. 
gorgeous browns and golds dancing in late fall winds.

i could watch them sway all day.

how about you? yay or nay?

wishing you a peaceful weekend nicies.


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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

scrumptious: the yummiest pumpkin muffins EVER recipe!




it's true, nicies.
these ARE the yummiest pumpkin muffins EVER!
and you can make them, too!
cause hey - if I can make them and they're yummy, anyone can!
(you might recall: i am a terrible terrible baker!

this is just one of my many fave recipes from the fabulous *rebar: modern food cook book* (a wedding gift from chatelaine food editor claire tansey - so you know it's going to be fabulous!) 

we've been making these muffins for years now, and they're always perfect! these moist & crunchy (thanks to the toasted millet!)  muffins are healthy and filling, have a GREAT texture and are just plain delicious. and it's the perfect autumny time of year to add them to your muffin faves!

.............

rebar pumpkin millet muffins photo by gnufmuffin






the rebar Pumpkin Millet Muffin recipe
with cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg 

makes about 16 medium sized muffins
my personal notes in different colours!

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (don't have any? i use any milk and drop a splash of white vinegar in it before pouring into the mix)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup rolled oats (or oatbran!)
1/2 cup millet (or flaxseed in a pinch!)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (or raisins if you're out!)
1 cup unbleached flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg


Directions:

1

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. 

2
Line a muffin pan with baking cups or grease the pan cups. (baking spray works well).

3
Combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin puree and mix together, making sure there are no lumps of brown sugar. 

4
Stir in the oats. 

5
Heat a dry skillet and toast the millet until lightly browned. 

6
Toast the pumpkin seeds and add with the millet to the wet ingredients. (if using raisins, do not toast.)

7
In a separate bowl sift and mix the dry ingredients. 

8
Add the dry mix to the wet mixture. 

Stir gently to combine. DO NOT over mix or the muffins will come out dry and tough.

10
Fill the muffin cups and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, or leave as is.
11
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (i find, for medium sized muffins in my oven, it only takes about 20 mins!)


 .......................


and be sure to check out some of the other guest scrumptious posts here: 

strawberry scones recipe with pegg of fiveforty
apple pie oatmeal recipe with sara thomas
emergency biscuits recipe with tiny giraffe


what are you making in the kitchen lately?
do let me know if you make these muffins! 
hope you'll love them!








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Thursday, November 24, 2011

november brown







:: beautiful november browns ::

...........................

everywhere here is brown.
autumny, foliage dying grass-is-brown, tall-weeds-in-the-park  brown, leaf-less-trees brown.  
brown.

and i suspect most folks don't like it much.
with its hidden raison d'etre meaning: *winter is coming.*
the acknowledgement that the beautiful technicolour autumn of gold & red & orange has long-since had its heyday here.

but i think it's just gorgeous.
absolutely goldeny-brown gorgeous.
cause hey - sometimes the beauty's in the in between parts of life, right?

do you love november brown?
{ps: happy thanksgiving to our dear friends in the US today - 
feeling grateful for all you nicies! }
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Tuesday, October 12, 2010

i love my sponsors {& gorgeous autumn!} giveaway!



row one
row two

row three
row four 

row five
 
 ....................

woohoo!
aren't you the loveliest readers around!
thank YOU, sweet nicies.

thanks for your encouraging words & dear dear comments. it's a pleasure to read thru each comment each day. SUPERTHANKS! i always love seeing what you have to say! and thanks for playing all the little games and activities on the blog, for your warm and wonderful emails too!

AND... thanks so much to all of you lovelies out there who have really made my day by supporting my little adventures, as dear sponsors! you nicies mean the world to me, and i really appreciate it! so with a thankful heart, and with those gorgeous autumny leaves underfoot,  a little giveaway for all of you!


:::::::::::: the prize ::::::::::::
a fabulous $25.00 gift certificate from me to YOU to spend in
ANY ONE OF MY SPONSORS' shops/ blogs!

that's right... 
one lucky winner will get to spend the prize in any of my sponsors' e-shops or blogs!
{NOTE: if you choose to spend your winnings on one of the 3 blogs sponsoring this month, you can use your monies toward an ad spot!}




1. visit my lovely sponsors' shops.
(as seen on the left hand column).
come back here and leave ONE COMMENT on what your favourite item is from their fabulous shop! = 1 entry per comment.

you can visit as many sponsor shops as you like
and comment once for each shop.


--> in the case of sponsors who are a blog (i.e. indie handmade, sandy a la mode, indie spotting): please leave me a comment about what you like best about their gorgeous sites!

--> in the case of a sponsor who is a band (i.e. the strip): please leave me a comment about which of their songs you like best (you can listen on the link!)



....................


2. in the spirit of lovely autumn, tell us your fave fall-time thing to DO!
= 1 entry

 

3. call, write or email a friend or loved one and let them know how much they mean to you! then come back here and tell us about it (no need to use full names :) 
= 1 entry

4. come follow or subscribe to my little blog
and join the fun everyday! 
 (please note:--->  to WIN this particular giveaway you must be a rikrak studio follower or subscriber! thanks nicies!)
please leave me a comment about it.
 = 1 entry

5. grab one of my NEW rikrak studio buttons,
like this one from the left hand sidebar, for YOUR BLOG!


the rikrak studio



the rikrak studio

and add it to your blog!
{ ... just copy & paste the text in the box above  onto your blog sidebar! thanks! }

6. tweet about this giveaway
= up to 2 entries (one for each tweet!)
and come back here and tell me about it. please include my twitter account in the update: i'm @therikrakshop on twitter!)


7. follow me on twitter
i'm @therikrakshop
= 1 entry

8. blog about the giveaway and tell me about it here.
= 1 entry


9. do a facebook update
about the giveaway with a link, and tell us here 
= 1 entry
10. add a link to this Etsy forum thread here, showing us something beautifully handmade that you love for autumn (made by YOU or someone else!) 
+ come back and tell us!
= 1 entry

11. please just make sure that each entry is its own comment!

.................................

RULES:


a) it is possible to have numerous entries total per person.
b) please make sure to leave each entry as it's own comment. thanks!
c) for this particular giveaway, YOU MUST BE A RIKRAK studio follower or subscriber,
old or new! thanks!
d) the winner of this giveaway will be chosen from random.org on
wednesday, october 27th @ 11pm EST.
e) please be sure to leave me an email where i can reach you if your account doesn't link to one. thanks.
f) thanks so much everyone! and thanks for visiting the blog!

............................
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

handmade weddings: the autumn 2010 edition

:: the woodland wedding :: 
.................


 :: the brilliant hues wedding ::
OhForCute + AmyMayDesign

.................

ah weddings!
you know what i love about a great wedding? when it's a fabulous, handcrafted, sincere, down-to-earth occasion reflecting the couple & those that surround them. 
i just love that.
i hope that our wedding was like that, once upon a time. {it's almost our autumny wedding anniversary - yay to that!}

with a few special touches
to highlight the important, endearing moments.
a gentle theme of colour or style or feeling or idea to the event.

here's to all of the folks that make weddings the genuine, loving, personal things i think they ought to be. and the handmaking artists behind that.

which style's your fave here?
what would be the theme for your wedding?
did you have one? 
would you? 
i'd love to hear, nicies!
yay love!

.................
:: the beautiful fields wedding ::
toybreakerRazzleDazzleDesign

.................


:: the charming touches wedding ::
TickledPinkKnitsgreatestfriend

.................


 ::  the dapper wedding ::
tinahdee + pompandplumage

.................


 
:: the beauty blue wedding ::

.................
:: the vintage lace wedding ::
thehoneycomb + hairbowswonderworld

.................


:: the nostalgic charm wedding ::
 palomasnest + babybystevie

.................
--
:: the sweet lavender + lilac wedding ::
LaLaShoes + pleasanthedges

.................

:: the romantic literature wedding ::
Bagitarian  + whiteowl

.................
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Monday, October 4, 2010

photo essay: rainy day fair







 .....................

lovely monday to you, nicies!
hope you had a grand weekend. 

it's county fair fall season all around us here these days. a few photos for you from our recent excursion.

oh how i loved the saturated rainyday hues of it all!

my faves: little rikrak's first giant ferris-wheeling.
& the fiddling contest. brilliant. 
and you? 
have a fall fair fave?
have a cotton-candy-finger-lickin' good day, nicies.
 {all images by me: kristal davis / rikrak, 2010}
 .....................


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Monday, September 13, 2010

i love my sponsors {& autumn} giveaway!



row one
row two

row three

row four  

row five

row six
 
 ....................

woohoo!
aren't you the loveliest readers around!
thank YOU, sweet nicies.

thanks for your encouraging words & dear dear comments. it's a pleasure to read thru each one each day. SUPERTHANKS! i always love reading what you have to say! and thanks for playing all the little games and activities on the blog, for your warm and wonderful emails too!

AND... thanks so much to all of you lovelies out there who have really made my day by supporting my little adventures, as dear sponsors! you nicies mean the world to me, and i really appreciate it! so with a thankful heart, and with that sweet windy wind filling our early autumn days, a little giveaway for all of you!




:::::::::::: the prize ::::::::::::
a fabulous $25.00 gift certificate from me to YOU to spend in
ANY ONE OF MY SPONSORS' shops!

that's right... 
one lucky winner will get to spend the prize in any of my sponsors' e-shops.

1. visit my lovely sponsors' shops.
(as seen on the left hand column).
come back here and leave ONE COMMENT on what your favourite item is from their fabulous shop! = 1 entry per comment.

you can visit as many sponsor shops as you like
and comment once for each shop.

-->
in the case of a sponsor who is a band (i.e. the strip): please leave me a comment about which of their songs you like best (you can listen on the link!)


....................


2. in the spirit of lovely autumn, tell us your fave fall-time thing to MAKE!
= 1 entry

 

3. call, write or email a friend or loved one and let them know how much they mean to you! then come back here and tell us about it (no need to use full names :) = 1 entry

4. come follow or subscribe to my little blog

and join the fun everyday! 
 (please note:--->  to WIN this particular giveaway you must be a rikrak studio follower or subscriber! thanks nicies!)
please leave me a comment about it.
 = 1 entry

5. grab one of my NEW rikrak studio buttons,
like this one from the left hand sidebar, for YOUR BLOG!


the rikrak studio





the rikrak studio

and add it to your blog!
{ ... just copy & paste the text in the box above  onto your blog sidebar! thanks! }



6. tweet about this giveaway
= up to 2 entries (one for each tweet!)
and come back here and tell me about it. please include my twitter account in the update: i'm @therikrakshop on twitter!)


7. follow me on twitter
i'm @therikrakshop
= 1 entry

8. blog about the giveaway and tell me about it here.
= 1 entry


9. do a facebook update
about the giveaway with a link, and tell us here = 1 entry


10. please just make sure that each entry is its own comment!

.................................

RULES:


a) it is possible to have numerous entries total per person.
b) please make sure to leave each entry as it's own comment. thanks!
c) for this particular giveaway, YOU MUST BE A RIKRAK studio follower or subscriber,
old or new! thanks!
d) the winner of this giveaway will be chosen from random.org on
tuesday, september 28th @ 11pm EST.
e) please be sure to leave me an email where i can reach you if your account doesn't link to one. thanks.
f) thanks so much everyone! and thanks for visiting the blog!

............................
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