Buttermilk Falls Walk

This information is from the Indiana County Parks Web Site: This site features an impressive 45 foot waterfall and scenic woodland. The 48-acre natural area was donated to Indiana County Parks in 1995 by the Keystone-Conemaugh Group, owners of the nearby Conemaugh Generating Station. As a natural area the site has been set aside to protect both typical and unique plant and animal communities and to protect outstanding examples of natural beauty. Between 1931 and 1956 the property was owned by Fred McFeely, grandfather of Fred Rogers of children's television fame. McFeely, a wealthy industrialist from Latrobe, PA, utilized the property as a retreat. His estate featured a cottage, horse stables, a three car garage, outbuildings and a swimming area in the creek above the falls. Mr. Rogers often visited the site as a child. Stone foundations and retaining walls from the estate are visible at the site. Several photos of the McFeely estate from the 1940's were provided to Indiana County Parks courtesy of Rita Nist. Visit our "Fred Rogers page" to learn more about one of western Pennsylvania's most cherished sons. Waterfalls the scale of Buttermilk Falls are uncommon in western Pennsylvania. Falls occur when a stream wears away an easily erodible layer of rock, but then encounters a resistent layer. The resistant layer erodes at a slower rate than the surrounding rock, forming a waterfall. At Buttermilk Falls, a resistant layer of sandstone underlays easily erodible shale. Buttermilk Falls is in the Hires Run valley, a tributary to the Conemaugh River. ~peace and blessings~ Lisa

Random

 The last few weeks of summer have been slipping by at a rapid pace.  Above are some mini cream puffs that I sprinkled with chocolate for a friend's wedding reception.

The beautiful bride and handsome groom, just after the kiss.  They now live in Unalaska, Alaska.  God Bless them both!

Limelight hydrangeas in the front of the house.  Love them!

Sunday was Root Beer Float Day, so I made Root Beer Floats for dessert for the kids. 

Today we went to Buttermilk Falls and walked the trail.   More pics to come....

I've been to work twice, to help design our curriculum for the coming year.  We've been to the movies to see "Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days".  Hunter had his braces put on at the end of July.  He also attended ATOMS camp for Math and Science Scholars for a week.  Hockey started....didn't it just end?! Our garden is over-producing vegetables, so there has been canning and freezing going on.  Last weekend we went to see the musical, The Addams Family at the Benedum with my brother and his girlfriend.  It was so very funny!  My husband went on a trip to Canada with some of his brothers and his dad for over a week.  We were overjoyed when he came home.   That's about it in a nutshell. 

Thanks for stopping by!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

Easy Refrigerator Pickles

Easy Refrigerator Pickles

This year we planted our first garden.  We were blessed with an abundant crop of cucumbers.  This recipe was my first attempt at pickles.  They are delicious!  The cucumbers stayed crisp and crunchy and they are just sweet enough.  They remind me of bread and butter pickles. 

 

Easy Refrigerator Pickles

6 cups thinly sliced cucumbers

2 cups thinly sliced onions

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

Place cucumbers and onions in a large bowl; set aside.

Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil.

Cook and stir just until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over cucumber mixture; cool.

Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.

Yield: 6 cups.

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

Menu Plan Monday, July 30, 2012

Welcome to another Menu Plan Monday, hosted by Laura at www.orgjunkie.com!  Here's our plan for the week:

Sunday~Pollo alla Panna (Chicken in Cream Sauce), Salad and French Bread

Monday~Slow Cooker Cube Steak with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Tuesday~Bacon Topped BBQ Turkey Meatloaf,  Oven Roasted Potatoes, and Steamed Brocolli

Wednesday~Best Ever Grilled Pork Chops, Pierogies, and Corn

Thursday~ Work Picnic

Friday~Pizza and Wing Night

Saturday~Dinner Out~John and I are going to see The Addams Family at the Benedum

Have a super week!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

Zucchini Bread Cookies

Zucchini Bread Cookies

First, sorry about the photo.  It doesn't really give the cookies justice.  They are a flatter cookies, but so moist and soft.  My kids, 7 and 13, love these "vegetable cookies".  I think the oatmeal provides a nice texture to the cookie.

Zucchini Bread Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Coarse salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg or 1/4 cup egg beaters

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup finely grated zucchini

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a bowl. Beat 1 stick butter and the sugars until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. Beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Mix in zucchini and oats. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, about 17 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

~peace and blessings~
Lisa

Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini Fritters

It's that time in the summer, when Zucchini is in abundance.  I've made several Zucchini dishes that have become family favorites.  You can see them here.  I made these fritters the other night as a side.  They were delicious and would serve 6-8 people. 

1 whole Medium Zucchini, Unpeeled And Grated

1 cup Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

½ teaspoons Salt

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

2 whole Medium Eggs or 1/2 cup Egg Beaters

1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 whole Small Onion, Diced (I omitted the onions)

1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1 dash Oregano

1 dash Garlic Salt

Oil, For Frying

Add all of the ingredients (except the last amount of frying oil) into a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

Cover the bottom of a skillet with oil and heat over medium heat. Drop the mixture by tablespoons into the hot oil. Brown on both sides. Remove the completed fritters onto a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the remaining batter.

Enjoy!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

S'mores Cookies

S'mores Cookies

These cookies are very good.  The original recipe comes from Nikki at Chef-in-Training 

I made them a little bit different to cut some fat and to get a larger cookie.   This is a perfect recipe for kids in the kitchen.  DD crushed the graham crackers for me, stirred together the dry ingredients and dumped them into the bowl.   Here's my recipe:

• 3/4 cup butter softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding dry
• 2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg beaters
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 sheets graham crackers finely crushed
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 - 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2-2/3 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate)

Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugars together. Add in pudding mix and beat until well incorporated.
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well blended.
3. In a small bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and flour until evenly mixed.
4. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until well incorporated.
5. Stir in chocolate chips and mini marshmallows until evenly mixed in. Add more if desired.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. You want these cookies to be slightly undercooked. It helps make them extra soft :)  I used a cookie scoop for each cookie.  They were nice sized.  You may want to use a teaspoon for smaller cookies.  I also baked them on a parchment lined baking sheet for 10 minutes, let them sit on the sheet for another 3, then cooled on a wire rack.  They were soft and yummy.

Enjoy!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa