{ THANK-full Thursday }

It's been a few weeks since I've done a THANK-full Thursday!  I thought I'd start off by sharing a picture of the "view" from where I sit at our kitchen table.

It just makes me happy to look at that little shelf and things on it that are meaningful to me.....
pictures of my Mamaw and my Mom and the little fallish owlies and the big nut with a squirrel on top (I gave my brother the first one I owned and found this one recently at a thrift store). My other fallish owl and the THANKFUL banner. What you can't see.....or smell.....is my awesome pumpkin waffle candle on the table that I burn when I sit there and do my Bible study. 

 Remember last Wednesday when I asked for your favorite fall recipe(s)? Several of my sweet blogging friends obliged me and added a favorite in the comment section of that post.  For that I'm very THANK-full and I'm gonna share them here!

The first one is from Ms. Terri.

Please visit her at Your Friend From Florida.

She also has a tab at the top of her blog labeled "Recipes" that you'll want to check out. I just need to get a plane ticket for Florida and spend about a week with this amazing cook!

"This is the pumpkin bread my Mom used to make every Thanksgiving. It is moist and delicious. I hope you like it! We sure do!"

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP cinnamon

2 cups sugar

1/2 (or so) cups chopped nuts (walnuts OR pecans)

4 beaten eggs

2 cups pumpkin (I use one 15 ounce can & it works fine)

1 1/4 cups oil (vegetable oil works best - not canola or other substitutes)

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Add the wet ingredients and stir 

(I don't use a mixer)

Bake in two loaf pans that have been sprayed generously with PAM

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, or until the center springs back

Next, Ms. Annie left two recipes for a soup and a stew.....

things to warm the tummy on chilly fall days!

Head over to Cottage By the Sea and pay close attention to her blog header.....

it's one of her own paintings!

Vegetable Soup

1 can of garbanzo or red kidney beans

8 sliced carrots

2 large Vidalia or Sweet Yellow Onions, chopped up

4 large celery ribs chopped

2-3 cups of chopped green cabbage

2 cups of chopped green beans

2 cups of peas

1 cup of sweet corn

1 big cans of Italian tomatoes....chop them up.

Chicken or Beef broth to make the liquid part of the soup but about 4 to 6 cups worth.

6 to 8 baby potatoes cut into halves or you can also add some cooked pasta instead of the potatoes for a very filling meal.

1 bay leaf, some pepper, some dried basil.

1 tsp of thyme and 1 tsp marjoram though you won't miss them if you don't add them.

If you like add a big beef bone for more nutrition and flavor or add a pound of cut up beef.

Everything into a big pot and cook on medium heat until done.  That's all there is to it.  Adjust the heat to keep it from burning and stir often. 

And, this one sounds sooooo good because I ♥ sauerkraut.

Slovakian Sauerkraut Stew

3 T of olive or vegetable oil 

(the original recipe calls for lard )
1.5 lbs of beef cut up into 1 inch pieces
1 bay leaf 2 pounds of sauerkraut well drained and rinsed and chopped up coarsely.
1 cup of heavy cream
1 and 1/4 cup of bone broth or plain water, but bone broth will add good flavor.
You can now buy it in the supermarket where the packaged broths are sold.
salt, pepper to taste
1 tsp of Caraway seed
2 big sweet yellow onions chopped up.
2 Tablespoons of Paprika

Saute the onion in the oil over a slow heat. 

Soften them up nicely.
Add the beef chunks, caraway and bay leaf and brown the meat. Now add the paprika and pour in the water quickly as paprika can burn very fast!
Cook until the beef is done.
Add the coarsely chopped sauerkraut. You chop it since you don't want long strings of it in the stew.
Simmer about 30 minutes.
Serve in a bowl with dollops of sour cream.
Have it with crusty hot bread and butter and a salad or vegetable on the side.

And, last but certainly not least is a recipe that Ms. Dianna left for pumpkin fudge! 

Oh, me.....

there goes the diet!!!

😉

Ms. Dianna blogs at Forgiven where her writings are as if she's writing in her journal. It makes me feel like she's sharing her most personal thoughts from her heart.

Pumpkin Fudge

3 cups granulated white sugar
3/4 cup melted salted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
½ cup canned pure (unsweetened) pumpkin
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
One 12-ounce package white chocolate morsels (chips)
One (7-ounce) jar marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil. Spray with nonstick spray.

2. Stir together first 6 ingredients in a 3 1/2- quart saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 234° (soft ball stage) or for about 12 minutes.

3. Once mixture reaches 234°, remove from heat and quickly stir in the white chocolate, marshmallow creme, pecans (if using) and vanilla until well blended.

4. Pour into the prepared pan. Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool; cut fudge into squares.

THANKS again, sweet Ladies, for sharing.

HOPE everybody has a great day!