Thursday, November 4, 2021

I Like Thursday #115 ~ Welcome November!


Welcome to  I Like Thursday,

I Like Thursday @ Not Afraid of Color

This is the last rose of summer. 

This last pink rose on the climber on my garden arch is bravely opening to the sun today even though we had our first nip of frost last night.  This beauty was protected by a nearby fence.  Many of our more exposed annuals were shriveled up this morning. Some of our hardy mums are still blooming.

Most of the leaves on the maples have dropped and the oaks are falling, too.


The colors of late fall are dark and vibrant, nature's fiery salute to change of seasons.  I do love all the seasons of the earth.


I finished my October cross stitching and am planning a winter project.  

You can help me decide on my aida cloth color Here.


 I have been sewing.  I made some more blocks for my 

Sampler Spree Quilt ~ Started Here

This has sat in its project box near my sewing machine waiting for me.   I decided that since I chose a Christmas fabric collection, it may be a good time to pick this one back up again.  I do like making these blocks. 

When I have not been sewing or stitching, I have been playing with my new toy:

After reading about her new at home exercise machine Here on Jocelyn's BlogI did something I have been thinking about for some time  I purchased a

 Cubii Jr 2 seated elliptical machine.   This  is very easy to use and is much better for me than the older model standing elliptical that Mr Scrapatch has set up in the cellar . I have only been using this Cubii for a few days but my legs are feeling more energetic and I have no pain in my knees.  Since there will soon be ice and snow on the ground outside I will not be getting out to walk and am looking forward to exercising my legs inside all winter. Thanks, Jocelyn, for giving me the nudge I needed in the right direction. 


Fall makes me want warm comfort foods, like Mac and Cheese.

I decided to make a veggie based version of this  old favorite.

I made my own version of this classic British dish,  Cauliflower Cheese.

I made this for lunch and leftovers.  

For dinner, we had it as a side dish with grilled chicken and a garden salad. 


My recipe for Cauliflower Cheese:

1 large (or two small) heads of cauliflower.

I take off the outer leaves and cut into medium size pieces and steam it for a few minutes, just until it starts to get fork tender but still has some crisp.

While the cauliflower was steaming,

I toasted 1/2 cup of bread crumbs in a small pan with a little olive oil.

I also made the cheese sauce:

I melted

1/4 cup butter

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

in a large saucepan.

I added 1/3 cup of flour and blended until smooth and just starting to turn golden.

I slowly added 2 cups of milk, stirring to keep it from getting lumpy.

Just as it started to boil I added:

1 cup of sharp white cheddar grated

and 

1 cup of yellow jack cheese grated 

I stirred until smooth, adding salt and pepper and a dash of paprika to taste.

Then I spread the cauliflower gently into a 2 quart baking dish

and poured the cheese sauce over the veggie.

I sprinkled the top with a little more jack cheese, the toasted breadcrumbs and some parsley.

Then I baked it at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes until the cheese started to bubble around the edges.

Enjoy! 

May you and yours have Happy Thursday and a Thankful November!

8 comments:

PaintedThread said...

Pretty trees. Pretty blocks. I love all that floss (I like the ivory best).

Mayte said...

Todos los colores me gustan........bella rosa....

Dorian said...

I hope your cubii works well for you Pat. Sounds like a good thing to have around. Yah on getting some sewing done. I like the green myself, it has more contrast with the floss colors than the ivory. I'm sure it will be beautiful whatever color you use though :) Have a lovely day.

Susie H said...

Your quilt blocks are very pretty. As for the Aida I like the left-hand and middle choices. What a beautiful rose. Does it smell as good as it looks?

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Pat! Oh, that rose - how gorgeous!!! Sad to think it's the last for the year but they'll be back next year. It gives us something to look forward to. And the Cubii!! I have been on the fence - thank you so much for the honest thoughts!! Thank you for the unwitting nudge. One may be making its way to my home for the holidays. Have a nice weekend! {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

I'm so glad to read the Cubii is working out for you Pat. I'm continuing to enjoy it very much and happy that the old legs are doing fine. Thanks for the mention too.
Pretty rose and I lean more to the neutrals in the stitching cloths, but that's just me.
Great recipe too, thanks

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Great likes! The rose is gorgeous as well as all the fall leaves. Pretty blocks and I would have a hard time choosing which cross stitch fabric to choose. Hope the little Cubii works to help keep your legs strong. Oh and your cauliflower looks yummy.

LA Paylor said...

I make cauliflower and cheese but simpler... yours would be so good!!! I just steam it a bit, butter, salt and pepper, parm cheese and stir til it breaks up and all pieces are coated. But yours sounds and looks so good I'll have to try it
your rose is perfect. A model rose. A rose so pretty it could be on a magazine
it's been hot and cold here. Always too hot or too cold, at least we've now had some cool normal weather for fall days this week but when it's near 80 in November in Colorado at 6000+ feet up we know climate change is real y'all