Author Archives: Marcia Ren

Flavors of Fall…Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Marcia Ren

It’s a new season. A perfect opportunity to do something new… something bold…something beautiful! Hello, sweet friends… I hope you had a beautiful week. As you can tell from the photo, I have been enjoying my walks. In this photo the sun was so bright you can really see how quickly the leaves are changing colors… One of my favorite things about fall is all the pumpkin recipes. Here is a recent favorite of mine. These pumpkin spice cupcakes are easy to whip up and can be topped off with a variety of frostings. I’ve included a delicious cream cheese frosting recipe which I used. Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cheese Cake Frosting INGREDIENTS For the pumpkin cupcakes: 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour  1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup  pumpkin puree  1/2 cup  canola or vegetable oil 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar , packed 1/4 cup  granulated sugar … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020, A Quarantined Life, Coastal Living, What’s Cooking? | 2 Comments

Anastasia’s First Road Trip…(re-told by Joe)

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Marcia Ren

I have lived with several zen masters, all of them cats.-Elkhart Tolle Well, hello friends this is Joe… Today I’m sharing Marcia’s & Anastasia’s first road trip. Anastasia came to us from a shelter In Roseburg, Oregon. Her only trip before that was coming home from the shelter when Marcia brought her back home, and she was just a frightened kitten in a very, very cute carrying case. In fact our vet told us that it was the cutest carrying case he’d ever seen! As she has grown…matured & become less frightened we decided it was time for Anastasia’s first road trip. We were planning a trip to Eugene…a regular place for us to go and so in anticipation of that we decided we would try various ways to accommodate Anastasia on her road trip. We knew that we could put her in the carrying case but we had suspicions … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020, A Quarantined Life, In Joe’s Words | 3 Comments

Simple Joys for October…Pumpkins!!!

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Marcia Ren

The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let things go… Hello, sweet friends… It’s been an unbelievable several months in our world… and even though I’m not certain about what this Fall will look like… I do know that family, home and pumpkins will be at the heart of everything. That being said this past week Joe and I planned an outing to a pumpkin farm… It was a beautiful day… During this time of so many restrictions… it’s a real treat to experience the outdoors… seeing all the pumpkins on the vine… and deciding on a few that were just right… What’s Cooking? I’m pretty sure I could incorporate pumpkin into all my cooking this month. I’ve already prepared several yummy desserts and this recipe for pumpkin waffles is perfect for fall. They are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020, A Quarantined Life, Coastal Living, What’s Cooking? | 2 Comments

A Rekindled Love…& Pumpkin Crumb Cakes

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Marcia Ren

“Our truest life is when we are dreams awake.”–Henry David Thoreau Hello, sweet friends…Happy October! I started sewing when I was in junior high… My first class project was a simple A-line skirt… I continued tinkering for a few years… it wasn’t until my first year teaching that I wore what I made… that was my “official” beginning… the year was 1981… I continued sewing for about 10 years and then stopped. Fast forward to 2020, the pandemic and nesting at home, that I had the desire to return to sewing. I didn’t know how much I missed my sewing until I walked into a fabric store experiencing the old yet familiar scent of all the fabric…intoxicating I purchased a new sewing machine and began sewing once again. Learning how to use my new machine was a humbling experience… however, as in any worthwhile relationship… love…patience…and determination are winning ingredients … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020, A Quarantined Life, Coastal Living, What’s Cooking? | 7 Comments

September…Autumn…and Apple Pie

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Marcia Ren

Autumn arose and my soul bloomed -Angie Wetland-Crosby Hello, sweet friends… HAPPY AUTUMN!!! Autumn is a beautiful time of year…my summer garden is in transition It’s a time to enjoy what God has given us…the seasons A celebration of the changing of the leaves… to celebrate the harvest…gratitude Autumn is a time to reflect… to find balance in our lives… perhaps more than ever Autumn is a time of looking forward to what’s just around the corner… The trees are changing… and so are we… We are not the same people we were a year ago… May you enjoy this wonderful season….celebrating it’s sounds…sights…and scents in full abundance. speaking of scents… What’s Cooking? This Apple Pie is a treasure of a recipe & the perfect dessert to welcome the Fall. The filling was adapted slightly from the famous Grandma Ople apple pie. The method for this filling is surprising but it … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020, A Quarantined Life, Coastal Living, Garden/Tea Time, Together Apart, What’s Cooking? | 5 Comments