I just can't go through this every year, folks. I've been sick since September 25th and am just now crawling out of it.
I missed celebrating our wedding anniversary and I missed an experience that I look forward to all year round, a trip to the Nashville Farmers Market to stock up on pumpkins and gourds to decorate our house for Autumn.
That was really a bummer but at this late date I'm just going to skip it and start decorating for Christmas in early November, God willing and the creek don't rise--I've learned to add that phrase to every plan because who knows what the next day will bring, right? Just ask anyone who lost everything they had in the monster storm Michael. My heart goes out to all of those without a home to return to or returning to months before things are normal.
That makes blogging seem a little trivial, comparatively.
But please let me throw up a post here now that should have been written three years ago as a followup to a post on November 19, 2015 when I promised a dessert recipe from the meal I wrote about here in Pine Cones and French China.
In searching back through old Autumn posts this last week when I finally came out of the worst brain fog, I discovered this post that never got written. I would have given the directions back then but now I'll just show pictures and tell you a little background of the woman whose dessert recipe it is.
Michèle Morgan's Pineapple Caramel Ring dessert is from Mildred O. Knoph's Memoirs of A Cook. The cookbook author herself is worth a post someday.
She was married to movie producer Edwin H. Knopf. Even if you're not familiar with him, I bet you recognize his brother's name, Alfred A. Knopf, the publisher of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
When Mildred and her husband dined with Michèle Morgan in her Paris apartment on the Île de la Cité overlooking the River Seine, she served them this dessert after an elegant lunch.
Not familiar with Michèle Morgan? We might have known her as well as we do Ingrid Bergman if Warner Brothers had been willing to pay RKO Studio enough to release her to play opposite Humphrey Bogart in a little film called Casablanca.
Morgan was stunning, wasn't she?
Her dessert was delicious but the instructions are long so I won't type it here. If you really want to make it just email me and I'll scan the page and send it to you.
I hope to follow this post in a few days with a few of the many October posts I had originally planned--the Autumn decorating that never happened won't be there--and in the meantime I'll be visiting my blog friends and admiring your own Autumn decor or various thoughts.
As I look out my windows now I see absolutely no pretty Autumn colors yet. Have the leaves turned yet where you live?
Happy rest of October, dear friends!
It was so nice to see a post from you Dewena, but I was so sorry to read about you having flu, followed by bronchitis... I do hope RH stays clear of it.
ReplyDeleteAutumn is such a wonderful season and here in the UK the colours are glorious, especially as we have had some sunny days … although the weekend wasn't so good with Storm Callum. However, looking around the world at the many damaging weather conditions some have experienced, I have nothing to complain about.
Our shops are looking very Halloween style, and there are lots of pumpkins everywhere.
Hoping you now keep well and can fully enjoy the remainder of October and the run up to all other festivities.
My good wishes
All the best Jan
So glad to see you're well enough to post Dewena! I was thinking about you yesterday and was going to shoot you an email but life happened. :(
ReplyDeleteThat dessert looks dangerous, but delish!
I'm missing the beautiful Autumn colors of New England, but I knew I would. Like you, I'll just live vicariously through others this year.
xxx
Hi Dewena so happy to see your post come into my email. I have been thinking about you. Sorry you were so sick. Yep those flu shots help to build up your immunity so you do not get the flu. Sorry you have missed important things and have felt so lousy. Glad you are beginning to feel better. I am praying for all of those that were effected so much by the Hurricane. Such a beautiful area to be so devastated. I love the look of this yummy dessert. Continue to feel better.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Kris
So glad you were feeling well enough to post! I do hate that you have been ill for so long! I understand though...seems the flu lasts longer and longer and truly does a number on you! I would so love the recipe if you wouldn't mind emailing it to me. I bet it is absolutely delicious! No fall color here in Texas, but we rarely have any...we are experiencing some really cold temps right now and I love it! I hope it stays cold and doesn't shoot back into the 90s! Please continue to get better! Will be sending prayers your way! Love to you sweet friend!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that you've been so sick. I haven't had the flu in 20 years (when I worked in a Kindergarten classroom and was surrounded by sick kids) and my husband hasn't had it since he was a kid! We choose not to get the flu vaccine for various reasons, but I know it's controversial, so I will steer clear of that subject on your blog. ;-)
ReplyDeleteYour dessert looks wonderful. I am not familiar with the author of that cookbook. I always enjoy learning about different authors of books and cookbooks that you mention.
I'm glad you're on the mend, and as for the color change, I'll send some of our cold air down your way so those leaves get going. The color change is in its glory here and the leaves are already falling and clogging the gutters on our house. Here we go!
Hello Dewena
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to read that you've been sick for a prolonged time. It can be such a downer to not feel well. I had a cold early in the school year and there are lots of students ill with colds, but no flu yet, I believe.
I'm glad you're feeling up to blogging and I look forward to reading more of your autumn posts (without the autumn decor). The dessert and story behind it are wonderful!
We are probably at the peak of colour here now. Some trees are looking skimpy and leaves swirl around and line the streets.
Dewena, I'm so relieved to hear that you are on the mend, finally, after having suffered with this debilitating duo of first, the flu, and then, bronchitis! I'm sorry you were not well enough to enjoy your anniversary as well as the anticipated trip to the Farmers Market for your pumpkin shopping, but since autumn is not yet in full swing there, perhaps you can check out your local nursery and pick up a few pulpy pretties, as you wait for the beautiful colour to arrive.
ReplyDeleteYour background info on this delectable recipe is quite intriguing; Michèle Morgan was gorgeous, and she could bake! I just googled her, not having heard of her before your introduction here, and will read more on her later this evening.
Is that coconut that is covering the cake? I know how much RH loves it, and was wondering if you decided to make it for your anniversary, as maybe a belated gift to him, now that you are feeling stronger.
Get better, my friend!
xoxo
Poppy
Oh Dewena, I'm so sorry you've had the flu and bronchitis. I got a cold and cough last year and it hit me hard. I've gotten bronchitis in my life, and it's awful. Do you know I've never seen the whole movie of Casablanca? This is a lovely picture of Ingrid Bergman. Your dessert looks amazing. You mentioned that you love caramel, and I do as well. It's too bad you couldn't decorate for Autumn, but that will make Christmas decorating all the more fun.
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel better, Dewena. Take care of yourself, and wrap yourself up with warm blankets and rest.
love, ~Sheri
Dearest Dewena, hello! I am so sorry to hear you got sick with the flu; I am a teacher so I get my shot every year but they offer it, in my opinion, too late. I just got my shot last week but now I'm sick too! I have laryngitis and I feel a bit sluggish, but nothing like I'm sure you are feeling. I hope you recovery soon and it was so lovely to read your comment on my blog post. Oh how I crave the past blogging life and how much I miss the friends that would frequent my blog, but things move on. I really appreciate your visit and do get well!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteSending "Get Well Hugs" We got the flu during the months of January and February 2018, it went from one to the other until all four of us had it. And who would get it the worse, me. Oh Man! Anyway I was down and out for a month and it took another month to start to feel somewhat 90%.
Enjoy Autumn!! Our leaves were at peek about two weeks ago. They are still hanging on. :-) I wish I could glue them on thru Thanksgiving.
Oh, I bet that dessert is heavenly! So sorry to hear you were under the weather, but hoping by now you've got your strength back, and can get back to the things that bring you joy. No autumn colors here, either. It's been so rainy that I wonder how that will affect things. We seemed to go from summer to winter overnight. Stay well!
ReplyDeleteLovely to see you up and blogging again. How awful that you've been under the weather. xo
ReplyDeleteLovely post, lots of interesting fodder to read with a cup of tea on an autumny afternoon. That dessert sounds yum!
Wishing you a beautiful weekend,
Brenda xox
The desert looks amazing! And I'm glad you are feeling better. xoxo Su
ReplyDeleteDewena, so sorry you've been sick. It's just awful, isn't it. We all got some horrible cold and it's taken weeks to shake. The weather isn't helping...a/c one day, heat the next. I've been eating chicken soup by the potful, but that dessert looks so good!! Hope you feel 100% super soon so you can enjoy the holidays!!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post and reading about that dessert. Sorry to hear you've been down with that flu for so long. i need to catch up here.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, I'm sorry you've been so sick. As I am late to this post, perhaps by now you're feeling a lot better. Is the picture of you in the sidebar new? You look great! I love your white hair with the bright pink lipstick! Enjoy decorating for the holidays. I was at Michael's today and even though I don't need any more Christmas decor I couldn't help looking at everything. So fun and festive! And better IMO than the ugly Halloween stuff! xo Deborah
ReplyDeleteI am also sorry to hear you are sick! Loved this beautiful post. That delicious recipe!!!!
ReplyDeleteDewena, Hope you are well by now...talk about being late posting...I am so slow at visiting many blogs. Sorry. We got our flu shots and pray we can stay well. I have to remind Ted many times to wash his hands when he's been out anywhere. If only sick people would cover when coughing. Good grief we knew to do this as children. But I am amazed at the people I hearing coughing in stores and you know they did not cover. Stay strong and healthy. Blessings to all, xoxo, Susie
ReplyDeleteOh no how awful, Dewena - I had a flu like that last winter that lingered for two months, it was terrible!! Hope it's all behind you now!
ReplyDeleteDewena, I hope that you are feeling better! The flu always takes the ind out of my sails so to speak and it takes me a few weeks to get back up to snuff. Have a great weekend and get well soon.
ReplyDeleteHello there my sweet friend and I am so glad to see you have stopped by to see me....and so sorry to hear that you've been sick! I do hope you're feeling much better by now, through the worst of it, up and around, and getting back to your normal self! Other than the bout with the sick, how is your Fall coming along? It's sure hard to believe that October is nearly passed us by and here comes November already! I'm glad you enjoyed my post on the old church--I sure loved hearing about how you had visited one of our churches back on a long ago visit and wondered if this might have been the one. You said you thought it was the oldest church in Charleston that you visited, and I think that is St. Michaels, not the church I featured in the most recent post. We are blessed with so many beautiful historic churches here, I do so love visiting them as often as I can, the workmanship is outstanding and most of them built HUNDREDS OF YEARS ago, still standing and just as pretty as ever!
ReplyDeleteOh good grief! Dewena, you've NO time for being sick, especially for weeks on end! You need to start taking elderberry concentrate mixed with water which will boost your immune system. Also, massive doses of Vitamin C which, if you overdose, you'll expel in urine.
ReplyDeleteThe recipe sounds marvelous but I'll never make it...that kind of time goes toward sleep my friend (HAHA). Do take care, be well quickly.