Fall Foliage
Despite the shorter days and onset of evening chill, Fall has been dear to us. We've established a Saturday morning tradition of going to the farmer's market nearby to get produce and treats for the week. On our latest trip, we purchased some pumpkins and foliage like baby's breath and tiny flowers, with the intention of making something festive for the table.
Carving pumpkins isn't my forte, so instead I made the pumpkins a vessel for a floral arrangement.
You'll need:
- Small pumpkins, one per centerpiece ( I believe the ones we have are of the Long Island Cheese variation. I loved the mellow coloring.)
- Flowers/Foliage ( I picked Hypericum berries of two colors, baby's breath, and another variation of filler)
- A serrated knife or pumpkin carving knife (to cut the lid)
- Spoon (to scoop out the innards)
- Scissors (to trim your flowers)
Instructions:
Trim the stems of the flowers until they are just a little taller than the pumpkins.
Next, carve a generous opening in the top of the pumpkin using a serrated knife. Remove the insides and reserve for other use, maybe pie!
Add a little water in the well of the pumpkin, and arrange your flowers and greenery. I trimmed everything down to different heights to make a well balanced arrangement. While I know nothing about floral arrangements (my roommate and I killed our dorm room plant in 4 days, the first week of college), it was fun to dabble in this art. Snip here. Snip there. More cranberry. Balance with baby's breath. I am guided by the sentiment as I contemplate career goals that us amateur folks are silly enough to believe we can achieve anything. Maybe it's not silly, maybe it's the rightful truth. At the very least, it helps us dream.
These centerpieces are perishable of course, and best prepared the day or two before an event. Nonetheless, I intend to let them dry out as they'll be beautiful still.
And Voila! Fall foliage to brighten your table.
Picasso Pumpkins
Wandering through the grocery store, we stumbled on sweet little pumpkins. They were too tough and small to carve, so we took some miscellaneous supplies from the craft room and made Picasso inspired pumpkins with them.
You'll need:
- Tiny pumpkins
- Googly eyes of various sizes
- Scissors
- Sharpie markers
- Buttons
- Scrap paper
- Ribbon
- Heart- shaped hole punch
- Hot glue gun (or strong adhesive)
Picasso's distinct departure from conventional portraits sparked a movement of innovation in art; to this day it is nearly impossible to not recognize his style and works. We approached his art playfully, with pumpkins as our canvases.
Instructions
Give your pumpkins the gift of sight and smell, with googly eyes and buttons. No need to follow a traditional facial structure. That's what makes this such a refreshing exercise- no symmetry here!
The heart shaped hole punch from Paper Source makes a perfect set of lips, outlined with a Sharpie, but any punch or paper smile will do.
Add some fun details like eyebrows, freckles, and eyelashes. This little gal pumpkin has a bow in her stem as well.
Lastly, make some more. Even pumpkins need friends.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Nana clipped this recipe out of the Herald News realistically 10 or so years ago because I remember making them with my mama in the evening autumn hours as a middle/high schooler. Unfortunately, I cannot credit the recipe developer as I spilled vegetable oil on the original clipping and have since transcribed it time and time again on scratch paper and recipe cards. But... to him or her wherever he or she is, I send a big grateful thank you hug as I nibble on cookies. These are my favorite and have been my go-to take along for meetings, parties, and girls nights for as long as I can remember. We baked batch after batch at Georgetown for Best Buddies events. I think I even made a triple batch for a presentation in one of my Marketing Strategy classes. Woo with food, and one can rarely go wrong.
My college roommate (the lovely gal pictured) and I got together this past Sunday for a morning of baking, dancing, and reflecting to revive some feel good moments of the past. We listened to 'Black Widow' on repeat in an attempt to commit the rap part to memory, and then watched 'Anaconda' because we heard it was a hoot. We did not make it through the entire video, but were quite intrigued by the ease with which some folks can shake their posteriors. (If you were wondering, this video has nearly 300 million views. Imagine every viewer paid a penny to watch? That would be some serious cash money.)
Back to the cookies!
They are easy to make and mix, packed with pumpkin, and not a tablespoon of butter in sight. I have nothing against butter. I love butter, but sometimes a break from her goodness is ok too. Yes, I made butter a woman, obviously.
Ingredients
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 teaspoon milk
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add dry mixture to pumpkin mixture, along with dissolved baking soda and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla. Raisins work nicely here as well. Drop by teaspoons onto lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Cookies are fluffy and firm up when cooling and are best served warm with milk of course. Alternatively, I make sandwiches out of them with whipped cream. Enjoy!
Backpacks for Life
Brett, CPL. USMC (Images in the article by Alexa Modero and the team at Backpacks for Life)
Brett D'Alessandro is a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps and a resident of Verona, NJ. After returning from active duty in Afghanistan and while working at his unit in Providence Rhode Island, Brett saw a homeless man who held a sign indicating that he was a Vietnam veteran. That evening, Brett filled one of his own backpacks from his tour with some clothing and socks and gave it to the man the next morning. Some time later he saw a small child walking alongside the same man, wearing the backpack proudly.
"I stopped to say hello and the homeless man explained to me that his wife had become very sick and the warming layers were helping her tremendously. It was in this moment that I knew I wanted to help others get back on their feet and give them a second chance at life.”, Brett recounts. And so Backpacks for Life was born.
Supported by Co-Founders Alexa Modero and Kevin Clarke, the organization secures backpacks through donations and packs them with seasonal materials including toiletries, clothing, a notebook & pen, as well as resource pamphlets (where to find housing, insurance, jobs, etc.). Their mission is to provide homeless veterans with the basic life essentials that they cannot provide for themselves. With each backpack, they hope to not only provide homeless veterans with the things they need for daily living but also, give them hope and resources for the future.
Founder Brett D'Alessandro and Co-Founders Alexa Modero and Kevin Clarke at Stand Down Weekend in Rhode Island.
Backpacks for Life is spreading their mission in the community. Since their launch in September, they've participated in Operation Stand Down's 'Stand Down Weekend' where they distributed 400 packs to veterans in need, hosted a Bocce Tournament raising $3,000 towards their mission, and packed backpacks with a troop of eager Brownies in New Jersey. Each and every pack distributed is distinct as it is marked with the Backpacks for Life patch, designed by Joanna Maher of Look North Inc. along with the logo, website, and branded identity materials.
Co-founder Alexa Modero reflects on her journey thus far. "This experience of creating a nonprofit organization makes me realize everyone has the ability to leave this world better than how we found it. By supporting veterans who have fought for my freedom, I feel that this is my way of giving back to them. Its a truly humbling experience to see how appreciative and receptive homeless veterans are towards people willing to give them assistance."
While there is conflict and unrest at home and abroad, it is essential to remember the men and women who protect our nation and its people. We mustn't forget to support them after their formal duties have ended. The hardest battle for many is integrating back into civilian life. Backpacks for Life is providing a crucial service to forgotten veterans and we applaud them, but they need our help - to donate, visit their website. Interested in contributing materials, see what they provide in their packs.
& follow along with Backpacks for Life:
About Look North Inc.
Look North is an award-winning creative and technology studio located in Montclair, New Jersey. What started as a curiousity of all things digital grew into a full-fledged obsession with modern communication tools and techniques. We encourage and actively participate in professional, community and personal organizations and initiatives including volunteer programs and non-profit work.
We've been fortunate to work with alongside these three inspiring young people who are making an impact in the Veteran community. Creative Director and Designer, Joanna Maher, was responsible for logo, website, identity, and collateral design. To work with Joanna and the team at Look North Inc, visit our website.