“AUTUMN… THE YEARS LAST,  LOVELIEST SMILE.”~William Cullen Bryant

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year… They’ll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting…” Oops, wrong season. 🙂 I just get a little overly enthusiastic when Autumn arrives… 🙂  (And you know, I am still trying to decide which season is my favorite between the two?)

Suddenly, the air has gone from sultry, sweltering and torrid to  a lovely brisk and inviting ballad of revival and exhilaration.  The sky is a deep blue, with fluffy white clouds, magically fluctuating as they  coast along with the welcomed, soft breeze. Our precious gloaming hour greets us sooner each evening as the sun  says “goodnight” a bit earlier.

Something deep inside of us sparks a trigger, evoking a renewed excitement, an anticipation of adventure, cozy convivial dinners with friends, robust coffee by the fireplace, the upcoming local Oktoberfest, and the new fall premiere television shows are just beginning…(Yeah! no more reruns,) and of course, a new season to DECORATE… 🙂

With the temperatures getting cooler, we busily gather our warm sweaters, plaid scarves, Pendleton jackets and suede boots from our chilly attics, as we,( excitedly as well as a bit wistful,)  pack away our summer attire. We are treated to  the engaging new aromas of burning leaves, the freshly cut wood, kindling within our neighbors fireplaces, hot mugs of spicy mulled cider, apple cakes baking in the oven and the nostalgic scent of hay, as we gather together our bales and  begin setting up our ‘autumn yard displays.’  We proudly bring out our faithful and animated  scarecrows, grapevine wreaths festooned with candescent red berries and medley of purple, fiery red and sunflower yellow mums for our porches, ( along with the exemplary trademark of the glorious season,) our magical pumpkins…

 

The beach traffic has disappeared from our town’s roads…Instead we welcome the Bunyanesque  “grand yellow buses.” Yes school is back in session…our kids no longer frequent the frig in their shorts , flip flops , tank tops, unrestrained wind blown hair and red, sun burnt cheeks. Just seeing them get ready for ‘back to school’, evokes many nostalgic memories of our  own childhood school days, remembering when we got butterflies in out stomachs wondering; ‘Will I make some new friends this year? What will my teachers be like? Will the cafeteria serve better food, and I wonder if that ‘special someone’ will notice me this year?’ 🙂

I think the first confirmation, that I am not dreaming my adored season has arrived, is when I enter the produce section at our grocer and see ample boxes of Lilliput and Brobdingnagian, chubby, bright orange, (with a hint of amber) pumpkins. I already know where each one will go within my little cottage home, as well as the two that will charmingly keep our Briard dog, Grantham, company on the front porch for many Fall days to come.    I joyously fill our shopping basket, (amongst my newly selected and adorable ‘orange guys,’) 🙂  with a potpourri of new spices, and vegetables to make what my husband and I call “comfort meals.”  Whether delicious red potatoes, fresh carrots and chopped sweet onions simmering amidst a tempting beef roast in our crock pot, or Southern cooked collard greens,  baked garlic, butter nut squash with the ‘center-of-attention’ being , a Rosemary roasted chicken, topped with an orange-maple glaze… A very welcomed change from summer salads and  light pastas.

It’s now time to bring some of that “blissful, autumn spirit” to the inside of our homes. Our first task at hand is to take down all the bethnic , summer decor and make room for the new. As we find our boxes marked “Autumn Treasures,”  it  begins to feel like ‘Christmas’…its just been a year, but we have already forgotten all the mesmerizing and fortuitous fall collections we have gleaned over the years… We decide specifically where our scarecrows, cornucopias, baronial mantle geese, winsome  pumpkins and riveting, multi-hued, leaf garlands will go… the colors and textures of our couch throws and pillows change from ethereal and gossamer to passionate, rich and ardent. No longer will the aromas that bestow our homes be summers  Yankee candle scents of citrus, mango and cilantro lime. Instead,  they will be enriched with Apple pumpkin, Cinnamon nutmeg and McIntosh apple, as we excitedly  burn our newly acquired, long awaited,  Fall candles.

Yes, Autumn has finally arrived, and ALL IS WELL! In this writing,   I would like to share some beautiful as well as creative ideas for celebrating the grandeur season of Fall, in and about your home, as well as some felicitous places to visit… I hope that when you have journeyed through this vignette, you will have at least one or two ‘new ideas’ for your Fall decorating this year.

 

DISTINGUISHED QUOTE CORNER

” I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

” I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”~ L.M. Montgomery

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~ Albert Camus

“Fall has always been my favorite season, the time when everything bursts with it’s last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale. ” ~ Lauren Destafano

“Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.” ~ J.R Rowling

“Listen! The wind is rising and the air is wild with leaves, we have had our summer evenings, now for October eves.” ~ Humbert Wolfe

“I love autumn, the one season of the year that God seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it.” Lee Maynard

“Don’t you just love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies.” ~ Nora Ephron

 

 

 

Our homes first impression…The front porch!

Whether we welcome our guests and family with galvanizing autumn foliage, scarecrows amidst bales of hay or high bundles of tied rice straw, cheerful pumpkins or animated and festive wooden characters dressed for the wondrous season, festooning your porch or foyer with “Autumn spirit,” is magical as well as heartwarming.

I love this pirate goose! 🙂 Very creative.

This festive and warm entrance is classy, baronial and eminently welcoming! The stunning old brick and novel paned windows, reminds me of growing up in Alexandria, Virginia.

Right next to the ‘pumpkin,’ the classic scarecrow is certainly a grand announcement that Fall has arrived and with it, an abundance of charm and beauty.

My all time favorite ” Scarecrow.” Is he creative or what? 🙂

Very picturesque and enveloping…It creates a desire within, to jump through this photo and be “right there” in the midst of this gorgeous and  mesmerizing, yet simple display of the new season.

If this were my cozy porch, you’d see me out there everyday with my coffee and a good book! It looks especially alluring with it’s enchanting Fall decor. 🙂

A beautiful and snug wicker chair with this lovely and striking, autumn red, homemade, knitted  throw. Perfect for a chilly afternoon, your favorite novella and a hot cup of apple cider.

This autumn porch is unique, warm, captivating and a bit ‘magical’, all dressed up in it’s wondrous vintage attire!

There is nothing to compare to an old “memory filled” porch swing in the chilly autumn season… The gift of brisk, fresh air, natures alluring sounds, the inviting aromas of the seasons foliage as well as your cup of cinnamon-apple tea or espresso, and a great book or favorite magazine… Now that is life! 🙂

 

 

ADDING A TOUCH OF FALL TO OUR LIVING ROOMS.

When I think about decorating our home for the autumn season, I think of deep, rich colors that I can accent each room with, whether through pillows, throws, pictures, rugs, candles, scarecrows, a seasonal fall tree, pumpkins, fresh flowers in vibrant reds and oranges, as well as dried roses in reds and creamy yellows. There are a myriad of great ideas to “bring the season” inside your cozy  haven.

This living room’s patina is very warm and snug with it’s abundance of reds and yellows, seasonal displays of colorful gourds, diverse pumpkins, Fall foliage, rich hues within the throw pillows as well as  the august  mantle with it’s inviting autumn tableaux.  It certainly ‘looks’ like Fall.

I love this vintage, Victorian living room with it’s mixtures of  fire engine reds,  pale  moss greens and soothing, soft whites. There is nothing like a roaring, entrancing  fire on a cold autumn day! Very inviting. 

White pumpkins are becoming more and more popular…This decorator did a superb job of displaying the pumpkins on the mantle amidst the soft, warm, glowing candles…Very romantic.

A beautiful, warm, cozy and snug gathering place … I can just imagine sitting around the fire place, with hot mulled cider and freshly baked Toll house cookies…sharing many happy memories with friends and family… There is nothing like a heartwarming and welcoming room on a cold, brisk autumn day!

I  can never have enough ‘petite white lights’ in stock! 🙂 One of my ” decorating signatures” is festooning  green garlands with petite amber lights upon our hutches for a celebratory and warm, inviting ambiance. Adding royal and majestic colored throws and decorative pillows adorned in an autumn color theme is subtle, yet still announces the cozy season of fall has knocked upon our doors. 

Very cozy and formal. I adore these paned windows and Victorian style couch with it’s golden hints of the season.

Changing your curtain color amidst your lace sheers is a wonderful and creative way to bring a seasonal change to your living room. Its fun to get a few accent pillows for your couch to highlight your new window treatment…The burgundy, yellow and verdant greens is a superb pick!

This  living room makes you feel as if you are tucked away in a mountain cabin with a gorgeous, inviting lake nearby… I love it! With it’s pictorial perching duck, enchanting accent rug, traditional woods and sublime leather chair, it’s ambiance is warm and entrancing!

I love this classy, arresting gathering place as it evokes emotions of peace, festivity and brings one that warm, snug feeling inside. The magical colors of autumn are certainly celebrated here! 🙂

 

I adore this august and baronial living room. It’s inviting  and cozy with it’s delightful, warm fire burning ,aesthetic brick fireplace and rustic wooden mantle. This decorators accents of soft tan and reds is not only picturesque and cozy, but refreshingly  pleasing to the soul! 

I am a bit partial to this living room as it is nestled within our little haven in Delaware… To bring the season into our room, I decorated  my seasonal tree with an autumn theme, added some fall colored, decorative pillows as well as rich, warm throws. I always put up scarecrows and pumpkins and have plenty of  wintry-fall aromatic scents burning…Today,  it is cinnamon nutmeg! 🙂   

A few more autumn decor ideas…( You can find the cutest scarecrows at fall festivals in your town or city, close to the time of Oktoberfest.)  I found this little guy at a craft festival in Delaware…Isn’t he a character?

I dressed up our “Magical Mr. Rabbit ” for the autumn season by giving him a fall garland with twinkling white lights along with a favored stuffed bunny (that you can’t see) 🙂 as she is holding a pumpkin. 

 

Your bedroom, decorated for the cozy fall season, creates an even more inviting and welcoming ambiance… this season,  enjoy your special niche, private get-away and sanguine bedroom , allowing yourself to feel pampered.

 

 

 

 

 

Who wouldn’t feel pampered and soothed by this exquisitely warm and dulcet bedroom? I adore its soft mixtures of creamy yellows, vintage woods, highlights of hunter green as well as  the creative and heartening fall foliage wreath. This country cottage room is filled to the brim with charm and enchantment.

“A manly room,” for sure… aesthetically entrancingly warm and welcoming. The royal colors, and architecture of the breathtaking sleigh bed, along with the artwork and old world style furniture, create a room that is not only enhanced with a fall flavor,’ but eminently comfortable and cozy with style. 

This gossamer, romantic, (with a  touch of vintage decor,)  bedroom is breathtaking! I am impressed with the jocund fall foliage entwined within the artful, intricate wrought Iron head board, amidst the eye catching autumn pillows, breakfast tray with richly colored flowers and the soft, subtle lighting. Definitely a “keeper.” 

OK…another “Keeper.” This charming and romantic bedroom looks like it is from the 18th century…Exceedingly cozy and welcoming, promising hours of ‘deep rest’ to anyone who lays their head upon its blithesome pillows. Just the euphoric colors of soft and dauntless golds amidst the creamy whites, creates an autumn flavor. Very lovely!

Wow! I have not seen such a sunny, upbeat, enchanting day bed like this one, in a long time. This bedroom is not only classy, but vividly picturesque and arresting. I adore the mixture of tapestry and checkered fabrics, and choosing the color combination of fire engine red, hushed gold and sage green is brilliant.  Again, the warm colors and  diverse woods bring a wintry-fall patina to this room just the way it is… I love it!

If your not a big fan of the season but would like to add just a ‘touch’ of fall to your bedroom’s ambiance, pick a corner of your bedroom and create a festive display! Both of these creations are simple, subtle and heartening.  🙂

Being a connoisseur of green garlands, 🙂  I use them all year round…this room is absolutely stunning, regal and inviting. With it’s alluring, royal linens and rustic, vintage furniture, it already delivers a strong Fall flavor… I love the distinctive and classic, anitiquated mirror.

Here are a few more subtle, simple fall decor ideas for your bedroom… Whether a cheery, pastel,  kaleidoscopic wreath or a corner dressed in regal and rich reds with fresh flowers, they are both elegant touches that celebrate the glorious season. 🙂 

Romantic, inviting and coddling with a few highlights of Autumn. (I love the white bed canopy!) 🙂 

This hutch has been magically transformed with the nuanced amber lights entwined within green garland, amidst a potpourri of colorful, wispy fall leaves and an amiable scarecrow.  It’s full of charm! It reminds me of a gathering of hundreds of elfin, lively fireflies dancing around the room. A great touch for the fall season.

 

                                                                                                                                                                              No matter where you serve your guests…it seems they LOVE your kitchen BEST!  Here are a few fall decor ideas for the room you do most of your creating and inventing in…Your beloved kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now here is a kitchen with some autumn “pizzazz.” 🙂 This decorator has eminently created a classy, yet festive tableaux of lively pumpkins, gourds, amidst the soft glow of candle light and natures bounty. What’s so beautiful about this fall decor is that it can stay up from the beginning of autumn until Thanksgiving day! (The day after, being the  official day that decorating for the Christmas holiday season begins.)   Very beautifully done.

A plate shelf dressed for the season. This would be a perfect ‘autumn touch’ for any style of kitchen. I love the rich greens and reds mixed with the floral design and subtle fall leaves.

I just adore this three tiered  silver cake stand… What a picture-book and alluring display of autumns wonder.

This kitchen owns what I call a “built in” fall patina. Its dried flowers, stately baskets, rustic woods and majestic colors of the season say it all!

There is nothing like the color orange, to ‘dauntlessly shout out’  Autumns arrival.  This kitchen is beautiful with simple lines as well as rustically inviting! 

These kitchen canisters are refined, enchanting and sublime, bringing forth a small, but eminent reminder that the leaves are changing and the apples are ripe for picking! A great find! 🙂 

I love this decorators creative spirit for the holidays… What a beautiful display of this festive season…and I can only imagine the savory and alluring aroma! 🙂

This french Country kitchen is filled with charm, warmth and an abundance of cheery colors… With its resplendent dining table, quaint bench with vibrant  fall hued pillows, and built in, colonial green hutches, it is naturally dressed for the season. (A pumpkin or two would add a little bit more spirit… 🙂

 

 Whether inside, or alfresco dining, we can’t leave out the one ‘room’ where we gather with our loved ones, sharing many a story, laughter, memories and delectable cuisine. Our Beloved Dining room.

 

The adoring colors of soft pewter grey, light fern green and sunny yellow is a beautiful combination for fall’s festive presentation. This dining table is  galvanic, charming and graceful. A welcomed , unique wintry-fall patina.

The vibrant yellow amidst the warm woods, bright whites and soft golds is enveloping as well as beckoning. Once again, a room already dressed for an autumn celebration.

Regal, stellar, superb and magical! This table setting would enhance any Fall gala or family celebration! You can’t go wrong with an abundance of golds, reds and white as your color theme. 

This is one of my all time favorite dining rooms as it embodies a formal, yet relaxed and comfortable ambiance with it’s vaulted ceilings, resplendent window treatment, dreamy yellow walls, and warm, rich woods. A great idea for changing your decor for  each season are the inter-changeable slipcovers on these classy and lavish chairs… This grey-blue fabric is perfect for the brisk new season, and I can only imagine a Santa Claus red for the Christmas holidays. 🙂

This ingenious and innovative chandelier is a wonderful idea for the autumn season. Not only is it creative with it’s rustic twigs and poignant garlands,  but definitely an eye catcher as well as a conversation piece at any gathering.  Great and creative idea! 

This hutch and buffet table exude the very essence of the new seasons arrival with the harvest plates, display of colorful fruits, pumpkins, gourds and a delicious bounty of “comfort foods.” 🙂

This gorgeous side table is gifted with a perfect location in front of the beautiful view and arresting paned windows… The autumn tableaux display gets a ‘Five star rating’ with it’s radiant colors, diverse textures and inspiring presentation. I love it!  

Again, if you are not a “more is more” decorator…perhaps just doing a corner arrangement for the season would bring a little festivity to your dining room…I love how this topiary tree, decorated with fall leaves, petite twinkling lights and the country scarecrow, reflects in the the hunter green, paned mirror. Simple, and cozy!

This side board  and antiquated mirror is absolutely stellar and extravagant.  I adore this dining room with its formality, enchantment and creative, elegant touches. Adding a few brilliantly colored fall leaves, perhaps some red apples or red roses, and some fall colored ornamental balls in the reflecting tree, would give this dining room an extra touch of  autumn charisma.

This dining room is romantically inviting…For this rooms autumn celebration, the decorator has selected  a gorgeous bouquet of fall flowers as well as autumn pillows. Very cozy and enveloping!

These two table settings are entirely different, yet both create a “fall feeling” to each guest that arrives… They are creative and perfect for an afternoon tea or a gathering with friends or family!

This charming porch caught my eye for a wonderful alfresco dining experience in late September or October. With it’s enchanting charm and perfect setting, I can just imagine a beautiful table set in red, yellow and sea green china with bright red napkins and a few hurricane lamps filled with tall, creamy white, pillar candles…  Some homemade Italian pasta and bread would be great too! 🙂

 

Exceedingly relaxed, comfy and cozy…a perfect  yet subtle touch of the magical season… I love the mixture of the different colored woods…

This formal dinning room table would go perfectly with the stellar side board in the photo above with the hushed yellow walls and vintage gold mirror.  I love the cherub angel vases filled with the splendid yellow roses… the glowing , soft candles, mixed with the exuberant golds is sensational as well as  pampering. If you ever wanted to host a ‘Murder Mystery dinner-party’, (in the blog category section,)  at your home in the autumn season, this par-excellence presentation would go hand in hand! 

An enthralling autumn tree, or a table setting with royal reds, golds and greens, are both sensational ideas to enhance your blissful season.

There is nothing like an alfresco dinner served on a chilly, brisk autumn evening…(just make sure you have plenty of candles and space heaters…. ) This fall display is fabulously regal and  joyously summoning.  

WOW!…this is absolutely breathtaking and certainly not the norm…How many people have a backyard like this for an alfresco dinner party?  🙂 This would still be a beautiful fall display in your backyard …(touched with a  sylvan charm) with your unique and sterling tableaux amidst pictorial maple or oak  trees, especially in the season where the leaves are beginning to change color. I love the combination of regal golds,  cheery yellows, the lovely taffeta fabric on the chairs and the divine tablecloth. This decorator is very creative with the roses on her lamps, the jeweled flower holders,  and delightful finished work of art!   There are so many amazing  decorating ideas to challenge our creative juices…This is definitely another keeper for my decor box.  

A beautiful and sensational autumn hutch…a perfect place to display your own bounty for the season! 🙂

If you are not a lover of the color ‘orange,’ you can also go with deep reds, yellows, rich browns, vivid burgundies,  and forest greens for your autumn presentation. This dining room is bright, cheery and beautifully warm and inviting. (Changing your chairs slipcovers is another way to bring about season changes, inexpensively.) 

This dining room is welcoming, cheery, colorful and has a touch of the ‘autumn spirit,’ with its vibrant reds and hushed tans and browns.  (You don’t always have to use the color  “orange” for your fall decor! 🙂 

Fall decorating  ideas for ANY of your beautiful and inviting rooms…

I am impressed with this prestigious and stately duck amongst the glowing fall foliage… This would be a beautiful presentation in your dining room, living room or foyer.

Pumpkins and colorful gourds of all sizes, mixed with petite, pastel rainbow berries… I love it!

These front door wreaths are show stopping! Each one eminently diverse and absolutely stunning for your fall celebration!

Warm, cozy and alluring… all reflections of autumn!

These are both easy to create and yet so vividly alluring and pleasing to the eye…(and you know the aroma would be delightful.)  🙂 Great centerpieces for your dining room. 

A delightfully winsome autumn tree or lush linen curtains swagged with a dried rose tie…elegant , regal and sophisticated. 🙂

This fall bouquet with its courtly vase is classy as well as jovial.

How adorable and creative…I’ll take five of these! 🙂

Pewter is definitely one of my favorite choices of decor accents… These pumpkins are so unique and august…I love the sugar and creamer and prolific matching plate.

To bring some “autumn” alive within your home, you can adopt the “more is more” motto or the “less is more. ” In my home you know which one I am by now! 🙂  Our antiquated dresser festooned in fall foliage and soft amber lights, (makes me feel so cozy inside,)  for our dining room sideboard table, I created a bunny pumpkin patch,  for my working area, a  country style scarecrow with a bale of hay, (it’s tree perfectly hiding my scanner on my side desk table. 🙂   You can never go wrong at fall in your decor themes with soft lighting, plenty of scarecrows, pumpkins and bright, galvanic fall leaves.

 

Another decor piece that would be fun and simple to create for your autumn decor… Very creative! 🙂

You already know by now that I am a connoisseur of topiary trees… These are so lovely, and displayed with the cherub artwork creates an even more glamorous and inciting flavor. The wonderful gift that topiary trees bring, is that you can custom-create  them to reflect any season and occasion you are hosting! Absolutely stunning.

This creative and fun tree is perfect for bringing in a little autumn spirit…(OK, maybe an ample amount…it is rather large.) 🙂

My Collection of “CHEFS” bedecked for the autumn season!  The chef serving the candle lit dining room table is the one my husband just bought me on our “date day” this weekend at Rehoboth Beach. He fits perfectly with is new comrades. 🙂

Very simple… yet exceedingly creative. 🙂

One of my favorite fall ideas…. not only is this clever, but inspiring, original and creative…I just wish we had a two story home! 

Another fantastic idea for this season… the pewter pumpkins are very regal and yet the  crystal is just as refined and alluring. I am increasingly amazed at the abundance of creativity and ideas for decor. 🙂

Here are a few wondrous and fun craft ideas for creating your autumn ambiance.

These mason jars dressed up in vibrant fall leaves are so clever as well as a creative way to reflect the warmth and magic of candle light. 

Another delightful way to use autumn leaves as your muse for creating decorative art for your cozy haven.

Eminently easy and yet so beautiful!

A very classy name card for your next fall dinner party! I love these colors and textures.

If your craft is ‘Baking’ or ‘Cooking’…this is a very creative way to display your “invention.”  I love  this idea. 🙂

Surprise your family with a delicious autumn meal… Seared scallops, freshly sauteed spinach, butternut squash mixed with a light cream sauce amidst your favorite pasta. I am getting hungry just thinking about it… 🙂 

This is an adorable, creative idea to serve at your next dinner party… Its so simple, yet elegant in its presentation.

This reminds me of Mary Engelbreits work, but because I know the artist personally, I can say it is not “the real thing.” (But still very creative, entrancing and engaging  to the eye.)

I am so motivated right now to go and make some of these divine candy apples… 🙂 They are again, a definite symbol of the fortuitous autumn season.

A few fall garlands from your local craft store will go very far, as there are a thousand  creative ways, (OK, maybe a hundred 🙂 to display them for the season.    I can think of five right now. 🙂 Nestled atop your dining room hutch or a gilded birdcage, used with a grapevine wreath to dress up your front door, incorporated within your seasonal fall tree, displayed a top a decorative mirror, swagged upon your widow treatment , (oops…that was six!) 🙂 I know you can think of an abundance of ways this could be used creatively to enhance your home for fall. This garland is beautiful with its petite berries and tiny, colorful leaves.

 

Our seasonal autumn tree…by night ! 🙂 Very easy to make, festive and a warm touch for this welcomed time of the year.

From coast to coast, autumn is exploding with vibrant colors, putting on a junoesque show for all the country to see… Plan a restorative Sunday drive to the country, go apple picking, visit the local farmers market and  treat your self to a hot, steamy cup of their fresh mulled cider, drop by a country pumpkin patch and pick out your “2013 little orange guys” 🙂  to  place around your porch and festive home…ENJOY the season and its regal beauty to the fullest!

 

I would like to leave you with one of my favorite recipes for a  decadent southern chocolate cake for a cold, brisk  Fall day… it’s delicious with a mug of hot cocoa or French Roast coffee. Enjoy!

This recipe is called “Neighbor’s chocolate cake,” and is sure to please every chocolate lover! It is exceedingly rich and  absolutely indulgent…but OH SO GOOD! 🙂

YOU WILL NEED:

1 greased 9×13 pan

2 cups of sugar, 2 cups flour, 1 cup shortening, 1 stick of butter, 1 cup water, 4 TBSP Cocoa, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. vanilla for your cake.

For your fudge icing, you will need 1 stick of butter, 4 TBSP. cocoa, 8 tsp. milk, (or cream,) 1 pound powdered sugar, 1 & 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 2 tsp. vanilla.

I use Hershey’s Cocoa powder in the  brown can.

DIRECTIONS:

For your cake, mix sugar and flour together in large bowl. Bring to a boil over low heat, the shortening, butter, water and cocoa. Combine it with the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla.

Bake at 325 in your greased pan for 45 minutes. Because all ovens vary, check your cake at about 40 minutes with a toothpick or knife…it should come out pretty clean after inserting when cake is finished baking. (You will know when your cake is done…)

After you take your cake out of the oven, poke holes throughout the cake with a toothpick. (The more the merrier.) 🙂

For your icing;

Bring to boil over medium heat, (stirring often,)  1 stick of butter, 4 TBSP. cocoa, and 8 tsp. of milk. Remove from heat and beat in 1 box of powdered sugar and vanilla. fold in your pecans and stir.  Pour over hot cake. Allow to cool for the icing to set and ENJOY!

 

HAPPY AUTUMN!

 PHOTOGRAPHS: In placing your computer mouse upon any of the photos or graphics, it will display where the picture originated from.

LINKS to come. 🙂