The Birds and Cannoloni and a Contest

I'm on that six degrees of separation kick again; Tony Curtis died this week, and he was once married to Janet Leigh, which made me think of Hitchcock, which made me think of the dozens of birds forming clouds and pecking my yard away, which made me think of the Tipi Hendren doll I missed out on, which made me think of "The Birds!" Who needs sanity!

I welcome tips for removing these birds or driving them away humanely. I can't put all the blame on them, my cat is afraid of birds, so he is no good. They merely mock at him and chirp in his ears. He tries to cover them with this paws. Also, the squirrels and rabbits have real attitudes in my neighborhood. They are recycling and reclaiming for themselves.

We broke up bushes of mums this week, and my office is now festooned with bronze and yellow. I also harvested the last of hte petunias and marigolds, and am gettng ready to winter inside my begonias and my geranium. The orchid is holding its own, but no petals.

I love to bake, and now that I'm not teaching or taking classes four nights a week, I'm getting into cooking mode. I have a quick canneloni or manicotti recipe that also works with stuffed shells. I boil the pasta aldente before stuffing:

Manicotti Stuffing:

About 1 c Greek feta, any kind. I crumble it myself. One egg. Beat with Feta. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, fresh basil, oregano, etc. Mix well. Stuff the shells. Bake about 40 minutes at 375 degrees, but time and temp. can vary, so check. Cover with marinara sauce, but any cream or alfredo will work. In a pinch, use the canned sauces, or follow my ideas for making your own tomato sauce. I mix in parmesan, and top with other cheeses, parsley, more oregano and basil, shredded mozzarella and Italian blend or Mdzithra [a hard, dry salty ricotta type that grates well and has great flavor]. When the cheese melts, and the stuffing is golden, it's done.

I've taken in the basil and dried it. We picked the last of the tomatoes and set up a Halloween graveyard using the old vines and dried out foliage. The tomatoes are ripening on the fence, and some will become vegetarian stuffed dishes using bredcrumbs, egg, other vegetables and tiny boiled shrimp.

I'm also collecting pumpkins of all types and goards, and will soon debut my well-loved scarecrows. I love this season!

A Contest: For those with green holiday tips or recycling ideas for the Holidays coming up, here's a fun opportunity. To the first five tipsters who post an idea, family friendly, user friendly, within Google use guidelines in my comments, I will send a copy of our club's legal studies cookbooks, dress for success guide on a shoestring, or book buying guide. There are lots of online sites in these, and good ideas.

Just a thought. At some point, I'll need an address, even an email address might work. I can probably sned these as electronic files.

Next project: carmel apples and Christmas baking for gifts! Soon to come, Harvest and Native American dolls, and of course, Apple Doll ideas!