October

I (almost) finished Joe's birthday present in time. I still need to add the words 'Avengers Assemble' to the bottom, and Captain America's 'A' and then it'll be finished.

The beginning of October was very sunny and dry, and the cats enjoyed watching squirrels out the window.

The trees around the corner showed magnificent color. Unfortunately all those leaves have come off in the recent storm.

I started a square for a quilt project to honor the memory of a college friend. It's the most complicated quilt square I've ever attempted, but I'm determined to give it one hundred percent.

Our haul from a small family farm. All but three of these are intended as food. In fact, we've already eaten one of them. I love the colors of carnival squash.

Even though I have no photographic proof, I've been knitting up a storm. Soon I'll be able to wear five hand-knit sweaters. Five! I almost can't believe it.

One other thing I have to mention: my five-year-old nephew called me on the phone the other day. Just because. It's by far my favorite thing that's happened this autumn.

pumpkin goodness

I whipped up a batch of pumpkin french toast yesterday. It has to chill 8 hours or overnight, so I baked it this morning. I made two changes to the recipe. First, I used an 8" x 8" pan, because I had a small loaf of french bread. Second, after reading the comments I noticed that some people said it turned out too mushy. So I only used 1 cup of milk.

I think I may have died and gone to heaven. I am currently licking my plate (shh! don't tell anyone!). The few soggy bits on the bottom are mostly the caramel syrup, so instead of drizzling maple syrup over the french toast, I scooped up some soggy goodness from the bottom and ladled it on top. Perfect.

Yesterday I roasted two sugar pie pumpkins and ran them through my food processor to get a smooth texture. I used 3/4 cup for the french toast, set aside 3 tbsp to make pumpkin spice syrup for my coffee, and put the remaining pumpkin puree into ziploc bags to freeze for later use (1 cup in each bag so I know exactly how much I am defrosting).

I knew the pumpkin french toast recipe was a hit when I watched my husband take two bites, put down his plate, and immediately give me a hug. This recipe is Joe-approved. =)

roasting a pumpkin

I've recently realized that many people I talk to have never roasted a pumpkin before. While I certainly appreciate the convenience and flexibility of canned pumpkin, I think that using fresh pumpkin is something that everyone should at least try once. I remember thinking that it must be the hardest thing in the world - turning a hard vegetable like squash into that smooth puree for pies. Once I tried it I realized how easy it really is.


Start with a pie pumpkin (or sugar pumpkin, as they are sometimes called). The only grocery store I can always count on to carry these around here is Trader Joe's. Safeway, Albertsons and the like seem to only carry other varieties of winter squash. Don't forget your local farmer's market.


Remove the stem, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy bits (clean and roast the seeds if you like).


Having an orange cat around as "helper" is entirely optional.


Some people like to put their pumpkin halves cut-side down. I prefer cut-side up, so they don't stick to the foil.


After roasting at 350 degrees for an hour or so, they should be easily pierced with a fork. The time really does vary, so check and adjust.


It's best to let them sit for awhile, to prevent burning your fingers as you handle them, and then scoop out the flesh from the skins.


A quick pulse in the food processor turns it from this...


... into this. A smooth puree ready for pie, cookies, or whatever else you like to make with pumpkin.

One trick I learned for dealing with leftover pumpkin puree - measure 1-cup amounts into a sandwich size Ziploc. Smooth flat and lay in the freezer. Next time you need a cup of pumpkin puree just take out a bag and let it defrost on the counter.

Halloween 2009

Just a quick post to share some pictures.

Friday I made a double-batch of my favorite cookies. (recipe at the bottom)


I love fall baking. Mostly because I love using these spices.


These cookies stay amazingly moist, and disappear quite quickly.


And because Halloween is just not Halloween without some pumpkin carving/decorating, I humbly submit the following...

My husband's R2D2 pumpkin.


And my winky pumpkin.


Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and sugars. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

I can't remember where I found this recipe, but it is amazing.

What is your favorite thing to bake in the Fall?

Autumn is here!

Yesterday my husband and I went to South 47 Farm. We thought we'd pick some apples, but it turned out that they didn't have apples ready for picking. So we came home with squash instead. While we were there we wandered around the farm and saw many good things to eat. Here's a small sampling.










I can't resist feeding the farm animals. Say hello to the alpaca!



What we brought home:

From Trips to the Farm