{Or plain old Pumpkin Bread if you prefer!} If you're like me, you are deep in the midst of last minute Christmas prep, and not really looking for one more thing to do. Or maybe, even more like me, you are near the end of Christmas prep, because you're leaving in a few days, and you realize you are short a few baked gifts for the neighborhood? Yup - that. And then, you suddenly realize that you have never posted your favorite Pumpkin Bread recipe on the blog. Say whaaa? So, even though I just ... Read More about Pumpkin Bread with Walnuts and Raisins
Baking
Applesauce Quick Bread
Though the main part of my food preservation season is winding down, there are still a few things left to do. [Like make Applesauce Quick Bread, which we'll get to in just a moment!] We have apple trees, but don't get many apples from them, so it's fortunate that we can find a lot of them locally. This time of year, apples are a very good buy, since a lot of seasonal places are looking to get rid of what they have before closing for the season. No fall is complete without a trip to our older ... Read More about Applesauce Quick Bread
Pumpkin Yogurt Crunch Cake
Things have been really busy around here so far this year. Lots of visits with kids and grandkids, with more to come, lots of poring over seed catalogs and gardening books, and lots of cooking. Lately I have not felt that a lot of the recipes I've worked on have been blog-worthy. I have a certain standard in mind for what I share here, and while I have some good ideas that I am working on, not many of them have gotten to the point where they are ready for prime-time. This cake is a huge ... Read More about Pumpkin Yogurt Crunch Cake
Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies
You may not think that the world needs another chocolate chip cookie recipe. But, with the year we have had, I have to disagree. We've needed all the tasty, melty, creamy chocolate chunks surrounded by caramelly, chewy cookies that we could get. Make no mistake - it has not been an entirely bad year. In fact, we've had some pretty wonderful things happen, like the birth of a new grandson and starting our Farmer's Market business. There have been lots of blessings along the way, but beginning as ... Read More about Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Pumpkin Beer Bread
One of the nice things about doing a local Farmer's market this past summer, was getting to know the other growers, entrepreneurs, and makers in our area. They are, without exception, people who work hard, and take a lot of pride in the products that they produce. We are, as you know if you read here very often, big believers in sourcing food as locally as possible, whenever possible. You get the freshest and probably healthiest food that way. And beverages that are sourced locally can be pretty ... Read More about Pumpkin Beer Bread
Stand Mixer Italian Bread
I have to be honest and tell you that I would love a do-over for this year so far. It's been a difficult one, to say the least. I'll get into some of it in posts to come probably. But - I'm looking forward now, and this recipe is a good place to begin. It's from my old blog actually, but a year-round treat that we always enjoy. The fact that it is dead easy doesn't hurt either. Making bread can seem daunting if it's not been your thing before, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes. I ... Read More about Stand Mixer Italian Bread
Upside Down Grapefruit Cake
You don't see that many recipes using grapefruits in baking. I guess they don't have quite the same pizzazz as lemons and limes, and they are not as sweet as most oranges. If you juice them, the flavor isn't really bold enough to hold up much grapefruit flavor - unless you reduce it, and then it loses a lot of it's pop because you lose the fresh uncooked flavor. The trick is to use the fruit itself. I love fresh grapefruits, and don't mind the trouble involved to section them, but Larry can't ... Read More about Upside Down Grapefruit Cake
Soft Cornmeal Muffins
It has been quite a winter around here, and I would be lying if I said it has been an easy one to get through. Not because of the weather - we live where we expect the winters to be fierce and getting a bad one is no reason for sniveling. I will tell you that as I am writing this on March 13th, there are still several feet of snow everywhere around us, and not a single bare patch anywhere in the yard. Even the chickens refuse to range, preferring to sit in the doorway and peer out on the ... Read More about Soft Cornmeal Muffins
Sour Cherry Almond Bars
As I have mentioned a time or two [or 50!], my husband is rather fond of cookies. When our house is in a state of no cookies, it makes him a sad, sad man. So you can probably imagine that he is a huge fan of this time of year. He doesn't think of it as "Christmastime", like the rest of us do. To Larry, this is "cookietime". And now that he is retired, he can devote himself even more fully to the testing of whatever new cookies I am trying out for the blog this year. This makes him a happy happy ... Read More about Sour Cherry Almond Bars
Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
It really is beginning to look like Christmas! We're in the middle of a 3-day winter storm that promises to bring us multiple inches of snow which is currently being blown about in a very festive fashion. Which is good, because we are under a bit of pressure here. Due to the nature of our older son-in-law's job, it is rare that he can get off enough days at Christmas for them to come here for the holiday, but this year is an exception. They live in northern NY, so you can pretty much figure on a ... Read More about Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Espresso Spritz Cookies
Chocolate Espresso Spritz Cookies with Kahlúa Cream Filling I love spritz type cookies. They have been a lifesaver for me more times than I could ever count. I'll bet everyone with kids has had this conversation, usually held at 9:45PM: "Mom, I am supposed to bringing cookies in for my class" "Okay, when?" "Tomorrow!" This is when spritz cookies come to your rescue - you can churn out a good sized batch of buttery, cute cookies in no time at all. No chilling of the dough, or fooling around with ... Read More about Chocolate Espresso Spritz Cookies
Molasses Apple Cobbler
A perfect last minute Thanksgiving Dessert Things are pretty exciting around here right now. We had barely finished our fall cleanup chores, when deer season started. Then we ordered a half of a pastured pig. And a split quarter of an organic grass fed steer. And on the second day of deer season, Larry got a deer. So - we had to buy another freezer, which meant we had to completely reorganize our spare room, which also doubles as a spare bedroom. This is all part of our determination to stop ... Read More about Molasses Apple Cobbler