photo from lsa.uoregon.eduMy backyard:
Kidding, The Japanese Gardens in Portland, photos from their website.Other highlights of fall:
Harvesting crops. No, I didn't grow these, let's not get carried away. I bought these organic heirlooms from a local farm. We made tomato salad, tomato sauce, salsa...that's it.
Whitman turned 18 months and started nursery. What a relief.
Pumpkin Foods
Behold the only photo I took of Pumpkin Bread:
Mmmmm, enticing, isn't it? It really is a great recipe, it's more of a cake than bread, but the recipe is written for one large loaf. My theory is that if you're going to mess up your kitchen, why not double the batch? Or triple it? I forgot that the recipe was so large, really already two loaves, so I tripled the batch. I have the large Kitchen Aid, but that couldn't begin to hold the batter. Nor could my largest bowl. It took a combination of 3 large bowls and a ridiculous amount of mixing by hand and transferring bowls to finish the recipe. I should have figured it out when I started adding 12 eggs, 9 cups sugar, 6 cups flour...
I don't have a picture of the finished product, but I do receive compliments whenever I give it out. Not that you asked, but here's the recipe:
Pumpkin Bread (Cake)
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
2 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1&1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 Tblsp pumpkin pie spice
Grease and flour two larger loaf pans. Mix liquid ingredients in electric mixer. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl, then add dry to liquid mix. Mix well. Pour batter into pans and bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour, until a knife inserted comes out clean. This bread is so moist it's almost impossible to over bake. Just don't under bake it.
When cool, I like to frost the top only with cream cheese frosting. Don't even think about asking me for that basic recipe. The end.
I was going to finish with an expose on casseroles and why I love soup, but this is already too long and I'm out of patience. Stay tuned.
If you're feeling chatty, tell me what you love about fall.
Harvesting crops. No, I didn't grow these, let's not get carried away. I bought these organic heirlooms from a local farm. We made tomato salad, tomato sauce, salsa...that's it.
Whitman turned 18 months and started nursery. What a relief.Kids in leaves:
Okay boys, get your orange shirts on, it's time to play in the leaves! Do you know what problem I had this year and every year? All the gorgeous parks are a little too well manicured. As soon as it's dry out, the leaf-blowers come and whisk away all the leaves and my photo opportunities with it. This also drives my kids nuts because they like to make giant leaf piles to jump in. So I've started driving around with a giant rake stuffed into the back of my car in case we find a park that hasn't been de-leafed.
Okay boys, get your orange shirts on, it's time to play in the leaves! Do you know what problem I had this year and every year? All the gorgeous parks are a little too well manicured. As soon as it's dry out, the leaf-blowers come and whisk away all the leaves and my photo opportunities with it. This also drives my kids nuts because they like to make giant leaf piles to jump in. So I've started driving around with a giant rake stuffed into the back of my car in case we find a park that hasn't been de-leafed. 
Pumpkin Foods
Behold the only photo I took of Pumpkin Bread:
Mmmmm, enticing, isn't it? It really is a great recipe, it's more of a cake than bread, but the recipe is written for one large loaf. My theory is that if you're going to mess up your kitchen, why not double the batch? Or triple it? I forgot that the recipe was so large, really already two loaves, so I tripled the batch. I have the large Kitchen Aid, but that couldn't begin to hold the batter. Nor could my largest bowl. It took a combination of 3 large bowls and a ridiculous amount of mixing by hand and transferring bowls to finish the recipe. I should have figured it out when I started adding 12 eggs, 9 cups sugar, 6 cups flour...I don't have a picture of the finished product, but I do receive compliments whenever I give it out. Not that you asked, but here's the recipe:
Pumpkin Bread (Cake)
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
2 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1&1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 Tblsp pumpkin pie spice
Grease and flour two larger loaf pans. Mix liquid ingredients in electric mixer. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl, then add dry to liquid mix. Mix well. Pour batter into pans and bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour, until a knife inserted comes out clean. This bread is so moist it's almost impossible to over bake. Just don't under bake it.
When cool, I like to frost the top only with cream cheese frosting. Don't even think about asking me for that basic recipe. The end.
I was going to finish with an expose on casseroles and why I love soup, but this is already too long and I'm out of patience. Stay tuned.
If you're feeling chatty, tell me what you love about fall.
7 comments:
I love fall too. You should have come over to my backyard to get your photos. I had a ton of leaves! I took some pictures of Benton in them before it rained. I put some of them on my blog if you want to see. I would have to say that they are my favorite part of this fall so far
What a shame the parks are so well maintained! Sounds like a combrag to me!
Now if you had an old house like me, you would have your own tree to dump a messy heap of leaves in your front yard for you. Just one of the joys of living in a 1960's home. That and having to clean the tree roots out of your septic pipe. Actually Roto Rooter does it, but you have to pay.
I live in Az. I'm super duper jealous of your fall wonderland.
Anything pumpkin oriented in the fall makes me happy. I blogged about my pumpkin bread last week. Can't get enough of that stuff!
Wait a minute...pictures of kids playing outside, a recipe, talking about your kid in nursery. What kind of blog is this? WHAT HAVE YOU REDUCED YOURSELF TO??
Pumpkin baking! I look forward to it all year!
And the cooler weather/ use of clothes other than shorts!
I love autumn leaf photos. I think it is funny that you rode around with a rake in your car awaiting your chance for a photo op. I saw the boys wearing their sweaters yesterday at church and they look more orange in person but they look redder in the photo.
I'm really craving some pumpkin bread/cake now.
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