The Colors of Fall

"All my life through, the new sights of nature made me rejoice like a child." --Marie Curie


     Last weekend we took a beautiful fall drive up Middle Canyon and went all the way to the top to the Kennecott Overlook. 

 

    

 

This past month in our book club we read the book Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Lee.  It was a very sweet story of a Chinese boy who falls in love with a Japanese girl in the United States in 1942.  I was so impressed by the boy's selflessness.

 

 

 

 

Isn't this the cutest little kitchen towel.  My friend, Pam, made it for me.  I hate to wipe my hands on it because I don't want to get it messed up.

 

 

 

My family has had so many recipes made with pumpkin in the last few weeks but they haven't complained.  I tried this recipe for Pumpkin Waffles and it was a hit!  I adapted it from a recipe from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine.

 

Pumpkin Waffles

 

¾ cup flour

½ cup whole wheat flour                                            2 eggs

2 Tbsp. brown sugar                                  1 ¼ cups buttermilk  (or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. baking powder                                                              with 1 ¼ cups milk)

¼ tsp. baking soda                                                       ½ cup fresh or canned pumpkin

¼ tsp. salt                                                                    2 Tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. ground cloves

Combine the first nine ingredients in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin and melted butter.  Stir into the dry ingredients until just moistened.

Bake in a preheated waffle iron until golden brown.  Serve with maple syrup.  Apricot jam is also really good.  Recipe makes 4 large waffles.

 

Here is pumpkin recipe number 2.  I found this recipe when I was doing a search for pumpkin cheesecake.  I love the gingersnap crust.  It didn't last long around this house.  Look forward to more pumpkin recipes on the next post.

 

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust

Adapted from Kicked Up Cookie Recipes
Makes about 24 bars

Ingredients

2 cups finely crushed gingersnaps (about 30 cookies)
1/4 cup salted butter, melted

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 13×9 inch pan.

Combine crushed gingersnaps and melted butter in a small bowl. Press mixture into bottom of the prepared baking pan. Even out with the flat bottom of a glass, if needed.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes or until crust is firm. Set aside to cool.

While the crust is cooling, stir together pumpkin, flour, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl.

In a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate completely after each addition.

Stir 1 1/2 cups of the cream cheese batter into the pumpkin mixture until smooth. Pour the remaining cream cheese batter over cooled crust.

Spoon the pumpkin batter over top of cream cheese batter and using a butter knife, gently spread evenly over the cheesecake mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until center is set. Cool at room temperature for about an hour, then chill in the refrigerator before cutting into bars

 

 

I made this quilt a few years ago.  I found the pattern in a quilting magazine.  It was called Leaves and Log Cabins.  I changed the pattern slightly by enlarging each block.