MOM'S PUMPKIN BREAD

Fall has definitely arrived!  And you know what that means…..pumpkin dishes.

Dee hosted the last  gathering for our Mexican Train group.  She had just finished setting out snacks for us to enjoy and was wrapping the second loaf of the pumpkin bread in foil to save when I arrived.  (She was nice enough to unwrap it for me to get a picture of it to share.)  

All of the different pumpkin dishes is one of the things that I like about  the fall. I have so many ….some that I have shared here on my blog ….others I plan to make and share over the next few weeks.

This recipe Dee  said was from her son’s co-worker’s mom. She made it in the coffee cans. Since Dee didn’t have any coffee cans, she decided to try it in two large loaf pans. She then had to adjust the cooking time and oven temperature. I have never cooked bread in coffee cans. The recipe made two very generous   9 x 5 – inch loaves  so if you want to try it in the coffee cans, make sure you have an extra one since it says to fill just a little over half full. Also don’t forget when she made this recipe she might have used 1-lb coffee cans which I don’t think they make anymore, do they? (I don’t drink coffee and my husband buys coffee in bags.)

It was very, very good….and enjoyed by all.

MOM’S PUMPKIN BREAD

3    cups flour

1     teaspoon cinnamon

1     teaspoon allspice

1     teaspoon cloves

1     teaspoon nutmeg

1     teaspoon baking powder

½   teaspoon salt

½   teaspoon baking soda

1     cup oil

3    cups sugar

3    eggs

1     teaspoon vanilla

1     cup nuts

2    cups pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  if using two greased 9 x 5 – inch loaf pans….250 degrees F. if using three greased coffee cans.

Mix together well the oil, sugar, eggs vanilla, nuts, and pumpkin.

Combine the dry ingredients together and then add them to the wet mixture.

Pour batter into pans/cans and bake 1 hr for the loaf pans and 2-1/2 hrs for the coffee can (filled a little over half full).

MY SUDOKU LAP QUILT (PART 3)

I wasn’t in a hurry to get my Sudoku lap quilt made, but I didn’t know it would take me quite this long, either.  I do have to remember that I took a vacation for almost 2 weeks as a disruption.  But I finally finished it this past weekend. Yea!!!!!

To bring you up to date ….

In part 1 of my tutorial, I cut the squares, gave each pattern a different number, and then laid the quilt top out using a Sudoku puzzle that I had fun completing.  Sewing the squares together into the quilt top didn’t take too long.

In part 2, I went over to the church and used the room that Blankets of Hope uses because I could put two big tables together to layer the quilt top, the batting, and the backing and make sure all the layers were straight.  Pinning them together, I brought it home to start the machine quilting. 

In deciding how I wanted to machine quilt it, I knew I wanted to enhance the idea of the Sudoku puzzle ... and 9 sets of the 9 different prints.  When I machine quilt, I usually "stitch-in-the-ditch" and sew diagonal.  That is what I decided to do with this one.

I first "stitched-in-the-ditch" (stitching along the seam line on top as closely as possible) along the dark lines dividing the top into 9 quadrants.  (I didn't stitch on the outside edge.)

For a guide to sew the diagonals, I used scotch tape.

and stitched.

After I finished the machine quilting, I still hadn’t decided what I was going to use for  the binding.  I really liked the 105 – inch wide batik that I found to use for the backing.  (I didn’t need that much…actually only half that much , but I decided I would just cut it in half and make a “fat half” and then I could use the other half for another project.)  I considered piecing scraps from the 9 prints I used for the top to make binding, but I didn’t want any competition from the binding with the quilt top.  

Janice suggested using the backing but if I used any of the other “half” that would mess me up using it for another lap quilt.  Then one day I was looking at it and realized that I had left more than enough around the edges to just bring the backing over to the front and use it for the binding. (Sometimes things come to me slowly.)  So that is what I did.

The first thing to do was to trim the batting.  I could have simply cut it using my scissors but I wanted to make sure it was “square”.  To do that, I would need to use my rotary cutter and ruler.

I pulled the backing back as far as I could and taped it. Since I would be trimming away the batting from the front side, I wanted to make sure the backing wouldn’t get cut.  (I had machine quilted to the edge of the quilt top.)

After that was done, I cut the backing ¾ inches wider than the quilt top.

At my ironing board, I folded the raw edges back to the quilt top and pressed.

Pulling the folded “binding” over the quilt top, I pinned the binding down and hand stitched it down with a blind stitch.

How to make a hem using a blind stitch:

Thread a smaller needle and knot only one end to have a single thread.  Run the needle through the hem about ¼ inch as closely to the edge (fold) as you can.

Insert the needle in the “quilt” under the “hem” area slightly behind where the thread comes out and bring the needle up just past the thread and pull taut.

Insert the needle as close to where the thread came out and run the needle through the hem about ¼ inch as before.

Just keep repeating working as close to the fold edge as you can.

What to do when you come to the corners when wrapping the backing  around to use as the binding:

(Side 1 will be the side you are coming from with the hem.  Side 2 will be the side “around the corner”.)

Lay your work on a flat work surface.  Open out the “binding” on Side 2 while keeping the binding on Side 1 folded and laying against the quilt.

Finding the edge of the quilt under the binding, fold the excess binding along the edge of the quilt on Side 2 forming a diagonal with the binding.

Refold the raw edges of the binding on Side 2 along the press line.

Fold again the binding down so that the binding on Side 2 makes a perfect miter with Side 1.

After I finished the hem, I stitched “in the ditch” as closely to my hem as I could so that it would look finished on the back.  It also made the binding "pop" which gave some dimension to the binding.

Clipping all my threads (mainly on the back from the machine quilting), my Sudoku lap quilt was finished.

Here are the 9 prints in one of the quadrants.










The view from the back...

GRAND FINALE APPLE CAKE

I love getting together with friends. I am definitely a "people person". I am happier when I am with someone or someones than when I am by myself.

I also love when we eat....especially desserts....homemade desserts. Most of my friends are more than willing to share their recipes with me for my blog. I don't have all the pictures to share of making the dish, but that's okay. I have the most important ones of the finished product. Several of my friends have taken and sent pictures to me along with the recipe when they have made dishes I won't be eating. I love that! I love that they care enough about me and my blog that they think to take pictures and send them to me.

The recipe I am sharing today was another one from my friend Carol that she served last week when the Tasty Bunch met. I only have pictures of the finished cake, but let me tell you, that is really all you need. I wish somehow you could smell and taste it just by looking at them. It was so delicious and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone in the group.

Before we left Carol and Keith's, I asked her for the recipe. She told me she would have to write it up as she altered her original recipe when she decided to add different chips (she said she had never seen cinnamon chips before she saw them in the store and decided to try them) and mix the raisins. The combination she came up with totally successful.

I asked Carol if she used Splenda for the sugar because I know she often does. She said she didn't this time, but you could use 2 cups of Splenda or truvia  or 1 cup of blend.

Grand Finale Apple Cake

         4 cups diced apples                   1 cup oil

         2 cups sugar                             2 beaten eggs

         2 cups flour                               1 tbsp Worcestershire

         2 tsp baking soda                      1 tsp vanilla

          1 tsp salt                                   1 cup chopped walnuts

         2 tsp cinnamon                         ½ cup golden raisins

         ½ tsp nutmeg                             1/2 cup  brown raisins

         ½ tsp cloves                              ½ cup butterscotch chips           

                                                           ½ cup cinnamon chips

Combine the apples and sugar and set aside for 15 minutes.  

Sift together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  

Stir together the oil, eggs, Worcestershire and vanilla.  

Combine the nuts, raisins and chips.  

In a large bowl stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture. 

Fold in the apples.  

Then fold in the nut mixture.  

Spoon batter into a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with baking spray.  

Bake in a 325 degrees F. oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  

Brush caramel glaze on cake.  (See below.)

CARAMEL GLAZE

1/3    cup packed brown sugar blend
3       tablespoons butter or margarine
1       tablespoon milk

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Let cool for 1 minute.  Then drizzle and spread on cake.  (Carol uses a pastry brush to spread the glaze.)  

This can also be made in a Bundt pan.

This is how many of us enjoyed Carol's cake. She had Smuckers caramel sauce in pitchers that we could pour over the cake. Perfect addition!

NO SEWING ALLOWED JACK-O-LANTERN T-SHIRT

Last year I made our grandson, Tyler, a Jack-o-Lantern bib. I used an orange towel and I was really pleased with the outcome.  

This year I decided to make him a Jack-o-Lantern t-shirt. At first it looked like I might have a difficult time finding a plain orange t-shirt for him. The ones I saw already had a printed front or had a pocket. Finally once day I was in Wal-mart and decided to look through the kids clothes. And there it was... an orange Garanimals t-shirt in 18 months. Yea!!!!!  It even has long sleeves. I decided to make it with no sewing to show how simple it could be to make one, because I know some people don't sew.

It actually took me longer to make a "face" that I liked than it did to "make" the t-shirt.  

Here is the final result. I haven't given it to Tyler yet, but I can hardly wait to see him wearing it.

Materials you will need:

1       orange t-shirt
scrap of black fabric (I just used 100% cotton)
Pellon Wonder-Under Transfer Web (paper backed adhesive)
tracing paper
pencil or pen
scissors
press cloth
iron

Directions:

Draw  and cut out the "face" you want for the Jack-o-Lantern on tracing paper making sure it will fit on the front of the shirt.

Lay the pieces on the scrap of black fabric.

Cut the Wonder-Under the size necessary to cover the area of the fabric needed.

Remove the pattern pieces and press the Wonder-Under with the rough side down with a hot, dry iron for 5 - 8 seconds.

Cut around the edges of the Wonder-Under and draw the outline of the pattern pieces on the Wonder-Under with a pencil or pen.

Gently peel off the paper backing. (I find that the easiest way to get it started is at a point.)

Position the pieces to make the "face" on the t-shirt.

Cover the area with a damp press cloth.  With the iron on the wool setting, press firmly 10 - 15 seconds.  (Heavier fabrics  = more time.)  Repeat, lifting and overlapping iron until all fabric is fused. (I used a wash cloth that was a little too thick.  Suggest a thinner cotton cloth.)

Remove the press cloth and iron area to eliminate excess moisture. With this final step, I made sure the edges were completely fused.

The shirt is still washable on the delicate cycle. (I would turn the shirt inside out.) The care instructions with the Wonder-Under says to not use fabric softener. Tumble dry on low or finish drying on a hanger.

UPDATE!!!!

Last year I made a Mickey Mouse Halloween T-shirt for Grandson Tyler and a Batman one for Grandson Henry. I made Granddaughter Madison a shiny ghost. They looked so cute. You can check them out HERE.

APPLE PEAR CRISP

I think I have mentioned our pear tree in earlier posts.  The tree is only 4 years old, but it outdid itself this year.  In previous years I could easily count the number of pears it produced (last year especially since it produced 0).  It produced so many this year I quit trying to count. I have really enjoyed searching for, finding some, and then trying some new recipes.  I didn't realize there were so many different recipes out there.  

Here is a picture we took of a bunch we picked over a month ago. We couldn't remember the variety but remembered that the pears wouldn't ripen on the tree.  I needed to pick them green and then wrap individually in newspaper until they ripened.  (We since have discovered they are Keiffer pears thanks to our friend Jim.) 

Anyway, I followed the directions I remembered and as soon as they started feeling a little soft, I cooked with them. (The directions didn't describe what "ripe" meant.)





We had a trip planned for the end of September to go to Myrtle Beach, NC for a week with plans to then go by and visit family on the way back home.  So a day or two before we were to leave, my husband picked the rest of the pears from the tree and I wrapped them.  I hoped they would still be okay when we got back.

Well, this is what they looked like when we got back. (These are different pears...I cooked the other ones.  All of them didn't have a blush...we just put them on top to make a pretty picture.)  I was so surprised when I unwrapped them.  I didn't know they would turn yellow when they were fully ripe.  They are also really sweet and delicious to eat.  (I thought they were a "cooking pear".)









This recipe for Apple Pear Crisp is one my friend Carol made with two pears I gave her -- the first (green) ones.  After we got back from our trip, I made the recipe with some yellow ripe ones.  Since Carol's recipe just said the number of apples and pears and not how much, I measured how much the two apples made (about 3 cups) and then made sure that the 2 pears also made about 3 cups.  They didn't so I added one more small one.  You can just use 2 of each or do as I did and make the amounts equal.  I also decided to reduce the brown sugar in the topping in my recipe as the topping was very sweet. 

  

APPLE PEAR CRISP

2       apples, cored, peeled, and cut into bite size pieces 
2       pears, cored, peeled, and cut into bite size pieces
1/2    cup dried cranberries
1       tablespoon brown sugar blend
1       tablespoon flour
2       tablespoons honey
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Topping:
1/2    cup flour
1/2    cup brown sugar or 1/4 cup brown sugar blend
1/2    cup quick oats
1/2    cup walnut pieces
1/2    cup softened butter (1 stick)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (350 degrees F if using a glass baking dish).  Spray a 9 - inch baking dish (or a similar size-I used an 8 x 11 - inch glass baking dish)

Combine equal amounts of chopped apples and pears (I had about 3 cups of each) and cranberries in a large bowl.  Stir together the brown sugar blend, flour, honey, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Toss the fruit with the mixture.  Spread in prepared pan.

In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients.  

Drop small dollops on top of the fruit mixture using a small spoon to evenly cover the fruit.

Bake for 45 minutes until brown or crisp on top.

Can serve warm alone or with ice cream. (It was actually cold in this picture, but tastes great warm.)

Can also let it completely cool and cut in squares and serve. 









I love the recipe.  The combination of apples, pears, dried cranberries, and nuts are fabulous.  Thanks Carol for sharing this one with me.

SOME FAVORITE CHICKEN RECIPES

I like having a post that is an index for similar recipes.  I have made two indexes....one for recipes that contain chocolate and one for favorite fall recipes.  They are so handy when I want to make a recipe that I know I have shared here.

We eat a lot of chicken.  I had a few recipes, but since I started this blog I have discovered a number of really good recipes for preparing chicken. So it seems only natural that I would gather those recipes together (at least links to them) in one place.  As with the other indexes I have done, I will update the index as I find more tasty recipes using chicken.

cheesy chicken crunchers

cheesy chicken rice casserole

baked lemon chicken

grilled balsamic chicken breast

dinner in one dish

jiffy chicken tenders

cornbread chicken pot pie

one-pot-garden-chicken noodles

pecan-crusted-baked chicken tenders

chicken parmigiana

cheddar-bacon-chicken tenders

crock-pot-chicken-and-rice

all-american-oven-fried chicken tenders

mini chicken-pot pies

stephenson's baked-chicken-n-butter