Pumpkin Week - Pumpkin Scones

And so endeth Pumpkin Week. *Cue sad violin*

I have been so inspired and hungry from all the delicious pumpkin recipes this week. They really ran the course - from breakfast with Kirsten's Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, to dinner with Shanna's Pumpkin Risotto, to all manner of desserts and sweets including Mads' Pumpkin Spice Cake and Carrie's Pumpkin Pie Macarons. Be sure to check out the fill list below! I have been so inspired by pumpkin this week, that I've gone out and bought WAY too much pumpkin and now I'm going to have to eat it all. Oh darn. Woops? Can't wait!

To the scones... I was slow on the scone train. They just seemed so boring to me. And, for some reason, I always thought they were terribly complicated. I don't know where I got this impression. I made this batch of scones while having an indepth discussion with my mom about birthing plans. Not my birthing plan - I have nothing to birth right now. This is how rumors get started. About HER plans, from *mumble mumble* years ago. Never mind. If I can assemble while contributing and getting mildly horrified about all the creams that accompany pre and post-birthing side effects, then it is a terribly EASY recipe.

I really didn't think that scones had much taste when I first tried them. They were bricks. Dense. Not much flavor to speak of. Really just a way to get butter and jam into your mouth. But isn't that why we have biscuits? Plus biscuits are moister... right?

Turns out I was eating all the wrong scones. These scones, by Surly Kitchen, and inspired by the great and powerful Starbucks Pumpkin Scones, are tender, and flavorful, and like all things that pumpkin touches, are very moist. That's right, Megan. Moist. These scones are moist. One more time for Megan: MOIST. And just good. Good with butter. Good with Jeanne's Cinnamon Honey Butter. Good devonshire cream. Good with spiced icing. Dipped in coffee. Dipped in leftover donut frosting. Good in your mouth.

Check out all the great posts from this week!
Monday: Kirsten from Comfortably Domestic makes Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
I made Struesel topped Pumpkin Bread

Tuesday: Jeanne from Inside Nana Bread's Head makes Pumpkin Waffles
Carrie from Bakeaholic Mama makes Pumpkin Pie Macarons

Wednesday: Megan from Wanna Be a County Cleaver makes Pumpkin Cheesecake
Allison from Decadent Philistines Take Over The World makes Pumpkin Marshmallows
Shanna from Pineapple and Coconut makes Pumpkin Risotto

Thursday: Anne from From My Sweet Heart makes Pumpkin Donuts
Kat from Tenaciously Yours makes Marbled Gingersnap Tart
Mads from La Petite Pancake makes Pumpkin Spice Cake with Frosting

Friday: Madeline from Munching in the Mitten makes Savory Pumpkin Tart
Lauren from Climbing Grier Mountain makes Pumpkin Mousse
Kirsten from Comfortably Domestic makes Pumpkin Kiss Cookies

Saturday: Monica from The Grommom makes Pumpkin Ice Cream

Pumpkin Scones
Makes 12

Adapted from Surly Kitchen's Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Scones

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 Tbl cold butter, cut into chunks
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
3 Tbl buttermilk
1 large egg

1. Preheat the oven to 375*F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Whisk together.
3. Add the cut butter into the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture is a coarse texture throughout.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
5. Fold the wet ingredients into the butter and dry mixture.
6. As the dough forms a ball, turn it onto a floured surface. Fold the dough on itself two or three times. Pat into a large rectangle about 1" thick. (I didn't measure mine, but Surly says hers was about 7" x 11" in size).
7. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough in half the long way (hot dog). Cut the dough into thirds along the long side (hamburger?). You should have six triangles. Cut these diagonally.
8. Place the 12 scones on the baking sheet. Try not to have them touch or crowd, but they shouldn't expand too much during baking.
9. Bake for 20 - 22 minutes, or until just starting to brown on top and corners.
10. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Optional Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 scant tsp vanilla extract
About 3 Tbl Soy Milk

1. Mix together. Drizzle lazily over the scones.

Pumpkin Week - Streusel Topped Pumpkin Loaf

Blah, blah, I love fall, blah blah blah. So does everyone else. Here's some math (I love math) - fall is the favorite season of 1/3 of Americans. With 4 seasons, that's statistically significant. Trust me - I'm a scientist.

Is anyone still reading this? Nothing says "Hook 'em" like a math opener. Let's start over.

IT'S PUMPKIN WEEK!

I do like fall. Just not in the Northwest. The rain has started. The rain is here to stay. The rain will continue, practically non-stop until May. What MOST people love about fall is the same sort of list that I used to have about fall in Denver. The bite of the first frost. The cooler days. The rainbow of leaf colors, with the still-green-grass, against the back drop of clear blue sky. A last chance to get outside and enjoy the weather before winter hits. Maybe the first snow. Pumpkin spice lattes blowing up my news feed.

Very few of these things overlap with Pacific Northwest falls. Except for the Pumpkin Spice Lattes (OMG, we get it, okay?). Another thing the PNW brings for fall is spider. Oh. Em. Gee. The spiders. They are EVERYWHERE. I honestly do not remember that the spiders were this bad here last year. And two years ago, we were in an apartment building with indoor entryways. Hardly any spiders there. Oh, those were the days. But now, on the ground level, surrounded by trees, and with lots of windows, I'm constantly afraid. And just when I let my guard down... BOOM! That black thread is actually a beast.

ANYWAY. Aside from fear, fall for me is about baking. Since I can't go outside and enjoy the color like everyone else, my weekends are full of fires, open blinds (to see the color), and a cranked oven. Recently, I cranked out this pumpkin loaf that I found online. It is so insanely good. It is so moist and crumbly that it goes down just a little too easily. Lots of pumpkin, just a bit of crunch on top, and just a hint of sweet. For something a little richer, it's great with butter, left over cream cheese frosting, or even a little Greek yogurt. I can easily see keeping a loaf of this on hand in the freezer for emergency cravings.

Before you get too far ahead, be sure to check out some of the other Pumpkin Week Specials!
Monday: Kirsten from Comfortably Domestic makes Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Tuesday: Jeanne from Inside Nana Bread's Head makes Pumpkin Waffles
Carrie from Bakeaholic Mama makes Pumpkin Pie Macarons

Wednesday: Megan from Wanna Be a County Cleaver makes Pumpkin Cheesecake
Allison from Decadent Philistines Take Over The World makes Pumpkin Marshmallows
Shanna from Pineapple and Coconut makes Pumpkin Risotto

Thursday: Anne from From My Sweet Heart makes Pumpkin Donuts
Kat from Tenaciously Yours makes Marbled Gingersnap Tart
Mads from La Petite Pancake makes Pumpkin Spice Cake with Frosting

Friday: Madeline from Munching in the Mitten makes Savory Pumpkin Tart
Lauren from Climbing Grier Mountain makes Pumpkin Mousse
Kirsten from Comfortably Domestic makes Pumpkin Kiss Cookies

Saturday: Monica from The Grommom makes Pumpkin Ice Cream
I'm back with Pumpkin Scones

Pumpkin Streusel Bread
Adapted from Mommy, I'm Hungry

Batter:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin (not pre-seasoned pumpkin pie filling)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk

Topping:
2/3 cup plus 2 Tbl rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbl butter

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Grease two loaf pans (or a 9x9 pan) and line with parchment paper.
3. To make the topping, combine 2/3 cup oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor. Add butter and cut it just until crumbly. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Stir in remaining oats. Set aside.
4. Whisk together the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
5. In the bowl of a mixer, but the butter until smooth. Add in the sugar and whip until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape in between additions, and stir until well-combined.
6. Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract to the butter mixture.
7. Gradually add the dry ingredients. Slowly add the milk. Transfer the batter to the pans. Spread the topping gently and evenly between the pans.
8. Bake the loaves for about 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. If baking two, rotate halfway through.
9. Allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely.
10. Omnomnom

Sorry, dude, wrong number

This may not be a real post. There's certainly not any food in it... but today I really tickled myself. And then a friend suggested that I tell a bunch of strangers about it. Because how can I make this guy's day worse? Public humilation.

So I'm just minding my own business today at lunch, when I get a text from an unknown number. Not even an area code I'm familiar with. And unless I blacked out while running errands at the mall, I didn't (1) get hit on by any dudes, (2) tell him my name is Carlie, or (3) give him my number.

Below are some screen shots of my follow trol of this poor guy. I kind of hated to rub it in, but I really tried to help him out in the end, but he wasn't having any of it.

Here's the photo (a little larger) - it's a meme of Mads' dog Josie after she stopped moving mid-walk.

 

And then...

Here's the larger giraffe...

And the abrupt conclusion :-(

I was really trying to help him out with the pick-up line... but he was NOT interested. On the plus side, my whole day was a little bit brighter by these events.


How do you perk up when you're having a bad week?

Shakshuka!

Let’s talk travel recipes.

Last March, I went to Israel. I had some mind-blowing food. I was absolutely struck by the simplicity and intensity of the regional flavors. Even the flavor of the raw produce had a different (better?) flavor – more concentrated. I can’t really explain the difference. At breakfast we would be offered eggs, potatoes of some fashion, and a fresh salad bar. There was some canned fruit, but mostly fresh vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, salad, olives). I thought it was unusual to have fresh salad with my breakfast (but obviously I tried it). Basically it was like tasting cucumbers for the first time. My English skills are not advanced enough to appropriately describe the flavor explosion that happened in my mouth. And that seemed to happen with everything I tried.

About half-way through the trip, we stopped at our first market. There were baked goods and fresh produce and breads and olives and nuts and spices and ALL THE THINGS. All of them. It was like someone took Pike’s Place Market, put it on steroids, then put Bulked Up Pike’s Place on a flavor binge, and then rounded up Big Fat Pike’s Place’s fat friends and they all got together and staged a sit-in all over Israel. THAT much food. And things. And just… like whoa. (Did I mention I don’t really have the words?)

After visiting a few vendors, and completely gorging on outrageous baked goods (the highlight of the day being the fresh-from-the-oven chocolate rugalach. I could literally write a book on how good this pastry is, but it would be lots of “really really really really really really really good, like you don’t even know how really really really really really really really really really baller moist and delicious it is” and that gets boring in 1 sentence, let alone 200 pages) I set out on a spice mission. It was getting close to our meeting time to head back to the bus, but I happened upon our tour guide and another group leader having a snack just outside the plaza. First of all, the tour guide sent me back out IMMEDIATELY because I had failed to buy any za’atar. When I came back, I was able to try a bite of the left over shakshuka from our leader’s lunch. It was divine. I’d had baked eggs before, but never like this. And paired with the flavorful bread (of course it was flavorful) it was (not to be repetitive) a flavor explosion in MY MOUTH. Later on the bus, our fearless tour guide gave us his own personal recipe on making shakshuka at home. Believe you me, it did not take me almost 6 months to make this dish. In fact, it was one of the first things I made for myself during my stint of funemployment. But I did hoard the recipe and eat lots of it secretly under the table away from you because I didn’t want to admit how much this tomato-loathing Westerner had been shoveling this hand-over-fist. (…Oh and I kept eating it so fast I forgot to take pictures.)

Shakshuka is really a simple, rustic dish. In Israel it was on the menus for all times of day, but it seemed to be mostly a breakfast dish. I’ve eaten it at all times of day and am never mad at it. It’s savory enough to play with dinner - probably a flavor palate most of us Westerners are used to having with dinner. But it’s a great day starter – protein from eggs, fruits from the tomatoes, carbs from the dipping bread, and quick to throw together. The eggs poach right in the sauce, and it’s encouraged to eat directly from the pan it’s cooked in – family style! I recently made this for my family in California – I accommodated a large crowd by cooking the sauce on the stove, then putting it in a bake-ware pan and finishing the eggs in the oven. It took a little longer this way, but was easier than cooking in batches. Everyone, from my gluten-free little cousin, to my picky big cousins, enjoyed it.

Crusty bread is best to dip, but you could probably use just about anything. As a bread connoisseur, I recommend a French loaf or sourdough as your first pick. A focaccia or ciabatta would also be a great.

Shakshuka

Serves 3ish

Adapted from my Israeli tour guide

1 Tbls olive oil

1 Tbls butter

1 small onion, diced (yellow or sweet)

1 tsp salt (ish)

A few cloves of garlic, minced (more or less, depending on your taste. I like ALL OF IT)

28 oz can San Marzano crushed tomatoes (fresh tomatoes are great, too)

A few generous pinches of za’atar (available in exotic spice sections or Middle Eastern markets. Fresh parsley may be replaced)

6 eggs (the fresher, the better – I use farm fresh because I know a guy)

Feta, if you’re getting crazy

1.      Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter (you can use just olive oil if you prefer) and allow to heat up. Add the onion and salt and cook until the onion is translucent, but not yet browned.

2.      Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

3.      Add the tomatoes and za’atar (or some parsley – be sure to reserve some). Stir, and then lower the heat to medium-low. Cook without a lid until the sauce reduces slightly. If it sputters, turn down the heat. If it reduces too quickly, losen it with a few spoonfuls of water. Season with salt and pepper.

4.      Add the 6 eggs evenly throughout the pan. Add a lid and cook 5-6 minutes, until the whites are set. You make cook longer if you aren’t wildly about loose yolks.

5.    When the eggs are set, remove from heat. Sprinkle a little feta (to taste) and some za’atar or parsley. Maybe a salad on the side. Enjoy!

Hangover: Part Kvetchin'

In May, my family descended upon Vegas. Most of it was innocent fun, but like every Vegas story, there were moments when I thought we'd lost people forever. Please to enjoy this travel post filler as I get my blogging ish together.

When I turned 21, my parents took me to Las Vegas. It was partly for me, but a little bit for them, too. My mom had a conference there near my birthday, so it was a little bit kismet. Six years later, my second youngest cousin turned 21, and two grandparents, three aunts, three uncles, four cousins, and a girlfriend all got together to celebrate! 

So you can only imagine the chaos that followed...

I love getting together with my family on these weekends - all these years later, now that the siblings are (mostly) getting along, it is so much fun to get everyone together. The shouting, the laughing, the joking... Did I mention the shouting?

The trip included a fantastic trip to the dam (insert all of the dam jokes - they are still funny!!). We didn't take the dam tour, but we walked around, got some sun, and stood in two states at once (anyone else a little weird about borders and being in two places at once? I love it).

Also featured on the trip was flavored sake, spicy edamame, excellent sushi, enough buffets to burst your belly, and a fantastic comedy show complete with long island iced teas spiked with red bull. 

The highlight (low light?) of the weekend was when my husband went missing (Hangover style). He left to play poker with my parents, they got separated, and suddenly it was time to leave for the comedy show and we couldn't reach him. They are not keen on phone use at the card tables, and he was deep in a tournament at a different casino than either dinner or the show. Luckily he wasn't out getting any strange face tattoos, but he was winning seats at poker tournements (he had to give them up because of our flights).

That wasn't the only time people went missing. At one point, over half of the thirteen of us were unaccounted for by the group leaders. There was almost always a core group, but as people trickled away (without a plan or a cell phone), we lost so many of them. Vegas has them now.

Just kidding, we found them and everyone got home safe and sound. The end!

OKMH - August Edition! Office Supplies

I have been waiting for this month...
It's OKMH August. The theme?

The Kitchen Girls

OFFICE SUPPLIES!

Truth time: I love office supplies. When I was little, my favorite night was the day after coming home with school supplies when I got to rip open packages and pack up my binder and backpack for the one clean, organized day of my school year: the FIRST DAY. Best day. I love sticky notes. I love different colors of pens. Colored Tabs? Want. Highlights? Love. Sharpie rainbows? NEED. 

Now that I'm an adult and actually need to use mountains of sticky notes and rivers of ink just to keep my cool, the allure of new supplies has not decreased. 
Did I finally run out of plain yellow sticky notes? Hurray! That means I finally have a good excuse to break into this neon orange pack. Ooo! 
Do I have to read a journal article and take notes? I have three highlighters that each mean something different - time to sit back and absorb (and highlight in perfectly neat boxes).
Do I need to organize study files? Pass over the binders and dividers. I have collating to do!!

Okay, while some of those office tasks are slightly exhagerated (I DO love a good hyperbole), I really do love office supplies. So obviously I was excitd by this month's theme. Hey, let's be honest - if I can find anything that keeps me excited about my office job, I should run at it full-speed, right?

This month I received from Kirsten - and it was a sa-WEET haul!

Desk Fluff

Includes: coloring book and new crayons (seriously), sassy napkins and mitt supplies, note pad and binder clips, and (my favorite) a huge pile of rainbow pens and sharpies, and some AWESOME sticky notes!!

Seriously and genuinely excited about these crayons. To use in THIS COLORING BOOK. I love coloring books. Shush - this will be great stress relief!

These sticky notes will come in very handy. I shall write seriously mustache'd notes with my serious and business-like stick-note tools. 

These desk fluffers (except for the crayons and coloring book) have already made it into my daily work. The sticky-notes stay safely in my desk drawer so I can look at them longingly but never use because then I might run out (*coughCLOSETHOARDERcough*).

Don't forget to check out the other "Kitchen Gals" (because my hubs can't be bothered to remember the whole group name ;-))
I sent to Mads at La Petite Pancake.
Mads sent to Kat at Tenaciously Yours
Kat  sent to Allison at Decadent Philistines Save the World
Allison sent to Megan at Wanna Be a Country Cleaver
Megan sent to Jeanne at Inside NanaBread's Head
Jeanne sent to Kirsten at Comfortably Domestic

 
What's your favorite part of a new school year? Or of your office?

Update on Life

I have so very much to catch up on. First of all, something that I didn't necessarily want to share openly on the blog while it was happening, but in March I was laid off from my real job. Unlike many other bloggers that I worship, this is (obviously) not something I do full-time, and honestly, I don’t want to. This is something I do for me, so I'm not sure the pressure of a full-time job in this creative outlet is a good fit for me.

During that time, I was very worried about getting a new job, but I did translate that stress the same way I normally do: into food. I did not, however, do a great job of snapping photos or writing down all my thoughts associated with these meals. Mostly because I had no thoughts. All of the stress, thoughts, free time, and stomach ulcers were devoted completely to finding new employment. Even while baking, I would rewrite cover letters between additions of eggs and vanilla.

I do have some new recipes coming at you, but they will be slow to post. The reason is that (Best Day) I have been employed for about 3 months now. As with any new job, the first few weeks were incredibly busy with travel and long work days (and learning, and reading, and organizing, and oh, did I mention the long work days?).

My unemployment lasted only about 7 weeks (I was incredibly lucky), but it still took a significant toll both emotionally and financially. As I get back to work after that much time off, I found it incredibly difficult to get back into a cooking schedule at night. I now work until about 6 pm, and if I run first thing, that still doesn't get dinner on the table before 8 pm. At the earliest. And in my constant battle with my alarm in the morning as it is (let alone trying to workout as well), I feel that the balance will, once again, come slowly.

I’m getting back into the swing of life, blogging, and, well, balance. My Plan for the next few weeks include regularly scheduled monthly posts (featuring the Many Hearts gals and the Theme Weavers), but hopefully some recipes (Oooo! Aaaahhh!). First to come, as I brush off the blogging dust, will be a few ramblings of recent trips.

From recent life.

Coming soon: Hangover Part Kvetchin Kitchen.