It's Time For Pumpkin Pancakes

Fire in the woodstove, critters in the barn, winter is fast approaching.  I'm starting to crave those comfort foods that help me store up my winter layer of insulation. (You know, the lost in a blizzard kind,the good thing I have this extra layer of fat to keep me from freezing to death kind, the I'm going to hibernate and not come out until spring kind.)

  I've made apple squares, apple pies, doughnuts and muffins.  Now it's time for pumpkin pancakes.  I love these pancakes, but for some reason I only make them about once a year.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 egg slightly beaten
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup molasses or maple syrup
3-4 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter
powdered sugar for dusting

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Set aside.  In another bowl beat egg slightly.  Add pumpkin puree, molasses or syrup, milk and melted butter.  Mix until smooth.  Blend in the dry ingredients all at once.  Mix until batter is smooth.  Allow batter to rest for 30 minutes or more.  Add more milk if batter is too stiff.
Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter onto a lightly greased preheated griddle.  Flatten batter to about 1/2 inch thick.  Cook slowly until bubbles appear.  Turn.

I like maple syrup on my pancakes.
Anyways, give these a try and see what you think.

Banana Cappuccino

Sounds rather gross, eh? 
I have a recipe for vanilla cappuccino mix that is really tasty.  Decided with the cold weather that it was time to mix up a batch.  Grabbed some of the ingredients I needed at the grocery store and came home to put it together.
Vanilla Cappucino

1/3 cup instant coffee
1 cup instant dry milk
1/2 cup powdered coffee creamer
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding

Measure all of the ingredients into a blender.  Blend until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.  Store in an airtight container.  3 heaping tablespoons per 10 oz. of hot water.

Things were going great until I went to put in the vanilla pudding and read on the package "Banana Cream".  Because everything was already in the  blender, I threw the pudding in anyways.  Now I have instant banana cappuccino. It's really not as bad as it sounds.  I only have a couple of servings left and then I can refill my jar with the regular stuff.  I wonder what would have happened if it would have been pistachio??

French Breakfast Puffs-

This recipe is from my old Betty Crocker cookbook.  These are delicious, and my family loves them (especially the kids).  Warning-They aren't health food!  :o)

1/3 cup shortening (lard)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350.  Grease 12 muffin cups.  Mix thoroughly shortening, 1/2 cup sugar and egg.  Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg alternately with milk.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  Mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon.  Immediately after baking, roll puffs in milted butter, then in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Serve hot.

The Lowly Scape

My garlic scapes are ready once more.  I love everything garlic and the scapes are like an appetizer while you await the main course.  They can be used like regular garlic, but my new, favorite way is to pickle them.  I wrote about it here.  I made my first batch last year and discovered that I LOVE them.

Here are the scapes.  You cut off the seed head and use the rest.
The  recipe that I used --
3 1/2 lbs. garlic scapes cut into 3-4 inch pieces
5 cups water
5 cups vinegar
1/2 cup pickling salt
7 hot chili peppers
1/2 teaspoon dill seed per jar
7 wide mouth canning jars, lids and rings

Combine the vinegar, water, and salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. Place one hot pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of dill seed in the bottom of each of the hot sterilized jars. Pack the scapes into the hot jars. Ladle the hot vinegar/water/salt mixture into the sterilized jars, using a wide mouth plastic funnel leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rims with a clean white cotton cloth or paper towel. Apply prepared lids and rings; tighten gently. Process in a boiling water bath canner, following manufacturer’s instructions, for 10 minutes. Remove jars to a wire rack to cool completely. Wait 2 weeks before enjoying the pickles to give them time to develop their full flavor. You can store the pickles in a cool dry place for up to one year.

Makes about

7 pints of pickled garlic scapes.

    

I ended up with 22 pints of pickles.  These must be good for you, ya think?  They are delicious.

Super Snacking

Is it just my children, or are yours constantly hungry?  I don't remember eating this much when I was their age,(selective memory??).  Now that things are just about done in the garden, I'm putting up snacks for my hungry hordes.The  Pumpkin Chips recipe is one that I'm still planning on using.
Roasted sunflower seeds are another that I make for snack.  I soak the seeds in salt water, overnight, drain.  Place on a cookie sheet. sprinkle with sea salt and put in the oven at 250 for as long as it takes to get them crispy.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds are one of our favorites.  Scoop the seeds out of the pumpkin, I do this by hand as it gets less pulp this way.  Take off as much excess pulp as you can.  Spread them on a cookie sheet.  Dot with butter and sprinkle with sea salt.  Roast at 250 until crispy.
How about Corn Nuts ?  I dry some of my corn every year and this year I'm going to try these.  Soak dried corn in cold water for about two days.  Drain and pat dry.  Heat oil to 375.  If a test kernel bubbles and rises when tossed in, it's ready.  Put 1/2 cup of corn in the oil and cook until a nice shade of golden brown.  Test to make sure they are crunchy and not chewy.  Drain well. Sprinkle with salt, or seasoning of  your choice.  This recipe is from "Down to the Roots" magazine, a terrific read.
And then there's the ever popular Dried Apples .  Thinly slice apples.  I sometimes don't even bother coring them if they're right off of our trees. Place on cookie sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Place slices on drying racks.  Dehydrate until crunchy and leathery.

Well, there are some ideas.  Soon you'll be rivaling the convenience store down the road. I'm sure you have many more and I can always use some new ideas.

Pumpkins!!!!

Yep, we got 'em.  Been blessed with an abundant crop of squash and pumpkins this year.

Most of these are pie pumpkins, with a couple of Dill's thrown in.  There are a few Turbin squash, too.  What to do with this bounty.....

I harden them out in the yard for about a week, maybe more, before hauling them to the cellar.  It stays about 65 degrees and dry in our cellar and they seem to keep well down there. 
I can-
feed them to the goats and sheep during the winter (high in vitamins and the seeds are a natural dewormer).
Dehydrate them and make pumpkin flour to add to baked goods.  Makes them moister and higher in vitamins.
Bake pumpkin breads, cookies, bars, pies, dump cake...you get the idea.
Can the pumpkin.
Roast the seeds.
Make pumpkin chips.
I haven't tried pumpkin chips before, but here's the recipe and I hope to try these soon-
Pumpkin Chips
Peel a pie pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.  Cut into wedges and then cut the wedges into very thin slices.  You may want to use a food processor for this.  Heat oil to deep fry to 375 degrees.  Make sure it's hot enough or your chips will be greasy.  Fry in the oil and drain well.  Sprinkle with salt.  I'm thinking you could make different flavors.  How about some sugar and cinnamon, or a ranch flavor sprinkle? (Maybe not the ranch.)
So what do you do with your pumpkins?  There are so many ideas out there.  Pumpkin is very versatile.
Be blessed!