I give up!

After months of trying to convince my daughters to eat the Nancy's yogurt....I officially give up! My youngest would *sometimes* eat them with a lot of homemeade jam and toasted buckwheat groats, but my oldest wouldn't even touch the stuff. I cannot, in good faith, buy the horrible sugar-filled products that they really want, but today I gave in and bought a small tower of Wallaby yogurts. Maybe we can compromise?? (And I have to admit that I snuck in a pineapple coconut for myself!)

For the record, I still love Nancy's and will continue to buy it as it is a fabulous local product. We just might have to occassionally get some little organic sugar filled ones as well!

My new baby!

I get really giddy with a new cookbook. I read them at night when I go to bed and can browse through them forever, regardless of whether I make anything from them or they just go into "the collection" Well, today I decided to treat myself and, while shopping at the local natural foods store, decided to browse the book section. What a mistake! There were many titles that I put on my mental wish list, but this one, Simply in Season, stood out. I have looked at it online several times and receive a weekly email update from them as well. The premise is cooking from what is in season, produce wise. I can't wait to have time to settle down and read through it. Maybe I'll even get a chance to cook something from it this weekend!

Lame-O Dinner (Night #2)

So last night the plans for my husband and me to switch off kids at the end of the day so I could get a haircut changed at the last minute, so that left me scrambling for dinner. I boiled up a pot of water and tossed in some whole wheat spaghetti noodles. The kiddos had their noodles with butter and I had mine with some homemade pesto from the freezer (of which we always have an ample supply!) I also tossed in some quartered cherry tomatoes that arrived with our CSA share this week. It was delicious! So tonight I recreated the same lazy meal....gotta take a night off sometimes! (Although I did add in some fresh steamed green beans tonight!)

No Poo Update

So, it's basically 2 weeks since I have been trying the baking soda on my hair in lieu of traditional shampoo (see my previous NO POO post for more info on this...) and I have to say that I am impressed! With the exception of one day where I forgot to put the baking soda in my little travel bottle and, so, just put a bit of baking soda in the palm of my hand and made a paste which I spread on my hair (a common method for other no-poo-ers).....well, this didn't work for me! It left my hair feeling as though it hadn't been washed at all and it was just gross feeling. (I admit....on this day I did use a dab of shampoo, as I cannot stand unwashed hair!) Anyway, every other day I have used only baking soda (and sometimes a dot, really just a small dot, of conditioner).

Well, last night I went to get my hair cut at the salon I have been frequenting for years and my hair stylist said "What have you been doing to your hair?" To which I kinda panicked! Then she said "It is more full and vibrant than I have ever seen it!" I have to admit that I didn't tell her my trick....we'll keep somethings to ourselves!

The LAST Farmer's Market

The last Farmer's Market of the year was today. Sniff, sniff......my Wednesday ritual is over. And, to make matters worse, I missed the last outdoor Saturday market due to a day with WAY too many Halloween parties! I'm going to have to start frequenting the indoor Saturday market soon. Anyway, today the kids and I met their daddy and one of their aunts and stocked up on a few items. I really wasn't planning to get much, but, of course, was tempted by all the colorful produce. Let it be known, however, my haul would have been a lot smaller if I didn't have my 5 year old with me. She insisted on adding the strawberries, blueberries, green beans and purple cauliflower! And, yes, she'll eat it all!

I have a cold!

Our family has been bitten by the cold bug! My oldest child got it first, then my littler one and now me. Of course, the husband has yet to get anything! Luckily, this summer, I was asked to be a Sinupret tester and got samples of this great natural cold medicine, both for adults and kiddos. It is plant based and works well without that yucky "medicine head" feeling that I am accustomed to with the conventional OTC cold medicines.

In addition to getting to sample the Sinupret before it hit the market in the US (it's been abroad for a long time!) I also got a box of samples to hand out to friends. I gave a presentation to a local MOMS group about green shopping and gave out the first round to those in attendance. If you are reading this and are in the Salem area, let me know and I'd be happy to share one with you. I have a few left, so if you leave me a comment with your contact email I'll get in touch. (I took a photo of what you get in the goody bag....it's in a cute little tote and has a sample of the kids' medicine, a bunch of coupons, a little booklet, some kid toys and a box of kleenex!)

Kale and White Beans Recipe

I have had a bunch of kale hanging out in my fridge for a few weeks now. The glory of the produce from our CSA share is that it is so fresh it lasts and lasts! But the days were numbered for this particular one, so I needed to use it up. I tried out a new recipe and I must say it was delicious! Next time I will cut down on the sugar, as it was a tad too sweet for me and I would say that it is a must to serve it with some nice artisan bread....I had some of our homemade sourdough in the freezer and it went nicely!

Here's the recipe....the original can be found here (http://www.recipezaar.com/179716) but, of course, I doctored it up a bit!

This recipe served 2 people....with a lot of bread too!

1/2 bunch fresh kale, washed and stemmed and cut into strips
6 ounces cooked white beans (could use canned, I used some previously cooked and frozen)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1/2 medium tomato, sliced thinly or I sliced some cherry tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, peeled and sliced thinly
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat the olive oil slowly in a large frying pan. And saute onion and garlic over medium-low heat until they begin to turn color. Do not burn.

Stir in the brown sugar, oregano, and thyme. Stir gently for another minute or two until the sugar has disappeared.

Stir in the chopped kale into the hot oil mix. Stir the kale gently for a few minutes, just long enough to cook it down a bit. Do not let it become soft.

Stir in the beans, the balsamic vinegar, and the salt.

Lay the tomato slices on top.

Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top of the tomatoes.

Turn off heat, cover and let steam for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Last days of the CSA

We have belonged to the Denison Farms CSA for several years now. (More information can be found at www.denisonfarms.com) Each week I eagerly anticipate driving across town to pick up our fresh bin of produce. This week's bin came with the weekly newsletter listing what's in the bin and some helpful recipes/hints as well as what's going on on the farm. However, on the newsletter was also a reminder that the farm share season is nearing its end....only 4 weeks to go. As the kidlets ate all but 4 of the raspberries on the car ride home and I added the little tomatoes to our dinner, I realized how much I am going to miss the month's without these produce bins.

Round 2: vegan pumpkin choc chip bread

I made another loaf of the previously posted recipe today. I omitted the nuts at request of the person who will be getting the bread and threw in a few more chocolate chips....just because!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I made another recipe from my Vegan Lunchbox cookbook today.....it's a heavy and hearty pumpkin bread. I adapted the recipe from said cookbook to create this:

1 cup plain canned pumpkin or pureed squash (I used pumpkin that I baked up from an uncut jack-o-latern pumpkin last night)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup oil oil
2 TB whole flax seeds (blended until ground)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup chocolate chips
½ cup almonds, chopped
Cinnamon-Sugar (I used Penzey's brand....my favorite!)

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a bread pan well with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Put the pumpkin, water, canola oil, ground flax seed, and vanilla in a blender and process on high for at least one minute, until light in color and well-blended. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the pumpkin mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon or large spatula until well-blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and almonds.

Spoon the batter into the bread pan. Sprinkle the top with some Cinnamon-Sugar.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a cake tested inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then use a spatula to gently lift from the pan. Finish cooling on a wire rack.

**My notes: I was horrified at the amount of sugar in this recipe and would definitely scale it back next time I make it! It had a good flavor, but was a really heavy, dense bread, not light and airy at all. Not a problem, just not exactly what I expected. Also, the bread stuck to the bottom of the pan, so I would suggest HEAVILY greasing it. Could also be made into muffins.**

Update on the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I took the before mentioned Pumpkin Cinny Rolls to a Halloween Party yesterday and, although I had eaten one while plating them, I forgot to enjoy one at the party! I left the rest for the hosts, who said they thouroughly enjoyed them, but I did not satiate my craving. SO, I made a second batch today. I tweaked the flours a bit more to accomodate what I had on hand (and decided that this recipe is VERY forgiving!) I also froze half of the batch before I baked them so we can enjoy some warm rolls later too. The last change I made was that I subbed fresh orange juice from our organic produce delivery for the liquid in the frosting and it was an absolutely delicious addition. I find myself going back and licking up spoonfuls of the leftover frosting.

A week without Starbucks....will I survive?

So it has become part of my almost-daily ritual to stop at a local coffee shop, whether it be Starbucks, Java Crew or another joint. Due to a combination of lack of sleep and an overscheduled life, it has become systematic to have my pot of coffee in the morning at home, then stop for a mocha pick-me-up and often times finish up the afternoon with another small pot at home. This is definitely adding up -- both money wise and calorie wise. SO, it is my goal of this week to go without any coffee beverages that are not made in my home (so I can make coffee and mochas still, it's not the point to go without! The one exception to this is if I am meeting a friend or attending a function that is at a coffee shop, I can indulge then, but only then!) DH wanted to stop at Starbucks today so we went and split a Venti Caramel Macchiato. This will be the last one for a while....sigh!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls - Vegan No More

This has become one of my favorite cinnamon roll recipes. It was originally a vegan cinny roll recipe from www.donteatoffthesidewalk.com, but I adapted it a bit, both to non-veganize it, for ingredients I had on hand and to add more spice to the mix. You can check out the original recipe too though....(and you can easily re-vegan up the recipe by replacing the milk with soy milk and the butter with Earth balance)

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup Pumpkin or Squash Puree (today I used sweet dumpling squash)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 t cinnamon
1 teas pumpkin pie spice
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour (I use MUCH less)

Filling:
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons melted butter

Glaze:
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon hot water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the warm water with the yeast and whisk together with a fork, let stand for 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin, milk, melted butter, and sugar in with the yeast, and lightly mix. Add two and a half cups of flour, and spices and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then switch to dough hook (or knead by hand) and knead, adding enough flour from the remaining 3/4 cup, until the dough is elastic but soft and still a little sticky to the touch without being floured.

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with oil, turning to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

Combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add melted butter and stir.

Divide dough in half and roll each into a large rectangle on a floured surface. Sprinkle each with brown sugar mixture. Roll up the rectangle tightly, from the long side, pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut roll into(1-inch) slices. Place the slices on a cookie sheet with a silpat or sprayed with oil. Cover and let rise 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add the water and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. It should be thick, but easy to drizzle. If it’s too thick, add another 1/2 teaspoon of water. (I usually don't need as much water as called for)

**My photo is before they were drizzled with the frosting. They look even better when glistening with the glaze!**

Freezing Garlic

I have never tried freezing garlic before, but have often bought those little glass jars of pre-minced garlic and kept them in the freezer to scrape out what I need for a recipe when I don't have fresh garlic on hand. I recently discovered that you can preserve garlic by mincing it and freezing it in a 2:1 mixture with oil. I used the Costco olive oil as that's what I had on hand in quantity. I didn't puree it in the food processor with the oil because I couldn't tell how much garlic I had, so I poured it into my freezer container first and the oil won't really stay mixed in (it keeps settling in the freezer) so I am stirring it at 30 minute intervals so it will hopefully freeze okay. Next time I'll just buck up and put the mixture back in the food processor and give it another whirl. Would have saved time in the end!

Organics to you...

So for over a year I have been lusting after the organic produce boxes that my friends and relatives in the Portland area have been receiving from a company called Organics To You (www.organicstoyou.org) I belong to a CSA during the growing season and HIGHLY recommend them. I'll try to make a post specific to that later....However, during those cold winter months, local produce is a bit harder to come by. I tried the Pioneer Organics delivery service twice but was not terribly impressed by their quality and they definitely did not make an effort to get local produce (considering that their website, now called spud.com, labels produce from Chile as "local" Hmmmm......) Anyway, after sending a couple emails to the Organic To You contact email and requesting service in Salem, nothing but a standard response that they would let me know if they ever did....THEN, at the Green Sprouts festival in Portland this summer there was an Organics To You booth. The young man at the booth was very receptive to my request to get Salem delivery, telling me who to contact and that they may be able to do a drop point if there were enough interested customers in the Salem area (and he even fed my youngest some delicious grapes from their sample fare!).

Well, to make a long story shorter....after much emailling we got a good group of Salem area residents who are interested in ordering, a drop point location and a start date and TODAY is the first Salem delivery and we are trying out the Fruit box as we are still in the CSA season and don't really need more root veggies, potatoes, greens and winter squash right now! The kids are big fruit eaters, so I am hoping that this will be a nice addition and eliminate a grocery shopping trip.

Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts and a sick child, I think my husband is going to have to pick it up. I was really looking foward to the satisfaction of the actual hand off of the produce bin (as crazy as that sounds, at least it is tangible) Now I have to wait hours to see what is in the darned thing!

ETA: Our fruit box was so nice!! And no excess of plastic clamshells and bags. It was all just nicely put into a cardboard box. We got 2 bags of grapes, a bunch of bananas, apples, 2 kinds of pears, strawberries, a grapefruit, oranges, etc. It all looked great and will definitely encourage us to eat more fruit this week before our next box arrives. Next time I'll take a picture of it. It was so late when we got home all I wanted to do was unpack it and collapse!

I failed!

I wish I had some great green or foodie story today, but I pretty much failed on all attempts! Here's what our day's food looked like:

Breakfast
Little one: oatmeal, brown sugar, milk
Bigger one: cereal, milk
Me: coffee (I forgot the "food" part of breakfast)

Lunch - the most embarrassing part!
McDonald's....between the 3 of us we polished off a plain double cheeseburger, 10 chicken nuggets and an order of fries. I also picked up a mocha at a local coffee shop. My excuse for this horrible, in all ways, lunch is that we had to leave straight from my daughter's school to go to the airport and I was not organized enough to pack a decent roadtrip lunch for us all. I did pack heavy snacks...multi-grain crackers, pears, apples, roasted pumpkin seeds, nuts, etc. but, of course, those got mainly untouched in favor of the McDs.

Dinner
Kids: whole wheat spaghetti with butter
Us: Crockpot lentil soup (as we were gone all day). This was a new recipe and I thought it was pretty uninspiring. So much so that I am not posting it and don't plan to repeat it. Luckily we had 2 bowls of the coconut black rice pudding left (of which I claimed the larger one) and my mom brought back some fresh caramel corn with peanuts that I finished off the bag of.

Let's hope for a better day tomorrow!

Our FAVORITE Pumpkin Muffins

I think that the girls would eat these every day if I made them that often....I usually make up a large batch and try to get some in the freezer before they are gobbled up as they make great quick breakfasts and car snacks. Since we have to go up to Portland tomorrow and since we got *another* organic pie pumpkin at the Farmer's Market today I thought I'd whip up a batch. The little one is on my lap eating one (now she is on her 3rd or 4th one) as a pre-bedtime snack as I write....

Pumpkin Pie Muffins (adapted from Ellie Krieger's recipe)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole wheat flour, or a combo of both, as I did tonight
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsulphered molasses
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. (I use a silicone mini muffin tin and make 2 batches)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, baking soda, and spices.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, oil and 1 egg until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

Vegan Black Rice Pudding

For my birthday (again, thanks Megan and Taylor!) I got the new edition of Vegan Lunch Box, a cookbook by Jennifer McCann, the same name as the blogger of veganlunchbox (go figure!)

I've tried a couple recipes in here so far and today finally got to try the Black Rice Pudding. It was SUPER easy, SUPER tasty and sure to be a repeat. My only irk is that it says it serves 6 and good thing I didn't make a 1/2 batch, because I am fairly certain I could eat half of the batch in one sitting.

Here's the recipe and above is a some-what blurry photo:

1/4 pound raw black rice (found mine at Lifesource), rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz) can light coconut milk (I happened to have a can, but next time I'm going for the full fat homemade version)
4 tab sugar (I used a tad less)
pinch salt

Cook the rice until tender in water to cover (30-40 minutes). Drain and set aside.
Boil the coconut milk, add sugar and salt and stir for 1 minute (to dissolve).
Spoon rice into 6 individual dessert dishes and pour coconut milk over them.

I already ate one bowl while it was still piping hot. I have the rest chilling in the fridge and will have them after dinner with a dollop of homemade whipped cream. Mmmmm..........

NO MORE POO

Well, it is Day #4 of my attempts at joining the "no poo" movement and all is going well. I first heard of this when I attended a sustainable living workshop and the idea has been floating around in my head for a while now. You can google it and get more info than you ever wanted, but some of the basic tenants are to get rid of shampoo packaging and eliminate the chemicals that are used in and to make the products themselves. Most people use baking soda to replace commercially available shampoo products and many replace conditioner with vinegar. This weekend I finally decided to give it a try. I bought a little travel sized shampoo bottle and each day I put a small amount (probably between a teaspoon and a tablespoon) in the dry bottle. When I get in the shower in the morning I add water to it and shake to dissolbe then dump on my head and rub it in. It doesn't lather like "normal" shampoo does and feels a bit grainy - that took a couple days to get used to. So far I am using just a teensy tiny bit of conditioner diluted with water after the baking soda. Many people experience and adjustment period to the No Poo, but so far my hair is feeling healthier and cleaner than ever.

Produce, produce, here I come!

Thank you Megan and Taylor for my birthday presents.....another part of it arrived today. My produce bags! I have been eyeing these at www.reusablebags.com for a while now. I hope that they will eliminate some of those pesky plastic produce bags and seem to accumulate with my purchases. At the Farmer's Market I just throw all my goodies in my big red basket, but the grocery store purchases can be a bit more problematic. I got 2 of the large bags (which are larger than I thought -- they should hold quite a bit!) and one small bag, which looks like the right size for a bunch of cilantro or a few small items.

I can't wait to try them out shopping!

What?!? My kids like mashed potatoes?

I know it seems silly, but I have never been able to get the kids to eat mashed potatoes. Granted, I have issues with making mashers, but all that has changed thanks to my recently acquired (read: spent too much $$ for) food mill. I have to get dinner made ahead of time tonight and, due to the marinara and ground beef for meatballs not thawing adequately, I decided to go with some leftover turkey/pork meatloaf, mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts. I made the mashers and brussel sprouts during the little one's nap so it can all be reheated at dinner. But the girls ate so much of the mashed potatoes that there aren't many left for daddy! (Maybe they were so good because I added a lot of butter and half-n-half???) I even got the little one to eat a brussel sprout! Yippee!

I am addicted

Yes, I am an addict. Addicted to Zip-lock bags. Not the generic imposters either. The real thing is what I am talking about here! Mainly the freezer and sandwich sizes, but I have been known to use the gallon sized ones as well. I know it is not very green of me and I have kicked a lot of habits, but zip-locks are still holding on strong. HOWEVER, I am hoping that my newfound friend that I found at www.happy-sacks.com These are little fabric concoctions that are sewn by someone far craftier than I. They charged a very reasonable amount for shipping and enclosed a nice little eco-friendly card with the order as well. I am hoping that it will be a nice replacement for the snack bags that the kids go through rampantly throughout the day. Especially since the little one always tears the side of her bags and then all the snacks fall out, so it has to be replaced with a new baggie...and this cycle can be repeated several times with one snack.

Dinner planning for the week

Tonight (Monday)
Turkey Burger (me) and Morningstar Grillers (kids) on Homemade Burger Buns
Roasted Potatoes with EVOO and Kosher Salt
Sauteed Cabbage (me)
Carrot sticks (kids)

Tomorrow (Tuesday)
Sourdough Bread
Pasta with Marinara (homemade in freezer)
Meatballs (per request of a child, who will probably not eat them)
Red Kale sauteed with garlic and olive oil
Roasted Brussel Sprouts (my most exciting find at the Farmer's Market this Saturday)

The rest of the week will be dependent on what is in the CSA bin that arrives on Tuesday.....I hesitate to plan any further than that!

The bun is out of the oven (so to speak)

I just took the homemade hamburger buns out of the oven and they look GREAT! The kids are already ready to eat an early dinner just to taste them! It is a recipe that I have been meaning to try for a long time and I'll post it here. It was easy to mix up and pretty quick too. If they taste anything like they smell they are sure to be a hit! And I am told that they freeze up well and are great brushed with butter and fried or grilled before serving.


Moomie's Beautiful Burger Buns (from bakingcircle.com)- adapted recipe for kichenaid mixer instead of bread maker

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 egg
3 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast

INSTRUCTIONS
Place all ingredients in your kitchenaid mixer (or mix by hand) and mix together and then knead until desired consistency. Let rise for an hour and then.....

Dump out onto lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 pieces. Gently pat/smush each piece into a desired "bunlike" shape. Place on greased cookie sheets (or with Silpat)cover; rise about 40 minutes.

Bake in preheated 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes till golden. Cool on wire racks.

The baking frenzy continues....

Apparently the bread baking bug has hit me hard....maybe it is the cool autumn days. Maybe it is the fact that I am single parenting it this week, who knows? But on today's menu are 2 types of sourdough and a burger bun that has been on my "to try" list for months (if not over a year) now. The sourdough was started last night and has been fed 3 times now. It's almost ready to mix up into a dough. The first variety will be done today, the second is a more "sour" sourdough and has to ferment overnight in the fridge, so we won't be sampling it until tomorrow.

I will report back....

Welcome to Big Green Foodie!

Okay, here's another attempt at blogging....previously it has been hit and miss. I'm hoping that if I start over it will get better. I have 2 little kids and a very busy schedule, so posting often takes back seat to other endeavors. However, I hope to focus on green and food topics (hence the name).

Today's Tasks have included:

Starting my sourdough starter (I got a starter from King Arthur Flour for my birthday. My previous attempts at sd were "okay" but then I ruined my starter after converting it to whole wheat and it molded! Yuck! I'm going to keep this one a white sourdough for a while)

Finishing canning my 2 batches of salsa that I began yesterday.

Cooking up 2 nice organic pie pumpkins that we picked up at the Farmer's Market and running them through the food mill to freezer (I got 6 cups of yummy puree!)

Toasting up the pumpkin seeds from beforementioned pumpkins with some butter and kosher salt.

I made a Cinnamon Swirl bread for the kids. It's cooling now, just waiting to be cut into!

Here's the recipe for the Cinnamon Swirl bread...it looks long and daunting, but it really isn't. I usually make a similar bread, but it is honey-oatmeal based instead of the smushy white bread base, but this was fun for a treat!


CINNAMON BREAD FROM KING ARTHUR FLOUR WEBSITE (from their "guaranteed" section)

Dough
1/4-ounce packet "highly active" active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
7/8 to 1 1/8 cups lukewarm water*
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
*Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.

Filling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, to brush on dough

Directions
1) If you're using "highly active" or active dry yeast, dissolve it with a pinch of sugar in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.

2) Combine the dissolved yeast (or instant yeast) with the remainder of the ingredients. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you've made a smooth dough. Adjust the dough's consistency with additional flour or water as needed; but remember, the more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take about 7 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball.

3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, until it's nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Rising may take longer, especially if you've kneaded by hand. Give it enough time to become quite puffy.

4) While the dough is rising, make the filling by stirring together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.

5) Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat it into a 6" x 20" rectangle.

6) Brush the dough with the egg/water mixture, and sprinkle it evenly with the filling.

7) Starting with a short end, roll the dough into a log.

8) Pinch the ends to seal, and pinch the long seam closed.

9) Transfer the log, seam-side down, to a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap.

10) Allow the bread to rise till it's crested about 1" over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour. Again, it may rise more slowly for you; let it rise till it's 1" over the rim of the pan, even if that takes longer than an hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

11) Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after the first 15 minutes. The bread's crust will be golden brown, and the interior of the finished loaf should measure 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.

12) Remove the bread from the oven, and gently loosen the edges with a heatproof spatula or table knife. Turn it out of the pan, and brush the top surface with butter, if desired; this will give it a soft, satiny crust. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.


And, I think that's it for now. Of course, it's only 1 pm!

Cheers,
Jessica