PUMPKIN Pancakes

2 Cups all purpose flour

4 Teaspoons baking powder

3 Tablespoons powdered milk

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1 1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 Cup sugar

1 1/2 Cups fresh or solid pack PUMPKIN

3 Eggs

1 Cup water

3/4 Cup vegetable oil

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

4 Oz. chopped pecans (optional)

Sift dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, water, oil, and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

Add the liquid ingredients and stir until blended.

Do not over stir. Stir in pecans just before ready to cook

A hot greased griddle is best for cooking pancakes.

Pour 1/4 cup batter onto griddle and cook

until bubbles form and bottom is brown.

Turn and brown the other side.

Serve with warm Maple Syrup,

Cinnamon Apple Topping,

or Caramel Syrup

Warning, Warning: the Pumpkin pancakes served with caramel sauce are exquisitely delicious and very rich. We only indulge in them once a year. Most of the time I serve the PUMPKIN Pancakes with Cinnamon Apple topping.

Caramel Syrup

• 1/2 Cup boiling water
• 1 Cup powdered milk
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2 Cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 Cup butter
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 Cup milk

In a blender add boiling water, powdered milk, granulated sugar and 1 Tablespoon butter. Puree until well blended. Pour into medium saucepan. Add brown sugar and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. STIR CONSTANTLY. Add butter and vanilla. Stir well. Add milk continue to stir over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly, and you are ready to serve.

How To Cook A Fresh PUMPKIN

Start with a pie pumpkin. Pie pumpkins are smaller, sweeter and less grainy than the usual "jack-o-lantern" types. However, you can cook a small "jack-o'-lantern" pumpkin, but the texture is grainier and the taste is a bit bland compared to a cooking pumpkin.

Start by washing the pumpkins.

Cut the pumpkin open and scoop out the seeds.

This is the part that the children love the most.

Just look at Brigitta's face.

Don't forget to save the seeds to roast.

Stove Top Method:

Put enough water into the bottom of the pan

so it won’t boil dry, and yet is not so high

that the pumpkin is touching the water level.

You may need to add more water

during the cooking. Put the pumpkin

into the steaming basket.

Cook on Medium heat between 12 and 15 minutes.

The pumpkin skin literally peels right off.

Oven Method:

Place pumpkin halves face down in a baking dish.

Add 1/2" of water to pan:

this helps keep the pumpkin flesh moist.

Cover and bake at 350º until you can pierce

the skin with a fork (about 45 minutes to an hour).

Let the pumpkin cool.

Scoop out the cooked pumpkin.

Discard the skin.

Put in a blender and puree.

Now you are ready to bake!

• Remember NEVER cook a pumpkin that's been carved. The cut flesh is ideal for bacteria growth.
• Store fresh, cooked pumpkin in the refrigerator for about five days, or in the freezer for up to six months.

I keep canned pumpkin as a staple in my food storage because I cook with it so frequently. Canned pumpkin is fast, easy, and has all the nutrients of fresh, but I must say that it doesn't compare to fresh pumpkins when it comes to flavor.

Next up: Cooking with your fresh PUMPKIN

We're All Together Again

Now that the weather is beginning to cool down, (I mean it was only 92 degrees yesterday) it is time to go to the park more often. I love having my family close where we can get together and form friendship's that will last a lifetime.

I just noticed that the older kids weren't in any of the pictures. OOPS! That's because they were either off playing basketball or photographer.

SPOOKY Caramel Apples

If you want a "Spooktacular" dessert that everyone will love then this is it! This recipe is also"food storage friendly" and one we have enjoyed over the past few years.

Before you begin gather together your crew and set them to work washing the apples.


Apples purchased from a store have wax applies to them and may keep the caramel from sticking. I just added some baking soda in the water for the girls to scrub clean. Make sure that your apples are completely dry before dipping. Remove the stem and insert a popsicle stick in the center of the apple. Place on a pan that has been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking.




After preparing the apples just put them in the fridge until you are ready for them. Cold apples help keep the caramel from sliding off.




It has been years since I purchased sweetened condensed milk because you can make it for pennies.

• 1 Cup powdered milk
• 1 Cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 Cup boiling water
• 1 Tablespoon butter

Put your powdered milk and sugar in blender. Pulse a few times.

Add the boiling water and butter and puree until it is blended completely about 1-2 minutes.

I was amazed the first time I made it how much the

texture was the same as canned.

In a large saucepan add:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 Cups dark brown sugar, packed

Over medium low heat stir constantly until the butter is melted and the mixture is creamy.

Stir in:

• 1 Cup light corn syrup
  
  

Next add:

• Sweetened condensed milk that you made
  
  
  

Stir well. Turn the stove up to medium high heat and stir constantly. Do not leave unattended! It will take approximately 30 minutes for it to reach the "firm ball" stage of candy making. This means that, upon dropping the caramel into cold water, a firm ball will form The ball should not flatten when you remove it from the water, but should still be easily manageable and change shape when you touch it. The best way if you have never made candy before is to use a candy thermometer. The temperature should read between 245-250 degrees F.

When a "firm ball" stage is reached turn off the stove and stir in:

• 1 Teaspoon vanilla

Take your apples out of the refrigerator. Tilt the pan and dip each apple into the caramel. Rotate within the caramel. Pull out and allow excess to drip off. Then turn the apple right-side-up for a moment and let the caramel settle for a few seconds. Place on prepared pan. While the caramel is still warm and soft you can decorate it with a variety of toppings.

For my Spooky Caramel Apples I melted a bag of chocolate chips with a teaspoon of shortening. I put it in a decorator bag, cut the tip and just swirled each apple.

Don't you think the SPIDERS

add just the right

finishing touch?

Other toppings might include:

• Sprinkles
• Nuts
• Chocolate Chips
• White Chocolate Chips
• M&M's
• Oreo Cookie Crumbs
• Crushed Candy Bars
• Candy corn

When it comes to eating caramel apples the best way I found with little children is to slice them up. No mess, No waste!

This recipe made 12 medium apples.

Apple Chicken Wrap

Today on the menu for dinner are Gourmet Apple Tortillas loaded with an Apple Chicken Filling.

• 2 Cups whole wheat flour
• 2 Cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 Cup powdered milk
• 2 Teaspoons salt
• 3 Teaspoons baking powder
• 4 Tablespoons oil
• 1 Cup apple sauce (I used my apple butter for a spicier taste)
• 3/4 Cup warm water

Mix together all of the dry ingredients.
Slowly add the water and the oil Stir until a ball is formed.
Remove from the bowl and knead for 2 minutes.

Return to the bowl, cover and let
rest for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 20 balls.
Cover them and let them rest again for 10 minutes.
The dough will be elastic and will not roll out to a
desired thickness if not allowed to rest.


After the dough has rested, lightly flour your surface
and roll into a 9-10 inch circle.
It will be very thin and that is what you want.
Don't over work the dough or it will become stiff.
Keep the rolled tortillas covered until ready to cook.

On a dry skillet, (I prefer a cast iron skillet)
over medium-high heat,
cook the tortilla until bubbles begin to form


Turn and cook on the other side.
Makes 20 tortillas.



Filling:

• 3 Large chicken breasts shredded
• 2 large apples diced
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 Cup mayonnaise
• Lettuce shredded
• Avocados sliced

(Make sure you season your chicken well before cooking or it will be bland.)

I have had many many requests by phone, e-mail and in person to write a cook book.

Well, I am almost convinced.

One more apple post and then

on to cooking with Pumpkin!

It's Finished!

We just finished expanding, fencing and planting my

2nd garden. I am so excited!

This garden is a 6 x15 about half the size of my first one.

There is not much to see yet, but I can be patient.

One of the most delightful things

about a garden

is the anticipation it provides.

~W.E. Johns~

Garden #1 Winter Squash

and Tomatoes

I have found that my children (Kendrick excluded) eat more fruits and vegetables when they can go out and pick them for themselves. My granddaughter Arianna was complaining about being hungry this morning. I gave her several options to choose from, none of which appealed to her. To remedy the situation I took her by the hand and out to the garden. There we choose a carrot that was ripe for the picking. I reached over the fence and pulled it out. There was a look of complete delight on her face. We took the carrot into the kitchen and washed it. She sat at the table and ate the entire carrot with the greens still on. The funny thing is that one of the foods I offered her out of the refrigerator was a carrot. :)

Lessons Learned Early In Marriage

Yesterday our lesson in Relief Society was on Family: The Sweetest Union for Time and Eternity. As I sat listening to the lesson that was presented I reflected on all of the happy times I have had in my life because I married my husband. One flash-back came to me while I pondered the lesson and it reminded me of just one of the many lessons that I have learned while being married to Mar-Kay.


Mar-Kay and I had only been married a few weeks and so far it had been the happiest time of my entire life. In my eyes no one could possibly be more in love than we were. Mar-Kay was always so considerate and I felt I had found the perfect man. It was his desire to make sure that I was completely happy and so for Family Home Evening one Monday night he decided that we should have companion inventory. (Incidentally he got that idea while serving his mission). Mar-Kay took out a piece of paper and a pen and explained that we were to write a list of things that bothered us about each other. I knew all too well my faults and weaknesses and assumed he had finally discovered them. I imagined that his list would be quite lengthy. I even thought that he might have to use both sides of the paper to capture them all. We each went to a separate room so as not to be distracted. It was the longest 15 minutes of my life. At first I tried to think of something I had done to make him uphappy, but my mind came up blank. I then racked my brain to try and come up with something that bothered me about him and again, nothing came to mind. Finally in desperation I wrote down one or two insignificant things. If you were to ask me today what they were, I could not tell you. We met together after the allotted time and traded papers. To my utmost astonishment, the paper he handed me was blank! THERE WAS NOTHING THERE! I felt so horrible having written something on my paper and apologized profusely. In Mar-Kay's mind and heart, I was perfect, nothing I could do or say would change how much he loved me. It was his intent to please me and he just wanted to know if there was anything he could personally improve upon. This was a valuable teaching experience for me.

Lessons I learned:

• Look only for the good in your spouse and build upon his strengths
• NEVER find fault in others especially your spouse
• Watch out because Mar-Kay can be tricky

Because of our temple marriage

I have the peace of knowing that

Mar-Kay and I can be Together Forever!

Nothing gives me greater joy.